On Sunday morning we ministered at Son Harvest Church in Crosby, TX where he pastors. Not surprisingly, we were greeted by an exceptionally loving and kind congregation. I think they blessed us as much as we were trying to be a blessing to them. When Larry gave the invitation for those to come to Christ or to renew their relationships with Christ, they literally flowed to the altar with tears of repentance flowing down their faces.

"The ministry of Larry and Gloria brought joy, laughter, song, and the true love of Christ into our church. The results were many re-dedications and brand new salvations. What a great time we had. Larry and Gloria also made my wife and I, (the Pastor) feel as if we had known them forever. What a great couple. They will bring life to anyone they come in contact with. This ministry is a must to have in your church."

After church and lunch, Pastor Richard drove us back into Houston where we had the privilege of attending the Elim Church Conference. It's a time of restoration and renewal for Pastors, Missionaries, Evangelists and Ministers. We sat and drank from the well and were immersed in 30 plus hours of ministry in the next 3 days. The teaching and preaching was exceptionally anointed. Larry and I sat like sponges, soaking up encouragement and truths. We were definitely challenged by each session. We also made new friends from several countries and all over the U.S. It was like a bit of Heaven.  It was also fun getting to visit with Dave Walls who is a teacher and Associate Director of Shiloh Ministries in Liberty, TX.

Before leaving Houston, we had the pleasure of spending a couple hours with our friend, John Sommer. John was a keyboardist with us on the road years ago. He was a delight then - and still is. John works with his father, Carl Sommer, who is a devoted author, educator and President of Advance Publishing. Carl has written over a hundred books, many for children and teens, and they have been translated into many languages. His series of children's books have always been a favorite of our grandchildren. John is also a great musician, a partner with his father in Advance Publishing, and has a recording studio amongst his many endeavors.

Last Thursday we flew out of Houston, TX, back to Orlando and on to Winter Haven, FL. The flight coming back was open seating. I sat between 2 business men. The one by the window was a born again Christian, and we had a wonderful time talking about the Lord and discussing scriptures. On the isle side was the other business man who is employed by NASA as a flight director in Houston's NASA command center. What an interesting conversation we had! He, along with 49 others were en route to Cape Canaveral to do the last minute preparation and check-up to make sure that the shuttle is ready for launch (which would be tonight, 3-11-09). The shuttle was supposed to be launched a month ago, but was delayed due to some problems. This man turned to me and asked, "Have you ever gone to Cape Canaveral to watch the lift-off?" Of course, I responded, "No I haven't." I could hardly finish my answer when he turned to me with excitement, eyes all lit up, and said, "Oh, you've just got to go see it - it's the experience of a lifetime. This is NASA's 50^th year anniversary…you don't want to miss it! It's set to launch this coming Wednesday night." He proceeded to direct me to where we should drive to, informing me that there is a place about 5 miles away, which he assured me the sight will be bigger than life. With a chuckle I quickly replied, "The question is will I be able to feel the big thrust at take-off?" To which he responded, "Well I've never been there for it, I'm always in the command center at the screen, direction from Houston…but I'm sure you'll feel it!"

I'm illiterate when it comes to all that NASA stuff, but I thought to myself, "Praise God, I have Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, my protector, provider, friend, and healer at the command center in Heaven looking down and wanting to direct our lives." I'm encouraged to know that Jesus Christ will be coming soon, and I don't feel it's too far off. He's encouraging us to hold fast until He comes. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 declares, "¹⁶For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸Therefore encourage each other with these words."

Wow, what a great lift-off that will be as we go home to Heaven! No Cape Canaveral launch will ever be able to compete with the breathtaking thrill and joy of the Lord coming to take us home. Yes, I'm getting excited just thinking about it!

First Time Rider

A lady decides to try horseback riding, even though she has had no lessons or prior experience.

She mounts the horse unassisted and the horse immediately springs into motion.  It gallops along at a steady and rhythmic pace, but the lady begins to slip from the saddle.  In terror, she grabs for the horse's mane, but cannot seem to get a firm grip.  She tries to throw her arms around the horse's neck, but she slides down the side of the horse anyway.  The horse gallops along, seemingly ignorant of its slipping rider.  Finally, giving up her frail grip, the lady attempts to leap away from the horse and throw herself to safety.  Unfortunately, her foot becomes entangled in the stirrup, and she is now at the mercy of the horse's pounding hooves as her head is struck against the ground over and over.

