Smuggling Bibles to believers in communist countries – that’s how Open Doors UK & Ireland began. 70 years on, the organisation has become an international ministry working for the good of the persecuted church.
In 1955, Dutch missionary Brother Andrew set off for Poland with a suitcase containing his Bible and hundreds of tracts entitled “The Way of Salvation”. Behind the Iron Curtain (the divide between Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe and the West during the Cold War) he discovered churches desperately in need of Bibles, support, and prayer.
Now, today, Bible-smuggling continues. Daniel (name changed for security reasons) has now been smuggling Bibles in the Muslim world for 25 years. Daniel has seen more miracles, but none are more beautiful than seeing Muslims embracing Jesus Christ, he says. As Brother Andrew often prayed during his own missions, God continues to “make seeing eyes blind”.
At the same time, 70 years on, Open Doors has expanded into many other areas, alongside smuggling Bibles.
One of its initiatives is a trauma centre in Nigeria. In Nigeria, many Christians are killed for their faith. One survivor of such an attack is Charity, a woman whose village, Guyaka in Northern Nigeria, was attacked by Boko Haram. The attack came while she and her three children were getting ready for bed. She fled into the mountains with her youngest daughter, but, in the panic, she became separated from two of her children. Although Charity and her children were eventually reunited, they were traumatised by the experience: darkness used to trigger fear in them, and loud noises such as barking dogs had the same effect.
Charity’s turning point came when she received trauma care through Open Doors partners. When the organisation heard about the attack on Guyaka, local partners provided emergency aid, food relief, and support to rebuild. They also delivered crucial trauma counselling to Charity and her family. Later, Charity received Open Doors training to help others dealing with trauma.
Charity said: “The trauma healing has really helped us learn how to forgive and how to let go of anger. It has given us hope for life in the future.”
Open Doors also works to support pastors in India falsely accused of forcing people to convert to Christianity. One such individual issued with this accusation is Pastor Laxman, who was arrested, beaten up, and jailed.
Pastor Laxman was born and brought up in a Hindu family but turned to Christianity after a miraculous healing of his wife. He was keen to start a church and spread the gospel. Beginning with a handful of believers, the church grew to hundreds.
While Pastor Laxman was imprisoned, his church building was destroyed by Hindu extremists. Open Doors writes: “In the area where Laxman lives, Hindu extremists are trying to eradicate Christianity.
The extremists made a police complaint against Laxman, accusing him of luring people to Christianity using money; he was called to the police station where he was told that – if he continued his ministry – he would be buried alive on his land.
Extremists were able to make this complaint because of an anti-conversion law. At face value, these laws exist to prevent forced conversion; but, in reality, they’re reportedly abused to falsely accuse religious minorities, disproportionately Christians.
Laxman described the process of evidence against him being fabricated: a churchgoer was called to the police station and threatened that his house would be destroyed if he didn’t sign a blank piece of paper. Terrified, the man signed. With all they needed to fake a confession, the persecutors could now claim that Laxman had lured the man to Christianity, promising money. Laxman was arrested and beaten.
After six days in prison, Laxman was released but most of his congregation had sadly dispersed in fear. The persecution also had a severe impact on his family’s income and ability to survive.
Open Doors partners provided Laxman’s family with groceries and helped them start a small farm. They also provided financial help.
Open Doors writes: “It’s 70 years since Open Doors began, but the ministry has the same heart of courage, unity and dependency on God.” The organisation emphasised the vitality of prayer – “As Brother Andrew says, ‘Our prayers can go where we cannot … there are no doors that are closed to us when we pray.’”
