Chapter 2 the harvey family

"SALZSTREUER"

"KANN"

1. DYNAMO-Bible Study and sermon outlines

2. IDEEN FABRIK (Idea Factory) -games, activities, crafts, visual aids, special programs, etc.

3. DACHBODEN (Attic)- listings of available material, films, literature, evangelists, books, etc.

PRINTING QUIRKS

The many interesting experiences we had with the printing operation couldn't possibly find space in this book. Two or three examples should suffice.
In April, 1975, an evangelist from "Word of Life," Germany, was to conduct a week of meetings in Steyr. By this time I was becoming quite confident of my printing abilities. Since we worked in Steyr and were participants in the campaign, it was only natural that I would be asked to print the invitations. I took special pains to do my best on this job! Printing 30,000 attractive, two-color invitations took about ten hours. When the job was finished, I cleaned up the press and began to package the invitations for delivery. Before I was finished, our fourth grade son came home from school, took one glance at an invitation and said in his matter-of-fact tone of voice, "The S is missing!" He had barely gotten the words out of his mouth, when I saw it too. Right on the front, in big, bold letters, was the German word "MENSCH" (man); and the "S" was missing! I had no other recourse but to spend the following day doing the job all over again!
A few weeks later, a missionary from Vienna asked me to print 20,000 Evangelistic invitations. Like most print jobs, this one was also a rush job, "to be finished yesterday at the very latest!" I explained that I had much to do, and that other jobs were just as urgent, but the missionary was desperate, trying every ploy to gain my consent. He promised that the layout would be camera-ready. He would even deliver the copy, help me print and take the finished product back to Vienna with him. I softened and finally agreed to do the job if the colors could be black and red (I had other jobs to do in these colors).
When he arrived, I began to proof-read the copy, but he insisted that three persons had already done so - there were absolutely NO mistakes! Precious time was wasting! After the printing, I was preparing to cut and fold the invitations, when our fourth grader, Ralph Jr., walked into the print shop -- again. He had such an uncanny way of killing elephants with pea shooters! "Why are you printing these? Those meetings were last month," he stated matter-of-factly. The missionary from Vienna looked and gasped. Until that moment, I thought I was the only grown man who cried. Seven days of meetings; seven interesting topics; seven wrong dates!
Fortunately the month was printed as a single digit number. I was able to save the job by running the invitations through one more time and printing large black "emphasis dots" over the wrong number.
Soon after Gutenberg invented the printing press, the Austrian government recognized the potentially powerful political value of literature. The Hapsburgers passed laws making it extremely difficult for private individuals to print or sell literature. Those laws are still in effect. For ten years, I printed millions of pieces of Christian literature in Austria, completely oblivious to some of these laws. I took the trouble to investigate the laws of commerce and kept good records to prove that we made no profit with our printing operation. I always sent the required sample copy of periodicals to the designated public office. Every piece of literature for distribution contained an "Impressum" (public declaration of producer, printer and person responsible for contents). Once, I paid a fine of $30 because I left out a required word in the declaration, yet not even then, did anyone question my right to produce literature.
After ten years of publishing, I farmed out a poster job to a commercial print shop because our large press had broken down and parts were on back order. I picked up the finished posters and sent them to the missionary who had ordered them. A few weeks later, the police summoned me for questioning. The officer showed me a copy of the poster and said, "The public declaration is missing!" The missionary who posted them had been interrogated and informed the police that the posters came from me. And now, this police officer wanted to see my "Publisher's Permit." I replied that I had not printed those posters. I showed him the paid bill and he was satisfied, asking no further questions.
This discovery sent chills up and down my spine! For ten years, I had been unknowingly breaking the law! Only once had I farmed out a print job to a commercial printer, and this was the only occasion on which I was asked about a certain required permit! Thank You Lord!
The Austrians have a saying: "For every law, there is a loophole!" I did some more investigation and discovered that I am really not allowed to print for other people or organizations; not even for free! However, I am permitted to print my own literature, or for any organization to which I belong!
I was a member of our mission, of course. I also belonged to the "Fellowship of Evangelical Churches in Austria," the "Christian Workers Conference" and several other Christian organizations. And as a member, I could print OUR literature!
It was occasionally cheaper and less trouble to use a commercial printer's services. If I prepared the copy and provided the paper, I was only charged for actual press time. We did the folding, collating, stapling, cutting, binding and shipping ourselves.
From the summer, 1978 GOSPEL MESSAGE

Expanding the print shop also seemed to bring an increase in new problems. Two lamps burned out in the new plate maker. It took the movers a week to deliver the new press and delivery of a processor dragged out for two weeks. Another package was held up a month in customs. After an hour of use, the paper cutter motor burned out. Then Ralph got the flu. When he recovered, a technician who was to train Ralph on the new equipment got sick! However, things are moving now, and the Harveys are gradually working at the backlog of printing which has accumulated.

