What happened next I will do my best to describe, but honestly you would have just had to have been there to fully enjoy the craziness of the moment. Following our directions, we exited off on a wrong exit and not
knowing where to go, Larry and I said simultaneously, "We need to get directions again." We at once noticed that there was a Sheriff's car parked about 200 feet ahead of us. "Perfect!" we thought! Certainly we would be able to get directions from the sheriff as this is his/her territory. Larry pulled the Suburban up close to the Sheriff car, and I motioned to the uniformed individual in the car hoping to get a response, but there was no response. I waved again and again, and after still being unable to attain a response, it dawned on me that the sheriff had fallen asleep on duty. Giving the benefit of the doubt I told Larry, "It must be time for his lunch break and he's taking a little nap."
Still in pursuit of directions to a Perkins, we eventually made our way down the street hoping to find someone willing to help. We finally found a lady willing to help and relayed our curious experience. She said she had driven down the street for weeks and never realized it was a dummy in there; the whole time she thought it was a real policeman. It goes to show "Things are not always as they appear!"
Getting the wrong directions, getting off the wrong exit and putting ourselves in a potentially interesting situation was, in the end, worth the hours of laughter it provided.
That was the fun side of the week. The rest of the week followed with literally a flood of phone calls, e-mails and letters from friends, partners and families whose lives have been shattered by untimely news of breast cancer, death of an evangelist friend who had battled cancer, death of a 23 year old daughter by a car accident, a young mother strolling her newborn who was struck and killed by a car, another partner and wife whose motorhome blew a tire resulting in it flying 75 ft airborne causing significant injuries, another partner who is facing very serious financial decisions, a partner struggling with eyesight issues and the trials continue on and on.
Again, I am reminded how fragile life is. I become aware of how dependent we are on God as well as for praying friends to help carry us through trials and tribulations. Today I have been drawn to Isaiah 43:1-4 (NKJV),
"But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name; You are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
3 For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior…
4 Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored,
And I have loved you…"
It appears everyone that I meet is facing a life changing challenge. We need to remain faithful to pray for each other like we have never prayed before. It is prayer that makes the difference in lives. Take a few moments right now to pray for those God brings to your mind.
PIC OF THE WEEK
Baked Zucchini
Cook zucchini in boiling salted water until almost done, drain. Season with salt and pepper. Melt butter; add onion, celery and meat. Cook until lightly browned. Add bread cubes, zucchini, and sauce with spices. Place in baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 6.
 For a limited time, with the purchase of Tastes of Friendship ,  you will receive one of our best selling cookbooks, Lunchies, Munchies and Household Hints for FREE! To take advantage of this offer, click here to go to our online store, and add Tastes of Friendship to your cart only. You will receive your free cookbook in the mail shortly after. You may also call the office at 605-698-7007. Enjoy! |
Purchase a new coffee grinder and mark it "spices". It can be used to grind most spices. However, cinnamon bark, nutmeg and others must be broken up a little first. Clean the grinder after each use.
small piece of paper with a string attached. She asked that we write our prayer requests on it and tie it to a balloon. She then beckoned us to go out onto the balcony of the beautiful A-framed lodge that was nestled among hundreds of towering pine trees. In a quiet moment, we prayed over the requests represented and then released the balloons (along with the needs/burdens represented) go. They soared up, up, up and soon were in infinity.
the words, "If you find this balloon, please call Park Rapids Assembly of God at this number to let us know where you found this balloon." 
On Sunday morning, Larry and I sang and ministered in the two morning services at Oak Creek Assembly of God. It has been a joy to watch my brother's church grow through the years from less than 20 to over 2300. Jerry and Sherry's hearts beat for the lost and hurting and so do ours, so we are a good fit for ministry. We love that church. They never fail to welcome us with open arms and an excess of love! It is always exciting to see what God is going to do next at Oak Creek Assembly of God.
weekend with Larry and Gloria. Larry presented the message of salvation in a way that anyone could clearly understand, whether they came from a churched or unchurched background. 88 decisions for Christ were registered that morning, with many of them being first-time decisions.Thank you for being such a great blessing to all of us at Oak Creek Assembly of God!"
invitation for those to come to Christ, he raised his hand and went forward. You know how tough 19 year olds are to reach, but without hesitation, he responded to receive Christ this morning. Your trip here would have been worth it even if it were just for my son." 
a private meal and evening gathering. Several prayed the prayer of salvation that evening answering the prayer of Leo and Dorothy that lives would be changed.
was so touched to see people of all ages and all walks of life who turned to God. 
