Chapter 2 the harvey family

WHERE HAVE ALL THE SOLDIERS GONE? (from a newsletter)

Download 2.2 Mb. Page 44/50 Date 28.05.2018 Size 2.2 Mb. #50531

Navigate this page:

• WRONG IMPRESSIONS
• LEHOTSKYS
• BURCHARDS

WHERE HAVE ALL THE SOLDIERS GONE? (from a newsletter) Two faithful prayer warriors, whose prayers have meant much to us and the kingdom of God, have gone home to be with the Lord. Ralph had the funeral of "Oma" (German for Grandma) Tippel on July 28. She was 93. "Oma" Maütner entered into her eternal home earlier this year. "Tante" (Auntie) Mitzi is 92 and her health is failing. Who will take the place of these stalwart prayer warriors? So often people tell us how sorry they are that they cannot help financially and then add, "But I can at least pray." If Christians would just realize that praying is not the least, but the MOST one can do for missions, our nets would be filled without being broken (John 21:11). Because water and air are cheap, we under-estimate their value. Environmentalists warn that there will be a dear price to pay for this false assessment. It is an even greater tragedy to neglect our most potent source of power simply because we can't place a monetary value on it. The Apostle Peter had neither silver nor gold, but he gave what was of far more value (Acts 3:6). So can we! WRONG IMPRESSIONS During our first term in Austria, we fell in love with the scenery and took many pictures. On our first furlough, we made the fatal mistake of showing these to our supporters. They are supposed to support and pray for missionaries, not be jealous of them! We also made that mistake when supporters came to visit us in Austria. We worked hard to get our work done ahead of time in order to show them the sights. Unfortunately, some left with the impression that this was all we did! When the next supporters visited, God came to our rescue and allowed it to rain constantly for the duration of their stay. We soon learned that visitors need to see our ministry and not just the environment. We even got them involved whenever possible. Some told us later that their participation was the highlight of their visit. LEHOTSKYS I have already mentioned our supporters, Oskar and Elsa Lehotsky at least twice. When they came to visit in August, 1990, I was busy putting a new roof on the Bible Institute building. Austrians don't use light-weight asphalt shingles, but prefer heavy red clay tile. We didn't have a conveyor belt, so formed a chain and passed the tile one at a time up the ladder and as the final recipient, I layed them in place. Oskar offered to help, so I gave him a spot on the ladder. After an hour of passing heavy tile to the next person, he began to complain that all his muscles were aching. When lunch break came, he collapsed into a chair and groaned, "I am going to demand union wages for this!" I responded, "You've got them!" He looked at me rather surprised and asked what that meant. I said, "You get Gospel Missionary Union wages. That means you go on the road and find people who are willing to pay your salary!" The following day, we took them for a long drive through the famous "Sound of Music" country. After oohing and aahing about the lovely scenery, Oskar noticed that my fuel was running low. He suggested that I stop at the next service station to tank up. He handed me a twenty Dollar bill and said, "Keep the change!" I pulled into a service station and began to fill the tank. Our supporter friend watched wide eyed as the numbers rolled on the pump's meter, finally clicking off at 670 Shillings ($60)! After returning to America, the Lehotskys increased their monthly pledge. BURCHARDS Bruce and Nancy Burchard are special friends, who live in North-Western Pennsylvania. On one visit to their home, I saw some chickens running around the farmyard and asked their 11-year old son if he knew how to hypnotize them. He gave me a quizzical look and said that he never heard of such a thing. I grabbed a chicken by the feet, laid it on the ground and held my hand on its neck until it settled down and relaxed. Gradually, I took my hands off its legs and neck and backed away. The chicken remained in that position while I hypnotized another. Their dog walked past about that time and woke them out of their trance or I might have had 5 or 6 chickens lying on the ground. That kid kept staring at me as if I was some kind of guru. The Burchards looked for extremely insulting birthday cards for us each year, but we always looked forward to them with great anticipation. Because they didn't know German, we had to invent our own cards to get even. The competition is still going on today. Burchards visited us twice and I thought it might be interesting to share excerpts from a diary that Nancy wrote during their last visit. Wednesday, Sept. 4th: We arrived on schedule (9:30 a.m.) at Linz. The airport is about the size of Erie, maybe a little larger. They said that was the last day of the "Welser Messe" (huge state fair), so we drove there, spent a couple of hours or so and then headed home. We stopped at a large supermarket with a cafeteria to get something to