Chapter 2 the harvey family
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- CHAPTER 17 - LITERATURE
- CHRISTIAN LITERATURE
- MISSIONARY PRAYER LETTERS
- MISSIONARY PRINTERS
- HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
- A FATAL MISTAKE
- A NEW START
- LEARNING ANOTHER TRADE
PERSISTENCE PAYSIn early November, 1996, we stopped for a red light in Salzburg and got rear-ended. Our nice station wagon looked a mess, but we consoled ourselves with the fact that no one was injured, the other driver was insured and he admitted to being in the wrong. Everything was reported properly and repair costs were reasonable, but the insurance company said that it would only pay two thirds of the bill. I asked why and the representative explained that it was "normal procedure for rear end collisions." He said that I could have braked too abruptly and been partly to blame. The very presence of a car on the road represents a certain risk. If my car had not been there, the accident would not have occurred. Furthermore, since our car was over five years old, the new parts installed increased the value of our vehicle! I could hardly believe my ears, but decided to take the matter to the Austrian Touring Club of which I was a member. I explained the situation in detail, sending photographs of the car, a map of the location and photocopies of all documents. I shared what the insurance company said and that I was traveling well below the speed limit before braking. My vehicle was fully stopped when hit. The other driver and my wife would readily vouch for this fact. My letter to the Touring Club was not answered after a month, so I wrote another. When this too went unanswered, I wrote a third. This time, I included a long list of grievances against the club, saying that I was about to tender my resignation as a member after 29 years with the club. This finally brought a response. I received a letter from the club's lawyer, stating that he was very sorry, but my earlier letters had not been received. He then commenced to comment on matters mentioned only in those first two letters! The lawyer said that, yes, this was normal policy in rear end collisions. Certainly, if I had rear-ended someone, I would be happy to know that the other driver was responsible to pay a third of my damages. The Touring Club lawyer then stated that if I could prove to a court beyond any reasonable doubt, that I had not braked abruptly, the amount I was expected to pay might be reduced. Unfortunately, I would have to pay the lawyer fees and court costs! I also learned that the other driver was entitled to claim one third of his damages from our insurance! That would have placed me in a higher risk category and resulted in higher insurance premiums! Fortunately, he didn't know and I didn't tell him! In March, after three months of phone calls, repeated visits to the insurance company and half a dozen long letters, I had to borrow money from our bank to pay the repair shop $1,700 or risk being taken to court. Touring Club members had to give three month's notice when resigning or the next year's membership fee would be due. Five weeks before the deadline for tendering my resignation, a Touring Club official called to say that their lawyer was sending my papers to Salzburg and hoped to obtain an "out-of-court settlement.“ Was this a stalling attempt or an honest effort to help a faithful member of many years? I decided to hold off with my resignation a little longer. After three days, I called the Salzburg office and asked if my case was being acted upon. The person on the phone checked and said that the papers had not yet arrived. Two days later they were still not there, so I asked to speak with the lawyer. He said that I didn't have a chance to recover my money. I mailed my letter of resignation just before the deadline. It would have been possible to appeal to the European Union Court of Appeals, but they only accept cases which have gone through all local instances, and that costs a lot of money! The biblical method works better! And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. Luke 18:1-5 A year after the accident, I received a letter from the insurance company. I was asked to kindly provide my bank account number. They had decided to repay the $1,700 plus interest! Around the same time, I received a letter from the touring club accepting my resignation with regrets. Since we had already paid off the bank loan, I told Verna that this money would pay for her trip to America in Spring. I had too many irons in the fire to get away, but insisted that she go visit our kids and new grandchild. Verna said nothing, but she had other plans for that money. I was turning 60 in March and we would be celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary. She secretly prepared a surprise for me, which I was not to learn about until Christmas. She sent money to our children in America so they could all fly over to visit us! ONE FINAL DEAL October, 2001, exactly one year before our retirement from missionary service in Austria, I happened to see a newspaper ad for a low-mileage 1994 Chevrolet Corsica. I had never seen a Corsica in Austria and the seller seemed to be asking very little for the car. We were not looking for a car, so I dismissed it from my mind. A month later, the same car was advertised again, this time with a much lower asking price of only $5,000. I began wondering if one of our friends might be looking for a good car and could be interested. No one came to mind so I dismissed the matter again. Just before Christmas the car was advertised a third time and the price was even lower! I began to get curious. Was it perhaps stolen or had it been in an accident? There was a Salzburg