Chapter 2 the harvey family
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- CHAPTER 24 - EIGHT MORE YEARS
- PROBLEMS AND FRUSTRATIONS
THE HIGHLIGHTThe most enjoyable and memorable part of the ceremony came when the newlyweds stepped forward to light the Unity Candle. Although the MOTB had lit it beforehand to make certain that nothing could go wrong, the Unity Candle stubbornly resisted their noble and commendable efforts to bring a sense of fulfillment and purpose into its life. The officiating Pastor did his best to give them plenty of time, expounding upon the wonderful and bountiful blessings which lay in store for the betrothed, as their two lives became one. When the Pastor was finished, the Unity Candle still showed no signs of accepting a light, probably in adherence to the "No Smoking" rule that applies in most churches. The individual candles however, were still burning brightly and if anyone was paying attention to the symbolism implied by the Pastor's words, the couple was rapidly approaching retirement age. The groom and President of UltraSoft Corporation decided to put "Point Nr. 7" of the sermon into practice (about the leadership responsibility of the groom and submission of the bride). He smiled affectionately at his blushing and now uncontrollably laughing bride, extinguished her candle's flame and planted his own candle squarely on top of the Unity Candle! THE RECEPTIONKen and Eileen Hill, together with my sister Grace, who ran a craft and gift boutique, used their artistic talents to supervise the decoration of the Church Fellowship Hall for the reception. Ralph Jr. and Richard filled 75 pink and white balloons with helium and attached curly streamers. Small envelopes, containing names of the twelve months of the year, were tied to some of the balloons. Guests were invited to take these as a reminder to send a card and token gift to the newly-weds in the designated month (three for March, 1994). Tables and the stage were decorated attractively in pink and white. Ordinary juice bottles were decorated with ribbon, lace and bows from fabric left over from the bridesmaid's dresses. These served as vases for pink roses. We expected 150 to 170 guests but were fortunately prepared for the 200 who came. The reception was very enjoyable and nearly everyone stayed. A friend of the groom, Pete Tonnesen, served as Emcee and introduced the wedding party to the guests. The best man and brother of the groom, Lee Pallmann, then paid a lovely tribute to his brother and new sister-in-law and led in prayer. There were several musical numbers, including a duet by Dan Pallmann and his fiance Debbie, a solo from a good friend of the Emcee and a woman from the church who yodelled a western number! A friend of Becky's flew up from Virginia to surprise her with a flute solo. Unfortunately, the piano was out of tune, but she can be seen rehearsing on the video tape with a better piano. A poster showing the groom in various phases of growth was displayed next to the coffee machine. Ralph showed slides of Becky's childhood in the "Sound of Music" country with appropriate background music. THE AFTERMATHThere were other little things that didn't go as planned. The photographer shot up at least two rolls of film, but the developer lost a roll during the processing. Many amateur photographers were on hand, so they did get pictures of almost everything. Cute little bags of bird seed and a decorated limousine for a horn-blowing tour of Long Island were prepared for afterwards, but the janitor said that there was a rule against re-entering the church building after the seed was tossed (which makes good sense). Since the reception was to be held in the church basement, we decided to do these honors after the reception. Everyone was enjoying the reception so much, that half the people left before we remembered the birdseed and limo ride. THE HONEYMOONDave and Becky flew to Ft.Lauderdale on Sunday, where they boarded a cruise ship for their Caribbean honeymoon. Upon their return, they drove to Elmer for another reception. Many from Elmer couldn't make it to the wedding. During their visit, Dave's bright red "Laser" sportscar blew its engine! The timing belt apparently slipped and four pistons met with sixteen valves, breaking eight of them off! Since the car was relatively new and the cause was apparently a material defect, the $3,000 repair bill was covered by the factory warranty. But it didn't cover the rental car. We spared the newlyweds another embarrassing incident. March 9 was our thirtieth wedding anniversary and Becky and Dave invited us to stay in their new Albany apartment. We determined to get an early start and make the most of our special day. At five in the morning, we took our showers, but when I tried to turn off the water, the shower knob fell off in my hand. I could not fix the problem or find any shut-off valves, so the hot water continued gushing out full force for over half an hour. I was finally able to remove a chrome plate surrounding the faucets and discovered valves for both hot and cold water, but