Chapter 2 the harvey family

THE SALZSTREUER TEAM

The meetings followed a fairly uniform pattern. The team would first sing while I drew a black and white caricature and brief application. During the next musical numbers, I removed the caricature and began the main picture. Evangelistic messages were brief, but direct and to the point. I kept them Bible centered, yet carefully worded so that people who were not familiar with Scriptures could understand. A majority of those attending had never darkened the door of an evangelical church. Because we could not do follow-up, this type of evangelism was always done in cooperation with a local church. For years after these meetings, I kept hearing from people who had first heard the Gospel during our campaign. At least one young man went on to receive Bible training and is now in a pastorate.

VOLKSWAGEN VAN

The story of how we got the van for our team is worth mentioning. I owned a total of eight VW vans during nearly four decades of missionary work and considered myself to be an expert on these vehicles. I had replaced and rebuilt the engines, done welding on rusted frames and was familiar with all their quirks. For this reason, I was not too concerned about finding the right bus.
About two months before the team was to arrive, I saw an ad in the paper for a 9-passenger VW van. I called the number given and asked "intelligent" questions. The seller should know that I was an expert! The price was reasonable and it was a 1967 model, my favorite. That was the last year Volkswagen produced the older style van, but it had a 12-volt electrical system. The older vans had less weight for the tiny boxer motors to push around and used less gas. The owner said that the vehicle only needed paint. I had painted many cars, so this was no hindrance. I could even choose my favorite color, burgundy.
Verna asked me if I would drive to the store to get bread and milk for the weekend. Stores closed at noon on Saturday and didn’t reopen until Monday morning. After leaving the house, I decided to check out that van, which was in a gas station not too far from our home. The engine started immediately and because there were no tags on it, I just drove the van around the gas pumps a couple of times. There were a few scratches and small dents, but nothing that couldn't be easily fixed with fiberglass putty and elbow grease. The underbody struts where the jack fit needed welding (nearly always the case with older vans), but otherwise it seemed a good buy. After getting the owner down on the price, I signed the papers and gave him the money. It never occurred to me that I had forgotten to pray about the purchase.
When I arrived home, I proudly announced my acquisition to Verna, elaborating on all the technical details to a woman who couldn't have cared less. When I paused, she asked, "Where is the milk and bread?" I had forgotten, and now the stores were closed!
On Monday, Verna helped me bring the van home and a few days later, she helped me tow it to a junkyard! A closer investigation revealed that there was no reverse gear. The operator of the gas station had apparently given the battery a fresh charge before I arrived, for it held out for only one start and then died. The generator was also defective, but the indicator light was disconnected so I wouldn't notice. When I discovered that the heat exchangers were leaking, the fate of that van was sealed. Leaky exchangers can be deadly, pumping lethal exhaust gas into the interior of the vehicle, but they cost over $300 to replace!
My ego was badly deflated, but I learned a valuable lesson. There were people out there who knew more about selling than I knew about buying! That occurrence has since become a family joke. Every once in a while Verna or one of the children would say, "Never send HIM to the store for milk and bread! He will return with a Volkswagen bus!" It was a humbling experience and reminds me to trust in prayer more than in my own expertise.

GOD'S PROVISION

Shortly before we moved to Kronstorf, our GMU co-workers, the Meiers, left for furlough. Before departing, they asked me to sell their car for them. As an afterthought, Rudy added, "We won't need the money from the sale until we return. Perhaps you could use it to buy a van for the team." Soon afterwards - it could have been the same day, a pastor called to ask for my "expert" assistance. The church had decided to get rid of their van and buy an economical station wagon. The problem was, they hoped to pay less for the station wagon than their van was worth. To make a long story short, the church agreed to sell us the van for exactly the price we received for Meier's car! Incidentally, the van was my favorite burgundy color and like new! It even had a trailer hitch! We used it for moving and when the campaign was over, we sold it for what had paid!

