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2020), when he began smuggling Bibles into the country and offering support to persecuted
Christians. His book God's Smuggler (1964) sold more than ten million copies in 35 languages. The chief executive of Open Doors, Henrietta Blyth, said: "He leaves behind a remarkable legacy." Brother Andrew was born on 11 May 1928 in Alkmaar, in the Netherlands. He joined the colonial army of the Dutch East Indies, and converted to Christianity during a period of convalescence during which he spent much of his time reading the Bible.
240:. After being involved in a massacre of Indonesian villagers while he was serving as a soldier, he endured a period of severe emotional stress, and later was wounded in the ankle during the fighting. During his rehabilitation, he began reading a Bible given to him by his mother. When he returned to the Netherlands he started attending church and committed himself to Christianity. In 1953, Van der Bijl studied at the
44:
463:
Van der Bijl died at age 94 on 27 September 2022; he had been married for 59 years to his wife, Corry (1931–2018). They had continued to live in
Holland and were survived by five children and 11 grandchildren. At the time of his death, Open Doors was active in over 60 countries. The ministry yearly
367:
tells the story of his early childhood, conversion to
Christianity, and adventures as a Bible-smuggler behind the Iron Curtain. Due to the press exposure following the book, van der Bijl stopped personally smuggling Bibles and Christian literature to other countries, and shifted to evangelism and
720:
Brother Andrew, 'God's smuggler', dies, aged 96 THE Dutch preacher and founder of the
Christian charity Open Doors, Anne Van Der Bijl, known as Brother Andrew, who crossed the Iron Curtain to minister to churches in Warsaw, has died, aged 94. He founded Open Doors on 15 July 1955 (News, 17 July
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Although van der Bijl was violating the laws of all of the countries that he visited by bringing religious literature, he often placed the material in view when he was stopped at police checkpoints, as a gesture of his trust in what he believed to be God's protection.
408:
and
Israeli-occupied areas expressing great delight at the mere visit of a fellow Christian from abroad since they felt that the church in the Western world at large was mostly ignoring them. In similar fashion, van der Bijl and a companion, Al Janssen, visited
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distributes 300,000 Bibles and 1.5 million
Christian books and materials. The group is active in providing relief, aid, community development, and trauma counseling, while advocating for persecuted Christians around the globe.
291:, Karl de Graaf, claimed that God told him to teach van der Bijl to drive. Later, when van der Bijl was in a refugee camp in West Germany, Philip Whetstra called van der Bijl to come to the Whetstras' new house in Amsterdam.
261:. He signed up on a government-controlled Communist tour to Czechoslovakia, the only legal way to be in the country, during which he left the tour to meet with local Christian groups. Later that year, van der Bijl founded
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287:, which later became the symbol of Open Doors. An older couple, the Whetstras, had given him their new car because they had prayed about it and believed that van der Bijl would need the car. A man who lived in
256:
In July 1955, van der Bijl visited
Communist Poland to attend the 5th World Festival of Youth and Students in Warsaw, where he met a Christian bookstore owner that told him about a lack of Bibles in the
951:
755:
888:
993:
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fundraising campaigns in North
America and Europe to support Open Doors. By 2022, it had sold over 10 million copies and was published in thirty-five languages. A comic book adaptation of
314:
had put an end to relative religious freedom there. He visited with Czech
Christians and gave Bibles to the Russian occupying forces. During that decade, he also made his first visits to
276:. Open Doors was involved in smuggling Bibles and Christian literature, offering training for Christian leaders, and providing financial and other support for persecuted Christians.
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881:"Brother Andrew, missionary who fearlessly crossed borders to smuggle Christian literature into Communist lands – obituary"
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several times in the 1970s. In the 1990s, van der Bijl again travelled several times more to the Middle East. In his book
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in Europe, van der Bijl shifted his focus to the Middle East and worked to strengthen the church in the
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had created a hostile policy towards
Christianity and other religions, during the era of the so-called
200:. He was known for smuggling Bibles and other Christian literature into communist countries during the
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1114:[Open Doors founder Anne van der Bijl passed away: he gave the persecuted church a face].
