Chapter 2 the harvey family

EVANGELISTIC MULTIMEDIA

2) The Jersey Pinelands

The show was designed for the unchurched and completed in late summer, 2001. We chose the town we lived in for the grand premiere and reserved a large hall for September 27. Posters, invitations and a 38-page handout (German and English translations are posted on our website) were printed for this and many showings to follow.

A COINCIDENCE?

GOOD NEIGHBORS

A DEFECTIVE TV

SHOCKING NEWS

WITH GOD, THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS!

When we first arrived in Austria in 1964, we soon became aware of the fact, that we were surrounded by people who needed the Lord. Everyone who crossed our path was sent by God. We purposely shopped locally. Our neighbors and people we met were not accidents! If God cared for the sparrows and knew how many hairs are on our head, he would be more concerned for the salvation of these people than we were.
September 11, 2001 was just one more confirmation of this fact.
Index

CHAPTER 26 - EASTERN MISSIONS

THE "UNVEILING"

For decades, the so-called "Iron Curtain" divided Europe perpendicularly, right down the middle of the continent. Great nations were divided and the "cold war" between East and West threatened to escalate at any given moment into a third global war. The stockpiles of conventional weaponry were sufficient to annihilate the entire world population. Nuclear arsenals on both sides of the Atlantic provided potential for multiple "overkills."
Christianity continued to exist in Eastern Europe during the cold war period of history. Some churches went underground to avoid persecution and others complied to certain governmental restrictions and controls in order to continue operating legally. Christians were divided about which was right, but God used and blessed Christians in both camps. In Albania, religion was completely outlawed. Today, Americans could take lessons from Christians of Eastern Europe, because the church in this nation is rapidly heading toward persecution.
My first experience with Eastern Europeans was the refugee couple that escaped from Eastern Germany in 1966 (chapter 9). During language study, a young Russian was studying German with us, who tried hard to buddy up to us in hopes of gaining information that might help him advance. Vienna was the spy capital of the world and we had to be very cautious. One of my brothers was stationed at a satellite tracking station on Ascension Island. Verna's brother worked at NASA in Washington, DC, developing satellite photos of the earth. If that young man had known this, he might have tried harder, but he left us alone after we tried to share the gospel with him.
In 1972, a man speaking broken English called the Baptist Church in Linz and asked for someone to help him. He was relieved to discover that I was an American missionary. The caller was a Dutch businessman who had been involved in a bad accident on the Autobahn. The man explained that he was on a business trip to Rumania and had Rumanian Bibles hidden in his vehicle. Could I please get the Bibles from his wrecked car and store them until he was released from the hospital and could pick them up?
This Christian businessman was not affiliated with any mission and had made several successful trips into the East with Bibles and Christian literature. He was typical of many whose names and unheralded deeds are only recorded in heaven.
Most church leaders in the East showed a deep appreciation for the prayers of Christians in the West. They were particularly thankful for Bible teachers who traveled to their countries, providing the only available Bible training for church leaders. They were also aware that Westerners risked imprisonment, smuggling Bibles into the East.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

In 1974, a young migrant laborer from Yugoslavia began to attend our church. He was a fine Christian and his father was a Yugoslavian Pastor. One day, he received a large package from home. It had been sent to our address because it would likely have been stolen if sent to where he lived. When he opened it, I noticed that the box was full of Bibles in Eastern European languages. I questioned him, and he explained that they were for truck drivers, who passed through Austria.
I asked how his father in Yugoslavia had obtained Bibles in Bulgarian, Rumanian, Russian and Hungarian languages! He explained that a large truck left a load of Bibles at their church, with instructions to transport them into the countries marked on the boxes. Yugoslavia had open borders to the West, but it was practically impossible to get the Bibles from Yugoslavia into other countries of Eastern Europe. So the Bibles were simply taking up much needed space in their church.
I then recalled seeing a photo in the magazine of an Eastern Europe mission. It was the picture of a smiling missionary pointing to Christians in Eastern Europe, unloading a shipment of Bibles. Here was the visible proof of their arrival behind the Iron Curtain!

"BIG BUSINESS"