THE FORGOTTEN BIRTHDAY

The morning news on August 1, 1976 reported on the biggest Austrian post-war catastrophe. The Reichsbruecke, a famous suspension bridge in Vienna, built in 1937, had collapsed at 5:00 AM. At that time of day there was very little traffic and only one person died, but it took six years to build a new bridge.
August 1 was also the day I learned of another catastrophe. I had completely forgotten Verna's birthday, which was July 28.
We were married the day after my birthday, so I could hardly forget our anniversary unless Verna forgot my birthday. She never has, but during the evangelistic tour with the "Salzstreuer Team," I forgot hers!
I was with the team in Styria, Austria's eastern most province while Verna stayed home with the children. July 28th happened to be the team's only day off and we decided to visit the farm in Piber, where the famous Lippizzaner horses are bred and raised. I even purchased a book about the Lipizzaner as a gift for Verna, not realizing that it was her birthday.
When we got back to the youth hostel, I called to see how things were going at home. Verna candidly said that a few people from church were visiting. They were eating cake and home-made ice cream. Still clueless, I told her to give everyone my greetings and I hoped they enjoyed the refreshments. Verna kept waiting for the "Happy Birthday", but it never came. I told her how much I loved and missed her and then hung up.
The next three days were busy with meetings. We traveled north to the province of Burgenland where we were to have meetings near the large Neusiedler lake. I arranged for Verna to bring the kids and camping gear for the final weekend. We stayed in a camp ground while the team slept in a private home. We were of course happy to see each other, but there was much work to be done setting up camp in addition to preparation and conducting meetings. The first morning at the camp, I got up early to buy fresh bread and milk for breakfast. Our boys were up and went with me. As I approached the cash register, I reached over and picked up a large bar of chocolate as a treat for the family. Ralph Jr. asked innocently, "Is that for Mommy's birthday?"
My mind was racing -- when was her birthday? What day was today? Aaaaaaagh! What I had deemed impossible had happened! When I apologized to Verna, she just laughed and said that she could understand. I couldn't do either! She had already received her book about the Lippizanners - unwrapped and without the expected card. What could I say?

DISAPPOINTMENT

Our first campaign with the team was in Enns and we were very encouraged with attendance and the results. After the team left, I approached the Baptists about buying the church building in Enns. I wanted to do something about the poor heating before winter. We had kept our part of the agreement and moved to Enns. Now it was their turn to get things moving on a purchase.
The response was as cool as their reaction three years earlier, when we asked them to help purchase property in Steyr. "Why should we buy the church if we can use it for free?" they asked. All further argumentation fell on deaf ears. The Baptists were pouring money into church buildings in Linz, Salzburg and Graz, churches that were already well established, but the Baptist Union had no money to invest in starting new churches. Within five months, the church building was sold to the city for a ridiculously low sum. From that day on, we had to pay to use it.
As the oldest evangelical group in Austria, the Baptists should have been growing and multiplying. When we arrived in Austria, there were reportedly 700 Baptists in about ten churches and preaching stations. During our first year, 1965, they lost over 40 members and gained only 13 new ones. Nearly all members of the largest church in Vienna were over 60 years of age. We helped with the Sunday School during language study and there were only about 15 children of members.
It was a similar situation in Linz. A majority of the members of the church in Linz were foreign born ("displaced persons"), and this was true of many of the Baptist Churches.
Thirty years later, there were still only ten Baptist Churches and preaching stations in Austria and, although the total membership had increased, much of that increase was due to the establishment of Romanian Baptist Churches composed of refugee Christians.

A THIRD PASTOR

Two months after we moved, the Linz church called another pastor. This was to be the third under which I served and it would be the pastor's final pastorate before retiring. He was clearly not interested in an expanding ministry and I began to wonder how this would affect our work.
After the installation service, there was a reception with refreshments in the church Social Hall. While we ate cake and drank coffee, members and visitors were invited to give a word of greeting or encouragement. One member made mention of us indirectly in his word of greeting, after which the new Pastor boldly shared his opinion of foreign missionaries. He said, "Missionaries come and go, but the national Pastor is always there to clean up the mess they leave behind."
When it was my turn to say something, I began by saying that I was overjoyed to hear that the new Pastor planned to stay longer than the missionaries. We would try hard not to leave a mess for him to clean up. One of the deacons then interjected, "In Linz, the pastors have come and gone, and it was the missionary who stayed to clean up the mess!" The entire church burst into thunderous applause.
We tried our best to keep good relationships with the new Pastor, but theological differences surfaced which made cooperation difficult. Most of the members disagreed with him, but they were not courageous enough to confront.
One day he announced to the church, that a young seminary graduate was coming to serve his vicariate year with the church in Linz. He would be taking responsibility for the station in Enns and Harveys would be assuming responsibility for the work in Steyr.
There had been no previous discussion about this, neither with us nor with church Elders. I approached the pastor and when that brought no satisfaction, I took the matter before church leaders. The latter tried in vain to block the move, but the Pastor claimed that the decision had been made by leaders of the Baptist Union; there was nothing that the church could do about it.
We were devastated. We had moved to Enns at the request of the Linz church and the Baptist Union to build up this work. An average 20 adults were already attending when I encouraged the church leaders to consider purchasing the chapel. Since the evangelistic meetings, several new converts were added and we were praying for a larger meeting place. Now, five months later, we were being pushed out of Enns and sent back to Steyr, where the Baptist leadership had already left us hanging.
We faced two unpleasant options: either we would quit working with the Baptists altogether and begin a new work somewhere on our own; or we would accept the challenge and make the best of it. Verna said that there was a third option: "When we moved here, I told the Lord that if we have to move again within three years, it will be back to America!"
I was very much in sympathy with this, but our children were well adjusted in school and enjoying the new friendships they had made in our neighborhood. We had weekly children and youth meetings in our home which were attended by nearly all the neighborhood kids.
After years of neglect, the handful of believers in Steyr rejoiced at the Pastor's announcement and begged us to accept. We had many contacts to visit in Enns and Steyr, and many of these were near salvation. After much prayer, secretly hoping that something might happen to reverse the decision, we agreed to take charge of the work in Steyr. It meant more traveling, but we poured ourselves into this work and God again began to bless.
In January, 1977, we assumed responsibility for the small group of ten baptized members, including four who were no longer attending and several over 65. During the first five months of our ministry, attendance increased to 35 and believers began to pray and save for a church or meeting hall of their own.
The new pastor was at least happy that we had a fully equipped print shop. Soon after his installation service, he visited us to discuss a printing job. He looked at our home and said, "You do realize that this will be deducted from your reward in heaven!" He was perhaps jesting, but there seemed to be a twinge of envy in his words. I do know that he never showed much empathy for missionaries.
Some people have a cheap concept of our great God! We aren't working for rewards, nor would we have perceived this nice house to be compensation for all the inferior homes we had lived in. Some evaluate the worth of people according to their salary or possessions, yet missionaries are normally assessed according to how much they do without! If that were true, the mafia boss would be a great businessman and a hermit monk a great missionary.
We enjoyed some of our best years in homes that were far below average. The three years God allowed us to live in that house were among the most troubled years we experienced. In serving the Lord, there are neither bad years nor good years. The story of Joseph speaks of seven good years and seven bad years. But Joseph had already experienced good and bad years. God's grace was sufficient in every situation, and it still is!
Index

