What a whirlwind week!  We were in North Platte, Nebraska the weekend before last and from there we drove to Gothenburg, NE for a wonderful evening of ministry at the Gothenburg United Methodist Church in which five or six churches participated.  I love it when churches unite to worship the Lord and reach out to each other and reach the lost.  I call it "practicing Heaven."

Many responded to the altar call and made decisions for Christ. That's energy to Larry and me! When someone comes to Christ it's like a blood transfusion to us; it just gives us new life and determination. We love seeing couples like Kelly and Becky McCoy who recomitted their lives to Christ at the Gothenburg rally.  We thank God for pastor friends like Rev. Randy and Deb Dilts that have a burning desire to see their community reached with the Gospel.  Rev. Randy Dilts commented,

"We had a wonderful evening with everyone at the Gothenburg service.  The scripture verse that kept resounding in my mind was "I was glad when they said unto me. "Let us go into the house of the Lord." Psalm 122:1. The Holy Spirit was evident as you shared music and the message from God's Word. What an encouragement to see people go forward for the first time to receive Christ.

Being there brought back so many memories for us. Mel remembered the rally that he was in charge of in Franklin many years ago. He was brought down with some serious appearing "illness" at the beginning of the week. It worsened through the week with him not even being able to go upstairs to bed. He spent the nights in a Lazy Boy in the living room. The night of the rally, I wasn't sure he would even be able to go, but he did. As the evening went on, Mel began to improve and by the end of the counseling time, was completely healed!"

Create a wonderful enhancement for your meals. Soften a stick of real butter to room temperature. Mince 1/4 cup of fresh herb of your choice (basil, chive, oregano, rosemary, thyme). Blend the butter and herb, and store in an airtight container. Enjoy with breads and vegetables for up to three weeks.

Greetings from Nebraska...the Cornhusker State! We have been blessed with Indian Summer, an extension of beautiful weather. It was 75 degrees yesterday. I would have loved to have placed the gorgeous day, weather and all of its elements in a time capsule and releasing it during one of those cold winter days in South Dakota.

Last weekend we drive to North Platte, Nebraska, for a weekend of ministry. What a sweet time it was! Again, we were greeted by a loving congregation and a kind and compassionate pastoral couple, Rev. and Mrs. Dennis Leitner. Everyone was so gracious and they came to church with anticipation of what God was going to do. If we just lift up Christ, He does the rest! Larry and I stand on the side watching God draw people to Himself. Awesome! All ages responded to the altar call with many recommitting their lives to Christ along with others who gave their lives to Christ for the first time.

Pastor Leitner shared the following regarding the rally:

"It was truly delightful to have Larry and Gloria in our morning service at Calvary Assembly of God. It is so refreshing to hear the Gospel message emphasizing the Lord's call to the Lost. Our whole church body was blessed and ministered to by the anointed songs, testimonies and the Word. Many responded to the altar calls...both for salvation and rededication. Thank you, Larry and Gloria, for your ministry and friendship to Calvary."

In the congregation that morning, there must have been nearly 100 people who have followed our ministry through the years so we felt right at home. One of those people is Clenda Krizek, the church administrator of Calvary. She is electric with the love of Jesus-and she definitely gives off a sweet aroma of Jesus. She had this to say regarding our time of ministry there,

"What a wonderful service we had with Larry and Gloria. Their simple, but very impacting way of presenting the Gospel really ministered to me. I am so thankful for the response from our people to the altar call. We do serve an awesome God. When Gloria shared her testimony, it really touched me because of the prayers of God's people. Their music ministry was wonderful as well. Larry and Gloria are just like family. They have been such a blessing to us."

Sunday night, the church held an event which they call, "Weenollah" (Halloween spelled backwards). It was a family night of costumes, games, prizes, sloppy joes, and much more. What a fun time of fellowship! Of course, we were mesmerized by all of the lovable toddlers in their adorable little costumes with their faces embellished with paint and food. Too cute! There's nothing like kids and watching their excitement...it's contagious! Of course, Larry liked all the treats too.

