Many of those we met paid a heavy price for their faith

I met a chap who was put in prison for five years in Ukraine simply for having a Bible.

Meeting my wife Joan at our church in Bromley was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was 23 when we got married in 1950 and we then moved to South Africa with my work.

It was at a church in Johannesburg that I met Billy Temlett, who was the pastor. He invited me to join Underground Evangelism (Mission Without Borders’ previous name). They were smuggling Bibles into Eastern Europe. I turned him down three times, but when he asked me again, I felt the Lord was giving me a clear sign and I joined in 1976.

I was asked to go to Wurzburg in Germany to help out the operation there.  There were all sorts of different vehicles to take Bibles behind the Iron Curtain, including lorries, vans and cars – it was important not to see the same one too often. We had a workshop where staff worked on building secret compartments to store Bibles in.

God was looking after us on all those trips.  I remember one of our volunteers, an old lady, who had Bibles hidden all over her person was challenged by a policeman who told her he wanted to do a body search.  She replied, ‘Don’t be stupid - I’m old enough to be your mother!’ – and she was never stopped.

Phil, former board member of Mission Without Borders in the UK

Return to all stories