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informers ultimately infiltrated Open Doors, and the KGB tracked van der Bijl's activities.
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1112:"Open Doors-oprichter Anne van der Bijl overleden: hij gaf de vervolgde kerk een gezicht"
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Brother Andrew; Sherrill, John; Sherrill, Elizabeth; featuring Jars of Clay (2001).
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425:. Arafat granted van de Bijl permission to open a Christian book store in the
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1017:"Brother Andrew, famous for smuggling Bibles into Soviet Union, dies at 94"
701:
418:
338:
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188:; 11 May 1928 – 27 September 2022), known in English-speaking countries as
984:"The Light Force of God's Smuggler: Arab Christians Mourn Brother Andrew"
310:. He went to Czechoslovakia when the suppression by Soviet troops of the
221:
453:, having previously prayed for him, and called the operation "murder".
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in the 2010s, where van der Bijl attempted to meet with members of the
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429:. During the trip, van der Bijl also spoke about Christianity at the
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748:"Died: Brother Andrew, Who Smuggled Bibles into Communist Countries"
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In 1957, van der Bijl travelled to the Soviet Union's capital,
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Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ
663:
Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ
598:
The Narrow Road: Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together
574:
458:
Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ
410:
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1050:. London: Hodder & Stoughton. pp. 204/ Chapter 25.
942:"Brother Andrew's Prophetic Plea: Stop Murdering Terrorists"
555:
474:
Brother Andrew; Sherrill, John; Sherrill, Elizabeth (2001).
325:
At that time, several Christian organizations, such as the
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804:"BIBLES FOR COMMUNIST EUROPE – A COLD WAR STORY – PART I"
414:
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and an invalid mother. In the 1940s he enlisted in the
224:, on 11 May 1928, the fourth of six children of a poor
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talks about writing with such heroes as Brother Andrew
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Brother Andrew; Jackson, Dave; Jackson, Neta (1988).
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In 1967, van der Bijl published the first edition of
1202:"Brother Andrew, founder of Open Doors, passes away"
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1172:"'God's Smuggler' Brother Andrew's Wife Corry Dies"
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204:and, because of his activities, he was nicknamed "
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575:Brother Andrew; DeVore Williams, Susan (1990).
532:
494:
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1312:Royal Netherlands East Indies Army personnel
1071:Andrew, Brother; Janssen, Al (1 July 2007).
875:
873:
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514:Brother Andrew; Conn, Charles Paul (1977).
196:and founder of the Christian organization
42:
1142:"Cornelia van der Bijl Passes Away at 86"
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1302:Dutch expatriates in the United Kingdom
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151: 1958; died 2018)
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746:Silliman, Daniel (27 September 2022).
617:Brother Andrew; Becker, Verne (2002).
433:. Later visits also included trips to
27:Dutch Christian missionary (1928–2022)
1152:from the original on 17 November 2018
954:from the original on 13 November 2018
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783:, Charisma mag, USA, 28 February 2005
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1110:Bruins, Gerald (27 September 2022).
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982:Casper, Jayson (29 September 2022).
940:Morgan, Timothy C. (18 March 2013).
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659:Brother Andrew; Janssen, Al (2007).
638:Brother Andrew; Janssen, Al (2004).
1215:from the original on 1 October 2022
1027:from the original on 1 October 2022
996:from the original on 1 October 2022
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891:from the original on 1 October 2022
758:from the original on 1 October 2022
710:from the original on 1 October 2022
24:
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404:and Lebanese churches in Lebanon,
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1182:from the original on 10 June 2022
818:from the original on 3 March 2022
348:
1243:Open Doors International Website
1015:Thom, Mike (28 September 2022).
106:Brother Andrew, "God's smuggler"
1194:
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1091:from the original on 3 May 2024
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802:Raska, Francis D (9 May 2015).