As her head is battered against the ground, she is mere moments away from unconsciousness when to her great fortune, Bobby, the Walmart greeter, sees her and unplugs the horse.

We have just passed Thanksgiving and the Christmas season is now in full swing. The month of December will whiz by with all of its Christmas festivities.

Speaking of events and festivities, Larry and I made a trip to Minneapolis to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. We, along with our daughter, LaDawn and grandchildren, Dante' and Myanna, were invited to Larry's brother and wife, Lowell and Connie's home. There is nothing like family gatherings. Larry was able to be with his two brothers, Leon and Lowell, and their families.  Talk about food, fun and fellowship....we experienced it all! It was great fun!

On Saturday, we were privileged to attend Celebration's (Lowell's church in Lakeville, MN) Country Christmas production.  Our granddaughter, Myanna, is involved in the show.  About 9,000 people are expected to attend this special Christmas event. About 15 of the Lundstrom family are involved. Myanna loves being with all of her cousins. 

During our time in the Cities, we also celebrated Dante's 16^th birthday which is on December 4^th.     Dante' and Grandpa Larry got all dressed up in warm clothes to go snow tubing on Buck Hill. They arrived and then were disappointed as they learned the hill was closed for the day. They thought about snow skiing but decided against it. Both the boys were disappointed, but they decided to go bowling instead. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise....Larry....on a tube...on a steep hill....hmmmm...I don't know about that! I really didn't want him to end up in a body cast anyway. HA!  Dante' is working at Culver's currently.  With a twinkle in his eye, he told me the other day, "Grandma, I want you to know that I paid 87 cents out of my paycheck for your Medicare!"  I chuckled and said, "That's good…I know you will always take care of me!"

We topped off Dante's birthday with Mexican food and ice skating in St Paul. They had a blast. This was such a fun weekend...being on the road most of the year, we miss many of the holiday gatherings and events the grandchildren are involved in. So, this was really a special time for all of us!

We are now back at home, working out of our Sisseton office, looking at a full plate of office work again. But, oh, how refreshed we feel after that wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. December is usually the busiest office and mail month so we hunker down and try to keep up (or play catch-up) with the influx of mail.

On December 21^st, our family will be coming home from Nashville and Minneapolis for 4-5 days. We look forward to this special time all year long. We love the laughter, story telling (especially between the siblings)....my, oh my, what hilarity! I prepare a few of their favorite meals, play a lot of games and just enjoy spending time together...as a family.

With the busyness of the Christmas season, we can easily get caught up in the "to-do" lists...at least I do. We can easily get overwhelmed by it all! I am in the midst of preaching to myself....I am realizing I am not 30 anymore, I'm not 40, I'm not 50, or even 60. I can't do it all...I can't make it all...I can't attend every event....I simply need to be still for some moments to know and feel His presence and peace for which is the reason for this season.

Having said all that, I will give "On the Road" a break until the first of January as we will not be "On the Road". The 1^st of January, we will update you with photos of our family, celebrations, etc.

It is our prayer that you will bask in the presence of Jesus and that you will experience the joy, peace and comfort for which the Christ child was born. Enjoy your family, express your love for them, forgive any offenses and move forward in the love of Christ. Have a blessed and peaceful Christmas!

We flew into Minneapolis and spent a couple of days with our daughter, LaDawn, and our grandchildren, Dante' and Myanna. We then drove on home to Sisseton. The temperature now...17 degrees. What a chilling wake-up call to the reality of South Dakota winters. Thankfully, our area escaped the huge blizzard that shut-down much of our state a couple of weeks ago. It is good to be home and settled in! We will be working in our home office and will definitely be kept busy!

En route to Florida, we stopped through Nashville and saw our son, Donovan. We hadn't seen him since May so that was a very special treat. We sure miss him! As you know, once the children leave the nest, it is more difficult to stay connected when Larry and I are "on the road" somewhere and they live so far away.

Now...back to the cold...on Monday night, November 17^th, Larry and I had the privilege to be home to celebrate my mother's 93^rd birthday. About 30 of us gathered at Mom's home. I like to refer to it as the "gathering place". We had a pizza, chocolate cake and ice cream party. Mom LOVES pizza and she LOVES having the family come home. We thank the Lord that she has been blessed with 93 years of life and that she has been a covering of prayer and support to her family of 104 during that time. She prays for each one of us personally every day...it is a gift that means more than words can say! She continues to be the hub of our family and keeps us all going.

