Missions Textbook 15
"Aufwiedersehen," Austria

We Never Saw It Coming: An Introduction to Christian Missions (textbook)

The Gospel Reaches to South Africa

Once upon a time Dietmar and Sigrid were both medical students in Vienna. He wanted to be a country doctor, and she wanted to be a top surgeon. They had lived together for long enough that both sets of parents were certain they would eventually get married. Family gatherings already had that feel. Except Dietmar and Sigrid did not have that feel; they were tired of one another and wanted to break up, but they couldn’t face their respective families’ inevitable disappointment.

Their education required a residency, but Austria is a small country and doesn’t have enough hospitals to accommodate every graduating doctor. The waiting list was several years long. So they decided to try other countries, and found a lot of openings in Johannesburg, South Africa. This would accomplish two things: their residency, and they could also break up quietly, far away. By the time the two-year residency was over, their families would have adjusted to their separation.

They flew to Johannesburg, and were met at the airport by a young Austrian couple, Reinhard and Nelli, who had already completed most of their medical residency. Actually, Nelli was Romanian and a few years earlier had escaped from communist Romania to study medicine in Graz, where she met and married Reinhard. Until Dietmar and Sigrid could find their own apartment/apartments in the city, they would be the guests of Reinhard and Nelli.

The first morning at breakfast, Reinhard and Nelli explained that they always read out of the Bible and prayed before they went to work. If Dietmar and Sigrid would like to join them, they were welcome. Dietmar and Sigrid did not object.

Life in Johannesburg – at least back then – was loud and violent. Ugly racism overshadowed every part of life. There were times when Dietmar and Sigrid feared for their lives. Every assignment at the hospital was an emergency. They kept going on the adrenelin that hit them every time another shooting victim or ax victim or knife victim was admitted to the hospital.

They found a place to live – together – and started attending church with Reinhard and Nelli, and eventually – as you may have already guessed – they made the decision to give their lives to the Lord. Reinhard and Nelli reminded them that if that decision was real, then they probably ought to get married, especially since they were now expecting a baby. They got married and began to grow in their faith, discipled by Reinhard and Nelli.

Even after residency was finished, both couples knew there were not many jobs in Austria, so they stayed in South Africa to work. They continued, however, to write letters and send resumes, hoping to return to Austria eventually.

One day, Dietmar got an offer to buy the practice of a retiring doctor in a small city in Lower Austria.

Nelli asked, “Where is it?”

Dietmar said, “Sigrid’s hometown, St. Pölten.”

“You’re kidding! Oh, my goodness! That’s where Floyd and Christine live!”

“Who are they?”

“They are a couple who moved from America to Graz with their two sons to lead people to Christ through evangelistic Bible studies. Floyd led us to Christ, just like we led you to Christ. They worked with the Austria Student Mission for several years, and he’s a good Bible teacher. We learned so much from them. You have to find them and go to their church!”

And that’s how we got a phone call one day from a doctor and his surgeon wife, who had just moved to St. Pölten, and were looking for a good church!

I wrote to Sue:

The Lord is providing leadership for the women’s work, almost before we’ve asked – and with it, friends. Sigrid, a surgeon, who was saved in South Africa through two doctors whom we led to the Lord in Graz, is from St. Pölten. We are meeting every other week mostly to pray; our goal is 45 minutes. She says she looks up to me, but I saw after our first planning meeting that she’s every bit as far along as I. In some cases, farther, for she still has the new convert’s wild joy. She’s been saved five years, which is long for Austria. She speaks English beautifully, which means that I can pray in English, which is a tremendous help. She has quickly become a good friend. I’m going to be sorry to be leaving.

Wait a Minute: Did You Say ‘Leaving’?

When I met Floyd in Bible college, he was a brash, enthusiastic young man, fresh out of Vietnam, who wanted to change the world with the Gospel. He confessed to me, in one of our more serious talks before we were even dating, that his greatest desire was to risk his life bringing the Gospel into the United Soviet Socialist Republic – or Russia, as it was more commonly called. The USSR, however had declared that Christianity was an enemy of their country, and evangelism, the possession of a Bible, and religion in general were all declared illegal. Marriage sometimes tempers risk and calms the fanaticism that would actually endanger a family. Austria was exciting enough, so we made plans and went there.

When the socialist republics began to pull away from Mother Russia in 1989, Floyd began to have hope that someday he could fulfill the dream that had been gathering dust for so many years. He  talked of us going there after Michael graduated from high school and was established in college.

The ministry in St. Pölten was roaring along, with scores of people studying the Bible in villages and towns all over Lower Austria every day of the week. Walter and Floyd even had to refuse requests for more Bible studies because of the distances it would have required. Those seeking God drove many kilometers to meet Him in the Bible studies nearest them.