eat. To this point the weather had been beautiful - some sun, not too hot or too cold. But it started to sprinkle on the way home (over an hour drive). We arrived here very tired and took a two-hour nap. Thursday, Sept. 5th: We left early for Gmunden (about 1/2 hr. drive) where we toured a ceramic factory. We then went to Rick's to celebrate Martina's 33rd birthday. For dinner we had an Austrian meal where each one cooked their meat ("stir-fry" slices of chicken, beef, or pork) on a flat stone plate about 1/2" thick with two dishes of "canned Heat" underneath. We also had a delicious salad and Mother-in-law's freshly baked bread. Delicious! Later in the afternoon, we had the birthday cake with ice cream. We left late in the afternoon and Ralph stopped downtown to order a multi-phone hookup system. It's designed so that two or more can talk on the same conversation; the fax can be turned on from any of the 3 phones instead of having to run into the office; it can be used as an inter-com and several other uses. Dad and I took about a 15 min. walk after getting back and then he and Ralph hooked up a small woodstove in the living room. The landlord doesn't turn on the central heating until late October or so. This stove REALLY helps! I might add here that Verna wasn't exaggerating when she said to be prepared for cold weather! It rained off and on all that day. Friday, Sept. 6th: Ralph had a business meeting in the morning and the rest of us tried to rearrange the living room furniture due to the addition of the woodstove. In the afternoon, we moved nearly everything back to where it originally stood! Only a larger table was exchanged with the small kitchen table so it would all fit. Verna and I walked up to the farmer's to get eggs, after which I did some ironing. She has been having a lot of trouble with her arm which was broken back in July and ironing is hard for her. In the evening, the Brittains, who work with Trans World Radio in Bratislava, arrived to stay over night. We all talked a mile a minute to get caught up on news. Saturday, Sept. 7th: We were up EARLY! Brittons left about 7:00, heading for Monte Carlo to get their belongings ready to ship to Bratislava. Then we left about 8:00 for the Austrian Bible Institute, one and a half hours away. While Ralph attended a board meeting, the new director's wife, Verna, Dad & I went shopping in a neighboring town. We had planned to use our VISA card for most of our purchases on this trip but what a surprise! At one store we picked out several things -- they wouldn't take VISA or traveler's checks and we didn't have enough cash! We were going to go to the bank and cash the checks but then we remembered it was Saturday and the banks were closed. We found a MAC machine and after several tries, I finally got enough money to cover our purchases. We returned to the school for lunch and then the same 4 of us took a long walk in the windy, cold rain to see the Danube (it wasn't Blue!). After returning to the school, we were invited to the present Director's home where we were served tea and sweet treats. I fell asleep while they were visiting (I don't understand German!!) The meeting wasn't over until about 5:00 p.m. We had no sooner gotten back, when the phone rang. Some people from California were at a local hotel and wanted to visit the next day. We met them in the morning and we all went to church in Ampflwang where Ralph preached. We then went to a BEAUTIFUL restaurant on top of a mountain overlooking a lake. Even though the sun wasn't shining, it was still pretty. We could even see snow-covered mountains. We went sight-seeing for most of the afternoon. It was very overcast and rained on the way home. We stayed here at the house while the rest of them went to visit another missionary whom the other couple also knew. Monday, Sept. 9th: In the afternoon we went back to Gmunden and went on a hike which Ralph and Verna had only heard about (we didn't know that until almost the end!). It was along the edge of a mountain which was mostly rock, dropping abruptly off into the lake. It was a very narrow path with a cable to hold onto and in places board "bridges" to walk on, with braces fastened into the rock side of the mountain. We used ski poles (which are also used here for walking) to help us climb along - sometimes up and sometimes down. It was quite treacherous! Of all times to forget my camera! Ralph and Verna took a lot of pictures, but I don't think that pictures can begin to show the TRUE picture. When we reached the far end of the trail, we had to climb a super steep slope to reach the road where we were able to walk back through a couple of tunnels. After our hike, we went to a pretty restaurant with a glass-enclosed area right beside the lake. We could see all the mountains covered with the snow. It was another day without sun, not much rain. Tuesday, September 10th: Verna had a doctor's appointment and therapy session in the morning. We left about 10:00, bought sandwich supplies, fruit, juice, etc. and ate lunch on a park bench along Traunsee lake. As we looked across the lake where we had been on