Last week en route to North Platte clear from the Canadian border, our pastor friends in Winner, SD, invited us to stop overnight. Just hours before we arrived, their daughter went into labor and consequently, they raced off to North Dakota to be with her. Because they had to leave before we arrived, they called and told us they had left keys for us making their home available to us to relax in, do laundry, and to also hook our motorhome up to the church for electricity. We pulled in, and Larry took care of the first task of hooking up to the electricity at the church. The wind was blowing ferociously outside and I was anxious to get some long overdue dirty laundry washed so I asked Larry for the key to the house. He tossed me a key ring with over a dozen keys on it. I looked at the keys, of which, most of them looked identical so I questioned Larry, "Which one is the key to the house?" He replied, "I don't know. You will just have to try each one until you find the right one." In my eagerness to get inside that was not the answer I was wanting to hear. I wanted an easy, "This one." But, he didn't know so I sauntered up the sidewalk with keys in hand, arms loaded with laundry and the wind gusting all around me. I stood there against the gale and tried one key after another. By this time I was getting a little frustrated as I began to insert the tenth key into the lock, "Come on now. I am tired of this guessing game." Then, ever so smoothly, the key slipped, turned and I was in. What a relief it was to be in out of the wind!

Sometimes I face situations and trials in life where I am begging God for direction and it is similar to this key experience. God gives us keys to get through the trial, but I weary of the battle, the winds of discouragement; I just want a simple key to victory. However, it doesn't always work that way. Someone once said, "Many times we pray and ask God to remove the storms from our lives, but oftentimes God will allow the storms to rage and He will calm the man in the midst of the storm." Our key to victory is available and it is right there. Jeremiah 33 says, "Call on me and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things." Jesus is the Key, but it requires time in the throne room to connect with Him. Our tendency is to be impatient wanting the answer now, in our time and how I want it. Robert Schuller said, "Within every adversity lies a slumbering possibility." Yet, I love what Jesus says in Mark 9:23, "If thou canst believe, all things are possible."

He is the Key! Are you facing a trial today? Call on Him. He is waiting for you!

Have a great week!

**NEW FEATURE....we would love to hear from you! We now have a guest book available on our website. You can send us a note or comment regarding the weekly update or the ministry. We want your feedback. Just click on "Guest Book" on the side menu, register and post your message!  Some of you may have tried to post a message last week- we have fixed the problem, so please try again!

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

 

"Pray, believe and receive---or pray, doubt and do without."   -Sparks

 

 

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CHUCKLE OF THE WEEK

 

Police story

It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake, was barking. I saw a little boy staring at me, "Is that a dog you've got back there?" "Yeah. It sure is." I replied. Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then towards the back of the van. Finally he said, "What did he do?"

Teacher

TEACHER: "Can anyone give an example of 'coincidence'?"

JOHNNY: "Sir, my mother and my father got married on the same day, same time."

 

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PIC OF THE WEEK

 

 

A little cowboy!

 

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THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH

 

 

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Please be sure to make a special effort to let your pastor, wife and staff know how much you appreciate them. It would be great if you could give them a "green" handshake (in other words a little gift of money or gift certificates for restaurants or fuel.) They do so much for us and make great sacrifices to serve their congregations.

 

 

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RECIPE OF THE WEEK 

 

Easy Pumpkin Dessert

 

1 lg. can pumpkin filling

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup sugar

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. ginger

½ tsp. salt

1 cup evaporated milk

 

Mix together in the order listed above. Bake in glass dish or custard cups at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into dessert comes out clean. Great with ice cream!

 

HOUSEHOLD HINT OF THE WEEK

Greetings! We are just leaving the great state of North Dakota after an awesome time of ministry in Minot last weekend. We have been coming to Minot, ND since the early 70's and over the years have made many friends...of which many still remain, but we have so enjoyed making new friends as well. Minot First Assembly of God is currently in a pastoral transition so Pastor Jack Glass and his wife, Coletta, dear friends of ours, are interning there for the next three months. We have ministered with Pastor Glass in several places so it was like coming back home. Pastor Glass had this to say regarding our ministry in Minot,

"What a joyful experience is was having you with us again, Larry and Gloria. Praise God for the fifteen people who came forward. Keep trucking!"

We were welcomed by an enthusiastic congregation who were excited and anticipating God to do great things...and He did! In both morning services, several responded to the altar call for the first time, and many prodigals came home! How thrilling!