In the post-war years, a number of "Eastern Missions" were founded. The adventurous spirit of "Bible smugglers" won the hearts (and pocketbooks) of many western Christians. Some "Eastern Missions" were collecting millions of dollars annually, yet refused to give clear information about where all that money was going. Mission leaders claimed that the success of their operations was dependent upon absolute secrecy. Ironically, those same organizations also spent millions of Dollars for public relations, including full-page color advertisements in magazines. For a donation of $25 or more, they offered books, calendars or videos and put you on their mailing list.
The gospel that some so-called Eastern Missions seemed to be propagating was, "Without money, we can do nothing!" Leaders of two such mission organizations openly accused each other of unethical financial policies. They even took each other to court, but eventually withdrew accusations when it became apparent that both missions stood to lose more than they could ever hope to gain.
Our mission print shop was often called upon to print literature in Eastern European languages. If the typesetting and proofreading was finished, I usually complied. In 1982, a GMU missionary on deputation was approached by the leader of an Eastern mission. The gentleman had heard about our print shop and asked if we would be willing to do printing for them.
He explained that a mission with offices in Vienna had been doing their printing, but it seemed very expensive. The GMU missionary sent me a sample copy of a Bulgarian brochure and asked me to respond. Imagine my surprise to recognize my own printing! I had printed 10,000 copies for an Eastern Mission in Vienna with no idea that the job was for another mission. The second mission paid three times what I had charged! I would not be surprised, if both missions reported the 10,000 brochures in the number of "Bibles and Pieces of Literature distributed."
Although refugee camps in Austria were overflowing with Eastern Europeans, missionaries from Eastern missions seldom bothered to visit these places. Several times, I asked the leader of one mission if they could send workers or at least literature to help reach these people for Christ. The refugees had plenty of time to read, and were open to the gospel. I was upset by the mission's response: "We must give priority to getting Bibles behind the Iron Curtain. We don't have enough workers or materials for the refugee camps."

CURTAINS FOR THE CURTAIN!

Sometime in the eighties, Austria and Hungary decided that it would be a great idea to collectively sponsor the Summer Olympics. The political scene in Hungary was changing rapidly and the two countries decided that the Iron Curtain had to go. In the autumn of 1989, Hungarians began to remove mine fields and roll up the barbed wire along the borders that led to the West. Not to be outdone, Czechoslovakian authorities followed suit. Although the Olympic idea never materialized, these actions set off a domino effect. Soon thousands of Eastern Europeans were taking advantage of the open borders to escape to the West. It was too late to close the leak, so one after another, Eastern nations deserted Communism and chose democratic or western-styled socialistic governments. In some places, like Rumania, there was bloodshed, but overall, the transformation was relatively peaceful. Pieces of the Berlin Wall were being sold as souvenirs to tourists.
At that time, there were at least a hundred missionaries in Vienna alone who worked with Eastern Europe mission societies. One might think that the demise of the Iron Curtain would have caused a mass eastward movement of missionaries, but this didn't happen. Although these missions had been calling on supporters to pray for the freedom of Eastern Europe, they were totally unprepared to act when those prayers were answered. Few of the missionaries spoke an Eastern European language. Most worked in well equipped, modern offices, preparing public relations materials. They had comfortable homes and their children were in English language schools. Even after East Germans began to stream through open borders into the West, little was done to take advantage of the new opportunities to share the gospel. Film crews and photographers were sent to document anything of value for making public appeals, but little else happened.
The leader of one evangelical denomination in Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) told me that their churches were visited by numerous "Fact-Finding Commissions" in 1990. Many photos were taken and articles printed in mission publications about "the new open doors in the East." This church leader said that the only result that his churches had experienced, was the loss of several qualified workers. They were hired by what he called "Western Missions" (perhaps a more appropriate term!) as "Regional Secretaries." The salaries paid were usually under $200 per month, but that was well above what most Czechs earned. These "Regional Representatives" were often outfitted with a car, computer and photographic equipment, important prerequisites for collecting useful public relations material.
Albania was one of the last Communist strongholds to fall. The Pastor of a small group of newly converted Christians in Tirana, had to contend with dozens of Westerners in most services. They insisted upon videotaping and photographing every aspect of "the Albanian revival," even during the sermon and prayers.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES

Acts 16 tells of a woman who followed Paul around, calling out, "These are servants of the most high God who preach the way of salvation!" Paul put a stop to such "free public relations.“ Paul knew the power of pen and ink. He wrote many epistles, but his writings were not appeals for money. In II Corinthians 8, he encouraged the Corinthians to give generously, but not to him. II Cor. 2:17 reads: "Unlike so many, we do not peddle the Word of God for profit (money). On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God." The third chapter begins: "Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?" (I Cor.3:1) Paul then answers his own question in verses 5-6. "Not that we are competent to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant - not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."
If Paul had been living in Europe in 1990, he might have written: "Are we starting to toot our own horn again? Do we need public relations materials, photos and eyewitness reports like other missions? We are not eager to claim credit for our mission organization. God has equipped us with the Holy Spirit and entrusted us with the task of preaching the gospel. Public relations propaganda kills, but the working of the Holy Spirit gives life!"

THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME!

Nowhere in the world, was there a fortune teller, prophet or astrologer who predicted the dramatic changes which came over Europe at the end of the eighties. Still, the Moonies, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Hari Krishna and other religious sects reacted spontaneously. These groups had plenty of money and manpower at their immediate disposal. Like dried up sponges, Eastern Europeans began to soak up anything that even appeared to be religious. Unfortunately, evangelical Christians were slow to respond with more than token aid and empty promises.

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