CHAPTER 19 - TROUBLED YEARS

After we left Ampflwang at Christmas, 1968, the church really struggled to accept the missionaries that the mission in England had sent to take responsibility of “their" mission station.

We had always held the church prayer meetings and Bible Studies in our large living room. The Bible studies were held on Tuesday evenings and the prayer meetings on Thursdays. The new missionaries didn’t like the idea, but followed this tradition for the rest of the winter, because they didn’t like to heat the chapel. On the first warm spring evening (not frequent in Austria), one of the ladies opened a window. The missionary promptly stood up and closed it. After half an hour, a member who had come after the first incident, got up and opened the window. Again, the missionary closed it and announced, "This is our house and we will open and close the windows as needed." He might just as well have closed the prayer meeting, for no one prayed afterwards. The church met in the chapel after that incident.
We had kept an open home in Ampflwang. Church members and even strangers knew that they were always welcome. Most entered without knocking, but they usually yelled up the stairs to let us know that they were coming.
One visitor failed to give us fair warning, however, and caught us in an embarrassing situation. We had just applied for the renewal of our residence visas and a local policeman was sent to ask us a few basic questions. We had just finished breakfast and while Verna was clearing the table, I grabbed her and pulled her into my lap, kissing her affectionately. Suddenly I heard someone say, "Oh excuse me, am I disturbing you folks?" Looking up, there stood a uniformed police officer with a broad grin on his face!
The missionaries who followed us were almost opposites. They kept their doors locked at all times. Visitors had to knock and say what they wanted before the door was opened. They asked the church to build an iron gate across the driveway with a lock, but the elders said "No way!"
The believers had difficulty adjusting to the situation, but we encouraged them to try accepting the new missionaries. The church gradually warmed up to them, but resentment towards the mission and missionaries remained. Six years later, in 1974, the couple resigned and moved to Carinthia to assume responsibility for a Christian camp.
Being once more without a pastor, the church sent an emissary to visit us, pleading with us to return, but we said there was no way we could do that.
After a year without a shepherd, the mission in England sent another couple, but the situation only worsened. This time, the husband was German and his wife British. He came from a charismatic background and insisted that the elders receive the "gift of tongues." They showed no interest in receiving such a gift, arguing that there were plenty of babies around that talked incoherently. Relationships cooled immediately and the missionary began preaching about the unspiritual elders who were preventing God from blessing the church. Church leaders wrote letters of complaint to the mission leadership, but the missionary denied all charges and claimed that he was a victim of unspiritual elders who wanted control of the mission's church.
It wasn’t long before they had also made themselves unloved by local citizens. When digging in the garden along the fence, the missionary threw stones and weeds onto a neighbor's pampered yard. They also incurred heavy debts with local businesses, buying furniture and appliances without paying for them. At first, the church paid these bills rather than have a bad testimony in town. The already poor relationships soured even more when the missionary dug up the church's hedge without asking. A man who was building a house nearby, rescued the bushes and planted them on his own property.
When protests to the mission in England failed to bring a reaction, a delegation of the church came to visit us on a Sunday afternoon in December, 1976. They said that the missionary’s sermons were often heretical and included more than questionable illustrations. On that Sunday morning, he had preached on sacrificial giving (again). He told of a teenage Christian girl in Eastern Europe (likely a fictive story) whose parents had been imprisoned for their faith. In order to care for her younger brothers and sisters, she had become a prostitute. He called this a "noble Christian sacrifice."
We decided to drive to Ampflwang and spend New Year's Eve with the church. I noticed that neither the pastor nor his wife were present and asked if one of them was ill. I was told that the wife always stayed upstairs with the children during evening services. No one seemed to know where the pastor was. Shortly before midnight, I went upstairs to use the bathroom and heard boisterous laughter coming from the living room. I checked, and found the missionary in a smoke-filled room, drinking beer with several unsaved men from the town while the church was downstairs praying!
I wrote a letter to the Miners’ Mission after that experience and they finally dismissed him in early 1977. Another incident may have been a factor in this decision. The missionary engaged an architect to draw up grandiose plans for remodeling the church. When the bill for over a thousand dollars was presented to the church, the elders refused to pay, saying that the building belonged to the mission in England. The architect sent the bill to the mission!
The missionaries did not give up that easily and refused to vacate the house. The elders changed the locks while they were away and would only open the doors when they were prepared to leave. The missionaries then filed suit against the mission, but because they had not been paying income tax, the court told them that they could be liable for back payment of taxes. After that they found another apartment and tried to start another church with a small group of followers. He kept demanding money of this group and it wasn’t long before even these few wanted no part of him. They finally left Ampflwang to work with a mission in Vienna that smuggled Bibles behind the Iron Curtain. A few months later, we learned that he left his pregnant wife with two small children and ran off with a 19-year-old Austrian girl!
The Miners’ Mission had no one available to send to Ampflwang, so we agreed to travel to Ampflwang one weekend per month to conduct services. This continued for two more years.