AN OFFSET PRESS THAT GOT CONVERTED

Once I got onto printing, it didn't take long before I became quite infatuated with the little Multilith press. In reality the "Multi" was merely a duplicating machine that worked on the principle of an offset press. There were probably a million of these little Multis operating all around the world at the time. Mine churned out several tons of literature without a major repair. You could get parts nearly everywhere.
The gears on my 30-year-old Multi eventually got too sloppy for two color jobs that required relatively close registration. I decided that it would be better to get a newer press and use the old one for spare parts. I placed an ad in the largest Vienna newspaper and got an immediate response from a man who had one for sale for only two grand. I grabbed my coat and drove the 100 miles to Vienna.
The address led me to a shabby looking basement room on a back street of Vienna's most notorious district. There was no name on the door, but the house number told me that I was at the right place. A young man met me at the door and led me into a room filled with piles of paper. In the center of the room was a small table-top offset machine. A single light bulb hanging from the ceiling provided barely enough light to see. I was led into a hallway where a late model Multilith press was standing. It was a fully automated, computerized offset machine which must have cost twenty thousand dollars. One needed merely to stack a set of plates in the loading tray, ink the rollers and fill containers with etching and dampening fluid. Then, after telling the computer how many copies to print from each plate, you simply hit the start button. The paper was even automatically collated as it left the machine.
The price he quoted was much too low for a machine like this, but I explained that I needed a press for publishing Christian literature. I printed materials at cost for churches and Christian organizations. Instead of sympathy, I reaped scorn. He showed complete disdain for anything religious. "The church is rich, let them pay!" he said. I asked the man if he would kindly demonstrate how the press worked, but he said, "It's too complicated for me. That is why I want to sell it. I paid much more, but am willing to sacrifice it for $2000. You can operate it yourself if you want."
By now, my curiosity was aroused and I asked what he printed. He saw me eyeing a pile of brochures and showed me one. "I print address lists of businesses," he said.
Suddenly, it occurred to me, who I was dealing with. Only a few days earlier, I had heard a news report on the radio about someone who was getting rich by publishing a clone of the official Austrian business registry. Each year, the government published a thick book with pertinent information on commercial establishments in Austria. People would purchase this book and use it much like we use the Yellow Pages in America. No business could afford not to be listed or to have the latest copy. The government made handsome profits from both the sale of this book and by charging businesses for listing their services. According to the radio report, a private printer in Vienna was soliciting money from businesses for advertisements in the annual registry, but it was not the official government version. Many had responded without checking and received a cheap paperback listing of only those businesses which had been tricked into paying! The Radio announcer said that there was nothing illegal about the operation, but warned businesses to be sure they paid for the genuine government registry rather than the clone.
Realizing that I was dealing with a slick operator, I began to examine the press more carefully. He showed me a receipt for what he paid, so I at least knew he wasn't selling me a stolen machine. The original owner was Austrian Radio. A close examination disclosed a slight indentation on both the blanket and master cylinder where a screw had apparently fallen into the moving press. It was on the outer edge and I was certain that it would make no difference, but I drew his attention to it. He seemed genuinely surprised by my discovery and said that it must have been there all along, for he hadn't printed anything. I went into a long narration on what replacing cylinders involved and what those things cost. I added that the first owner must have been delighted to find someone to buy the press for what he had paid. I then offered to give him $1000 for the press “as is.“ After a few moments of hesitation, he agreed. While disassembling and loading the press, I again attempted to share the gospel with him, but he was not interested.
It was after midnight when I finally headed for home with my treasure. For a while, I had to fight a guilty conscience, wondering if I was not the bigger crook. I pulled into a parking area and prayed, asking the Lord to forgive me, if this was the case. Either I was not a crook or the Lord forgave me, because I was able to continue the trip home singing praises to God. I removed some of the automatic features that I didn’t need. That press churned out millions of pieces of literature during the next ten years without a single breakdown or repair.