telephone number to call and I decided out of curiosity to call. The seller assured me that all was legitimate and the car had been garaged since new, never smoked in, and was in top condition. It had only been driven 29,000 miles in seven years! I thanked him for the information and said that I was only curious, but would get back to him if I could think of anyone who needed a good car. Now the man had our phone number and he kept calling. He said he had to sell three cars before the beginning of the year because he was leaving the country. I kept telling him the same thing. Then one day he called and said that he was going to be in the area where we lived (according to our telephone area code) and wanted me to at least come and look at the car. I finally agreed to meet him in an Autobahn parking place. When Verna heard that, she said, “Are you out of your mind?” 2002 would be a difficult year and we didn’t relish the thought of saying goodbye to all our friends and our son with his family. Austria had become home to us and there were many neighbors who still needed Christ. Then there was our scheduled trip to visit places in Turkey mentioned in the Bible. We still had many ministries and invitations to speak came rapidly once people heard that we would be retiring to America. We began early to make lists. There was a job list, a list of things to pack and a list of stuff to sell. We decided to wait until the last minute to sell our car. We would need transportation up until our departure and since the car was in excellent condition, it should sell quickly. When someone who has owned 80 cars, over half of them Fords, sells a 1995 Ford Scorpio made in Germany and buys a 1994 Chevrolet Corsica made in USA, there has to be a good reason. Actually, there were at least five good reasons. #1, the 1995 Ford had over 100,000 miles on it but the 1994 Chevrolet had only been driven 29,000 miles. #2, I preferred the burgundy metallic color to the Ford’s silver metallic. #3, the Corsica had a 3.1 liter V-6 engine with automatic transmission while the Scorpio only had a 2 liter 4-cylinder engine with standard transmission. The Corsica got 26 mpg against the Scorpio’s 22 mpg! #4, the Chevrolet Corsica had cruise control, an electric sunroof and even a trailer hitch. #5, the ’95 Ford Scorpio sold quickly for $7,600 and we paid $3,000 for the Chevrolet Corsica. The previous owner was a businessman who was leaving the country and had to sell three cars. One was a Mercedes, the second a 12-cylinder 360 HP BMW coupe(!) and a Chevrolet Corsica. We were not really interested in the car because we were happy with our Ford, but when he asked me to make any offer, I offered $3,000 and he accepted. He was also selling a Hunter 25 yacht, but I didn’t make him an offer for that! I looked on the Internet to see what ’94 Corsicas were selling for in the Philadelphia area. The cheapest I could find was $4,999 with 130,000 miles on it. Amerian cars normally sell for higher prices in Europe. I wrote above about the Ford Pinto that we exported to Austria. After driving it 60,000 miles in three years, we sold it for $1,200 profit over the new price! I was also planning to sell the Corsica for a handsome profit, but just before we left Austria, missionary friends were looking for a good vehicle for not much money. We sold it to them for what we paid. Index CHAPTER 17 - LITERATURESECULAR LITERATUREI have always loved to read. Family visits to Grandpa and Grandma Pedicord were a special treat for me. They subscribed to The Saturday Evening Post, Reader's Digest, Life and National Geographic Magazine. Grandma Pedicord was also a direct descendant of the famous Cooper family that founded Cooperstown, New York. I read most of James Fennimore Cooper's books and nearly every other book I got my hands on. I already mentioned breaking the High School record for the number of books read in the library. I became critical of the secular press early in life. Much of the media thrives on "all the news that is unfit to print" including newspapers which claim to do the opposite. Reporters hover like vultures, buzzards and hawks, waiting to pounce on a "good" BAD story. News must be sensational, bloody, dirty or scandalous. Scandals involving well-known personalities are always good sellers. Hollywood stars and rock musicians don’t mind scandals; they depend on the press to keep their names and faces on the front pages of magazines and newspapers and do whatever it takes to make it happen. Just as rotting meat fattens vultures, scandals make stars rich and famous. And they help publishers sell books, newspapers and magazines. What the media publishes doesn't have to be true; there are many ways to tell lies and get paid for it. It always helps when consumers want to believe the lies. Little children love fairy tales and older people love sensationalism and fantasy. CHRISTIAN LITERATUREI mentioned in the introduction to this autobiography that I am an outspoken critic of Christian literature. I could paint a wonderful and fascinating picture of our literature ministry that would impress readers, but I don't want to give readers half a picture. Someone entering such a ministry might begin to doubt his or her salvation when situations arise that don't fit the picture I painted. At some point in my missionary career, I began to suspicion that tricks and trends in secular publishing had infiltrated Christian literature. I am convinced that some of the “sacred press” is little better than its secular counterpart. While sorting through my files before retirement, I found the following note which I had scribbled many years earlier: "Secular publishing is all gory and no glory." "Sacred publishing is all glory and no gory."