There was a joy of a testimony like that of Jason and Carol Reed from Cohasset, MN. Jason sauntered up to me and said, "My parents came to Christ under your ministry years ago and our family and our lives were never the same again. Thanks for being at the right place at the right time." His wife Carol added, "Oh, I have followed your ministry for years and years, since I was a little girl." (wow - that made me feel old -ha!) The Reed's are such a sweet family.
Schumacher, greeted Larry at the counter and said, "Larry, I know you. I'm coming to see you and Gloria tomorrow. Larry, my dad got saved in your service here 3 years ago. He now has terminal cancer and is in his last days - but thank God, we know he'll be in Heaven and we'll see him again." When I talked to Linda on Sunday I told her the trip here 3 years ago would've been worth it, even if only for her father. With tears in her eyes she acknowledged, "Yes, it would've been." It's those testimonies that give us the strength to keep pushing on to win the Lost.
Larry and Gloria will always be welcomed by our people at Park Rapids Assembly of God Church."
I was just sitting here thinking about how quickly this summer has passed by, especially with all the events and busyness. I was thinking back to a couple weeks ago when LaDawn and Dante and Myanna spent a couple days with us in Minnesota. The grandkids begged Grandpa to come into the lake and swim with them. Being the kid he is… he did. They played, had water fights, giggled and laughed. After they ran out of energy, Myanna got on her green river raft and was floating in the water. Amidst all the fun, Myanna noticed that she had floated out to a depth over her head, panicked and hollered for Papa! Quickly he dashed towards her and soon was up to his chin in the water. She hollered again as Larry stretched out his arms into the deep water to grab the raft. Successfully, he was able to grab a corner and pull her into shallow water. Relieved, but still a bit scared, I heard Myanna say to Dante, "Dante, Grandpa would've been willing to die to save me." What a touching compliment. 
For a limited time, 
August. Larry has had the privilege to attend every General Council since 1961. It is a good opportunity for him to reconnect with pastors and old friends, as well as, to make new friends and open the doors for scheduling rallies in fresh areas with newly acquainted pastors. The trip from Sisseton to Orlando and back was a total of 3,600 miles. That is a long trip! Larry also served as a relief driver for the bus driver during this marathon trip. I would say that Larry has had enough experience driving motorcoaches to be of help! (Chuckle!) He was also excited to be able to spend time with the young people in order to challenge them in soulwinning and to encourage them that they can be a light in a dark world making a profound impact on their peers' lives. We 
desperately need this young generation to reach others in their generation. There are so many that are already lost, broken and hurting at such young ages. Who will reach them?
Now…for me…I stayed at our home office and alternated between keeping fires going and putting fires out. I am on the road about 9-10 months out of the year so I long for this time to be "home". I capitalized on this time and took the privilege of spending extra moments with my precious mother who is 93 years young. She is amazing and so full of fun and life. I also had a surprise….our daughter, LaShawn, from Nashville, TN, came through this area so I was able to spend nearly two days with her. It is a rare occurrence with both of our traveling schedules---if we are here…she is there…and vice versa! I miss my children and grandchildren so much; if we are anywhere close, we try to grab the opportunity to see them whenever we can. Larry was also able to sneak in some time with 
LaShawn on his way back to Sisseton. All in all, it was a busy but enjoyable week. Any time with family is precious!
On Wednesday, July 15th, we drove to Sumner, IA, to sing and minister at the Faith Evangelical Church. From the moment we drove into the community, we felt excitement in the air. As we drove down Main Street, I said, "Larry, look!" Up on the movie theatre marquee, it read, "Land of the Lost, PG-13" and then directly underneath, "Lundstrom Event at Faith". I thought how fitting that was as we came to reach the lost in that community. How timely! We drove into the church parking lot and were greeted by exuberant church members anxious to help us load in and set up. They were upbeat and joyful…very willing to help and assist in any way they could. Years ago we ministered there with the Lundstroms when we conducted a Citywide crusade in which great numbers came to Christ. Now, these many years later, many of those who made decisions in that rally have grown and matured in Christ plus those who have worked as counselors are still there encouraging, serving God
and making an impact on the community. 