Monday, I shuddered to look at where we had walked. The mountain goes right down into the lake! We then drove up a long, narrow, curvy road to the top of a mountain -- that is, we THOUGHT it was the top! When we arrived in a parking area, there was a lovely lake, encircled by towering Alps! We hiked along a gravel path that led around the lake, and then up a fairly steep incline to a second lake. We hiked around that one and back down the opposite side of the first lake. It was a beautiful 3 hr. hike (probably 7-8 miles). The only problem was no sun! We were all tired out by the time we reached the car. When we got home, I tried to get out of the car, I moaned, "Oh, my achin' bacon'! My legs would barely carry me into the house. We didn't sit up very late last night, but went right to sleep! Wednesday, Sept. 11th: This morning it was back to Vöcklabruck. On Wednesdays, they close off one of the main streets for the Farmers' Market. The farmers all bring their produce, meat, eggs, cheese, etc. At one meat stand we saw what appeared to be VERY small birds dressed out. It was PIGEONS! When we came past later, they were all sold out. It was raining fairly hard while we were shopping -- had to try to maneuver through the crowd with umbrellas. The sun came out this afternoon and it was beautiful. Dad helped Ralph trim the hedge and I sat down to write this epistle. We took a break and went to the local town to do some shopping. We drove part way and then walked to get some exercise. I sewed Verna's aprons (the ones that I started on Saturday before we came) until nearly 11:00 p.m. (after everyone else had gone to bed). As of now it looks like we won't be going to Holland. There is too much to crowd into a short period of time. We are planning to leave Sunday or Monday to go to Prague to see one of their former summer workers who has joined the mission full time and just recently come to the Czech Republic and also see Steve Mattocks. Then we plan to go to Budapest, Hungary and then back to Bratislava to see Skip & Joan (they aren't to be back from Monte Carlo until Sept. 16th.) That will probably fill most of next week. Thursday, September 12, 1996: Another day & so far no rain! Received your E-mail this a.m. Dad & I took a 3-1/2 hr. walk (over hill & dale) into town this morning - left at 6:45 a.m. That time included some window shopping and breakfast at a bakery/cafe. Wednesday, Sept. 11th - Sept. 12th (From Dad): I am learning a lot about stoves, hot water heat, manure piles, etc. Your mother sees lace curtains, flower boxes, golden rod (ask her when she gets home). We just hiked down the lane along the woods between a barn and house; I saw 1 small deer; slight grade through the woods; saw 2 deer; down the hill into town. Window shopped; ate at cafe/bakery. I saw them pumping cement with air, also saw cement hose BLOW apart. It's hat, coat, flannel shirt & umbrella EVERYDAY! Do you know how to make a dead cat meow? Put it in freezer for 2 days, take it out and immediately cut in half on a table saw ("meow"). Dad & I left about 6:45 a.m. and walked to Frankenburg - down a gravel drive, along a farmer's path through fields and next to the woods (and a deer stand), along narrow paved roads (a small truck and a school bus van met and had to nearly stop and get off the road to pass), and finally along a busy highway into town. It was probably 2+ miles. We tried 3 different kinds of "sweet rolls" with coffee in a bakery/cafe. Then we window shopped through the main street (it's maybe like Cochranton or a little larger). One store reminded me of Bonaire - very crowded with a little of everything except clothing. We walked back the road that Ralph & Verna normally travel (another 2 miles or so). The sun was only about half shining. I continued working on the aprons (finished them later in the day). Rick, Martina, and Julia came about mid-afternoon for dessert and coffee. That type of entertaining seems to be very common here. They stayed for supper. After they left, Ralph and Dad went out to mow the lawn because rain was forecast for the next day (so what else is new???) They mowed until it was so dark they had to quit -- even then the grass was too wet to be mowing! They hadn't been in the house very long until the rain let loose again! Friday, Sept. 13th - The sun shone off and on in the morning but there were those dark "snow clouds" in the sky and occasionally showers would let loose. That continued into the early afternoon. We took Ralph to Frankenburg so he could work in the Christian bookstore (3:00 to 6:00) to relieve Roseanne Poffenroth. The Poffenroths live in an apartment above the bookstore. Her husband had left last Monday for Canada. She invited us for tea/coffee and "sweets.