WINTER OLYMPIC EVENT

When it became known that the 1975 Winter Olympics were going to be held in Innsbruck, Christians began studying ways to use this opportunity for missionary outreach. First contacts with Olympic officials to gain permits for various evangelistic activities fell on deaf ears. There would be many religions represented and they didn't want anyone to be offended. But Christian athletes who were competing in the events asked that there be a chapel for worship in the Olympic Village. A number of the teams had official chaplains who were vibrant Christians. In cooperation with the chaplains and athletes, Austrian evangelical churches were able to get their foot in the door. Many religious sects were also seeking ways of using the games for missionary purposes, but most resorted to illegal or unethical means.
Many of our own youth had signed up as volunteer workers and we were asked to print 50,000 copies of the testimony of a Canadian Skier. I agreed, but added that I didn't have a folding machine. There was a missionary working near Innsbruck, however, who had a new folder. I suggested that they take the printed tracts to him for folding. Although he graduated from the same Bible College and we didn’t differ theologically, the missionary refused to fold the tracts. He argued that because some of the youth who distributed the tracts were from Lutheran Churches, "the entire effort was ecumenical and thus of the devil." He would have nothing to do with the project. A dozen youth stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, folding 50,000 tracts by hand until their fingers were blistered.

TELEVISION

We had no television during the first 8 years of missionary service and I can't recall our children ever asking for one. They enjoyed playing table games, going for walks or riding their bikes. One reason was because there were only two channels to choose from, and most of the films were old American classics with German sound tracks.
I decided to buy a TV so we could watch the Olympic Games. It was a 12-inch, black and white TV, but our children were elated with the acquisition. We watched a number of the Olympic events and for a while afterwards, we occasionally sat down to watch a nature film. Within a few months I realized that we were hardly watching it at all. Since the Austrian TV tax cost around $20 per month (more if you were hooked into a cable), I calculated that we were probably paying $5 per hour for our TV. When I said something about this to the family, our kids surprised us by suggesting that we get rid of it. I decided to put it in the attic to see how long that would last. After several months passed with no one asking about the television, I sold it. We never owned another until our retirement from Austria in 2002.

GOOD NEIGHBORS

Frau Enzengraber was an elderly widow who lived next door to us in Ansfelden. She was a dear soul and we fell in love with her immediately. I once saw her cutting firewood with a handsaw that had obviously not been sharpened since her husband died many years earlier. I had an electric hand saw and went over to cut the wood for her. She was elated and wanted to pay me, but I of course refused. She kept bringing us fresh eggs for quite a while afterwards and still had a bad conscience. That was the beginning of a close friendship. She was a staunch Catholic and went to church several times a week to pray her rosary and place a fresh candle on her husband's grave. She kept reminding us that she was Catholic, but told everyone in the neighborhood that her neighbors were “nice protestants.”
Like most Austrians, she took notice of our every activity. When we had visitors, she wanted to know who they were, where they lived and what they did for a living. She soon realized that many of the visitors were pastors and missionaries who wanted printed materials, so she began a guessing game with us. "Was that a Pastor?" she would ask.
One morning, a beat up Volkswagen beetle pulled up in front of our house and a plump fellow in his mid thirties got out. He was dressed in old jeans and a T-shirt with "Jesus Loves You" emblazoned across the back. His car was plastered with stickers and decals that advertised his faith. When I answered the door, he asked to speak with Ralph Harvey. I invited him inside, supposing he would be asking me to print something, but instead, he introduced himself as the assistant Catholic Priest from the next town. He had been given one of our Salzstreuer Magazines and was enthusiastic about its contents. When he saw that it was published nearby, he decided to come and meet me. It turned out that he was leader of a Catholic charismatic movement which was rapidly gaining in popularity. He wanted to buy copies of our magazine to give to parishioners.
After he left, Frau Enzenberger came out and said, "Now that young man was NOT a pastor! Was he from your youth group?" I smiled and said, "No that gentleman was a Catholic Priest." Her eyes twinkled as she replied, "Sure, sure! He was definitely a priest. Now tell me the truth!" I insisted that this was the case and even gave her his name and address. She got on the phone and called an acquaintance who lived in that town. The friend confirmed everything that I had said about him. After that incident, Frau Enzenberger lost some of her apprehension about us being protestant and we were able to share our faith with her on many occasions. She was still confused by many Catholic teachings, but I am convinced that she became a true believer. She certainly loved the Lord and us!

