70 years of smuggling Bibles

For 70 years, Open Doors partners have smuggled Bibles where they are most needed. Daniel courageously takes Scripture into the Muslim world, continuing the Bible-smuggling legacy of Brother Andrew today.

A Bible can be incredibly powerful. A Bible can transform someone’s life. It can even transform a whole community, generation after generation. Once the door opens, there’s no knowing what God will do next. He is, after all, ‘able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine’ (Ephesians 3:20).

The power of the Bible

This truth is something Brother Andrew knew well. In 1955, he started smuggling Bibles into Communist Eastern Europe. “I have seen again and again the Bible’s power to change people from within,” he wrote. “The power of the Bible is simple, but profound.”

That’s how the work of Open Doors started. Today, 70 years after Brother Andrew’s first trip behind the Iron Curtain, Open Doors fieldworkers continue to take great risks to provide food, aid, encouragement, training, trauma care and more. And they are still smuggling Bibles.

Smuggling Bibles for 25 years

“I never thought I would do this for a living,” says Daniel*. “I came in contact with Open Doors – and look at me now. I’m using all my experience and skills to bring the Bible to persecuted believers in creative ways.”

Daniel has now been smuggling Bibles in the Muslim world for 25 years! It would be too dangerous to explain his methods or tell you which country he works in, but it’s a place that God put on his heart.

God’s faithfulness

“The first time I went there, I heard from local Christians that they hadn’t received any books in a long time,” Daniel recalls. “Could I perhaps deliver some Bible portions? I promised to look into it. I designed a way to do it, but it took me a long time to convince my colleagues it was the right way to go.”

Daniel’s risk paid off, and the Bibles got there safely. “Not thanks to me, thanks to the Lord,” he is keen to add. “You don’t know how often I’ve pulled my hair out because I suddenly realised I had made a mistake, or how often I bravely packed my suitcase but sweated over my entire body when I stood in line at the border control.

“As soon as you see those guys in their uniforms, you’re not so tough anymore. But God came through every time. Yes, every single time.”

A dangerous encounter

When Daniel transports Bibles, there is always significant risk – but one day stands out clearly in his memory. “Once, I brought a box full of books. The scanner at the airport wasn’t big enough and customs always just waved me through,” he says. “This time I queued up – and suddenly realised they had a new scanner! It was much bigger; the box could easily fit. Adrenaline shot through my body and my fingers tingled.”

The customs officer told Daniel to place the box in the scanner. He pointed at the image on the screen. “What are those? Books?” Daniel didn’t know how to reply. He just said “Documentation.”

“Open it”, the customs officer demanded.

Seeing eyes blind

The box was firmly taped, and they needed to get a knife to open it. By now, there were about a dozen of the customs officer’s colleagues gathered around. Finally, someone brought a large knife from the kitchen. The man began to cut the tape, when the blade shot out and almost hit Daniel, who – choosing to respond dramatically – fell down. All the men busted into laughing. “Sorry, sorry!” said the officer, still laughing. “I wasn’t trying to kill you!”

Daniel played up to the moment, making the men laugh even louder. Someone pulled him up and waved him through, with his open box. He looked over his shoulder one last time. The screen still showed the image of his box with his precious books clearly visible. “How on earth did you do this, Lord?” he thought. As Brother Andrew often prayed during his own missions, God had ‘made seeing eyes blind’.

“God’s will for my life”

Daniel has seen more miracles, but none are more beautiful than seeing Muslims embracing Jesus Christ. “I can see many good things,” he says. “People come to faith – God has shown his loyalty.”

It’s hard and dangerous, but he knows that he is where God has called him. “My life is really complicated,” he says. “Sometimes, I want to quit my ministry, sit under a fig tree somewhere and grow old in peace. I would stop if hadn’t known for sure this was God’s will for my life. He confirms it so often. God is intimately involved.”

It’s 70 years since Open Doors began, but the ministry has the same heart of courage, unity and dependency on God. Thank you for being part of the journey – and please keep praying. It’s still vital to Open Doors’ mission. As Brother Andrew says, “Our prayers can go where we cannot… there are no borders, no prison walls, no doors that are closed to us when we pray.”

*Name changed for security reasons