“ While standing in the kitchen talking, I felt something on the calf of my leg like a pin prick. It began really hurting and I reached down and rubbed my leg, wondering whatever was wrong. And then I saw a yellow jacket lying on the floor. I don't know if it was inside my blue jeans or if it stung through the fabric but I know that I got stung at least twice and maybe more. She put some stuff on it and later after we got home I put vinegar/soda on it and I've been putting on an aloe vera ointment but it is still really hurting. If for some reason I seem to put most of my weight on that left leg, OUCH!!! Verna, Dad, & I came home to get your fax, pick up the birds (3 cockatiels), and head for the bank. As we left here the sun was shining very bright, the sky was real blue with just a few clouds, and we could see very plainly the snow-covered Alps just a short distance from the house. The trees with leaves hide the view of the Alps from inside the house. It was the most beautiful sight that we have seen since we got here and we had to stop long enough for me to get a couple of pictures. We got to the bank at 4:59 (it closes on Fridays at 5:00). Verna and I were the only two customers and as we were leaving, they locked the doors behind us. Whew! That was close!!! I'll explain when I get home why all that confusion. But in short, VISA is not used here as much as we had planned. MAC seems to be all over but there is a limit per day. We delivered the birds to co-workers in another town - they are going to "bird-sit" next week and that was the best time to take them. On the way, the sky and scenery was still BEAUTIFUL! As we were on our way to go back to pick up Ralph, less than a half hour later, we got into a very heavy downpour with high winds. It was just like the after-effects of an hurricane at home. It continued on into the night. Last night after supper Ralph showed us a slide presentation that he had made up for the Austrians about America and the Amish. Saturday, Sept. 14th (today) - The "hurricane" type weather has continued for most of today, just letting up the last hour or so. It's not at all good for hiking!!! In fact, the noon news said that there was snow in Salzburg (about 45 minutes away) and they said that so far this is the coldest September in 50 years! As we were sitting down to lunch, Dad asked if that was snow mixed with the rain hitting the windows. We never did decide for sure. Last night as we were going to bed, Ralph said that someone was getting married today because they were shooting off firecrackers somewhere down over the mountain. They shoot them off until 10:00 p.m. and begin at 6:00 a.m. next to the groom's house to make sure that he doesn't oversleep and miss his wedding. Those poor neighbors that live close by! It sounded like opening day of goose or small-game season back home. We plan to leave sometime tomorrow afternoon for the Czech Republic. We will be seeing one of their friends and also Steve Mattocks. Then we are going on to Budapest, Hungary. They have never been there before. On the way back we will be stopping to see Skip and Joan in Bratislava. They are just getting back from Monte Carlo on Monday (9/16). We will be back here just in time to maybe do some last minute shopping, laundry, and packing. We will have to leave here about 4:30 a.m. (or earlier) to head for the airport. That is going to be a L-O-N-G day! Saturday, Sept. 14th It was miserable all day but the wind and rain did let up some in the afternoon. About 6:00 p.m. we walked over to visit the neighbor and see his new barn and farming operation. He has a fairly large one for this area and he also has a milking parlor where he can milk three cows at a time. The farmers all green-cut their fields each day and feed the fresh grass to the cows. The fields are so wet from all of the rain that it is hard to get the tractors and equipment on them to cut the grass. This farmer puts all of his dry hay up loose rather than baling it. By the time that we had walked back to the house, my leg which had been stung the day before was hurting so bad that I could hardly walk on it even though I had been putting ointment on it. It felt better once I got off from it. Sunday, Sept. 15th - another "D" day!* We went to Frankenburg (about 8 miles away) for church where Ralph had to preach because his co-worker is in Canada. Church is held in the same room where the bookstore is during the week. They have built moveable bookshelves which can be rolled back out of the way and chairs set up for Sunday. It works very well. There were maybe 25 people there. After church we came back home, changed clothes, fixed dinner and hit the road about 12:30 p.m. Just as we were about to cross the border into the Czech Republic, we saw a beautiful line of maple trees which were turning color. We had to wait in line for awhile before crossing into Eastern Europe. Our first stop was just across the border where there was a place to change money. Now they speak Czech - which NONE of us do! However, enough speak German so Ralph could figure out what they were saying. Anyway, we were going to cash some travelers checks (you know, those things that you don't want to be without when traveling around the world!!). Oh, they don't cash them, one must go to the bank (sure, on a SUNDAY afternoon!!) We did have some Austrian money which they changed but we wondered if it would be enough to pay for a room that night! It was. Immediately upon crossing the border, we could see a