they could only be closed with a screwdriver. Water continued to escape while we both searched frantically for a screwdriver. Where does one find a screwdriver at 5:30 AM? Fortunately, Verna remembered a portable sewing machine, which a retired missionary friend had given Becky. There was a small screwdriver inside! With water spraying in my face which was by now only luke warm, I was able to shut off the water. After 30 years of marriage and having had plenty of experience at plumbing, these veteran missionaries were able to handle the situation quite well. We could only imagine what it might have been like for the returning honeymooners! On the other hand, if Dave mastered the unity candle problem, he could probably handle anything! THE COINCIDENCESTwo weeks before the wedding, we were speaking in Verna's home church in Meadville, Pennsylvania. The pastor invited us for dinner and we enjoyed the fellowship with all the family except for one daughter, who was in college. Meanwhile, the daughter at college read in the church newsletter that a daughter of one of the church's missionaries, Becky Harvey, was marrying someone from Patchogue, Long Island. It just happened that she had been dating a young man from Patchogue, so she called Mark and asked if he had ever heard of a David Pallmann. Mark replied, "Yes, he's my boss; why do you ask?" Ken and Eileen Hill have been like second parents to all three of our children. Becky was a bridesmaid in their daughter Tracy's wedding and Tracy flew in from California to do the same for Becky. When Becky mentioned this to her future in-laws, they asked, "What were their names?" Becky repeated the names, upon which Mrs. Pallmann went to get some old photographs. One of them showed the Hill and Pallmann children in a Sunday School program. The Hills had once lived on Long Island and attended the same church! When the Hills arrived for the wedding, it was discovered that Ken taught his brother, Matt in Sunday School and even led him to Christ! There is more! When our son Richard was commissioned by our church as a missionary in 1990, he gave his testimony. He stated that Ken Hill's father had led him to the Lord. Ken promptly added that Richard's father had led him and his brother to the Lord! Isn't God wonderful? About the only thing that could have made the wedding more memorable, would have been to set the wedding date a week earlier. That was the day of the "Blizzard of the Century", with several feet of snow in New York. Winds of 80mph destroyed dozens of luxurious beachside homes near Patchogue. But had that been the case, only a few people would have been on hand to enjoy the occasion. Everything worked out perfectly for our daughter's wedding! FRANKENBURG WALLPAPERIn the spring of 1994, we, fellow missionaries and members of the church in Ampflwang were busy laying carpets, painting and building bookshelves for a Christian Book Store in Frankenburg. Our plan was to use the store as a "front" with regular business hours during the week and conducting church services on Sundays. All the bookshelves were built on wheels so we could roll them against the walls and set up chairs for services. It worked very well! We opened the book store on April 14, 1994 and began church services immediately. The Poffenroths and we worked well together and several believing couples also became involved. There was an active youth work and the book store held its own. Attendance was steady and we had high hopes that the church could become indigenous within five years. HARRISBURG WALLPAPERIn July, 1994, Ralph Jr. bought a house in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. When he told us of his intent, we panicked. He had no experience or knowledge of such transactions and we feared that he might get himself into a real big mess. I called my brother Dan, who was a builder and had a real estate liscense. I asked him if he could give Ralph some good counsel. Dan picked up my mother and took her for a ride to Harrisburg. When he arrived, he discoverd with trepidation that the deal had already been closed. Ralph was the happy owner of half a double house in the Capitol of Pennsylvania. Dan examined all the paperwork, checked the house thoroughly and called us. He said, "I could not have gotten a better deal myself!" The house was in good condition, the price and terms were reasonable and the location was great. There was a bus stop on the corner, a grocery store just across the street and several restaurants within easy walking distance. Because Ralph was single and had no car, these things were important. He soon discovered a good gospel-preaching church one block away. God takes care of our children! MIDLIFE CRISISSoon after the school moved in 1991, I began to suffer from occasional bouts of depression. Our three-month "change of wallpaper" in America had not gone well. Watching the demolition of buildings which had once housed the school for seven years was painful. Steadily decreasing enrollment and leadership problems in the Bible Institute weighed heavily on my heart. In spite of