242:WEC Missionary Training College
148:
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441:. Van der Bijl criticized the
238:Indonesian National Revolution
13:
1:
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379:
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1292:Dutch Christian missionaries
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859:John and Elizabeth Sherrill
456:Van der Bijl's tenth book,
361:John and Elizabeth Sherrill
331:Southern Baptist Convention
251:
10:
1328:
537:Building in a Broken World
451:killing of Osama bin Laden
443:US invasion of Afghanistan
431:Islamic University of Gaza
1209:, www.eternitynews.com.au
911:"Brother Andrew obituary"
372:was published in 1972 by
216:Van der Bijl was born in
185:[ˈɑnəvɑndərˈbɛil]
158:
132:
121:
110:
102:
79:
53:
41:
34:
1282:Converts to Christianity
1046:Andrew, Brother (2004).
577:And God Changed His Mind
467:
460:, was released in 2007.
302:in the 1960s, after the
192:, was a Dutch Christian
837:F.P. (3 October 2012).
704:, www.churchtimes.co.uk
533:Brother Andrew (1981).
497:The Ethics of Smuggling
495:Brother Andrew (1974).
392:world, having visited
374:Spire Christian Comics
327:American Bible Society
48:Brother Andrew in 2006
1307:People from Langedijk
1287:Dutch anti-communists
1211:. 28 September 2022.
917:. 29 September 2022.
887:. 29 September 2022.
865:(1967), pp. 174, 198.
857:Brother Andrew, with
706:. 30 September 2022.
697:"World news in brief"
667:. Fleming H. Revell.
644:. Fleming H. Revell.
623:. Fleming H. Revell.
518:. Fleming H. Revell.
447:2003 invasion of Iraq
335:Foreign Mission Board
298:Van der Bijl visited
274:persecuted Christians
1176:www.charismanews.com
363:. An autobiography,
115:Christian missionary
1148:. 3 February 2018.
417:leaders, including
304:Cultural Revolution
1297:Dutch evangelicals
989:Christianity Today
947:Christianity Today
752:Christianity Today
384:After the fall of
267:non-denominational
138:Corry van der Bijl
1084:978-1-4412-3891-7
674:978-0-8007-3264-6
560:. Servant Books.
558:A Time for Heroes
541:. Tyndale House.
516:Battle for Africa
499:. Tyndale House.
285:Volkswagen Beetle
234:Dutch East Indies
166:
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83:27 September 2022
36:Anne van der Bijl
16:(Redirected from
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579:. Chosen Books.
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445:in 2001 and the
320:Cuban Revolution
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1217:. Retrieved
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1154:. Retrieved
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1126:27 September
1124:. Retrieved
1118:(in Dutch).
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847:(in French).
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820:. Retrieved
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760:. Retrieved
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702:Church Times
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259:Soviet Union
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248:, Scotland.
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177:van der Bijl
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85:(2022-09-27)
29:
1272:2022 deaths
1267:1928 births
1156:17 November
1048:Light Force
958:12 November
641:Light Force
620:The Calling
398:Light Force
341:countries.
272:supporting
236:during the
222:Netherlands
64:11 May 1928
1261:Categories
1021:CHVN Radio
683:References
427:Gaza Strip
380:Later life
289:Amersfoort
263:Open Doors
226:blacksmith
212:Early life
198:Open Doors
194:missionary
127:Open Doors
95:Gelderland
91:Harderwijk
60:1928-05-11
1219:1 October
1186:1 October
1116:www.nd.nl
1095:1 October
1031:1 October
1000:1 October
925:1 October
915:The Times
895:1 October
714:1 October
602:. Baker.
386:Communism
125:Founding
1213:Archived
1180:Archived
1150:Archived
1120:Archived
1089:Archived
1025:Archived
994:Archived
952:Archived
919:Archived
889:Archived
816:Archived
756:Archived
708:Archived
435:Pakistan
329:and the
252:Ministry
202:Cold War
159:Children
117:, author
439:Taliban
394:Lebanon
283:, in a
270:mission
246:Glasgow
232:of the
218:Alkmaar
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68:Alkmaar
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406:Israel
390:Muslim
281:Moscow
220:, the
181:Dutch:
169:Andrew
133:Spouse
814:(3).
468:Books
411:Hamas
300:China
147:(
143:
1221:2022
1188:2022
1158:2018
1128:2022
1097:2022
1079:ISBN
1052:ISBN
1033:2022
1002:2022
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