THE FIRST BOOK

At one of the Austrian Christian Workers Conferences, an ex-priest gave a series of lectures on the Roman Catholic Church that were very informative and helpful. His lectures were recorded on tape, but someone said that they should be printed in a book. The speaker was not opposed to the idea but had no money for such a project. I said that if someone would volunteer to type the recorded lectures on my composer, I would be happy to print the book at cost. A young man volunteered and the project was completed in a few weeks. I took orders for about 250 books, but printed some extra copies in event someone else would want one.
Word got out and the demand was much greater than expected, so a Christian book publisher in Germany printed the lectures to sell in book stores. Soon after that, I received a letter from the publisher threatening to take me to court for illegally publishing their book and selling it for less! After a couple of letters back and forth, the publisher realized that I could possibly take him to court, so he dropped the charges. Incidentally, the person who typed the lectures for me had mistakenly given the ex-priest an unearned Doctorate -- right on the front cover!

THE LAST SALZSTREUER

Most Christian literature, even gospel tracts and evangelistic invitations are written and designed to appeal to the Christians who pay for them. Our magazine was designed and carefully worded to reach unchurched youth. Although there was a great demand for our magazine among the unsaved, few gifts were coming in to help with the cost of materials. Our own financial situation was getting desperate. Although I had collected enough information for several future issues, I was forced to stop printing the Salzstreuer. I shared this with local churches and our supporting constituency, hoping that believers would respond with gifts, but it didn't happen. I decided to print a series of undated Salzstreuer tracts instead.
On November 18, 1978, newspapers broke with the chilling report of the mass suicide of some 600 followers of the American sect leader, Jim Jones. The Roman Catholic Church saw its golden opportunity to use this as propaganda to warn against the influx of “dangerous American sects” in Austria. Newspapers quickly recognized the public interest in this subject and began a campaign to brand any and all religious groups that were not Catholic or Lutheran as foreign religious sects, out to win Austrian youth to their beliefs. They said that sects used literature with cartoons aimed at young people. The news media published photos of US President Jimmy Carter posing with Jim Jones, adding that Carter was a “lay preacher of the Baptist sect.”
While getting a haircut, my barber asked why we Americans would elect a member of such a dangerous sect to be our President! I claimed that there was no relationship whatsoever between Jim Jones and the Baptists, and that that there were millions of Baptists world wide, who were upright and law-abiding Christians -- I was one of them! He didn't seem convinced, so I asked if he had heard of Martin Luther King. He said, "Now there was a good man!" I said that King was a Baptist Pastor. The barber concluded that there must be some good Baptists after all!

MEETING AT TRANS WORLD RADIO, SLOVAKIA

Pastor Jones and his wife, from our home church, visited us in 2001 and we drove them to visit Jim and Roberta Hill, who worked with Trans World Radio in Slovakia. There, we met an elderly man who told us that he had smuggled much Christian literature through the Iron Curtain during the Communist era. He was head mechanic in a garage that serviced and repaired luxury cars belonging to the Communist bosses. In case one of the dignitary's cars should break down they wanted immediate assistance, so this man had credentials that permitted him to cross borders speedily and without the customary searches.
After sharing many experiences, he said, "When I get to heaven I want to look up the people who supplied that literature and give them a big hug." I asked him to describe some of the literature. When he was half way through, I interrupted and continued to describe it to him. Then I said that I had printed it! We didn't have to wait until we got to heaven for our hugs. And there were also some tears!
Index