The church in St. Pölten was growing, and we finally found a large house with a yard to rent for the church meetings. Our first meeting there was January 1, 1995. This meant that we could have Bible studies in the building, potlucks, and other events, rather than having them all at restaurants (where we were forced to buy food) or at Walter and Esther’s home – hospitable though they were. Still, people drove up to two hours to attend the Sunday morning services. The services included an hour-long communion service, where the people were encouraged to teach one another what they were learning about God and Jesus from their own Bible study. There was also singing and a teaching meeting, during which many taught Sunday school to the younger children. There was such an excitement that the teens saw no need to have their own Sunday School class. They had youth group on another day.

The men’s meeting, which met once a month, was producing men who were ready and eager to lead the church. Floyd and Walter discipled them, gave them books to read, and made sure they knew about Bible conferences that would take them further in their faith. They also gave them responsibilities – usually before anyone thought they were really ready. They rose to the occasion, and soon discovered that they had spiritual gifts, given by the Holy Spirit, to use in serving the saints.

In addition, many of the new converts were now capable of leading Bible studies. Floyd sometimes would deliberately miss a study, just to give someone the opportunity to lead without feeling as if Floyd were breathing down his or her neck. The believers helped Walter and Esther with the Sunday evening transition meetings, which were still held in the coziness of the Mauerhofer home. The believers also pitched in with the mailings in the spring, with the organic gardening seminars, and with preparing Walter’s yard for the Days of the Open Door. Eventually, there would be no more towns in Lower Austria that had not had an opportunity to hear the Gospel.

Which brings me to us leaving: I was exhausted, and Floyd, believe it or not, was getting antsy. He never believed that the missionary should stay, once things are running well. Walter believed the same, but his timetable was a bit longer than Floyd’s. When Floyd told Walter that we would be leaving the following spring, Floyd didn’t think Walter even believed him.

Making Plans

Dear Sue,

As you know, our lives are undergoing major change. Michael will be finishing high school (hopefully) after Easter. We’re looking forward to a year in the States, helping him adjust and being more available for Erich, who’s doing fine, but we’re tired of being so far apart. After two visits from people from northern New Jersey and Indiana in March, we will be deciding on where we will be living for that year.

Our little church here in Lower Austria will have Austrian leaders who have come from their own group. We will be giving up our house, selling most of the contents and shipping the rest of our belongings back to the States – wherever we’ll be living.

As of the 1st of July, we have committed to spending the summer in Portland. Floyd’s speaking at Family Camp and High School Camp, a High School camp in eastern Oregon and also one near Houston, Texas. Hank and Sharon have offered to let us stay with them some of the other times, and we also may find houses to house-sit. They have also offered to let us use their sailboat for a week, and we may invite my middle sister and her family to join us in the San Juan Islands.

For the school year, Floyd will be helping one of two little churches – either in NJ or IN – who have invited him to teach them to evangelize and build up their congregation with new believers. As you probably guessed when we visited you, Floyd will be learning Russian and studying anthropology in preparation for short trips into Russia. Floyd feels that it is time to change, and since we are both open to whatever the Lord might have, we’re just trying to do what we think we ought to do. We’d appreciate your prayers for all of the details. Selling furniture, giving away the cat, packing books and dishes, keeping Bible studies going through March, Michael’s schooling, his choice for college, jobs for both boys – the list could go on and on.

The Farewell Party

Austrians really do celebrations well. Our dear friends in St. Pölten did not want us to leave, but Floyd’s mind was made up to go to Russia, so they gave us a wonderful send-off. Our new church meeting place was an old house, and every room was packed with well-wishers. The men had built a little platform for the speaker to stand on Sunday mornings. Now we sat on the platform, and they thanked us for our time in Lower Austria. The young people did a skit, mimicking some of Floyd’s mannerisms, the Sunday School children sang, and many people stood and told us of how they had come to the Lord. It was lovely and sad and happy. Then we had a huge pot-luck lunch, with all the wonderful Austrian food.

We knew we were going to miss the Mauerhofers a lot, but they would probably miss us even more, as we were going on to something else, and they were staying behind. Floyd said that Walter was one of the most magnificent co-workers he could have ever had, and he was privileged to be a part of the wonderful things God did in Lower Austria through Walter’s ministry.

Random Memories of Lower Austria

Sepp –

One of the tricky balances in being a missionary is putting aside our patriotism in favor of presenting the Gospel. We can still love our home country, but when others would say negative things about the United States, we had to bite our tongue. Our national loyalty might become a stumbling block for the message of Jesus Christ, but it’s hard to hear negative things and not want to defend our country. When our boys were little, I would sometimes sing them to sleep with “The Star-Spangled Banner,” our national anthem.