difference. Things were not as well kept up as in Austria; the fields were very large (had been owned by the communist government in years past); and things in general just looked much poorer. Our first stop was to the old city of Krumlov, where the river winds clear around it. We entered it by walking through the arches of a huge castle and then across the river. It was very interesting because we saw the beginning of what we were to see the rest of the time in Eastern Europe - an old building in the same condition that it was during the communist era (until 1989 or 90) and right beside it a building that was being restored and was quite beautiful. We continued up the cobblestone streets to the town square where some musicians were playing and people were standing around listening. I got an interesting picture of a man with his "sound system.“ There were also several street vendors. Before leaving, we all needed to use the WC (water closet), more commonly called a restroom in our language! I got another shock -- it cost a few cents and everyone else had gone in before me and I was left standing outside because I didn't have any money and I had to wait for Dad to come to my rescue. From that town we continued on to Budjoivice (Budweis). Ralph and Verna have stayed there in times past and drove round and round to find a particular "gasthaus.“ They finally decided that it was no longer used that way. It was suppertime so we got our first Czech meal. They prepare very good meals and use a lot of garnishes. We found that to be true everywhere. After supper we walked around the town square and then found a very nice hotel just off the main square. It sounded like a good price (about $30.00/night) and it was very clean, etc. It even had a TV but we couldn't understand a thing! The next morning the girl charged us much more. It seems that there was some sort of a communication problem. All day I had been applying an aloe vera ointment to my sting area every time that it started to bother me. The directions had said to massage well, which I had done. And that was a MISTAKE because it just spread the infection! Dumb me!! By night I could barely stand on it and it was quite red. I took some Advil, applied cold, wet washcloths and it felt better. After that I just applied some zinc ointment and didn't rub it in. Monday, Sept. 16th - the sun was shining in the morning. We had a continental breakfast at the hotel and then walked around the square and did some window shopping. There was an old tower which we were going to go into but it didn't open until 10:00. So we continued window shopping until 10:00 when we returned and it still wasn't open. Then it was discovered, CLOSED MONDAYS! We shopped and saw some beautiful Bohemian crystal (made in that area). But Verna said that it was quite expensive there and the next town that we were going to had a lot of shops and it was much cheaper. We headed out through secondary roads, through small towns and the countryside to Tabor which was another old town. We went through some underground tunnels which were used in the past as a place for Christians to hide. Town people also ran here for protection when the town was on fire, and various other things. There were some places where even I couldn't stand completely straight. We ate pizza for lunch. It had ham, scrambled eggs, onions, cheese, and I don't know what else on it but was VERY good! Then we went shopping. Things were very cheap there; however, all the many crystal shops that were supposed to be there, couldn't be found!! Ralph promised that there would be at least a dozen in Prague. Should we believe that?!! We then traveled on until about 30 miles from Prague and stayed in a motel. Again the room had a TV and even an English-speaking channel (British, that is). We didn't hear much USA news. It took a long time for the water to get hot for a shower and there were NO shower curtains! But it was a bit cheaper. Tuesday, Sept. 17th - We left just in time to get into the morning rush hour traffic of PRAGUE!!! And I wouldn't wish that on ANYONE! The fumes were terrible, especially the exhaust from the trucks. Since entering the Czech we had been seeing a lot of old cars (many of which I wondered how they were still running) and these cars also were burning oil (Ralph said that many run on an oil/gasoline mix like lawn mowers). There were miles upon miles of apartment buildings and they were a dingy gray color - like the weather! We first walked up a narrow cobblestone street through the embassy section to the palace. There was a long flight of steps to climb on the left, or a slope on the right - with no signs. Verna thought it was shorter if we went via the steps. Thanks, Verna! We found out that it was a much longer way! Anyway, we got to see a group of military come marching down the street and enter the gates of the palace. There were two guarding the gate - standing motionless, just like at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington. We went into a huge Catholic church inside the palace courtyard also. The architecture is amazing for that era! We met