God's Smuggler

1.Andrew enlisted for military service with something close to enthusiasm, partly to escape the boredom of Alkmaar and partly out of genuine bravado. What were the specific realities of the Indonesian conflict that stripped away that bravado, and how did the violence he witnessed and participated in affect him spiritually?

1.Andrew's conversion came through the persistent witness of a group of young people in Alkmaar who held street meetings and tent revivals. What specific people or moments served as the 'hinge' on which Andrew turned toward faith, and what does this say about the cumulative power of ordinary Christian witness?

1.Andrew adopted the practice of never asking anyone for money — he would pray and trust God to supply. Where did he first encounter this principle, and what were the early, concrete occasions on which it was tested and confirmed?

1.Andrew's first trip behind the Iron Curtain was to Yugoslavia. What were his impressions of life under Communism, and what specific encounters with believers there shook him most deeply? How did those encounters change the shape of his calling?

1.Andrew met Corrie in Holland and their courtship unfolded alongside his growing commitment to a ministry that was dangerous, underfunded, and without any clear organizational structure. What did Corrie understand she was saying yes to when she agreed to marry him?

1.Russia represented a significant escalation in the risk and complexity of Andrew's work. What made the Soviet Union a different kind of challenge than the countries he had previously visited, and how did he prepare spiritually and practically for that first Soviet trip?

1.Andrew visited a remarkable range of Communist-controlled countries in Eastern Europe. What patterns did he notice across these different national contexts — in terms of church life, government hostility, believer hunger, and spiritual vitality?

1.Describe the Customs Prayer in your own words. What was Andrew asking for, what was his posture as he prayed it, and what happened? Why has this particular prayer captured the imagination of so many millions of readers?

1.Brother Andrew founded Open Doors in 1955. What were the circumstances and conversations that led him to move from individual courier work to building a structured organization? What did that transition cost him and what did it make possible?

1.Describe one of the near-miss or narrow escape episodes from these chapters. What were the specific details, what did Andrew do, and what — in his own interpretation — allowed him to escape? How does he credit God without dismissing human courage or skill?

1.Andrew came to a striking conclusion: the persecuted church, despite its lack of Bibles, buildings, and freedom, was in many respects spiritually healthier than the Western church with all its resources. What specific evidence did he offer for that claim?

1.In the epilogue and interview, what does Brother Andrew identify as the most significant changes in the landscape of global persecution and Bible distribution since his early journeys? What has changed, and what, to his mind, has distressingly stayed the same?

1.Looking back across the entire book, which chapter, scene, or moment lodged itself most deeply in you? What was it about that particular moment that broke through? Share it with your group and explain why it hit you the way it did.