CHAPTER 18 - STEYR AND ENNS

STEYR

During the Protestant reformation of the 16^th century, only a handful of families in Steyr had remained true to the Roman Catholic Church, but the counter reformation changed all that. Many Anabaptists were arrested, persecuted or driven out of the country. More than ten thousand were killed by drowning or burned at the stake. In the second wave of the counter reformation, also called "Thity Years War", nearly all Lutherans were "reconverted" or driven out of the country.
Roughly between 1960 and 1980, the Baptist satellite church in Steyr met in a rented room located in the historic Berggasse just behind the “Bummlerhaus.” The latter building is one of the most remarkable examples of middle age architecture in Austria. Anabaptists reportedly met here in the 16^th century. A large fortress surrounded by a moat was located at the end of the street. The meeting room was built between 1000 and 1200 AD as a stable for horses. It had a domed brick ceiling and a shed had been added to the rear several centuries later that served as a Sunday School room for children.
In better years 15-20 people attended services and the room was much too small. Frank and Gwen Wiebe worked hard to build up this work for several years, but growth was hardly possible in the cramped quarters. Converts usually wound up in other churches.
When the Wiebes were on furlough, December 1969 through December 1970, we were made responsible for the work in Steyr. It was immediately clear that a larger meeting hall should have high priority and we encouraged the people to start saving.
The faithful few believers began to give generously in hopes of purchasing an adequate facility. By 1973, they had saved over $6,000 for this purpose. In February, 1973, we were planning our furlough when we saw an ad for a large commercial building in Steyr. We decided to check it out.
The property was owned by a wealthy architect, who also owned many other properties including the above mentioned "Bummlerhaus." He was curious about why an American was living in Austria and we explained that we worked with a small Baptist Church in the Berggasse. He asked if it was related to the Anabaptist movement of the Middle Ages. A conversation about church history ensued that didn't seem to want an end. He was well informed and quite surprised that an American knew more about the history of Steyr and Austria than most Austrians. In the end, he offered us the property for only 700,000 Austrian Shillings, the equivalent of about $35,000.
The location, size and price were ideal, but $6,000 was not enough for a down payment. The bank required at least one third of the purchase price. The property was on a sizable choice lot next to where a new school was to be built. The building included a large hall and several rooms that could be used by the church plus an apartment large enough for a family. If we moved to Steyr and helped Wiebes, we could put our rent money into the project. The church could likely come up with more money, that would bring the project close to reality. We only needed to find another $5,000.
We approached the Austrian Baptist Union with our vision for the church in Steyr and requested financial help with the down payment. Since the building would legally belong to the Baptist denomination, we argued that an investment of only $5,000 to purchase such a valuable property would not be asking too much. We explained that our rent money would go towards the monthly payments and that we and the church would commit to pay for all running expenses including repairs and renovations.
One of the leading Baptists spoke up, saying that there weren't enough believers in Steyr to warrant investing in real estate. I argued that the church had already grown since the Wiebes began working there. This industrial city of 44,000 was ripe for the Gospel, and surely, with the two of us working together, the church would grow more rapidly. I also showed that the church could not possibly grow in the present rented rooms. The Baptist leaders turned down our request, saying that we should look for a place to rent.
The owner of the property found it difficult to understand why the Baptist Union would sneer at such a bargain. The property was sold for nearly twice the amount that we could have gotten it for.
We left for a furlough in August, 1973, hoping to raise money to help the church purchase property. A California couple that we had met while they were touring Austria, said that they were selling a vacation property and would loan us $15,000 to be paid back within six years. We readily agreed and said that we would calculate the payments either in Dollars or Austrian Shillings, whichever would be more to their benefit.
For the rest of our furlough, we worked to raise money for printing equipment. As time approached for our return trip, our friends in California wrote to say that they had decided not to sell their property after all. They wanted to wait until real estate prices went up.
Thirteen years later, we paid the couple an unexpected visit after our daughter moved to California. They confessed that they had actually sold the property and invested the proceeds in the Stock Market. On "Black Friday" of October, 1987, they lost every bit of interest gained and then some. Had they invested in missions, their money would have more than doubled due to Dollar devaluations!
When we returned from furlough in July, 1974, we could not find a place to rent in Steyr and wound up renting a house in Ansfelden, not far from the apartment we had rented five years earlier.
The Wiebes grew discouraged and decided to help the small struggling Baptist Church in Passau, Bavaria. This had been one of three preaching stations of the Linz Baptist Church, but was now a station of a German Baptist Church. During the Wiebe’s six years in Passau, the church outgrew two buildings and then called a national pastor. In 1985, a Christian periodical, Die Gemeinde, recognized the Passau Baptist Church as the fastest growing evangelical church in Europe! From Passau, Wiebes moved to Straubing and helped that church become autonomous before returning to Austria to serve a church in Liezen.
Although I and others conducted weekly services and home Bible studies in Steyr, the church was virtually "orphaned" from 1974 until 1977.

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