Becky's "perfect" wedding and Ralph Jr's good deal on a house, I was often depressed. As Field Director for our mission, I felt that I should be setting a precedent for our missionaries, yet co-workers were enjoying fruitful ministries while everything I was involved in was producing little or no fruit. We moved to Frankenmarkt to start another church, but after two years, we had not even gotten a Bible study started. The exchange rate for the dollar had been falling, and we were receiving 30% less than ten years previously. Inflation made it even worse. We had promised $180 per month to support various ministries and this burden strained our budget to the limits. A church in America promised to sponsor an Albanian student in our Bible Institute to the tune of $100 per month, but we received nothing. After several months, I wrote the church a tactfully formulated letter asking about the pledge. The treasurer replied that we could use our annual Christmas gift from the church for that purpose. That money lasted one and a half months. We continued support for the student from our personal resources, but I was definitely not a joyful giver! In order to pay bills, we grudgingly gave up our planned camping vacation and placed a classified ad in the paper for items that we thought we could do without. Only one item sold and we got just enough money to pay for the newspaper ad! In early July, our freezer burned out and we had to buy another to save the contents. Then our landlord announced that he would be raising our rent by 25%, effective September 1. On July 13, 1994, I was hit by the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. I received word that my mother was in the hospital ICU and not expected to live. I disintegrated! I had what people call a midlife-crisis. I even sent a letter of resignation to the mission! The mission President responded by informing me that we needed to give six months notice for such a step! He then added that if we changed our minds, the resignation could be made null and void. I was 56 when I had my midlife crisis but I doubt if I will live to be 112! Bitterly accusing God of letting me down, I sold the little 12' camper that we bought with Verna's meager inheritance and the car we had purchased only five months earlier. After paying our debts, we bought airline tickets with what money was left. In early November, we would be flying to America, and I had no intention of returning. I had several commitments to keep before our departure date. There was the tenth anniversary celebration and graduation exercises in Wallsee, after which there was a Bible Institute Board meeting and the annual Christian Workers Conference. At the Christian Workers Conference, I confided my feelings of failure and frustration to a missionary friend from another mission. I was shocked when he told me, “I have been going through a crisis myself and even asked God why He didn’t allow me to have a fruitful ministry like yours!” RICHARD'S WEDDINGBefore all of the above named commitments, we had one other committment before flying to America. Our second son, Richard, was getting married! We first met Martina in the summer of 1993 in Neukirchen. While loading tents, cooking gear and other items for a youth camp, I noticed a girl working just as hard as the guys, and she seemed very cheerful and efficient. I asked someone where she was from and learned that she was a member of the church in Gmunden. Our son Richard was also attending the Gmunden church, but I gave that no thought. A month or two later, a fellow missionary started to tell us something about Richard's personal life, but thought better of it when he realized that we were clueless. When we saw Richard, we asked what that was about and he brushed it off. "People just like to talk," he said. Between Christmas 1993 and New Years 1994, Richard brought Martina to our house and said that they wanted to take a walk with us. They said that they were seeing each other and praying about God's will, but nothing more. We promised to pray for them. One year to the day after Becky's wedding, on March 20, 1994, Richard asked Martina to marry him and sealed the agreement with a ring. They set their wedding date for September 3, 1994. They wanted to get married in the lovely castle park next to Traunsee, a large lake in the Salzkammergut region of Austria. Unfortunately, it rained and they had to resort to "Plan B." The wedding took place in the Lutheran Chuch of Gmunden. About 300 attended and at least 200 took part in the reception which lasted the entire afternoon and evening. Many friends and church members provided entertainment to assure that no one got bored. There were humerous sketches, dramas, songs and instrumental numbers. Some wrote poetry while others told stories about the newlywed couple. Richard likes peanutbutter, so we decided to do a sketch based on that product. We explained that most Austrians are not too familiar with peanutbutter, but it is the national food staple in America. It was important that Martina learn how to make a peanutbutter and