One lady in her 50's who made a first time decision for Christ told me, "I first heard you in 1973 here in Minot. I felt God then, but never responded to give Him my life, but today, I wept through the whole service and when Larry gave the altar call, I stepped forward to make Jesus Lord of my life." WOW! Her testimony confirmed that once you feel the presence of God, you never forget that feeling.

Les Mau, First Assembly of God's business administrator shared the following about the services,

"It was such a blessing to have Larry and Gloria with us for our Sunday morning services. We had a large number of new people attend, many who have been ministered to in the past by the Lundstroms. They came again to be touched by God through these two wonderful servants of the Lord. The music was awesome, the laughter was contagious, the message was relevant and the Holy Spirit was moving! Many people responded to receive Christ for the first time or to recommit their lives to Him. To God be the Glory! Thanks, Larry and Gloria."

Les was a real blessing to us. What a gift of hospitality and servanthood he has! The church is blessed to have him on staff along with the others, one of them being their bookkeeper, Lynne Heizelman.

"It was great to see Larry and Gloria Lundstrom again. Our families go all the way back to the 1970's in South Dakota. The Sunday morning service was wonderful here. I still remember the words to the medley of Lundstrom songs. Undoubtedly, the best part of the service was the altar call. A classmate of mine from high school was one of the many that responded. Thank you, Larry and Gloria, for your dedication to reaching the Lost."

From Minot, we drove to Rugby, a small community that is best known for the "Stone Cairn" that marks the geographical center of North America. The location was established in 1931 by a US Geological Survey. Quite a feeling overwhelmed me as I stood by the Stone Cairn with the gusty fall wind swirling around me and realized I was literally standing in the center of North America. I am sure it was a challenge for the survey team to determine the exact location amidst the changing seasons and extreme weather North Dakota experiences. I know I wouldn't want to be standing there between November and April due to the effects of the Midwest winter- inches of blowing snow, blizzard winds, subzero temps-you get the idea.

From Rugby, we drove over to Rolette, which is nestled next to the Canadian border. We set up in the high school gym for an evening soulwinning rally hosted by Pastor Gene and Jeanine Wilson and Pastor Joel and Emily Davis. We had a wonderful altar call where many responded. The Wilson's and the Davis's are young couples who carry a burden for the rural areas and they love people.

This testimony from Melissa was shared with us and touched our hearts:

"Dear Larry & Gloria,

It was a great pleasure to hear and see you both again. It had been a very long time. My friend and I had a really good time and we both needed to be there that evening. Everything that you both said was "WOW"

After the great event, I had the pleasure of visiting with Gloria and it was so nice. I really needed that, and I was so happy to know that you were there to listen to me.

I am looking forward to reading the books and listening to the many cassette tapes and also the cd's. I will forever remember this special night. Please visit us again."

Last Sunday morning, I had a rather humorous event take place. We had finished the 8:30 AM service and I was visiting with people, counseling and making my way to the front of the church to make sure everything was in order for our second service. A young, spirited woman in her early 30's walked right up to me, leaned in to me, looked at the left side of my head and then the right side and finally exclaimed as if she had found a pot of gold, "It's you!" I chuckled, "I hope so! I know it was me when I got up this morning! HA!" She giggled, "No, no, no! You see, I found this earring lying on the bathroom floor and I had sifted through nearly 300 people checking every woman to see who was missing an earring." She dangled it in front of me and proclaimed, "It's yours. You are missing one." Once again, she held up my $3.00 earring special as if it was a great treasure and joyfully presented it to me. Had she not found it, I would have gone through the entire second service with only one earring in which would have been quite noticeable. I was so appreciative for her gift of persistence to find the owner of the earring.

This episode reminded me of the lost coin story in Luke 15:8-10. "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins

and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Think of the persistence this woman exhibited to find that lost coin. Or the persistence my friend had to find the owner of the lost earring. It is that same persistence that we all need in order to go and find lost ones without Christ so we can witness and love them into the Kingdom. God has allowed lost coins-to be within our sight and reach----not just to see them but to lead them to Christ. God help all of us to be faithful in the Great Commission.

Have a great week!

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Happy 40th Birthday to our daughter, LaShawn!  WOW...the big birthday!  We love you much! 

