09/05/07

Harold's Tile Ministry and Testimony

       Harold has been able to give tractor trailer loads of floor tile to ministries and orphanages around the globe.   Currently, Harold operates out of his tiny office (about a 5 X 10 room) in an old feed mill that he has acquired, and he has used this old feed mill as a warehouse to store tractor trailer load pallets of floor tile that have either been given to him, or he has been able to purchase over time.  God has miraculously provided the funds to be able to buy and give away hundreds of thousands of dollars of floor tile in the past few years.  But as soon as he gets it in, he gives it away to ministries, churches, orphanages and those in need.  Occasionally he sells the tile at a low price to offset the cost of shipping, storing, and giving it to others. 

      Harold is a sight to behold in his tiny office in the old feed mill.  There are photos of the ministry trips to Russia and photos of past ministries that he has started and maintained, plastered all over the walls of his little office like wallpaper.  He has either started or been instrumental in running many ministries:  The Youth Challenge Center in Clarksville, TN; The Christian Servicemen's Center in Clarksville, TN; many tent revival trips all over the nation, and of course his latest vision to reach the children in orphanages in Russia.  There is so much to say about the extraordinary vision and faith of this man that it is impossible to express what all he has been involved in throughout his life. 

       Many people have come to know Jesus through this man who grew up in Pennsylvania.  Here is Harold's testimony:

Harold Witmer was born and reared in York County, Pennsylvania.  His father was drafted into the Navy when Harold was 7 years old.  At that time the family was living along the railroad tracks in York, Pa.  The railroad was the main troop carrier at that time and ladies from the area would bring sandwiches to the soldiers and sailors and pass them through the windows as the trains stopped at the station and then slowly make their way through the city. 

One incident remains a poignant memory.  The military personnel would not find out what port they would be shipped from to the European front until they were locked into the passenger railcars.  Some of the soldiers would then write letters and throw them out of the windows to be mailed , giving their loved ones the information of their port of departure.  One such letter  floated with the rainwater by the railroad track in front of Harold’s house.  He was sent by his aunt to pick up the letter and bring it to her.  Because it was so wet, his aunt had to rewrite it in order to be legible.  Six months later she received a letter from the lady to whom it had been addressed thanking her for  her efforts in finding and rewriting the letter. Her husband was killed on Omaha Beach.  Because of receiving the letter she had been able to see him off at the port and spend two days with him.  This would never have been possible had it not been for that letter. 

 After his father returned from the war, the family moved to a farm  in Glen Rock, Pa.  While on the farm, Harold, a totally non-religious person, looked up at the stars and said, “God if you are there, I’d really like to know you.”  This prayer was the beginning of a life that he would never have imagined. 

 Not long after that two teenage boys who lived on a neighboring farm invited Harold to go to see the Billy Graham film, “Mr. Texas”.  The movie had a great impact but he did not know how to know Christ personally.  One night while he was driving through the city of York, he passed a church that he had passed many times before.  He had the strange urge to stop and go in.  Taking a seat in the very back of the church, he found himself soon surrounded  by people.  Not wishing to make a scene by leaving, he stayed to hear a very clear presentation of John 3:16 by the pastor, Rev. Ralph Boyer.  When the invitation was given, he responded by walking down the aisle to the front of the church and gave his heart to Christ.  He was given a small red booklet by the man who counseled him called “The Gospel of John” but Harold could not read it. 

 When returning to the church, he met one of the girls, Faye Kreidler, who noticed he was not able to read and offered to help him learn.  She was a bright spot in Harold’s life, for not only did she help him read but played piano, organ, and violin.  Harold immediately wanted to share his faith with everyone and began holding street meetings, church meetings, passing out tracts and other projects with the youth from the church.  In just about a year Faye was leaving for college at Northwestern College in Minneapolis.

 Harold knew he could not go to college because he had never been to high school.  He heard someone say they had gotten their education in the military and so he ended up at Ft. Dix, N.J., in basic training.  He volunteered to go Airborne and was shipped to Ft. Campbell, KY.  While there at one of the army chapels, he met Navy Chief James Varian.   Jim immediately got Harold in a Bible Study taught by Col. Cecil Hill and enrolled him in a Navigators Bible Memory Course.  The Colonel was impressed with Harold’s dedication to Christ and invited him to work for him in the Post Comptroller’s Office where he assumed the duty of Clerk.  Shortly thereafter, the Colonel realized Harold was very limited in his clerical ability and sent him to classes at night in the Adult Education program .   There he found he had to start at the 3^rd grade level.  This was the opportunity that Harold needed.  He wrote to his girlfriend in college, and she would correct the grammar and spelling and mail the letters back to him.  Harold’s goal was to finish high school before Faye finished college and that goal was achieved.  .

 Because of the Colonel’s involvement with the Christian Business Men’s Committees of America, it opened the doors for Harold to speak across the country while on duty at Ft. Campbell.  When his tour of duty was finished in the Army, Harold and his buddies along with Col. Hill opened the Christian Servicemen’s Center in Clarksville, TN.  Harold then asked Faye to join him and they were married at Ft. Campbell.  During the Viet Nam era, thousands of troops were passing through Ft Campbell in basic training.  The Servicemen’s Center became a strategic spot for these recruits.  The local churches would provide food and the soldiers would pack the place.  Many hundreds met Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour during those days. 

 It was also during that time that many of the fathers were sent to Viet Nam leaving the mothers behind with the children.  Harold and a friend, Jim Yeatts, opened a store front youth center for the boys that were getting into trouble with the law as a result of little parental control.  They named it initially Boys Challenge Center.  Later this was changed to Youth Challenge.