candied carrots, salads, rolls and fresh apple pie. What a treat! Our granddaughter, Myanna, savored every bite….and so did we! They shared this about the rally:
Don and Alice Cox. It was so good to be back with them at Celebration Assembly of God. Pastor Don Cox has been a spiritual mentor to Larry and I for several years. We cherish our time together and always leave strengthened and refreshed to "go for it and win the Lost". Thank you, Pastor Cox.
in attendance. It was truly a pleasure to see my cousins and their families that I seldom have the opportunity to see. One cousin looked at me in the lobby and said, "You've got to be a Brooks. You look like a Brooks!" For those two days, we would laugh as we looked at each other and all the relatives; we definitely saw the resemblance. We knew that we were a part of the Solon-Brooks family.
she informed us her marriage was in trouble and she was suffering from severe depression. The other night, Phyllis said, 
Another "pearl" in that Harlan altar call was Candie Olson, a mother of two. She walked up to me in the fellowship hall radiating such joy. 
such compassion from the pastors who officiated the funeral. I was moved by their compassion. I have been coming back for two weeks. Tonight, I loved your music and was especially touched when you expressed that God is always with us all the time. I needed that! While I was sitting in the service and came to the altar, I felt a tugging at my heart and I heard God say that tonight was the night that I should give my heart to Him and that He would fill the void. I did and I feel so happy and free. Thank you for being here!"
were thrilled to see five respond to the altar call. A counselor rejoiced, "We have prayed years and years for that gentleman…he would only go to church on Easter and Christmas, but he came tonight and gave his heart to Christ." His response was definitely an answer to many prayers that have gone up to the Lord for years on his behalf. 
weeds, doing away with potato bugs, pickin beans and other veggies, mowing the grass, housework, laundry, cooking and baking, babysitting, canning, ironing…just to name a few of the odd jobs! With all that being said, we really didn't have time to think on self. As soon as my brothers were old enough to do much of the above, at about age of 8 or 10, they were promoted to another part of the family work force. My father took them down to his business, Brook's Motors where they started sweeping floors, polishing cars, and chasing parts. Eventually they became part's men, automechanics, car salesmen, and auto painters/detailers. Six of my brothers stayed with the car dealership, two went into ministry, one became a school teacher in MN, and another an engineer for Boeing Aircraft in Seattle, WA. No doubt about it, Mom and Dad taught us how to work and demanded that we work hard, do our best, be men and women of integrity, and a light and testimony in a dark world. Dad engrained in us that no matter what we were told to do-do it-if you don't know how to do it-do it-if you didn't want to do it-do it-if you didn't like the job-do it. There were no excuses or no "outs"; it was going to be done! Even though we fussed and whined about a lot of the work he made us do, it prepared us for the long and intense life we were about to encounter. 
We arrived home May 28th. The next day, LaDawn and our two grandchildren scurried home for the long Memorial Day weekend. Even though we came home road weary and seemingly braindead, it was so refreshing and fun to have them come as a welcome committee. 
up to us after church and said, "We really enjoyed your ministry. You touched our hearts." A few minutes later, a lady and her husband, (about my age…young! HA!) approached me with tears of joy, "I have always been in church and thought I was okay because I was a good religious person, but this morning, I felt God tugging on my heart to rededicate my life because I had more of religion than a relationship." She continued, "After I prayed, I felt something I have not felt before…an assurance of my salvation. Now when I die, I know I will go to heaven. " She bubbled, "oh yes, my daughter gave her life to Christ for the first time also!" 
touching everyone in attendance at the rally!"
Last Sunday, May 17th, was another big milestone in my life - I turned 65. It was also our daughter LaDawn's birthday; it's so great to be able to celebrate our birthdays together. Our son Donovan called to wish me a Happy Birthday and nonchalantly asked how old I was. I quipped, "It's the big one, the Medicare birthday - I'm 65!" There was a short pause of silence and a slight groan as he said, "Noooo, you're not 65." I reaffirmed him, "Oh yes." I'm reminded of the woman who had never met the love of her life, and her biological clock was ticking away. Someone stopped and asked her how old she was, factually, she responded, "I'm too young for Medicare…and too old for men-to-care." Cute huh!
"Larry and Gloria have such a warm and genuine spirit about them. We want to express our appreciation to the Lundstrom's ministry for the time they spent with us. During that time it was evident in all they said and did that their passion for ministry is seeing the lost encounter Jesus by His Spirit."