Steve Mattocks in front of the National Museum about 11:00. He had taken a train into town to meet us. We first stopped at a McDonalds for coffee, cocoa, and a FREE WC stop. Then we visited as we walked through the shopping area - many of the streets were closed to vehicles. We walked across the Charles Bridge - something that everyone must do when visiting Prague, so they say. It is used only for pedestrians and there are various musicians and street vendors along the way. Ralph & Verna tried to call their former summer worker so that we could meet for supper, but couldn't get an answer (discovered later that she was home but her phone didn't ring). We took Steve out to Podebrady where his office is located & his car was also there. We had planned to go out to eat at a Czech restaurant but when he called home to tell his family that he wouldn't be home for supper, the mother said that she was preparing a meal for all of us!! Dad & I rode with Steve in the car which he just recently bought - a Skoda (the name means a "pity" or "shame"!!) and Ralph & Verna followed in their car. Oh, first we got our rooms. They were in a youth hostel and looked like a dormitory room inside. It's a good thing that we had taken our own towels, washcloths, and soap. But the rooms were only $10 per night. Steve lives with a well-to-do Czech family who speak only Czech. The two teen-age daughters are learning German in school, so this was a VERY interesting time. They would ask Steve a question for one of us and with his limited Czech he would try to translate into English; some things the girls would say in their limited German and Ralph & Verna translated. We would ask something and either Ralph would translate into German for the girls or Steve would try to translate into Czech. It was fun! He has an upstairs bedroom, living room and bathroom, meals, and laundry all for $150 per month! The meal was delicious! He said it was like what the mother prepares for special occasions such as Christmas - except that then they eat carp! Trying to find our way back into town in the rain, over several winding roads (including a detour) after dark was interesting but we made it. Wednesday, Sept. 18th - It started out as a beautiful day. We walked around the town (about the size of Meadville). We couldn't find a restaurant that looked inviting and was open at eight, so finally stopped in a small cafe at the back of a hotel. What an experience! It was rather smoky and not at all spotless. We could not read one word of the menu so just managed to communicate that we wanted coffee and bread. The coffee was BLACK and the grounds were floating to the bottom of the "glass" (no handle). I finally added a package of sugar just so I could get it down. While eating, we could hear yelling going on in the kitchen and twice we heard glass breaking. We tried to ask the waitress if we could have a copy of a menu on the table but she didn't understand. Finally Dad just took the paper, folded it up as to put it in his pocket and gave her a Dollar. That menu you must see! It has a caricature of a kitchen chef with a big belly smoking a cigar and holding a frying pan. Ashes from the cigar are falling into the pan of food! So we know what the cook looked like: just like the cafe and his hollering! Since that really wasn't enough to eat, we stopped in a small grocery store and bought bananas and juice (packaged like the small boxes of juices at home with the straw fastened on the outside). That was course #2. After doing some window shopping (and buying), we came upon a small shop that had fancy éclairs, etc., so we had course #3. Then as we were passing an ice cream shop, Dad had to have course #4 in spite of the cold weather. The woman clerk of a shop where we had just made a purchase saw him and made shuddering noises. We all laughed. To top off the visit in Podebrady - we used the public WC before leaving town. It cost about 10 cents, and we got a "stamped" ticket as a receipt and 2 sheets of toilet paper!!! It took about an hour to get back to Prague and another 4 hours or so to find Rachelle (Ralph & Verna's former summer worker). She had only moved there about a month ago, used the metro, and wasn't very good at directions. We finally stopped at a hotel to see if they had a map (our copy was from 1991 and this area had been built up since then and wasn't on it). The hotel had a snack bar and we decided to eat there. It was a "beautiful" and delicious meal. I can't believe how they use garnishes. Verna had fish - a whole fish, complete with tail, fins and a head with glassy eyes staring at you! They also put a basket of bread on the table, which we ate thinking that it was included with the meal. Evidently that's how they trick you, because it was added onto our bill separately. Directory: documents documents -> Concept stage documents -> Concept stage documents -> The great global switch-off documents -> Nonprofit grant application documents -> The Truth about the Rwandan Genocide documents -> Annual InStructional unit plan documents -> Chaos equipment included Download 2.2 Mb. Share with your friends: