Chapter 2 the harvey family
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- A GREAT CAMPAIGN!
- FRUIT, NOT NUMBERS
- AFTER ABLAZE
- MONDAY CAR
- ONE NEWSPAPER AD
- REAR WHEEL DRIVE
- CLOSURE IN WALLSEE
CANCER!In October, 1995, in the middle of preparations for the campaign, I noticed a strange pimple near my left eye and went to the doctor. He sent me to a dermatologist and diagnosed it as a tumor, probably skin cancer. An operation was scheduled for November 27. The physician planned to use a cylinder shaped device to "pop out" the tumor, as he put it. But after a brief examination, he opted for a more extensive job on the operating table. A month later, the biopsy report was received by our family doctor. It showed that mine was not a melanoma, but a milder form which doesn't metastasize. I was also informed that the doctor had not been able to remove the whole tumor and another operation was scheduled for January 10th. Verna drove 60 miles to get me to the hospital in Salzburg and then drove another 130 miles to take our three-month-old granddaughter, Julia, to a children's hospital in Linz. She had what they call a "strawberry mark" on her forehead and had an operation at the same time as her Grandfather! Both of us had bandages next to our left eye! Our Julia is a "chip off the old block,“ wouldn't you say? When I arrived in the hospital, the doctor examined me and said that he was concerned about the rapid growth of the tumor. So was I, but for a different reason. God had given me peace about the cancer, but I was concerned that this development could interfere with the up-coming campaign. "The operation was successful," the doctor said, "We got it all this time!" After a week, the bandage was gone and soon there was hardly a scar. Within a few weeks, however, I could feel more growth. This time, it seemed to affect the eye, causing it to burn and weep. We wrote and called friends, family and churches, asking them to pray that this would not interfere with our campaign. God answered prayer! Except for occasional irritation in the left eye, there was no noticeable growth of the tumor during our six-week campaign. My sister sent me information about a new "Curaderm" treatment for skin cancer. I treated the area after the team left and the affected area turned beet red after a couple of days. The supplier claimed that this cream only kills cancer cells, but I am convinced that it kills them all! Whatever the case, new skin began growing back after two weeks of treatments and within a month, you could hardly see scars. Many more operations and procedures would be needed in ensuing years, including the removal of half my lower eyelid. But we thank the Lord that the skin cancer has never had much effect on ministry. A GREAT CAMPAIGN!Our team arrived in Salzburg on May 10th and thus began the six busiest weeks of our lives. Thousands heard the Gospel in our meetings from Salzburg to Vienna. These were held in churches, public halls, restaurants, theaters, streets, schools and in open air pavilions. There were also impromptu times of sharing. During the team's flight from Amsterdam to Salzburg, the pilot requested that the group sing for the passengers. The "Hallelujah Chorus" brought tears to the eyes of some passengers. While touring a castle near Budweis, Czech Republic (we also had meetings in that city), the team was able to sing a couple of their songs to our guide and another tour group. We got into many public schools, speaking and singing in 40 classes. In our own town, we were able to share the Gospel in some form with nearly all the inhabitants! Most of our neighbors attended an evangelistic evening and a garden party at our home. We had a BB-Q and games for children. ABLAZE gave a mini-concert every half hour from 3 to 9 PM. Our team sang in the open Market Place in Frankenmarkt, attended the rehearsal of a local singing group and was treated to ice cream sundaes by the Mayor himself. HIGHLIGHTS (Excerpts from letters and e-mail messages, ours and team members) June 7, 1996 Things are still going well with our campaign and exciting things are happening. Tuesday (4th) we were in seven English classes in the morning and in Ried for the evening meeting. The hall was very nice and even had a Bösendorfer Piano. We had lots of music, a chalk talk with message and multimedia slide show about the Amish, Hutterites, Mennonites and Brethren groups of North America. The show utilizes three projectors, has stereo sound and about 250 slides. There were many strangers out and we were well received. Our host said it was the best evangelistic meeting they have ever had. Wednesday (5th) we were again in English classes (only three) and since we had no meeting in the evening, we took the team sailing. [I had recently bought another boat, 17 years old, but stored in a garage and like new! The guy who was buying my old boat hadn't picked it up, so we had two boats to use.] Thursday (6th) was a Catholic holiday, "Corpus Christi." We had a neat experience in the morning. The team watched an outdoor mass and the procession through town. Catholics dress up in their best traditional costumes for this festive occasion. The Priest carries "the body of Christ" (hostia) through town, walking under a large canopy carried by six alter boys clad in white robes. Church members (nearly everyone in town!) follow, chanting "The Lord's Prayer" and "Hail Marys" all the way. After the procession ended in the center of town our team was asked to give an open air concert. Everyone from the Mayor to toddlers were on hand and all were excited that our Canadian Choir had chosen to make Frankenmarkt their home for six weeks. ABLAZE sang several songs and we gave testimony to our risen Lord and Savior between numbers. While the team sang, Ralph distributed decals to the children in the crowd with our team logo and the words, "America greets Austria -- Happy 1000th Birthday!" In the afternoon we drove to Gmunden and gave a concert in an open pavilion. Towering Alps and a castle were mirrored in the emerald-green lake behind us as we sang and gave testimony. This afternoon (7th) we do inviting on the streets and then set up for the evening. The weather has been hot, and the guys get sweaty setting up the PA-System, instruments, chalk talk easel, lights, projection equipment and big screen. Our meeting is in the beautiful old City Theater of Gmunden and we hope for good attendance. Tomorrow (8th) we sing at a large flea market in the morning, take a ship ride on the lake in the afternoon (probably singing on board) and have a meeting for English students in the evening. Sunday (June 9th), we sing and Ralph draws a chalk talk in the morning worship service, and then we have another open air meeting in a pavilion in Altmünster, on the same lake. Monday, June 17th We just returned from a four day trip with meetings in Enns, Ennsdorf, Linz and Liezen. The team sang for a youth outing and wiener roast along a river near Linz. It was great seeing so many Christian youth (at least 60) singing and praying together. Some of their parents were saved in our own youth center 20-25 years ago! Here and there during our tour, we run into graduates of the Bible Institute and get an update on their work and families. Last night we saw one of our first graduates with his wife and four kids. The oldest, now 15, celebrates his birthday with me on March 8th. The music, slide show and chalk talks have been well received. In most places the majority of those in attendance are unchurched - most are Roman Catholic, but few of them attend church. After lunch today, we leave for Steyr, where we have four days of meetings. We will be in the schools and the beautiful baroque Dominican Hall for meetings. After the Thursday night meeting we return to Frankenmarkt to sleep. Friday is the team's last day in Austria and also the longest day of the year. The following day will be much longer, however! How is that possible? Saturday morning we take them to the airport in Salzburg and then they will be flying with the sun! We have a team de-briefing Friday morning and drive to Gmundnerberg overlooking Traunsee Lake for a farewell dinner. Friday night, the town has its traditional bonfire in Frankenmarkt to mark the beginning of Summer. ABLAZE has been invited to sing, but the forecast is for rain. Sunday, June 24th Our final meetings were perhaps the best of all. The caretaker of the large hall where we were having meetings said that we would be lucky to have 40 attending. The weather was hot and there was no air conditioning, plus the fact that few people attend midweek functions because they get up early for work. Tuesday night, we had about 85 and Wednesday well over 100 turned out. That may not seem like many, but when one considers that two thirds of those in attendance were unsaved youth, 15-23 years old, that is just fantastic! For most of them, our meetings provided their first exposure to the gospel. Thursday evening we had a bar-B-Q just for youth. It poured and the Pastor thought few would show up, but again God did some prodding. About 60 young people crowded into the small church and listened intently to the music, testimonies and message. Excerpts from the letters of a member of ABLAZE A few things are different here. For example, we eat a huge meal for lunch, but then a very small supper. Tonight we had sandwiches - a good idea to keep the weight down! The chocolate here is awesome and I will bring some back for you all. In our first week, we sang twice at a town called Zipf, known for its beer brewery. It is cheaper to rent a "Gasthaus" (restaurant) than a community hall, and the churches are too small and intimidating to the public. Both nights, we had over 80% non-Christians attending. I brought mom back 8 coasters which advertise the brewery! I think she will appreciate that lots - definitely worth using for company! We mostly sing in the afternoons on streets to advertise our concerts in the evening, and then have a concert at night which includes a slide presentation, and chalk talk. The missionary we work with, does chalk art, and he does it really well. We girls live with the missionaries, and the boys and Dr. Regier live in an apartment just down the street. We live in a very little town called Mühlberg, which directly translated means "mill hill.“ The team went to Prague, Czech Republic on Tuesday (May 21). I didn't go because Keith got sick. We travel in two vehicles, so we had to decide whether the whole team should wait a day to see if Keith was well, or send the van and have five of us not go. I had a headache, so I offered to stay. Mrs. Harvey, Tracy and Dr. Regier also stayed behind. The day that the team left, I went back to bed and slept until 12:00. Then I got up and had lunch (Greek Salad, probably the best I have ever had). Tracy and I went to a refugee hostel with some other missionaries and spent our afternoon there. We had a wonderful time. One of the missionaries, Melanie, is our age (27 years) and is here in Austria for just one year. She is awesome, and we spent the day with her. The three of us went for supper to a Chinese restaurant and then walked back to Melanie's place. It was a good day. We met the team the next day (May 22) in a city called Budweis, Czech Republic - that is where Budweiser Beer is from. On the way, we stopped at a wonderful city named Krumlov. We had lunch in an outdoor restaurant. I had fish-- and no kidding, it was the whole fish cooked - head and all, with it's eyes staring at me! It was very good, and fun to order in Czech/German/English. While we were eating, some kayak paddlers (we ate right beside a river) fell out of their kayak. We had a good laugh at those guys swimming in the freezing cold water! One of them ran right past us, dripping wet! What a riot! When we got to Budweis, we rejoined the rest of the team that had gone to Prague. I didn't think it would bother me that I couldn't go to Prague, but when they shared about the fun they had, the sights and awesome experiences, it made me very sad. I was on the verge of tears that whole day. In Budweis, we sang at a town square and in the streets, inviting people to a concert in a little church that evening. The next day (May 23), we toured a castle and were able to sing a couple of our numbers in a gorgeous marble hall. That was very beautiful! Then we traveled back to Austria and stayed overnight in the Austrian Bible College, which Mr. Harvey founded. We attended a concert in the evening of a Fresno Bible College choir in Enns. They were very good, but I still like our music better! Friday morning (24th), we left for Vienna at 5:30 am, a little early for my liking, to sing in the Vienna Christian School's chapel time. That was lots of fun - probably one of our best concerts. Then we spent the rest of the day touring Vienna. Sunday (26th) we drove an hour and a half to a city called Linz, where we sang at a youth conference. There were about 400 teens there from all over Austria. They loved us, but then Austrian youth seem to love anything that is North American -- including McDonalds! Our team is doing very well - there have been a few ups and downs, but overall, we get along really great, and are growing a lot closer! One of the guys sometimes has some pretty heavy mood swings, so you can pray for him, but everyone is in good health (now), and things are going good. FRUIT, NOT NUMBERSIn North America, where instant returns are the norm, one counts converts after every evangelistic event. An estimated 80% of those reached during our campaign had never before heard a clear presentation of the Gospel. Two pastors told us that our meetings in their cities were the best they had ever had - not because many were saved, but based upon the large number of strangers who attended and showed interest in the Gospel. They and we had a lot of follow up to do in the following months. Our team members filled up the last pages in the guest book, which we bought 30 years earlier. As a farewell gift, they gave us a new one. Reading our guest books brings back fond memories of many hours of entertaining and blessings! In all we had 41 meetings and visited 40 school classes in six weeks. Verna prepared a total of 450 meals for 14 persons (not counting breakfast). After the team left, Verna washed, dried and folded 19 bath towels and bedding for a dozen beds. Then came mopping and cleaning of both our house and the one we rented. The campaign was a lot of hard work--but we loved it. We would be so tired in the eve, only getting a few hours of sleep, yet get up refreshed-- a real wonder! Thanks to the prayers of many, my skin cancer didn't seem to spread at all during the six week campaign! My left eye sometimes caused problems and I had to allow someone else to drive, but it never bothered me during meetings. AFTER ABLAZEWe took the team to Salzburg Saturday and left six of them at the airport. Then I went to a committee meeting at 10:00 while Verna drove the other six to the train station. They wanted to travel to Italy but the roads and railroads to Italy were closed due to heavy rains and mud slides. So they went to Switzerland instead. Verna returned to where we were having our meeting and made coffee to keep herself (and us) awake. We left the meeting early at 4:30 PM in order to go to the 25th anniversary celebration of a former GMU missionary who married an Austrian. We left that party at 10:30 PM to drive home in our two vehicles, but our "Monday Car" wouldn't start - again! MONDAY CARI must share more about our "Monday car" but first, I need to give some background information. We have owned a total of 32 station wagons and vans. With one exception, the vans were 9-passenger VW busses. Most wagons in Europe are used by businesses and get rough usage, so we always hoped to afford a new vehicle. That happened only three times. In 1967, Verna's Father gave us an interest-free loan for a new VW bus and we paid him back in monthly installments. In 1970, we bought a Mazda station wagon with a bank loan. The third new car was a German Ford station wagon that we bought in 1985. It was our last new car. We asked the mission to set money aside each month for car replacement and nine years later, it was time. We really liked our car and it was still running great after 260,000 kilometers, but in 1994, the Austrian government raised the cost of registration for cars without catalytic converters. Our wagon was one of the last sold without this feature. Some cities passed laws forbidding cars without cats to drive on days when there was a smog warning and a couple of major cities considered banning such vehicles within the city limits! The handwriting was on the wall. We had saved around $10,000 so we asked the mission to send us our savings and began looking in earnest for a replacement car. We located a two-year-old Ford station wagon with an economical 1,8 liter diesel motor and only 20,000 miles on it. Diesel fuel was $2.39 per gallon and gasoline cost $3.49, so this represented a big saving. We figured that our personal savings and money from the sale of our old car would cover the purchase price. This seemed to be the answer to our prayers, so we signed to buy. When the mission sent our money, we were shocked to discover that there was much less than we had expected! Service charges came to7.5% and because the money became salary, Social Security took a large deduction. After Bill Clinton became US President in 1993, the exchange rate for the Dollar fell dramatically. This meant that everything we bought was more expensive, but we were unprepared for the big chunk lost from savings due to Dollar devaluation. Although we got a good price for our old car, we still had to borrow $2,000 from the bank. I shared in Chapter 23 about this and other matters that led to my midlife crises. We enjoyed the wagon for six months, but in November, we were due for a six month furlough. The car sold for $2,500 less than we paid, but we got enough to buy plane tickets for our flights to America with just enough left to buy our "Monday Car." MONDAY CARWe needed a car until furlough and, although I was still uncertain about continued missionary work in Austria, we would need to return in May, 1995. All our earthly possessions were in Austria and we had already set dates and begun preparing for the Happy Birthday campaign. I found an '88 wagon much like the '85 that we had driven for 9 years, but it had a catalytic converter. Even before we left for America, I started having trouble with our "Monday car." I had owned many Fords, but only this one gave me much trouble! A mystery problem developed soon after we purchased it and I suspect that it plagued the previous owner as well. While driving, the engine would simply begin to sputter and stutter for apparently no reason whatsoever. I tried several times to find the cause of the problem, but finally gave up. When we left for furlough, I hoped that the rest would do it good! It didn't! In the months after our return, I took the car to three different Ford dealers a total of six times. Each time they did something, but the problem persisted. Of course, I had to pay the bill, because our car "needed" whatever they did. One garage said it was the electric fuel pump and they would have to remove the tank in order to replace it. When it was finished two days later, I drove to church for choir practice. Someone said they noticed gasoline leaking onto the asphalt parking lot. Not willing to risk an explosion, I had a church member tow me back to the shop. Friday afternoon, I got the car again and drove away, but while waiting for a train, a cyclist informed me that gasoline was running out of the tank! Again, I had the car towed back to the shop, which was of course closed for the weekend. When I went to pick it up the third time on Monday, I was nearly knocked over by the stench of gasoline in the garage. The mechanic apologized that my car wasn't finished, and said that he had a problem. That was quite obvious! Half a tank of gasoline had run all over the floor. He said that if I waited another ten minutes, the car would be ready. I noticed that the mechanic was holding a lighted cigarette in his hand and quickly decided to wait outside at a safe distance. A missionary should be concerned about lost souls, but I was secretly hoping that both the car and mechanic would be blown sky high. The tank didn't leak after that, but the engine continued to cut out at the most inopportune times. After spending more than $2,000 for repairs, I found and "fixed" the problem myself. I discovered that if I twisted a cable trunk in a certain way, the motor would run properly again! There was obviously a break in one of the wires! After that, a new problem developed. Every once in a while, for no apparent reason, the car simply refused to start. The battery was fine and turned the engine over, but it wouldn't even fire! I discovered that if I let it sit for a while, it sometimes started right away - but not always. After the ABLAZE Team arrived, this happened more frequently. Fortunately, there were a dozen young people to push, but they sometimes had to push in heavy rain wearing their stage uniforms. During the six-week campaign, our singers had to push-start our station wagon about twenty times. I had it in several garages, three touring club locations and even took it to a place that specialized in electric problems, but they could find nothing wrong. That brings us back to where I was when I got side-tracked. After taking the Ablaze team to the airport and attending the silver anniversary celebration of our friends, Verna gave me one last tow job with the van at 11:00 PM - in the pouring rain of course! Two drenched and exhausted people headed for home and a nice warm bed, determined to get rid of that car even if we had to junk it! ONE NEWSPAPER ADAfter all the expenses of our campaign, we couldn't afford to buy a car, but I scanned the Saturday papers the next day, looking for a used station wagon with rear wheel drive. I never liked front wheel drive vehicles, and after one harrowing experience in the Austrian Alps, I promised never to buy one as long as we lived in Austria (see next section). There was only one rear-wheel drive station wagon listed in the provincial newspaper, so we checked it out. It was a gorgeous metallic wine-red Ford Scorpio, with sun roof, electric locks and windows, power steering, anti blocking brakes and even a burglar alarm! It was four years old, had relatively low mileage and the price was reasonable. Best of all, the dealer offered us the full book value of $3,500 for our car, even though it wouldn't start for him either! We fell in love with the car immediately, but said that we wanted to pray about it before making a decision (that always caused raised eyebrows!). On Monday, we collaborated with the car's future co-owner (the bank), explaining that after selling the Mitsubishi van, E-Piano and sound system, we would be able to pay for the car. The bank said that it would be cheaper to simply overdraw our checking account and pay a modest interest until it was paid off. This is a service that Austrian banks do for customers that should be copied in America. If a customer deposits his pay check regularly in a bank, He is never penalized for an overdraft. The customer is permitted to overdraw the average deposit amount without penalty. He only has to pay interest on the overdrawn amount for each month it is in minus. The interest is higher than for a loan, but it is great for both customer and bank for a short-term loan, because there is no additional paperwork. Out of curiosity, I looked through the used car ads on the following weekend and counted 14 ads for station wagons with rear-wheel drive! REAR WHEEL DRIVE(Female readers should probably skip this section) I can almost hear a thousand readers asking "Why on earth did you want a rear-wheel drive car? All cars have front-wheel drive these days!" I have good reasons for it. First of all, I have almost always driven cars with rear wheel drive. Secondly, I'm convinced that they are better than front wheel drive cars in mountainous terrain. Thirdly, no matter how much people argue with me about this matter, I prefer them, and am not about to change my mind! People tell me that no one but a fool would buy a rear wheel drive car today. If they are right, let it be known that three European car makers still make these "relics of the past" - Mercedes Benz, BMW and Volvo! A majority of taxis and police cars in America have rear wheel drive. Also, most race cars have rear wheel drive. I am not the only fool! For die-hard fans of the front wheel drive, here are my arguments for the rear wheel drive car. Driving up hills, some of the car's weight shifts to the rear wheels, agreed? That means there is less grip on the front wheels, O.K.? If a car goes into a skid going down an icy hill, the driver's proper response depends upon which type of vehicle he is driving. To pull a front wheel drive out of a skid, you press the gas. With rear wheel drive, you take your foot off the gas and the car straightens out. I prefer the latter. Repair shops prefer front wheel drive. Even hitting a curb or pot hole provides income. Car manufacturers and dealers also prefer front wheel drive cars. They are cheaper to build because the entire drive train can be installed together. If involved in an accident, front wheel drive cars are more often totaled, meaning more car sales. One of our church members was a mailman who liked to chide me about my preference for rear wheel drive cars. One wintry Sunday, I took a lady home from church and found his car hopelessly stuck on a steep hill. His wife and three kids were pushing, but the car wouldn't budge. I stopped next to his car and suggested that he back down the hill and drive up in reverse. Then I drove around him and continued up the hill with no problems. He was skeptical, but decided to take my advice. He made it to the top with no difficulty! His next car was another front wheel drive vehicle, but he never argued with me after that. CLOSURE IN WALLSEEThe school in Wallsee was closed in 1999 and I was given responsibility for liquidating the contents of the school. It was a sad day when Verna and I organized the second Bible Institute fleamarket and auction in seven years. Tears filled our eyes as we watched furnishings and articles being sold at flea market prices! They were all answers to prayer, paid for with the sacrificial gifts of God's people. The nice mattresses that I purchased and the beds that the students helped me build found new owners in a Catholic youth camp. The Korean piano that we imiported from America was purchased by a Board member. Thousands of other items including dressers, desks, tables, chairs, commercial kitchen equipment, dishware, pots and pans etc. were sold at bargain prices. I had to keep reminding myself that these material things wouldn't matter in eternity. They had served God's purposes for fourteen years and were now expendable. Although property values had been steadily increasing in Austria, the real estate was placed on the market for what we had paid eleven years earlier. The sale price was reduced several times until it finally sold two years later for less than half of what we had paid. Many times I drove three hours each way to check on the property, mow the grass, trim hedges and keep the house presentable for potential customers. The Lord comforted me with his promise in I Chronicles 17:27. Our investment in his work was blessed forever! After the Bible Institute moved to a new location in 1991, God's blessings continued to shower down on its' first host town. Today, Ampflwang boasts the largest number of riding horses in Europe. The construction of a Robinson Club Hotel complex with riding stables, tennis courts and a golf course further advanced Ampflwang’s image as a tourist town. After the coal mines shut down, the railroad, roundhouse and sorting house were turned over to a railroad club. There is now a large railroad museum with 36 steam locomotives plus many early diesel and electric locs. There are of course numerous railroad cars, both passenger and freight, and tourists can ride steam trains through the countryside and forests. I uploaded a video of this on YouTube The church in Ampflwang is thriving and growing. There are regular conversions and baptisms even without a pastor, but there is still no evangelical church in Wallsee. 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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