jelly sandwich. Verna picked up her well-worn Betty Crocker cook book and opened it to the middle. She read a few words in English which I translated into German, after which we would demonstrate. Verna: Take two slices of bread. Ralph's translation: Gehe ins Lebensmittelgeschäft und kaufe ein Kilo frisches Brot. Schneide zwei Scheiben ab und lege sie auf einen Teller. Verna: Spread the bread with butter. Ralph: Nehme Butter aus dem Kühlschrank, schneide etwas ab und bestreiche eine Seite der beiden Brotscheiben. Verna: Spread peanuntbutter on the bread. Ralph: In Amerika wachsen Erdnüsse in den Südstaaten wo das Klima dafür geeignet ist. Die Nüsse werden dann geerntet, getrocknet, geröstet und anschließend zu einer Pastete gemahlen. Am Besten scmeckt Erdnußbutter wenn rinigee Erdnüsse klein zerhackt und beigemengt werden. Diese Pastete nennt man hierzulande Erdnußbutter. Nun wird diese Pastete mit einem Messer auf eine der beiden Brotscheiben großzügig aufgestrichen. Verna: Spread jelly on the peanutbutter. Ralph: Anschließend nimmt man eine Fruchtgeleeaufstrich und streicht eine dicke Schicht oben auf die Erdnußbutter darauf. Verna: Put the two slices together to make a sandwich. Ralph: Die mit Butter allein bestrichene Brotscheibe wird nun mit der trockene Seite nach oben auf die Brotscheibe mit Butter, Erdnußbutter und Fruchtgelee sorgfältig daraufgepresst und mit beiden Händen festgehalten damit nichts auf die Kleidung heruntertropft. When I was holding the sandwich between my hands with peanutbutter and jelly oozing out of all four sides, Martina was certain that we would call her to the front and ask her to feed the sandwich to Richard. Instead, we laid it on a table and said that anyone who wanted it could come and get it. Lisa, daughter of GMU coworkers didn't hesitate! Two of our three children were now married to wonderful partners and the third had purchased a nice house. My mother made an amazing comeback after her near-death experience and I should have been rejoicing, but that was not the case. The brief furlough three years earlier was still fresh in my memory and little had changed. When we flew to America on November 10, 1994, I still had no intention of returning. I had seen enough Austrian wallpaper! Index CHAPTER 24 - EIGHT MORE YEARSChristian leaders are the prime targets of Satan and discouragement is one of his most effective weapons. I wrote extensively about that in Chapter 11 of my book, Rabban Gamaliel, so I won't repeat it here. In brief, let me just say that, in October of 1994, the mission asked me to give a devotional at the beginning of the Leadership Training Conference that we were to attend in November. The Bible passage given me was II Peter 1:1-11. It was God's Word that convicted me, chastened me, lifted me out of the quagmire and encouraged me to "keep on keeping on." Many sects and false religious groups make faith a product of works. They claim that one must work hard to gain faith and rewards. Certain sacraments, duties and obligations are necessary for salvation. They speak of different levels of faith, ranging from the faith of lay persons to the somewhat higher elevation of clergy and climaxing with hierarchical positions of prestige and honor. This aptly described the Pharisees in Jesus' day. I knew that man can’t earn his way to heaven by good works, yet I was working myself nearly to death, trying to gain God’s recognition, favor and attention. God’s work had become my work and eventually, my work became my god. Our final eight years of ministry in Austria were very fruitful years. I learned to “add to my faith” virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, kindness and love. The goal was no longer "accomplishing something for God" but remaining close to him and getting to know him. I discovered that the "joy in serving Jesus" does not come from our works or even from the fruit of our works, but rather from a close personal relationship with Jesus. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTRIA!From Alpine Echo, newsletter, MARCH 1995: Ralph is Chairman of the Public Relations Committee for what is known as ARGEGÖ, a legally non-binding yet functional association of evangelical churches in Austria. Many "free churches" (a term for non-"state churches") are involved in this organization. We are planning numerous evangelistic activities during 1995 in commemoration of Austria's millennial celebration. Austria was first mentioned as a separate "eastern kingdom" ("Ostarrîchi") in the year 996, and we don't want to miss this opportunity to share the gospel with the 99.5% of Austrians, who have no personal faith in Christ. A special Home Bible Study course for use in follow up, gospel tracts and a magazine which will be sent monthly into all Austrian homes during 1996 are in preparation. "Club Ostarrîchi ´96" has been formed, consisting of committed Christians whose main task is praying. We invite you to join the club! There are no fees or dues but eternal rewards! THE WAY IT ALL BEGAN!As I studied II Peter 1:1-11 to prepare for a devotional at the