I believe in heroes, and I have had many in my lifetime. Brother Andrew, known as God's Smuggler, is undoubtedly one of those. He has impacted my life very much.

As a young New Jersey pastor, taking the opportunity to sit through some YWAM classes in Lausanne, Switzerland from December 1970 through March 1971, I encountered Brother Andrew for the first time in early January 1971.

I had found a five-day tour of Moscow, USSR for 95 U.S. dollars. It included airfare, hotel, food, and even the Bolshoi Theatre presenting Swan Lake. I told Brother Andrew about it, and his response was, “How dare you go as a tourist when Christians in that part of the world are suffering. One Bible on the black market would cost $165, so will you pray about taking Bibles?” I said, “Yes sir!”

As a result of the challenge to pray, I took a large number of Bibles, as well as a treasure trove of other literature for them including a couple of Bible concordances in their language. I had several hair-raising experiences, but ultimately it was a successful journey.

One evening, I attended the All-Union Congress of Evangelical Baptist Church. That was the name of the registered church in the Soviet Union. I sat in the balcony where visitors would sit, and I was consumed with tears and emotion. I counted only 4 or 5 Bibles that the pastors on the platform had, and among the hundreds of people in the audience I observed they had tablets of paper with pencils, writing furiously as the pastor would read.

The question I was asking myself was, “How many Bibles do I own?” I didn’t have the answer for that. And yet, here I was with people trying to handwrite scriptures. That’s the moment I refer to in my life as the “kairos” moment when the Lord adjusted my calling from being a local pastor to being called into global missions.

After that, Fran, my two daughters, and I spent some time at Brother Andrew’s home in Harderwyzk, Holland with he and his family. Then I was with him several times in America, Brazil, Norway, and a few other places. He also came to our YWAM campus in Lindale, Texas and spent 3 or 4 days with us about 30 years ago.

I can say Brother Andrew was not just one who would speak the Word, but he was a doer of the Word. His Open Doors Ministries has impacted the Islamic world, communist world, and many Christians follow his example.

Thank God for my dear friend and hero, Brother Andrew!

Leland Paris, YWAM Tyler Founder

For a complete life story of Brother Andrew visit  Open Doors USA.

Brother Andrew has influenced thousands to say "YES" to following Jesus and sharing their love for Him. Discover how you can do the same. 

New call-to-action

Tyler Tom

Written by Tyler Tom

You can find Tyler Tom roaming the Twin Oaks campus taking in the fresh sunshine, or sipping a hot latte in the Substation. Enamored by God's faithfulness, Tyler Tom gathers stories and interviews to share with you from what God's doing with His children among the nations.

3 min read

My Stepmom Thinks YWAM Rocks

Have you ever been curious about going to a Discipleship Training School but don't know what to expect? In a recent...

2 min read

The Day I Thanked God For Losing My Job

One morning I sat in the classroom during my training school with YWAM, and I was crying, thanking God for the loss of...

2 min read

Sharing The Gospel Isn't Complicated

God has been doing amazing things with our DTS team on outreach in Thailand. As the team has made themselves available,...

2 min read

How DTS Changed My Child

Before I left for my Discipleship Training School, my family really had no idea what YWAM was. If your family...
2 min read

Laying Down My Rights

I was sitting in my DTS classroom, my head wrapped in thoughts of a family circumstance that was happening. We had...

5 min read

Breaking Out of the Box

There really is such thing as a Jesus glow. The glow where you’re so full of Jesus, it’s so evident and so...
2 min read

Loren Cunningham a Faithful Visionary for God

A Tribute to Loren Cunningham ~ June 30, 1935⎼October 6, 2023

There is a book entitled, A Long Obedience in the Same...

2 min read

Faith Like a Child

My name is Matheus Barros and I am from Brazil. I completed my DTS in 2019, and it was an amazing,life-changing...

3 min read

Lessons Learned at YWAM Tyler Continue to Shape My Life

As I awoke again to the sound of the sea surging on the rocks, the scream of the gulls, and the beautiful vista fanning...

2 min read

What I Didn't Expecting During My YWAM DTS

With tears in my eyes, I pulled down the door of the Budget rental truck, said goodbye to my apartment, and heard God...

3 min read

Trusting God To Make A Way

Sometimes the best thing a leader can do is tell you to seek Jesus for yourself. In reality, as Christians, we...
2 min read

Hope for Maui Amid the Fire

As news spread across America about the wildfires in Maui, we have been postured in prayer for our friends and family...