But, as much as I enjoy those things mentioned above, Thanksgiving is also a time of reflection of God's faithfulness and goodness to us. It is a time of quiet reflection upon the past and an annual reminder that God has again been ever so faithful.

Lastly, Thanksgiving drips with national nostalgia. This holiday plays a significant role in the history of America as the Pilgrims braved a daunting trip across the sea to this land of unknown opportunities. They left with hopes of religious freedom and making a better life for their families. After a disparaging winter with less than half surviving, they met Squanto who worked with them teaching them how to not only survive but to also prosper from the land. After a bountiful harvest, the Pilgrims and Native Americans came together celebrating all the Lord had done. Thanksgiving finds it roots in a celebration of giving thanks to God. It how signifies a time in which we offer to the Lord renewed thankfulness for so many things we often take for granted: health, life, jobs, strength, comfort, joy and peace....but most of all, we thank God for sending His Son to save us from our sins giving us an eternal future.

This Thanksgiving, take time to thank God for everything we take for granted on a daily basis. As you do this, you will be reminded again of God's love and faithfulness to you!

A week ago Sunday, we held two morning services at the United Brethren Church in Hillsdale, Michigan, with Pastor Les Smith. What an energetic pastor with a vision for souls! He had just hosted the Power Team for the youth a couple weeks ago and they saw over 300 make decisions for Christ. Then, we came and ministered to families. The altar call was precious with the decisions totaling over 40 from people of all ages and walks of life.

After the first service, Ruth, 93 years old, took my hand, smiled gently and told me, "I just had to go up and pray to be sure that I was ready to meet God when I die." How many of you know that when you are 93 years old, you are close to the home office (heaven).

Another touching testimony was from a lady who was battling cancer who stepped forward to make a decision for Christ. When she responded, several of her adult family members also went forward to receive Christ. That was a tearful and joyous sight! Oftentimes God allows crisis to enter our life that we may draw closer to Him. I love His promises when He says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

From Hillsdale, Michigan, we journeyed on to LaGrange, Kentucky, which is located about 30 miles from Louisville, KY. Of course, Louisville, is the birthplace and home of Colonel Sanders and thus Kentucky Fried Chicken. Every time we drive through Louisville, I am reminded of when we were traveling with Lowell and Connie Lundstrom in the late 60's, early 70's. We sang and ministered at a large Assembly of God church in Louisville. It happened to be the one that Colonel Sanders attended at the time. On that particular Sunday morning, little LaShawn and I walked into the foyer and there sat Colonel Sanders in a chair with his white hair, white beard, twinkle in his eye and a cane in his hand. He greeted us, spontaneously scooped up our daughter, giving her an enthusiastic hug before setting her down again. Ecstatically she ran back to me and chirped, "Mom, he's Santa Claus!" Colonel Sanders giggled which caused his big belly to shake like Jello making one wonder....HA!

Anyway...we'll return now from memory lane to Kentucky currently. We were so delighted to be ministering once again at LaGrange Assembly of God. The last time we had the privilege of being there was in 2003. Since that time, they have added a beautiful sanctuary. It was such a joy to renew friendships with Pastor Barry Broyles and his wife, Mary Ann.

We love joining along with tender-hearted pastors like Pastor Broyles and Pastor Smith to reach people for Christ. We have found it true after our many years of traveling and ministering in churches all across the nation that if you have a loving pastor, you often have a loving congregation. This is certainly true of Hillsdale, MI, and LaGrange, KY.

Pastor Broyles had many young families attend the morning service. When we gave the invitation to accept Christ, over 30 people responded to make the Lord their Savior, of those many were first time decisions. Pastor Broyles shared the following with us:

I would wholeheartedly recommend the Lundstroms to any church that desires to see the lost saved and the church revived." 

Yes, there is a lot we can learn from the birds in the air. Let's get in formation, move forward and encourage others along the way.

Greetings from the beautiful state of Wisconsin! The moment we arrived in Shell Lake, WI, and opened the doors of the motorhome, I was mesmerized by the towering pines and their fresh aroma. There is something so relaxing about pine trees. I could hear the light breeze softly blowing through them. I inhaled in a deep breath and exclaimed, "Oh, Larry...I love this!"

