Greetings from Sisseton!  Needless to say…it has been action-packed since we arrived home from the services in Tennessee, time spent recording, and services in Iowa and Minnesota.  Like they say back here, "No time for grass to grow under our feet." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday the 22^nd, we went to Elbow Lake, MN to minister at the Victory in Life church with Pastor Mike and Janice Cieniawski.  Elbow Lake is a small community and they have a beautiful small church with beautiful people.  On Sunday morning, Larry and I were preparing to enter the sanctuary to begin the service when a couple, Merlin and Lois Windom, entered the church.  Merlin greeted Larry, "Hi Larry,  I gave my heart to Christ when you were here two years ago."  The smile on his face and his wife's face convinced both of us that Merlin had made the right decision when he responded to the altar call that beautiful summer Sunday morning, two years ago.  I stepped forward and shook his hand, trying to hold myself together emotionally, "Merlin, you have just given me more mileage to go on - you coming to Christ and growing spiritually is like a blood transfusion to Larry and I - it makes this life on the road worth all the effort!" 

 

  

 

It was wonderful to be back with Pastor Mike and Janice. Their church supports us monthly to send us to reach the lost. 

 

 

"We had a great with Larry and Gloria. We look forward to hosting them again. Their ministry focus is sous for the Kingdom of God, and that is truly refreshing."

 

Thanks again,

 

Mike & Janice Cieniawski

Victory In Life Church, Elbow Lake, MN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"We enjoyed your service, the music, humor and ministry SO much. Thank you for being genuine." 

-David & Jessica Cieniawski

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Larry and I always said we would never turn down a smaller church who wants evangelism and desires to see lives changed. I like what Larry often says, "If God is in it, there is always gold in the altar call."  Yes, Victory in Life church is small, and we had a small crowd, but God did big things at the altar. 

 

Speaking of Larry, he will be zooming past another milestone in celebrating his birthday next Saturday, June 28^th.  He will be the big 71!  Larry's zeal for evangelism is great, or greater, than it was thirty years ago, and I praise God for that.  I thank God for allowing me the joy and privilege of having such a wonderful husband, friend, trenchmate, buddy, father to our children, and grandpa to our grandchildren.  I'm grateful that he always has such a great outlook on life and is always so upbeat!  He spoils this Norweigan and…I love it. 

As I sit here in our living room, the sun is just setting and out on our deck are two doves perched on the railing.  For the past two years, they have been there every morning at sunrise and at every sunset.  I keep telling Larry that God sent them to our home just for me to remind me of one word, "peace," which I always need and desire as I face every situation and action-packed days filled with office work and decisions to be made.  Every time they land on the deck, I smile and thank God for sending them as encouragement to remind me of the verse, "God will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Me." (Isaiah 26:3)

 

 

This coming Sunday, June 29^th, we will be singing and ministering in Brookings, SD at 10:00 a.m.:

 

First Assembly of God

416 17^th Ave. S.

Brookings, SD 57006

605-695-3883

 

We'd love to have you come and join us!  And…if you're on vacation, plan to stop in, come as you are - we'd love to see you!

 

SUMMER UP & COMING SCHEDULE:

 

July 6    AM     Battle Lake, MN, Battle Lake Alliance Church, 218-864-5539

July 13  AM     Huron, SD, Huron First Assembly of God, 605-352-4896

July 20  AM     Sioux Falls, SD, Calvary Assembly of God, 605-336-9270

Aug. 3   AM    Lowry, MN, Lowry Community Covenant Church, 320-424-0560 

Aug. 10  AM    Watertown, SD, Christian Life Assembly of God, 605-886-3392

 

Gloria

 

P.S.  The EARLY BIRD SPECIAL for the National Quartet Convention motorcoach tour to Pigeon Forge, TN, is good until June 30th.  We would love to have you  join us! Click on the photo below for more information.

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"Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmer's year--it brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul."
 

- Unknown

                                                          

 

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Not only does Colorado have pot...so does Iowa! 

(Please excuse Larry's humor)

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Seven Layer Salad

1 head cup up lettuce

4 oz pkg shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup cut up celery

1 onion diced

1 cup raw cauliflower, cut up

1 cup frozen peas

2 cups Miracle Whip

2 Tbsp sugar

8 slices crisply cooked bacon, broken into pieces

 

Layer everything in order listed.  Do not stir.  Let set overnight before serving. *Sprinkle bacon on top right before serving.

 

 

 

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Greetings from Iowa!  Well…the true fact is…I am one year older than I was when I wrote the last "On the Road" update.  As the saying goes, "Time stops for no man/woman." (I guess that means me too!)  As I have always said, "I don't mind growing older, if I don't have to grow up!"   My kids attest to the fact that will never happen with me!

 

 

 

 

 

I was honored and privileged to speak on Mother's Day at Living Waters Assembly of God in Alexandria, MN, with Pastor Sam and Jenny McKay.  After I delivered a message to moms and families, I called the families up to pray with and for each other.  How precious was the sight of tears of restoration followed by tears of joy! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have had two wonderful rallies here in Iowa.  Last Sunday morning, we ministered at Harlan First Assembly of God with Pastor Al & Ella Hazelton.  That particular Sunday also happened to be Graduation Day so it was especially thrilling that amidst all of those who responded to the altar call to make a commitment to Christ was a high school student who was graduating that very day.  You and I know she will need all of Christ to walk well and thrive through the decisions and times she will face in the near future.

 

"When the line of people stretches from one side of the auditorium to the other, all responding to a salvation altar call, we are reminded that good evangelists are truly a gift to the church. People give their hearts to Jesus every time Larry and Gloria come to minister here. We are thankful for those in whom the call has not faded. Come back soon !"

Pastor Al and Ella Hazelton
Harlan First Assembly
Harlan, Iowa
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How great it was to see Gary and Phyllis Hanson who came to Christ when we were in Harlan IA in 1983.  Since then, they have been involved in numerous outreaches and ministries leading others to Christ.  We will have their testimony featured in an upcoming newsletter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What an evening of fun, fellowship, singing and ministry!  And then…the altar call!!!  Dozens stood to pray the salvation prayer and many came forward to make a public commitment.  How thrilling!  We had six pastors and churches who joined in the event. (I had intended to get them together for a picture but it just didn't work out…Sorry!  We were so blessed by their cooperation.)  It was a delight to meet Rev. Keith Menter, the pastor of the Elk Horn Lutheran Church, who graciously hosted us in his church.  What a joyful pastor!  We love working with the churches of all denominations!  

 

 "Larry and Gloria are very respectful of denominational diversity. Faithfully maintains the goal of bringing people to Jesus so that they may worship in their own chosen setting. A very valuable resource for congregations."

Rev. Keith Menter

Elk Horn Lutheran Church, Elk Horn, IA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We want to thank Peggy Hansen.  Her delightful upbeat spirit and gift of hospitality was such a blessing as well as all she did to help set up arrangements for us to be part of the Danish Elk Horn Festival.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A special thanks also to Pastor Matt & Sandy Anderson of the Audobon Assembly of God for helping make arrangements and set up the sound system.  They are a precious ministry couple! 

 

 

 

 

"It was so good to have Larry and Gloria at the Elk Horn Iowa Danish celebration Tivoli festival. As usual, the presence of the Holy Spirit filled the Lutheran church as they sang and ministered the Word of the Lord. Over half the congregation responded as Larry gave the invitation!"

 

Rev. Matt & Sandy Andersen

Audobon Assembly of God, Audobon, IA

 

We will soon be packing up and heading down the road ending up in Camden, TN, this coming Saturday.  We will have a service at Camden First Assembly of God.  If you have friends in this area, please give them a call and invite them out to join us for service on Sunday morning at 10:00 AM.  For more information/directions, you can call 731-584-5236.

From Camden, we will then make our way to Nashville, TN.  Our plan and intention is to record some "old and new" songs for an upcoming CD project.  We are also very anxious to see Donovan, LaDawn, our grandchildren and our son in law while we are there.  Have a blessed week!

We will chat again in a few weeks!

 

 

Gloria

 

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Home…how sweet it is!  After being gone four months, needless to say, we were anxious to get HOME! 

Those Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota winds literally blew us to Sisseton.  In our nearly 50 years of traveling, I don't think we have ever seen such constant unrelenting winds.  As I shared in the last update, when we were coming through Nebraska, the vicious winds ripped off the air conditioner roofmount cover exposing all the internal mechanisms.  That cover is probably three states away by now.  HA!  We were so very thankful for the children's pastor from York, NE who joined Larry on the roof to create a temporary fix.  They did a good job because the fix made it all the way home!

 

April 27^th was our last service on this tour in Wagner, South Dakota.  What a great weekend of ministry at Wagner Community Church with Pastor Jason Hvode.  God graciously anointed the music and message.  Also we were so blessed to meet and get to know such a gracious and wonderful Pastor and family that has such a zeal to reach the Lost in his community.

 

 

 

"Where do Larry and Gloria get the energy to continue after so many years of wonderful ministry? "The joy of The Lord is my strength". The joy of The Lord is the first thing I noticed about this wonderful couple the first time I met them many years ago, and the joy of The Lord is still evident as they minister today, giving them strength to continue their mission of helping people find spiritual birth. The joy they share with everyone they come into contact with results in people being willing to give hearing to the Good News message the Lundstrom's share. We had a wonderful response when they visited; some were visitors, some were recommitments, and some were first time responses to the Gospel by people who have been part of our church for years. This confirms the call of the ministry of the evangelist, and every pastor who desires to teach and make disciples should partner with a trusted evangelist in continued effort to populate heaven. The joy of The Lord? The Lundstrom's have still "got it"!"

 Pastor Jason Hvode

Wagner Community Church

Wagner, SD

 

 

 

 

With Mother's Day this weekend, we pray that you will take the time to honor your mother and

grandmothers.  Larry and I are so blessed to be able to still have my mom, Julie Brooks, who is now 98 years old.  Here is the Mother's Day article I wrote for our monthly newsletter….

 

A Gift of Hunger 

On May 17^th I reach another milestone…my 70^th birthday!  Where did the years go - but what I really celebrate is my spiritual birthday which is April 1952 when I was 8 years old. I invited Jesus to come into my heart at the old Gospel Tabernacle in Sisseton, SD.

 

Let me go back even further…I remember when I was about 5-6 years old, I was lying on the old couch in the living room.  I would lay there and stare at a framed photo of a young man with light cream attire, long flowing hair, gentle eyes and a peaceful look on His face.  I thought it must have been a picture of a relative I hadn't met as we had numerous photos around the house of cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.  I remember the exact moment that I stopped my mother who was scurrying through the living room, toting my baby brother in her arms.  Being the inquisitive young girl I was, and maybe lacking a bit of patience, I stopped her and asked, "Mom, who is that?"  She stopped, looked at the picture and turned to me with an unforgettable expression on her face as she said, "Jesus."  I didn't know anybody by that name but I thought, "He must be a very special cousin to have his photo hanging on the wall."  Again I quizzed, "Where does he live?"  A bit hesitant she answered, "Heaven."  I figured that was the name of the town that he lived in and we didn't travel very far so that made sense.  Again I pressed, "Where is heaven?"  She sat down on the couch as I snuggled up to her and in her own way she tried to explain that heaven was way up in the sky. I kept prodding, "Tell me more about this heaven."  I remember being mesmerized as she began telling me the little bit she knew at that time.  "There is no night there; it's always light (I liked that as I was scared of the dark), no tears (that meant no sadness, I like that!), and that we could live there forever and ever if we were good (well, that one had me a bit rattled as I wasn't always perfect- ha!)." 

From that conversation and on, day after day and month after month, I would lie there on that couch staring and studying that picture with so many other questions filling my thoughts.  Here's more of the story…..

After my brother Jerry, the 8^th child, was born into our family, my dad drove by the little Gospel Tabernacle on a warm spring night where an Evangelist from England was preaching. The church windows were open so my dad sat and listened from the car and was touched by the message.  He came home and insisted we visit this church.  April 1952 at 8 years of age, I was sitting next to my mom, dad and my brothers when the altar call was given to invite Jesus to come into our hearts.  We all stood up, stepped forward as a family and asked Jesus to forgive us our sins and to live in our hearts.  It was the first time I felt Jesus. I felt an overwhelming joy, peace and a giggle of gladness fill my insides. That April 1952 morning, our family's lives and destinies were changed. For the first time we experienced the joy of salvation.

 

Sixty two years later---Jesus is more real to me than He was in that moment way back then. 

Mom (Julie Brooks), thank you for the hunger and desire you had for Jesus. Thank you for that picture that initiated the hunger and thirst to know Jesus at a young age. 

Do you know what's really neat? I now have that picture in the original frame placed in my living room.  Every time I look at it, I am reminded and so grateful that mom had that hunger for God which in turn created my thirst and hunger for Him.  Where would I be if it hadn't been for that moment of receiving Christ?  Thank you, Mom.

 

This Sunday, May 11^th I will be speaking in Alexandria, MN at the Living Waters Assembly of God at 9:30 a.m.  Join us for a time of encouragement, love, and laughter! 

 

 

Gloria

 

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On April 15^th, we motored over to Hill City, Kansas, to minister at First Assembly of God with Pastor Stephen Fulks.  Unfortunately the pastor was ill with pneumonia and unable to be there.  {Since that time, we were able to meet with him and we are thankful he is doing much better}.  Jerry and LaDonna Gano did a great job in helping out in his absence.  What an inspiring fun weekend of music, ministry and Larry's crazy jokes!

 

What a blessed time with the Lundstrom's in Hill City Kansas once again. Several churches were represented with some driving 2 ½ hours to attend the service.  As Larry & Gloria have shared, there is always gold found during the alter call. The work of an evangelist is a strong call upon the lives of Larry & Gloria. Their passion for evangelism is strong and evident in all that they do. Lives are ministered to, souls are saved, and hurting people find comfort as a result of the ministry they are passionate about. The Lundstrom's ministry of evangelism to our world is a gift of God to the church and to the world, and lives are impacted and souls are saved into the Kingdom of God. We are so glad that we could be a small part of this ministry.

Jerry & LaDonna Gano, Hill City, KS

 

The first part of the service was light, but as the Holy Spirit began to draw people unto Himself through the message, it was exciting to see those who made first time commitments.  One parishioner commented, "I can't believe ----- went forward."  To which I replied, "Larry and I could never have reached him, but God can and He did."

 

 

Now fast forward again to today.  We are still sitting in the parking lot of New Heights Assembly of God in York, Nebraska.  They were so kind to allow us to nest here for a day so Larry could do some maintenance on top of the motorhome.  These Kansas winds have been wild.  They ripped the shroud cover off the air conditioner on top of the motorhome.  We were so grateful that the Children's Pastor, Pastor Mark Putnum, whom we have known since he was a little boy, was kind enough to scale to the top of the motorhome with Larry and place a tarp where the cover was.  They applied the old duct tape treatment to it!  With heavy storms and rain coming in today, we wanted it secured.  Hopefully it will stay put until we get home next week.  After bucking these high winds in Kansas this past week, I know why Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz kept flying through the air…HA!

 

We are making our way to Wagner, SD, for ministry this weekend at Wagner Community Church, Sunday, April 27 at 10 AM.  We hope you can join us!

 

SPECIAL THANKS….to Greg Grewell for doing some maintenance/oil change on our motorhome.  We were so blessed!  Get this…it took 40 quarts of oil for the oil change.  Wow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gloria

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Happy Easter!

 

As a mother of three, I cannot read the Easter story without connecting with Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Mary not only bore Jesus, but she also mothered Him for 30 years in poor Nazareth.  As a devoted mother, she did everything she could do for the son she knew was no ordinary man.  She surrounded His life with character building influences. 

 

When Mary brought her infant son to be dedicated in the temple, the aged, godly Simeon, taking the Babe in his arms blessing Him, said to His mother, "A sword shall pierce through thy own soul also."  Mary was to experience darkness as well as delight as her firstborn, "went to fulfill His mission in the world." 

 

I can only imagine that Mary's deepest sword-piercing came when in agony she stood beneath that old rugged cross and witnessed the degradation, desolation and death of the One whom she had brought into the world and intensely loved!  She heard the blasphemies and revilings of the priests and the people.  If that were me standing there, and it was my son they were accusing…..believe me….more than likely, this momma would have come out fighting and fought them all single-handed.  There would have been an all out war to spare my son.

 

But…many stood there silent.  If Calvary was our Lord's crown of sorrow, it was likewise Mary's also, yet she displayed great courage.  She saw the light of life go out in her son, but her faith did not die.  While others may have sat and watched the suffering, Mary stood by the cross.  While inside Mary must have fought the feelings of hate and pain, she also knew that Jesus was "her Savior".  She knew it was the divine order of things that she should be found beneath the cross to receive the final benediction of her Son and Savior.

 

 

As He died, those around her had no conception of her inner grief as she stood where her Son could see her.  No mother ever displayed such fortitude as Mary manifested at the cross.  The valor of Mary was shown as her heart was pierced again for that which she brought forth was dying!

 

 

Although some of Jesus' disciples forsook Him and fled,  His mother, Mary's, love never surrendered even though her son was dying as a criminal between two thieves.  In that moment, the tremendous truth must have dawned upon Mary….He who hung upon the cross was not her son…that before the world was, He was, that so far from being His mother, she was herself, His child.  Luke's account states when Mary found favor to conceive Jesus, she said, "My spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Savior."

 

And then…can you imagine three days later hearing the news that her "son" is alive?  Talk about an emotional moment!  Her son is alive!  Not just for the moment but FOREVERMORE!  Her life has changed for all eternity.  Praise God!

 

As we come upon Good Friday, I can't help but remember and reflect upon on how through Calvary, my life, too, has been changed for all eternity.  My life which was apart from God, separated, through the most sacrificial act, the giving of God's only Son as my sacrifice, has now been reconciled, redeemed and restored.  I pray yours has, too.   If you have not taken the opportunity to make the Lord your Savior, I ask that you do not wait one more moment.

 

A  :   Acknowledge that you are a sinner.  ("For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."  Romans 3:23)

B:     Believe that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead.  ("For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not     perish but have everlasting life."  John 3:16)

C:  Confess with your mouth and verbalize your belief.    ("That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:9)

 

It is my prayer that truly this Easter, may you experience His life, death and most of all, the joy of His resurrection!

 

Just a note....we will be ministering in Osborne, Kansas, at Osborne Assembly of God for both morning and evening services.  You can call 785-346-2714 for more information.  The following Sunday, April 27, we will finally arrive in our  home state of South Dakota as we minister in Wagner, SD, at Wagner Community Church.  We hope to see you somewhere along the way!

 

Gloria

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"All our difficulties are only platforms for the manifestations of His grace, power and love."

 ~Hudson Taylor

 

 

 

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This made me think of the phrase..."When life gives you lemons...make lemonade!"

 

Lemonade Pie

 

1 small can frozen lemonade

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 small carton whipped topping

 

 

Line bottom of 8x8 inch pan with graham cracker crust or use a graham cracker pie crust.  Mix frozen lemonade and sweetened condensed milk with mixer.  Add whipped topping and fold in.  Put on top of graham cracker crust.  Chill or freeze.

 

 

 

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“We have all eternity to celebrate the victories but only a few hours before sunset to win them.”  ~Amy Carmichael

 

 

 

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In honor of the fragrant orange blossoms....

 

Orange Salad

 

2 (3 oz) pkgs orange Jello

2 cups hot water

1 pint orange sherbet

1 can mandarin oranges with the juice

 

Mix Jello with the hot boiling water.  Stir until dissolved.  Add oranges with their juice.  Add sherbet.  Chill until set.

 

 

 

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GROW AN ALOE VERA PLANT in a pot near the kitchen door.  Break off a leaf and apply the juice for the best-ever relief from burns or insect bites. The plant will grow and proliferate with little care apart from some occasional watering.  It's a natural remedy, virtually free, and unequalled for burns from stove or iron.

 

 

 

It's March and I am so glad to have Larry home! He just came back from Romania and I wanted to share part of his journey, in his own words, with you:

 

"I was just boarding the plane on February 21^st in Phoenix, for Minneapolis to catch a connecting flight to Romania when I received a call from Pastor John Brady, the leader of our missions trip, “Hey Larry, our flight out of Minot was just cancelled due to the winter blizzard – go on to Minneapolis…we will meet you there tomorrow!”  As a soldier taking orders, - boom – I boarded the plane and thus began the maze of crazy events that would ultimately bring about amazing results.  On this whirlwind journey began in Phoenix to Minneapolis, delayed a day, had to change tickets (which was a miracle), off to Paris, France to Bucarest, Romania into a van and drove 3 hours to our final destination in Constanta, Romania.  Constanta is right on the Black Sea.  The four of us, Pastor John Brady, Eric Wanner, Kyle Johnson, all from the Minot, North Dakota Assembly of God and I were graciously greeted by Dan Mercado. 

 

 

 

 

He escorted us to a boy’s home where we would be staying.  I really didn’t know the exact mission we were to embark on – but after collapsing for a few hours of sleep, we were up and going. 

 

 

Sunday, February 23^rd our first service was held in Maranatha Church in Murfatlar.  The banjo band of young people played worship and Pastor John preached a word “just for them” through an interpreter. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

From that moment on we set out to serve, spending time interacting with the boys at the boy’s home, ministering at the girl’s home across town, visiting patents at a hospital to give them fruit and candy and then we distributed Similac formula and diapers to abandoned babies at the Pediactric Ward (that tore my heart out). 

 

Off we went and prayed with the homeless in a sewer tunnel (unbelievable) and took bags of food to families in the poverty stricken area.  Again I realized how spoiled we are in America with so much – when just handing out a banana brought a smile of gratefulness to a hungry, hopeless and helpless person.  We conducted a mid-week service where we all shared Christ again and prayed with those who were there. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We certainly didn’t have to travel way over to Romania to see all of this - as it is also so prevalent in our own USA, but Gloria and I feel that we also need to go out beyond our walls as He has anointed us to win the Lost and encourage the hurting. 

 

On Friday, February 28^th, we drove to Bucarest, flew to Amsterdam and met a missionary who took us on a whirlwind tour explaining her ministry to prostitutes, as prostitution is legal there.  The tragic sights of those young ladies standing in windows selling themselves made me angry with satan as to how he deceives and ensnares the innocent and tortures them.  This whole week the ageless old song kept going through my mind…”people need the Lord.” 

 

It was am impactful time of ministry in Romania.  I know not everybody can go overseas, but if you know Christ, everyone is anointed to reach out and comfort the brokenhearted, and bless and encourage others.  We need to reach them while we have time and share the good news about the Risen Christ who helps fallen man." 

 

Larry

 

What an encouragement! We have cried both tears of joy and sadness as we've poured over the photos he's taken. It's given him a new resolve to reach the Lost and hurting and we are thankful for the upcoming opportunities that God has gives us to minister.  We'll be at Harvest Church in Glendale, Arizona this Sunday, March 9th. Harvest Church is located at 8340 W. Northern Avenue in Glendale - we'd love to see you at the 9:00 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. service!

 

We'll chat again in a couple of weeks!

 

Gloria

 

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The last aloha from Hawaii! It's been a sweet time of ministry here in Oahu, and now it's time to pack again. It seems like I spend most of my life packing, unpacking, packing, unpacking….it's all part of life "on the road". 

We fly out Thursday, February 13^th in the evening and will arrive Friday morning the 14^th on Valentine's Day in Phoenix, Arizona. I think we will be two exhausted sweethearts! 

We won't be there long and I'll begin to re-pack Larry's suitcase for his missions trip to Romania. This will be his second missions trip joining Pastor John Brady and others from Minot First A/G in Minot, ND. Larry feels so honored to be a part of such a great group of men doing great things for the Kingdom. His last missions trip with them was two years ago when they went to Africa.

With mixed feelings, we held our last service here last Sunday morning at the Jesus Cares Filipino ministry with Pastor Gloria Manera. She is so precious and has such a heart for her Filipino people. She kept thanking us and thanking us for coming again, saying "please come back, our people love your ministry and music."

I feel like a giant next to this petite pastor...she may be little, but she is a mighty woman of God.  We cherish the times we have been blessed to minister with her and the beautiful people of God who attend JCM.

We had a wonderful service and altar call. Larry and I love seeing what God does in the hearts of those He is calling to Him. Yes, I love to see the tears of repentance and joy at the altar...and ultimately it never fails to bring tears of joy to my eyes. 

Larry and I are so blessed to have had such wonderful hospitality from those who provided housing and a car to use while we were here. They've fed us and they've spoiled us, and we certainly enjoyed every minute of it.  One couple, Eric and Debbie baked us a delicious salmon meal with a crab dressing on top...mmmmm, yummy!  We are so thankful to all those who showed us hospitality while we ministered on the Hawaiian islands. 

With Valentine's Day upon us, I am reminded of how blessed I am to have such a wonderful husband who is my best friend and ministry mate. He's a wonderful father to our children and our grandchildren. God truly knew that no one could love and endure this Norwegian like Larry does. He is my inspiration, wind beneath my wings, and a crazy joke teller…I love you babe. Here's a message that I pulled from the archives that Larry wrote to encourage relationships...you may recognize some of these "experiences" in your home {chuckle}:

Marriage can be a real hassle at times! Yes, Gloria and I love each other, but at the same time marriage puts pressures and limits on each other that many times cause friction, fraction and uncalled for, "reactions." If you don't believe me, ask my wife!

Too often, I throw my clothes all over, mess up her clean room, dirty the sink, rip my new slacks - or when she's trying to have a conversation with me, my mind is wandering off a thousand miles away! I've earned the name "space cadet" by my daughters, because there are times I'm not present in mind-only in body!

Then there are the times I feel frustrated by my wife because there's a button missing on my good shirt that I've "politely" reminded her of the last 6 times I wore it. So I'm scavenging all over the bus looking for a safety pin to pin it - in hopes it won't snap open while I'm preaching, puncturing my neck! Sometimes I fume, "How can you remember to buy everything you need when you go shopping and forget the shaving cream I've been out of for 3 days, "making do" with a bar of soap, leaving me a dry, cut and irritated face! You get the idea.

Marriage in reality, undoubtedly is more demanding than any relationship!

To be honest - if we wanted to dissolve our marriage, all we would have to do is focus on all the differences, and irritations like a few I've already mentioned - but we have chosen to focus on the good points. Some days, when all goes wrong, it seems essential you need a magnifying glass to find the good in each other because in that moment all you are tempted to do is nag, condemn, accuse (sounds like I've visited your house?)!

Now that I've been honest, you're thinking, "They must not be happily married!" Regardless of those less-than-fairytale times, in all reality, I believe we are still one of the happiest, married couples I know.

Let me explain---Being married isn't hard - it's living together that sometimes becomes strained!! Even though we may disagree, or sometimes nag each other - still, we love being 

together. We relish dating each other, we love ministering together, we enjoy communicating and sharing our hearts. In fact if you could choose anyone to have fun with, work with, vacation with, or have lunch with - she's the first one that comes to my mind. Not only is Gloria my wife, but she's my best friend! I wouldn't trade our relationship for anything in the world! 

Two verses that have given our marriage meaning, happiness and completion are found in Ephesians. Ephesians 5:22 tells us, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as unto the Lord." He also gave husbands a key. Ephesians 5:25 admonishes, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it."

If Gloria and I, first of all, keep our commitment to Christ fresh -to love and respect Him - then it automatically overflows into our relationship with each other. Then our commitment and respect for each other falls in line - adding up to a happy, blessed, successful (not perfect) working marriage.

If your marriage is feeling the strain and pressure, go back to your first love - Jesus Christ. Recommit your life to Him - then recommit your mate and marriage to Him and you'll begin a new adventure in your marriage relationship. If you will PRAY and PLAY together, you will STAY together!

Have a joyous Valentine's Day this Friday and please remember us in prayer as we travel in the next couple of weeks, and Larry embarks on the missions trip to Romania. We'll chat soon!

Gloria

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