mission, the Lord began speaking to me. By the time we were winging our way to America, we were actually looking forward to our return and planning accordingly! Twenty years earlier, in 1976, we had a great evangelistic campaign with a team of students from Briercrest Bible College, Caronport, Canada. I wrote about that already in Chapter 18. Because Austria was celebrating its 1000th birthday in 1996, we decided to invite another team for a repeat performance. We requested a musical team in November, 1994 and in early 1995, our request was granted. The "ABLAZE" choir, under the direction of Dr. Norman Regier, rehearsed a large repertoire of English and German songs for many months. During that time, we wrote, phoned, faxed and visited churches to make arrangements for the "Happy Birthday Austria" campaign. We organized 45 meetings in dozens of cities from May10 through June 22, 1996. "A" IN GEOGRAPHYThe theme for our evangelistic team was "America greets Austria." Because the first and last letters are "A," we incorporated this in the graphics on posters, invitations, T-shirts and bumper stickers. Someone brought to our attention the fact that this is not at all uncommon. There are scores of geographical places with names that begin and end with "A" including five of the six continents (Asia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica and America). Europe is the only exception. I found ten nations, four states, a Canadian Province and who knows how many cities, with names that begin and end with the first letter of our alphabet! THE CAMPAIGNOur program had three major aspects. Preparation, Promotion and Presentation. Most preparation of course took place in advance, but we also had to be prepared for the unexpected. Promotion consisted of putting up posters, handing out handbills, advertising in newspapers and conducting mini-concerts in streets, schools or wherever possible. If we ate in a restaurant, I always asked the proprietor if we could sing a song or two for the guests. They were always happy to oblige. Our main program was often in a public auditorium or hall and had three segments. The presentation began with musical numbers from ABLAZE. The second part was a multi-projection slide show with stereo sound track about Germanic migrant groups in America. It depicted the history and present-day situation of North American Hutterites, Mennonites, Brethren and especially the Amish. It was a great way to remind Austrians of the strong German influence among early settlers in America, but also of the persecution that Christians endured in past centuries, which led them to flee their homelands. After the slide show, ABLAZE sang a couple more numbers. The third part was a "chalk talk" with evangelistic message. Sometimes the ABLAZE Choir sang while I drew the picture. Such chalk drawings are almost unheard of in Europe and people were spellbound to see a picture unfold and come alive before their very eyes with the use of flourescent chalk, black light and lighting from behind through the plexiglass! Evangelistic messages were brief, but direct and to the point. They were Bible centered, yet carefully worded so that people who were not familiar with Scriptures could understand. As it turned out, an estimated 80% of those in attendance were nonbelievers, most of whom had never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel. PROBLEMS AND FRUSTRATIONSI won't bother you with all the headaches, questions and doubts encountered. Suffice it to say that there were testings in the material and physical realms as well as spiritual battles. A bright light attracts bugs! When it was all over, however, we remember the victories and even problems are recognized as blessings in disguise! Special Delivery We needed chalk for the "Chalk Talks" and were wondering how we could get it to Austria undamaged and without incurring high duty and shipping costs. The Lord took care of this in his way. Friends from Pennsylvania called to say they wanted to visit us on their way to deliver aid to Romanian churches and orphanages. We made a fast midnight phone call (5:45 p.m. American time) to order the chalk, and it arrived in time for our friends to bring with them. Finances In our September 1995 newsletter, we wrote that we needed chalk ($1 to $5 per stick), money to rent vans $40 per day for 6 weeks), gasoline ($4 per gallon), a sound system ($1,000) and for printing ($300). We grossly underestimated what the campaign would cost! It had been quite some time since I had purchased chalk and prices had doubled. Having printed millions of pieces of literature myself, I should have known that we would never be able to print posters and handbills commercially for $300. The bill for 25,000 color posters and invitations came to $2,300 and $1,500 more for silk-screen printing of several thousand decals and 100 T-shirts with our team logo. The latter were intended for sale at a small profit, but each team member received a shirt and we gave others to hosts during the tour. We gave most of the decals to school kids as souvenirs (we