En route to Shell Lake where we had the privilege to attend a Missions? Conference, we stopped in Spooner, WI, and held a Sunday morning service at Cornerstone Church. We were warmly greeted by Rev. and Mrs. Tom Kelby along with a loving congregation. There were many young families in attendance. We loved seeing young couples bringing their children to Sunday School and church. The church was definitely filled with expectation and excitement. God fulfilled their desires and many responded to the altar call. Some of the responses included those making first time commitments to Christ.

After the service, a young teenager approached Larry and I and commented, "I really liked you and your husband?s talk. You said it in a language we could understand. Usually most sermons are ?over our heads?. Thanks for talking on our level." We responded, "The Gospel is simple and that is what we are called to do....present the simple plan of salvation so no one can miss it." He grinned and said "Yeah!" in response.

Interim Pastor Tom Kelby and his wife are doing an exceptional job of ministering and teaching this congregation while the church is on the hunt for a senior pastor. In fact, the church is growing rapidly in numbers during this waiting period. This is not the usual case during times of transition, but it is so wonderful! Pastor Kelby shared these comments with us:

From Spooner, WI, we drove to the Shell Lake Full Gospel where our good friends and pastors, Vergil and Linda Amundson, have pastored for around 30 years. Each year, their church holds a Missions Conference. Pastor Vergil has been inviting us for the past few years to come and "take in". We finally worked it into our schedule, and we are so glad we did! What a time of refreshing it has been to meet and hear the testimonies of missionaries from literally all over the world. The speakers have been exceptional and we have been fed a spiritual buffet the last few days. We were encouraged to: Follow our calling, Dig deep into our prayer life and the Word, Know who we are in Christ...His righteousness, and basically, Never give up what God has called us to do...reach the Lost.

Sunday night, the first night, after Pastor Vergil introduced about 60 missionaries and families, Cindy Mortimer, a missionary from Peru, ran up to us and just bubbled, "I heard you were here and I just had to meet you. When I was about seven years old, I gave my heart to Christ in a Lundstrom rally when you all traveled together. That moment set in motion God?s call on my life to be a missionary along with my husband, John, and our three children, Melissa, Shanda, and Vince. We minister in the jungles of Peru. It is really, really difficult but God is blessing and it is so rewarding."

On Tuesday, Larry attended a Men?s Luncheon and I attended a Women?s Luncheon. Larry thoroughly enjoyed steak menu!  Several came up to each of us and shared how our "Family to Family" ministry had touched their lives throughout the years. It was like God was shouting to me, "Gloria, no matter how tired you are or how hard it has been, it is worth it even if it was just for those you met today." After having been on such a wild schedule for the last few months, this convention was like a well of water to our spirits.

I?ve had many a day like that throughout the years. One of those was actually just a few days ago. I was so tired. I just wanted to go anywhere and hide from the telephone, cell phone, computer, office work and even people...just for a few hours! Well, in the midst of this stressful day, with everything seemingly falling apart and feeling pressured from being on a tight schedule, we had to find a car wash as our suburban was filthy with dirt. Needless to say, finding a car wash isn?t always an easy chore. Finally, we found one! Larry put in the coins and slowly began to enter the car wash while I was in the middle of a business call on my cell phone.

WHOOOSH! The water began flying, the big mops hit the side of the suburban, soap and foam flew everywhere and literally camouflaged us. The roar of the machines drowned out my conversation on the phone. I hollered into the phone, "I will have to call you back. I?m in a car wash!" They couldn?t hear me so I just turned my phone off. I fussed, "Oh, for heaven?s sake, now I lost the connection on the phone."

The machine, water, soap, and foam continued to fly and roar as we continued our way through the car wash. I then burst out in laughter and said, "Larry!" He just gave me that "Oh-oh..she?s losing it look". I hollered, "You know what...I actually like this place. I have found a new hideaway where no one can find me or contact me." He burst out in laughter too. Oh how we both needed that moment!

Just as I wanted to run away...God wants us to run as much to spend intimate (quiet) uninterrupted time in His presence. Psalm 46:10 instructs, "Be still and know that I am God." In this busy, good, crazy, wonderful, frantic world, He calls us to slip away and to be still so He can minister to our hearts.