Be sure to include your full name and address, and that of the mission! Never forget the date! Avoid run-on sentences! Avoid using "Christianese"! Don’t start or end your letters with Scripture. Don't be "preachy"! Don’t be negative! Refrain from being specific when referring to problem people. The Apostle Paul gets an "F" in form, but an "A" for effectiveness! I feel that honesty is always called for even if it isn't necessary to say or write everything that is true. Normally, I either "tell it like it is" or I don't write on the subject at all, but there are exceptions to this rule. Missionaries are expected to write "prayer letters" to keep their "support teams" informed. Both missionaries and supporters know that the main reason for letters is to get money for paying bills, but appeals for money must be carefully and subtly imbedded in reports or disguised as prayer requests. This is the first rule of writing prayer letters. The missionary abides by this rule because the supporter expects it. The second rule of Christian journalism is, "Never be negative!" Secular journalism prints what is negative and not fit to print, but Christian journalism must be upbeat and positive. Supporters must feel that their gifts and prayers are effective, bringing eternal dividends! If you are having differences with co-workers, your marriage is breaking up, your son is smoking pot, or the church you founded is ready to split ---, keep it to yourself! Share it with your Field Director perhaps, but never, ever, with your praying and paying constituency! In other words, be a hypocrite! The third rule of Christian journalism is, “Exaggerate!” In Christian jargon, this is called “evangelistically speaking.” As you have probably noticed, I am abiding by the third rule while breaking the second. It is a generally known fact among missionaries, that the moment something is put into print, it becomes invalid or false. That new convert pictured on the title page of your mission publication is doomed to become a backslider, and the new ministry you announced will never get off the ground. Report great blessings and you are inviting trouble. Of course I'm exaggerating, but I already said that missionaries do that. MISSIONARY PRINTERSSoon after arriving in Europe, I met my first missionary printer. He operated a print shop in Germany and seemed obsessed with statistics. I got the feeling that he was afraid to share the Gospel personally and was relegating the task of evangelism to machines, ink and paper. The second and third missionary printers I met seemed to have been run off the same press. These negative feelings about Christian literature were strengthened after moving to Ampflwang. Our mission house served as a depot and half-way-house for a missionary enterprise called "Operation Mobilization." As I already mentioned, OM was a very effective ministry, but it had a limited budget in those days. OM accepted any vehicles, food, accommodations or literature that was free or cheap. Dilapidated OM trucks delivered tons of Gospel tracts, books, out-dated calendars and old Decision Magazines to Ampflwang. What the teams could not get rid of was stacked in our attic and began to turn yellow and collect dust. I inherited the ugly task of disposing of this unusable literature. Fearing the reaction of Red Cross officials should I bring them a ton of Christian literature for recycling, I decided instead to burn it. The job took the better part of a week to complete. I mentioned this in an article published in the mission magazine. The editor changed "ton" to "100 pounds" assuming that I was exaggerating -- or perhaps he thought that no one would believe it. Ten years later, the Lord decided that He needed someone to produce Christian literature for Austria and Eastern Europe. Now, who do you suppose got the job? You guessed it! I became a publisher of that horrible stuff called "sacred" or "Christian" literature - and my own biggest critic! As you can imagine, that didn’t happen overnight! HUMBLE BEGINNINGSIn 1972, a year after we opened the "Katakombe" Tearoom and Youth Center in Linz, we began to mimeograph an amateur youth magazine, called "Wegweiser" ("Signpost"). This was during the height of the so-called "Jesus People" movement, and our youth chose the "One Way" sign, a raised forefinger, for the paper's logo. Our magazine was quite original; we used caricatures, short articles and testimonials which were easily understood by unchurched youth. Each issue had a specific theme. Fall 1972 GOSPEL MESSAGE NEWS FROM AUSTRIA Two student nurses, a hardened drug addict and an advanced "Yogi," are among the many who have professed to receive Christ through the ministry of the "Catacomb Tearoom" in Linz during the past few weeks. Ralph Harvey, director of this youth center, reports an evening attendance of 50 to 70 young people. A popular evangelistic magazine is being published for the youth of Linz. Please pray for this important ministry and its outreach in Austria. The magazine was well received. We seldom found an issue on the ground or in a trash can. Drug addicts in the parks would make obscene remarks when we gave them copies, but they read every issue and even