As always, my nose has been in many different books, but with taking a short break from our homeschooling schedule, I thought I'd come up for air and share about one of those books with you. If you follow us on IG (which you ought to), you probably saw my recent post about God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew. Now, you may already know that I have a pretty strong opinion about reading Christian Biographies (as stated in this post), and I still stand firm in making that a reading priority. Go read that post if you want to hear all my reasons, but mostly know that seeing God work in other people's lives will bring their reality into your own. It will strengthen your faith and give you tangible evidence of God working in all kinds of sticky or even perilous situations.
If you have been on the fence about spending time in this book, let me pull you down and encourage you to dive on in. It's not super long and it moves fairly quickly through various parts of his life, so you won't feel bored or tired as you discover all the gemstones he has to share.
Brother Andrew grew up in Holland and his family was very modest. He shares some of his childhood and about how he ends up in the military after WW2, fighting in Indonesia. Through many events, he ends up back home and eventually becomes a Christian. While he feels the need to be a gospel witness in the world, he ends up starting at home and God uses this to greatly impact people in his community and his own faith as well.
Through many other events, Andrew tells the story about how he eventually becomes a smuggler of bibles in Eastern Europe, behind the Iron Curtain. I don't think I've ever read someone's personal testimony of life in these countries during this time (1950's and on). Over and over, Andrew shares how God used prayer and faith-filled action to provide for him, his family, and his brothers living in these communist, closed countries. In my copy, Andrew answers some questions in the back and I just LOVE hearing his responses.
When asked if Andrew knew what his next step of ministry would be, his answer brought such comfort and courage to my soul. He said that he never intended to start a ministry. He simply went on a trip that presented itself, saw a need, and asked God to help him fill it. He had no plan, no vision, and no thought about a worldwide organization. This is so different from how many people embark on missions or goals today, and it helps me to see that God is not looking for someone with a grand plan. He is looking for faithful obedience.
All throughout the book, I saw Andrew took steps in faith before he had answers. He never seemed totally reckless, but fully aimed to entrust himself to God's ability. I know if you read this book, your soul will be encouraged to take the same sort of steps. No matter if the impact seems big or small, your faithful steps bring the reality of God into the lives of people around you, and Andrew's life is evidence that it will always be worthwhile.
I'd love to hear your experience with this book! Comment and let us know what you thought, and if you want to chat more about it, we'd love to connect with you. Feel free to message, comment, or email us. Happy reading!