were in 40 school classes!). I discovered that renting a van would cost over $100 per day, and even a simple used sound system with speakers, mixer and amplifier would cost several thousand dollars - if we could only find a good used system! We would also need mikes, cables and an electric piano. I purchased a projection system for the slide show earlier in the year and someone graciously offered to loan me a large screen. In the last minute, he backed down on his offer, however, and I had to purchase one. Only the gasoline price had been correctly assessed at $4 per gallon, but with over 40 scheduled meetings, we would be driving much further than expected. Had we "bitten off more than we could chew?" We made financial appeals in our newsletters, but at first, only children responded! By September, 1995, three DVBS (Daily Vacation Bible School) groups took this on as a special project. Two groups collected $575 and $183.73 for transportation. In one church, a gallon of water was stacked on the platform every time they collected $4. A third DVBS collected $650.52 for the project "where needed most." Before the campaign, we sold most of the tools I had collected over the years in order to purchase needed items. We wrote another newsletter saying that we thought we would need another $2000 for this project. The Lord's people provided that amount, but I was certain that it would not be enough! The Lord led us to great buys in used equipment. We found a hardly-used electric Piano for $1,500 and an excellent nine-passenger Mitsubishi van for $3,200. It was 14 years old, but a one-owner vehicle with only 60,000 miles on it. We sold it afterwards for $2,900 and got all the money back when we sold the piano. I scanned newspaper ads, looking for a used sound system, but found nothing suitable for a price we could afford. I asked acquaintances who were familiar with this kind of equipment. One friend warned me about the high risk of buying second hand sound equipment. Miss-matched amplifiers and speakers, faulty cables, worn sockets etc. could cause no end of trouble, not to mention annoying disturbances during our meetings. I checked into rentals. An appropriate system would cost $4,000 for six weeks, and we would be responsible for repairs if anything went wrong. We repeatedly prayed about these needs and asked others to pray as well. Then I found a professional musician who had a super sound system for sale. He had decided to quit making music in order to devote more time to his family. Everything was there in one package! Top quality amplifiers, 4 speaker boxes with stands, an excellent mixer with channels to spare, six top quality mikes with stands, cables for every conceivable situation, flight cases and even extension cables and music stands with lights! Everything was matched perfectly and we had no trouble whatsoever during our tour. The equipment cost us only $3,300 and we sold it for the same price to a group of churches for their conferences and evangelistic meetings. Miracle Housing We planned to put up the five girls at our house, but there was no way all 14 of us could sleep in one house! We began looking for a place to rent for the seven men on our team, but it didn't look hopeful. We and other missionaries had searched years for a house or apartment in this area. Our co-workers, the Guenthers, found nothing and finally settled for a place 15 miles away. Our son Richard searched for housing in this area with the same result. More than fifty people had applied to rent the house we now lived in, and we were one of the last who applied. Providing housing for Richard and us were miracles of God; could He do it again? Other GMU co-workers, Ron and Rosanne Poffenroth, had invited a summer outreach team, which was to arrive two weeks after ours. They too, needed a place for them to stay. Through a church member, Ron learned of a house with two apartments which we could rent for both his team and half of ours. It was located in the next town and would incur traveling back and forth, but the rent was reasonable. I breathed a sigh of relief. Shortly before our team's arrival, the owner of the apartments said that he would need help renovating the apartments if they were going to be ready in time. I grabbed my tools (what was left of them) and drove to the apartments, which I had not yet seen. I was shocked! One apartment was still occupied and the tenant showed no intent to move out. The other apartment had no furniture, curtains or even a kitchen sink. It was far from finished and I realized immediately, that we needed to find another place. "Where are you Lord?" About that time, a neighbor met us on the street and said, "I hear you rented a place in the next town for that choir that is coming. Why didn't you ask us? We have a house you could use!" The place was completely furnished - including sheets, pillow cases and blankets! It was within 50 yards of our house and we knew nothing about it! Best of all, the owner only wanted $100 per week rent including utilities! 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