passed them around. Demand for the periodical increased, not just in Linz, but from youth groups all over Austria. Soon, we were receiving requests from Germany and Switzerland. Several of our articles were reprinted in other Christian periodicals (often without permission!). One cartoon which I drew, called "Noah," was reprinted with permission and used as an evangelistic poster that appeared all over German-speaking Europe -- in street cars, on billboards and in churches. One positive echo of our experiment in publishing came from an unexpected source. An Austrian government agency which keeps tabs on publications puts out an annual listing and evaluation of periodicals printed in Austria. Imagine our surprise to read in a daily national newspaper: "The `Wegweiser' is an amateur underground magazine published in Linz, which is well worth reading." We were soon mimeographing 5,000 copies of 10 pages each; the mimeograph machine began to show signs of wear, and the cost was becoming prohibitive. Most copies were given to unsaved youth on the streets, or who attended the youth center. It appeared as though we would have to stop publication for lack of finances, but the end of the "Wegweiser" came sooner than expected -and for a different reason. A FATAL MISTAKEIn an issue on the theme of "hypocrisy," I wrote a satirical article entitled, "Why I Pick My Nose." The article compared the socially acceptable habit of smoking, with a habit that is generally frowned upon. The article was soon the "talk of the town" and a "hit" among young people. But one elderly lady in the church had a different opinion. She had picked up the magazine after the morning worship service, and after placing her Sunday meal in the oven, she sat down to read. Later, she told me that she would never read another article I wrote! After reading the article "Why I Pick My Nose" she lost her appetite and had to put her meal back in the refrigerator! We don't know where it started, but someone connected the raised forefinger ("One Way" symbol on the cover) with the "nose-picker" article. That kind of news travels rapidly! Our logo became universally known as the "nose-picker" symbol, and the "Wegweiser" became the "Nosepicker's Magazine!" We ran off one more issue after that, but the nickname stuck. Although this reputation may have increased the circulation, we had no other choice; the "Wegweiser" had to go! But it was just the beginning of our publishing ministry. A NEW STARTI wrote in Chapter 14 about buying an offset press during our recent furlough. Before taking it apart and packing it in crates for shipping, I wrote a careful desciption, made drawings and labeled all parts, to assure that I could put it back together again. Upon our arrival in Austria, we found a small house in Ansfelden for very reasonable rent. We soon discovered why the rent was reasonable, however. A nearby paper factory produced sulphuric emissions that smelled like rotten eggs. When the winds blew in our direction, the stench was overwhelming! A few blocks away there was a large chicken farm that raised thousands of chickens. The chicken houses had no windows and the owner tricked the chickens into eating huge quantities of food by turning the lights on and off repeatedly. Every six weeks, when the chicks reached two pounds, they were slaughtered and frozen for the supermarkets. The stream which ran through our development turned dark red from blood and unwanted chicken innards on slaughtering day. Dried remnants on the banks of the stream added to the putrid smell of the paper factory. Before another batch of baby chicks was started, the farmer cleaned out his chicken houses and the smell of manure was added to the already unpleasant air that we breathed. Other than the smells, our two years in that house were good years. We established excellent relationships with neighbors, conducted regular children's meetings in our home and Bible studies in the home of another family. One of the highlights of our time there was the conversion of a 96-year-old woman! She said God had allowed her to live until someone shared the gospel with her. Now she was ready to die. Soon after making that statement, she fell and broke her hip. We thought that would be the end, but doctors pinned the bone together and she was soon walking about as though nothing had happened! Although we were very busy with ministry in Linz, Enns and Steyr, we could easily have spent all our time and energy reaching that neighborhood for Christ. LEARNING ANOTHER TRADEIt seemed like I had learned every trade there was to learn. I was familiar with most aspects of the construction trade from carpentry to electrical installation and plumbing. I had taken many cars apart and put them back together again. I learned to weld, painted about ten cars, built three small boats and worked several years on a farm. My college education was to prepare me for ministry and public speaking, but I also sang in various musical ensembles and operas. I learned photographic skills and developing techniques in a photo studio. In the Art Gallery, I mastered the skills of hand-carving ornate picture frames and applying gold-leaf. I even learned to restore