“How sweet are Your words to my taste,
Sweeter than honey to my mouth!”
Psalm 119:103
Brother Andrew went to be with the Lord on September 27, 2022, at age 94. He founded Open Doors ministry for world-wide distribution of free Bibles, and was known as “God’s Smuggler,” a name borrowed from the title of his mega bestselling book. He left behind his wife Corrie and five children.
This remembrance is a tribute to him.
It was in the fall of 1976 when I joined Andrew and the directors of Open Doors Ministries for their annual board meeting. (I wrote articles for Andrew’s “Open Doors Magazine” and distributed his TV specials to Christian and secular television stations.)
After the meeting, I helped Andrew load his luggage into a taxi for the trip to the airport. However, he discovered that, among his things, a plastic jar of honey in a brown bag was leaking. He wouldn’t be able to take the sticky mess on the plane with him, so he gave it to me and told me the story behind it.
The honey was given to Andrew from one of his Bible couriers who received it from an underground pastor and beekeeper in Romania. It was a token of thanks for the delivery of free Bibles for him to give to the members of his church and to others.
The Romanian pastor told the courier that, whenever he ate the honey, it would be a reminder for him to pray for the suffering Christians in Romania. The courier later shared the honey with Andrew, who promised to continue the tradition of fulfilling the old pastor’s wish.
So, for years, Andrew ate off the honey at home and on his missionary travels. Then I became the steward of the honey and carried on the tradition. I remember also that no matter how many times I refiled the jar, there would always be a trace of honey from the old pastor in Romania.
May this short story inspire you to carry on the tradition of Brother Andrew’s jar off honey.
Please share this story with your family and friends.
To learn more about how Open Doors is assisting the persecuted believers internationally, visit www.opendoorsusa.org/about-us/history/brother-andrews-story/
This story is also part of an interview with Frank Allnutt. You can listen online or download the recording here: gfiworld.sermon.net/main/main/21964943