 

                                                                                       -Mom and Dad

 

Greetings from North Dakota! We are currently near the Canadian/North Dakota border where there is lots of prairieland and wide open spaces. It is actually refreshing to be out of the hustle and bustle of big cities along with the crazy traffic, especially when we are driving a 45-foot motorhome and pulling a suburban behind it. Needless to say, it's a lot of "rig" to dodge traffic with. Larry drives...and I pray! HA! Yes, I am also the backseat and co-driver, always chirping something like, "Watch out! Be careful! Slow down!" You get the idea. Poor Larry. I guess it's a good thing he is a little hard of hearing in one ear so I don't shake him up. Speaking of hearing-I was visiting last week with some friends in Williston, ND. They informed me that their daughter is learning sign language (which by the way, I am envious of as I have always wished I would have learned it in order to incorporate it into ministry). Anyway, I spoke up, "I still should learn sign language because Larry, and from what I understand, a lot of other husbands, have what is called 'selective hearing'. They hear only what they want to hear and ignore the rest. It would come in handy when Larry chooses to use his selective hearing! HA!" I thought to myself it would also give me a good excuse to use my dramatic Norwegian hand-flinging gestures to communicate. We, Norwegians, have jokingly been accused of not being able to talk without using our hands and honestly, it's true.

Last Sunday, we were invited by Pastor Jeremy and Mandy Harris to minister at Lake Assembly of God in Powers Lake, North Dakota. This couple and their church worked hard to make the Harvest Festival really special. The church was beautifully decorated and they served a delicious roast beef dinner with all the trimmings after the service. Sunday morning, people filled the pews and we had a precious altar call. Among the many who responded was Danny, a young man who is a foreign exchange student from Germany. God really touched his life and he just beamed after he prayed the salvation prayer. Imagine the impact he can make on his friends and family when he goes back to Germany.

I don't know if you remember the story of the three young teenagers who "happened" to walk into a revival service out East. Two of the teenagers turned around and walked out but one young man stayed and gave his heart to Christ. He entered into ministry and has won literally millions to Christ. The one young man that stayed and responded to the altar call was Billy Graham. We never know the impact of one person receiving Christ, do we.

Pastor Jeremy and Mandy are an exceptional young couple with zeal and enthusiasm to reach the Lost. They pastor two churches in this rural area, Powers Lake and Stanley. They have two wonderful congregations who love them dearly and we can see why! We so enjoyed our time of fellowship with them.  Pastor Jeremy commented, "Larry and Gloria truly came to Stanley and Powers Lake with a genuine spirit to minister to the people. Their genuine spirit was not only a blessing to our congregation, but was also a blessing to my family. God's kingdom was truly expanded through their ministry. Thank you so very much for your willingness to come to rural North Dakota."

How well said!

When you need to test the doneness of a cake or bread, and you don't have a cake-testing tool, use and uncooked piece of spaghetti. It's long enough to test the doneness of your deepest baked goods.

Greetings from Williston, North Dakota! There is definitely a chilly nip in the air today. I had to turn the heat up a bit to stay warm in our motorhome. Now it's warm and toasty...a far cry from the old days when Larry and I started ministering in 1965. We traveled in an old beater of a bus...the actual name of it was "Flxible". The name was fitting as you had to be flexible to live in it. It had no frills such as air conditioning, a bathroom, a fridge, or electricity. The little heater heated the front area of about 16-20 inches in front of the drivers seat. It was so cold in there that we'd tuck the little children in snow suits to sleep in. They were so bundled up they looked like little Eskimos in their little beds! They often wanted a glass of water close to their bed to drink during the night, and many, many times it was so cold that the water would crystalize by morning.

Am I complaining...actually no. I'm rejoicing and thankful that we lived through those earliest days of ministry. Thank God He always took care of us.

It's been another great week of ministry. After the Women's Retreat in Billings, Montana we headed down the road to Wibaux. Wibaux, MT is a small, rural town right on the border of Montana and North Dakota- near Beach, ND. I thought if I didn't tell you where it was...you may never find it on the map- HA!