Some missionaries don’t try to live in two countries. As of the writing of this section, our dear friends, Scott and Leslie Walt have given up their American citizenship and have become citizens of Austria. As they get older, they want to die, as they have lived, surrounded by the Austrians who have become so dear to them. Bernd and Karin Flock, although still Canadians, have made Austria their permanent home.

At a Bible study one day, Sepp, who was married to a woman from Great Britain, commented to Floyd, “I really admire that you don’t ever bring your American-ness into any conversation. You are first a Christian and then an American.”

“Yes,” said Floyd, “But I am an American.”

We just never wanted to give that up.

Opposition –

This whole book could make our ministry sound as if we had few problems. I hope I have not communicated that, but, on the other hand, I really don’t want to drag you through the muck of the many things that happened to thwart our work. Floyd usually tended to have a very upbeat viewpoint even on the opposition that sometimes arose, and for any missionary, it might be advisable to cultivate such a viewpoint, while still remaining teachable. Following are a couple of serious situations that Floyd was able to diffuse.

Graz is the second largest city in Austria, but it is not nearly as famous as Vienna, Innsbruck, and Salzburg, and Graz is not on the way to anywhere except the former Yugoslavia and Greece. In Graz, we were, therefore, not approached by people who wanted to pull our work into theirs. As the work in Lower Austria began to pick up, however, Walter attracted the attention of Christian workers who lived near Vienna and had been working there. One Pentecostal group asked for a meeting with Walter and Floyd, not because they wanted them to join them, but because they felt that Walter and Floyd’s theology was lacking. Over coffee at a café, they challenged Walter and Floyd with: “When Jesus sent out the apostles, he told them, ‘These signs will accompany those who have believed: in my name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues’” (Mark 16:17).

Floyd noted, “Well, aside from the fact that the verses you quote from the end of the gospel of Mark are not included in two of the best Greek manuscripts, have you read the rest of the verses?”

“Do you speak in tongues?” he insisted.

Walter and Floyd looked at each other. “Um, Walter speaks German and French, and I speak English, German, and can read Greek and Hebrew.”

“No, you are deliberately misunderstanding us. Spiritual tongues are not earthly languages. How can you preach a gospel that is not complete? Your people need to speak in tongues; otherwise, they do not have the Holy Spirit. You need to speak in tongues.”

“Let’s read the rest of the verses: ‘They will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.’ You cannot rip one verse out of context and ignore the next verse. When you drink poison and live, I’ll figure out how to speak in tongues.”

It was not a terribly friendly conversation, but at the end, after Walter had left, one of the men turned to Floyd and said, “You’re a lion!” Whether that was good or not, they stopped attending and disturbing the various Bible studies.

In another rather sad situation, the pastor of a church in Vienna had been meeting with Walter and trying to convince him to give him all of the people in one of the Bible studies. Walter hated conflict, but he and Floyd met several times with that pastor and with some of the other men in leadership. Walter and Floyd tried to convince them that people are not possessions, and that the pastor could not force people to do what he wanted. His church was not growing, and slowly it became evident that he was a dictator who was “always right.” Probably given courage by their talks with Walter and Floyd, the other leaders and the church members confronted the pastor with his arrogance, and they asked him to step down from leadership. The next Sunday, he locked the building (which he owned), and they had to find a new place to meet, which might have been for the best.

Max -

Max was an elderly bachelor, wiry and fit, who was still on the mountain rescue team. He began coming to the Bible studies in his town and after a while, Floyd thought he had made a decision to follow the Lord.

“Max, why don’t you come to church some Sunday?”

“No, I don’t think I will.”

“Could you tell me why not?”

“Because religions will capture you and not let you go.”

Floyd chuckled and teased, “You are right, Max. Walter, go get the handcuffs; we need to lock up Max!”

While agreeing with Max that many religions and cults do require attendance, and do not let you go, he assured Max that he would always be free to go.

Eventually, Max came to church and became one of the men who helped lead the church. In 2014, when we visited Austria, Max took us on a cruise on the Danube. He admitted to Floyd that the whole reason he had become such a vital part of the church was that he always felt the freedom to leave.

Amstetten –

Walter and Floyd often went to Bible studies together. Walter loved to drive, but Floyd said he drove like a crazy man. Floyd half expected that he might someday get up out of the driver’s seat – while still driving – and go to the back of the van to get some water! Walter said that Floyd was super easy to work with, and Floyd was so blessed to have someone so capable and easy to work with. They were both hard workers, and rarely saw reasons not to begin another Bible study.

One of the towns in which they never had a Bible study was Amstetten. It was about three hours west of St. Pölten. They held the gardening seminars there, but it soon became clear that it was just too far away for a bi-weekly study. There were people around Amstetten who were interested in a Bible study, and some of them would drive all that way to St. Pölten to attend one, but Floyd and Walter were exhausted, and just couldn’t do it. Where were more missionaries to join the harvest? To this day, I don’t know if there is a thriving work in Amstetten – and it has a population of over 23,000. Not to mention thousands of other European towns and villages with no Gospel witness. “. . . Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest” (John 4:35). I think that’s why it’s called a mission “field.”