art masterpieces. Now, at 35 years of age, I was to learn the graphics, printing and publishing trades! But had I not already demonstrated that I could operate a press back in New Jersey? After unpacking the offset press and putting it back together, I inked it up and flipped the switch. The cylinders turned smoothly and everything seemed perfect. I then turned on the compressor which fed the paper, but the paper wasn't feeding. I tried various adjustment knobs unsuccessfully - for weeks! I had been very careful to label all parts, electrical connections and settings. I studied the manual, experimented, tried different settings, went to print shops for advice and even installed new parts, but nothing helped. The paper would simply not feed properly. I recalled that smirk on the face of the printer in Elmer who wished me good luck. Now I knew what he was thinking! Totally frustrated, I came to the supper table one evening and informed Verna that my printing career was over! There was no power on earth that could induce me to even look at that press again unless it was to sell it or cart it to a junkyard! As usual, Verna remained calm and suggested that I just forget it and enjoy my meal. After supper, I wondered out loud if I could at least get the purchase price back. Verna stopped me and asked me to pray with her first. We would make one more appeal to our heavenly Father for help. I argued that I had been doing this all along and with increasing intensity. Nothing was working! Nevertheless, we prayed together and asked the Lord to show me what I was doing wrong. I added, "…and this is final, Lord! Amen!" I returned to the offset press and flipped the main switch. The cylinders rotated smoothly as usual. I turned on the compressor as I had done a thousand times before. The paper started feeding and I waited for the usual jamming, skipping and double sheeting that I was so accustomed to. I stared in disbelief as it just kept feeding like it was supposed to do. I kept watching in amazement as the press continued to feed the paper in perfect rhythm, never missing a sheet! Verna stepped up and put her arms around me. Tears streamed down our faces as we watched ream after ream of paper feed through the press. That press churned out a million impressions without a single breakdown after that humble - better, humbling beginning! And in the next 15 years, our printing operation produced many more tons of Christian literature! From an Alpine Echo in 1974: Have you ever had the feeling that you are getting nothing done? Have you ever found yourself frustrated with a tangle of bureaucratic "red tape"? Have you ever had an unwanted job dumped into your lap which you could not escape? Have you ever felt like your efforts were all in vain so that you wanted to quit? If you have, then you are well qualified to pray for missions! We are by no means depressed or discouraged; in fact, we rejoice in the privilege of serving the Lord here in Austria. From the 23rd Psalm, however, we learn that the valley of shadow" precedes the recognition of God's "goodness and mercy.“ Paul's experience taught him that tribulation comes before patience. When Paul and Silas could sing praises to God in their darkest midnight hour, we know that God's people were praying. This has also been our experience. There was a time this summer, when we were tempted to conduct Austria's first yard sale and buy one-way tickets to America, but the Lord led one of His own to write us an encouraging letter which caused us to sing praises at midnight. On another occasion Ralph was ready to throw the offset machine (all 600 lbs of it) into the nearest dump, because it simply refused to function properly. But someone prayed and the machine suddenly began to function like a new one; and it has done so ever since. Even after checking with a lawyer and studying Austrian laws regarding printed literature, we were fined $30 for omitting one required word in the publisher's declaration (ignorance is no excuse). As the Austrians say, "we were seeing black,“ but some of the Lord's people sent extra gifts that month which inspired some midnight singing. We gradually added equipment until we had a fully-equipped print shop with several presses that could print up to 16 x 24 inches. We had a large litho camera, plate burner, folding machine, collator, stapler and cutting machine. Our printing operation provided millions of pieces of literature for evangelical churches and missionary organizations in Austria. We also produced much literature that was smuggled behind the Iron Curtain, but this aspect of our operation had to be kept secret until the Iron Curtain fell in 1989. You perhaps noticed the change to a plural pronoun in the above paragraph. This was necessary, because the printing and publishing operation soon became a family affair. Our children did much of the collating and folding. When printing for other missionaries or churches, I padded the bills so our kids would get a little spending money for their efforts. One summer they bought a nice inflatable boat with their earnings. 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:
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