We arrived in Wibaux about 6:30 p.m., just before dark, having driven through some road construction in Montana. When we got to the church parking lot we were graciously greeted by Pastor Warren Maxted's wife, Bev. Larry went out to open the bay doors on the passenger side to start loading in. Then he went to the driver's side to open those too. I heard Larry address me, "Honey..." with a sound of concern in his voice. Again he said, "Honey...you better come out and look at this." Hearing that discouraging tone in his voice really got me worried. I ran out to him and my heart sank at what I saw. The last 15 feet of the motorhome and the entire suburban- was caked with black/ brown tar and oil. It looked like we had blown an engine! Frantically, Larry checked the engine compartment and everything was okay- Praise the Lord. We wiped a spot, and sure enough, it was tar and oil. We were confused as to how it could've gotten there. All the construction we came through was on the West bound lanes on interstate. We called the state highway department and voiced our complaint and confusion and they confirmed there was no work done in the East bound lanes. As we reflected on it more, we remembered seeing several men standing in the median with their tar and oil wands who had been spraying in the other lanes. What we think -and has been pretty much confirmed, but with no proof- is that evidently one of those workers, was probably disgruntled. Either he simply did not like our motorhome, or maybe he was jealous and thought we were retired with too much free time on our hands. What everything points to right now is that when we came by, he turned the tar and oil wand on the motorhome and suburban. It literally looked like someone had used a paint sprayer and painted it black and brown...it was so thick in some spots that it looked like it was baked on.

In a frenzy, Larry grabbed a can of tar remover- thankfully he had in with all his stuff- and he and I and Pastor Maxted's wife, Bev (bless her!) scrubbed and rubbed as much as we could get off before total darkness squelched our project. Afterwards, we wished we would've taken photos but we were in such a panic and it was getting dark quickly. We were just sick about it!!! Thursday morning, Larry and I hit the project again, and worked about 11 hours between the two of us. Now in the daylight, everywhere we looked was splattered and speckeled with tar and oil- 5 feet up the side for the total length of the 45 foot motorhome and the left side, hood and front of the Suburban. We worked 2 full days and got off most of the surface oil and tar that is visible, but there is still much underneath the wheel wells and bag compartments, etc to get off.

In the midst of this discouraging mess, I kept fretting, "Larry what will take all this off? What can wash it off" Just when I said that, the old gospel song came to mind, "What can wash away my sins...nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again...nothing but the blood of Jesus." I was reminded that unless we have the proper and right tar remover, this stuff simply would not budge. With the right remover, it began to wipe off.

It's the same with our spiritual lives. Sometimes as we are journeying through this life we make mistakes, we fail, or can I say... tar up our lives. Spiritually speaking, there is also only ONE sin remover...and that is the blood of Jesus. Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." That scripture offers sinners a free clean-up job. If we call on the Lord, repent of our sins He will forgive us, clean us up, and we can start our lives all over- clean before Christ. In fact, He cleans us up so good, it's as if nothing ever happened. That's God's gift of forgiveness...and it's totally free.

After the Thursday cleaning frenzy we had to take a break and set up for a service at the Wibaux Assembly of God Church with Pastor Warren and Bev Maxted. It's a modest church, but Pastor Warren and Bev have big hearts full of passion and zeal to reach the Lost. We had a small crowd...but it wasn't a small matter to God. He anointed the music and sermon and Larry challenged them to reach out to the Lost.  From Wibaux we drove out to Williston, North Dakota- known best for it's oil fields. They are back in the oil boom again after a long drought.

Sunday morning we ministered in Williston, ND at the Assembly of God Church with Pastor Kyle and Cheryl Anderson. They are another sweet, spirited Pastor and wife with a wonderful staff whose statement of faith is, "A passion for God, a passion for God's Word, a passion for God's people." When Larry gave the altar call, God's passion and compassion burned brightly as they flooded the altar to make decisions for Christ. We were thrilled to see many of them making first time decisions.  Rev. Anderson says, "We have had the privilege of hosting Larry and Gloria Lundstrom ministries several times in our pastorates--twice in the past 18 months. As always, Larry and Gloria communicate the Gospel effectively and concisely to the audience, and without fail, lift up Jesus Christ. In our most recent service, there were 9 rededications to the Lord, and 3 first-time decisions. Larry and Gloria come with servant's hearts, and are a pleasure to work with. I have never known them to be demanding of anything. The truly demonstrate a humble and grateful spirit. I have, and continue to highly recommend them to any pastor desiring to schedule a true evangelist with a music emphasis. Your congregation will be blessed!"