Carolus –

Floyd led a Bible study in a town called Zwettl. It was two hours from our home in Maria Anzbach, and was just a stone’s throw from the western border of the Czech Republic. The Bible study was in a restaurant, and Floyd always arrived early and ordered a cheese-stuffed hot dog, wrapped in crisp bacon. Then the handful of people who came to the Bible study would order cola or sparkling water or beers or tea. In this way, the restaurant was happy for them to keep coming.

One evening, although it was snowing, Floyd made the decision to go to the Bible study anyway. Remember, there were no cell phones, and there was often no way to contact people to cancel a study. Floyd arrived at the restaurant and ordered his usual hot dog. A little after starting time, Carolus blew in, stomping off snow from his boots. No one else showed up.

“Why did you come?” Carolus asked.

“To get my hot dog. Why did you come?”

“Because I didn’t want you to come for nothing, but I really didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Let’s read.”

“But maybe you should go home before the snow gets too deep.”

“Nah, I came to read. Let’s read.” And they did.

When we left Austria, Carolus cried, and told Floyd that he didn’t know how he would be able to stay faithful to the Lord without Floyd. How could he go on without a Bible study?

In 2013, we visited Lower Austria and Floyd was the speaker at their Bible conference. It was lovely to see our old friends, but there were also so many people we didn’t know, who had come to the Lord after we left. One of them was a young woman who was handicapped. She said that she came to know the Lord because Carolus gave her a tract and told her she should read the Bible. When her life became desperate, she went to Carolus and asked him about how she should read the Bible. Reluctantly, he started a Bible study with her, and soon others were attending.

Carolus admitted that at first, he didn’t think he could do it, but that the Lord helped him. He also told Floyd that the catalyst in his life had been that snowy evening when a young American Christian had thought Carolus was important enough to drive two hours in a snowstorm just to meet with him. “Jesus would have come, if I had been the only person.”

Floyd’s Epilogue – June 2016

I and another professor took thirteen students to Vienna during the summer of 2016. When the believers in the church in St. Pölten found out we were in the area, they asked me to preach a short sermonette on Sunday for a baptism that was going to take place immediately after church in a lake. I reconnected with a lot of friends I hadn’t seen in years. I even got choked up a couple of times. People who had attended the first Bible studies were there, but more importantly – more miraculously – their children and grandchildren were there as well.

They held a long communion service before the sermon, and for one hour, the men stood and taught about Jesus’ love and sacrifice before serving the elements. Nothing was planned or orchestrated. Some asked for a hymn or song to be sung, others chose their own passage to share and comment on, some prayed aloud. It was an hour of intense worship with some of the deepest theology from the Old Testament and the Book of Hebrews and the Gospels. I remember being stunned. When I got up to preach, I felt weak in the knees. I looked over the audience and saw people who loved us for bringing them the Gospel, and they had grown so much, that I opened by telling them that their communion service showed me that I had nothing to teach them they didn’t already know. I don’t remember what I preached for the next twenty minutes.

After the service, everyone piled into cars, and we all headed for the lake. It took about an hour to baptize four or five people. An elder thanked the Lord for the commitment of these new believers, for the beautiful blue sky with no rain, and for the food. Then everyone, families and singles, laid out their blankets and spread out a feast fit for kings. The children and young people (and not so young people) moved from blanket to blanket sampling everyone’s contributions. Then the children hit the water.

I could wonder why we ever left Austria, even though I felt driven to go to Russia, but it all came together as I said my final goodbyes and headed toward the car. Siggi caught up with me, and we walked to the car together. He had been one of the first to help establish the church years earlier.

He said, “Floyd, I want to thank you and to encourage you.”

I waited.

“You told me, years ago just before you went to Russia that our church would go through four stages. Initial euphoria, like a honeymoon stage; growth in spirit and numbers; conflict and war; and if we fought the spiritual battle well, maturity as a local church.”

I didn’t actually remember saying all that.

Siggi’s face lit up and he continued, “We did go through all four stages. The third stage was rough. Really rough. I won’t bore you with all the details, but you taught us how to keep focused on Jesus, the Gospel, and the Bible, and we pulled it off. I believe that we made it into the fourth stage. Yes, we still have to keep up the good fight, but we are stronger because we were victorious through the third stage. Thank you, that you and Christine came to Austria, and especially to St. Pölten, to give us the Gospel and to start our church.”

I never saw that coming.

We Never Saw It Coming: An Introduction to Christian Missions (textbook)

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