While the church in Ampflwang was having its difficulties, we were having problems of our own in Steyr.

In 1977, there were about 400 protestants in this city of 44,000, most of them Lutherans. There was plenty of opportunity for evangelism and potential for growth, but our rented cubicle of a room was packed to capacity every Sunday, even when regulars were missing. Finding adequate facilities became a high priority and we kept praying, saving and looking.
We looked at a dozen buildings that were for sale, three of which were suitable and reasonably priced. One was a commercial building with three truck garages which could have been made into a large meeting hall. Above the garages were smaller rooms that could have made Sunday School rooms. There was a sizable apartment on one end of the structure. Best of all, it was located directly across from the city ice skating rink with plenty of public parking. The price of $35,000 was right, but the church couldn't scrape up enough money for a down payment.
In August, 1978, we found an even nicer building in a central location. It was perfect in every way, including the price and central location in the city. It had served as a Doctor's office and residence until the physician died. The Doctor's daughter inherited the property and leased it for a restaurant and banquet hall. There was an apartment upstairs. The tenant also owned a taxi concession and built a large asphalt parking lot for his customers and vehicles. Parking was a rarity in that part of the city and a neighboring grocery store offered a third of the asking price just for the parking lot. The owner rejected the offer, correctly deducting that the property would be easier to sell with that feature. We especially liked the spacious yard with lovely shrubbery and trees.
The owner lived in Graz and wanted to sell because the tenant had left and she didn't want to look after the place. I called and made an appointment to look at the property. The following day, she called back and said that she needed to set a different date. She hadn't realized that the date she gave us was a Friday the 13th! I tried to convince her that it didn't matter to us; we were not superstitious. But she insisted and we agreed on August 21, 1978.
We were impressed with the property and a friendly relationship developed. We shared the gospel openly with her and instead of reacting negatively, as was so often the case, she even came down on the price.
I wrote a letter to the Baptist Union, explaining our situation and described the property in detail. This time, I felt that we would get a positive response. The church had grown, believers were giving generously and we now had a sizable portion of the down payment. The amount we still needed was minimal in relation to the value of the property. If they could just help with the down payment, even as a loan, we would be extremely grateful. How could they refuse?
My letter was not even acknowledged. I felt embarrassed to have to tell the owner that we couldn't come up with enough money for a down payment.
We became quite discouraged after that and seriously contemplated taking the "third option" that Verna had named. We could return to America for good. At 40 years of age I could easily find employment with a church, in construction or even as a printer. Many days, I was so discouraged that Verna suggested taking a long walk. I took many long walks that year, praying all the time.

Autumn arrived, the leaves changed, and the Lord gave us a fourth option!

Index

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