As I said, the Williston Assembly of God is blessed to have a wonderful staff. One example is Associate Pastor Lyle and Hilda Thorpe (who by the way, used to be chaplain for the Lowell Lundstrom Ministries in Sisseton, SD). They are up in years but definitely young at heart and what a passion they have for the Lost and hurting...Lyle shares, "It was a joy and a blessing to be with and minister alongside Larry & Gloria in last Sunday's service at Williston Assembly of God! Both Larry & Gloria ministered under the anointing of the Holy Spirit and there were several who made first time commitments, and others who came to rededicate and re-affirm their vows to Jesus Christ! Only eternity will reveal what took place in individual lives! God bless you richly as you continue to preach the uncompromising Gospel of Jesus Christ! You are loved!"

And we cannot forget...the church is also blessed with a great Youth minister, Chris Johnson, who had this to say, "Greetings from Williston Assembly of God, Williston, ND. It was refreshing to experience the Presence of God through two choice servants of Jesus Christ. Thank you Larry and Gloria!"

Greetings from Billings, Montana. What an exciting week! I spent most of the week preparing for the Montana Assemblies of God State Women's Retreat. I prayed for months for God's guidance and direction as to what to minister.

The retreat began Friday afternoon at the Holiday Convention Center in Billings, Montana. The women gathered from all over the state along with some from surrounding states. They arrived with expectation for God to do miracles in their lives...and God did! On Friday evening, I spoke on "The Gift of Forgiveness". I shared on the importance of ridding your heart of unforgiveness, bitterness and resentment and then allowing God to fill their lives with joy and peace.

One young wife, whose husband is currently serving in Iraq, shared how God had revealed to her much unforgiveness that she had in her life towards her husband which was causing serious marital strife. Immediately following the Friday night session, she e-mailed him asking for forgiveness for the trouble that she had caused in their relationship. Saturday afternoon, she ran up to me bubbling with joy. She exclaimed, "Gloria, my husband called me from Iraq and said, 'Honey, it's okay. You're forgiven. Let's go forward from here.'" That was just one of the dozens of testimonies shared.

On Saturday night, I felt led of the Lord to minister to hurting mothers, grandmothers and wives of prodigals. The atmosphere in the convention hall became so heavy as I could sense the intense pain and burdens these women were carrying. I gave an altar call for those with prodigals in their lives to come forward so we could pray for their lost loved ones. I then requested for some of the women still left in their seats to come up and form two lines. The hurting women could then pass between the two lines and receive prayer from these precious prayer warriors. My heart was overwhelmed as I watched more than 130 hurting moms with prodigal children, grandmothers with prodigal grandchildren and wives of prodigal husbands walk through the line to be prayed for by about 100 women. Oh how the tears flowed. The bible states that God puts our tears in a bottle. With the amount of tears of compassion and hurt that were spilled, we would have needed a huge tank to hold them. I will never forget the looks of desperation etched on their faces as they pleaded with God to bring their prodigals home. It is a scene which will be imprinted on my memory forever. Words just cannot express or describe the love that poured forth from the prayer team. WOW! The next morning, several women came up to me and said, "Gloria, I loved the retreat. I have been so ministered unto, but I especially want to thank you for asking us and allowing us to take part in praying and encouraging others. I have been so spiritually fed and blessed through the various sessions that I was so ready to pour out to others."

One particular testimony that blessed me was shared on the following Tuesday morning, October 2^nd, while Larry and I attended a funeral of a dear friend and giant of the faith, the Reverend R. L. Brandt. The funeral took place in Billings. This godly man and his precious wife, Marion, have left a huge impact on our lives through the years. After the funeral, Larry and I were standing in the hallway visiting and a lady bounced up to me. Her face was tear-stained but she was had a million dollar smile on her face. She grabbed my arm and said, "Gloria, I want to thank you for the retreat. I will never be the same. I want to especially thank you for your message regarding prodigals. My son is a prodigal and hasn't called home for so long. I prayed and prayed for him. Then, on Saturday night, I walked through the line and has those many women pray for me and my son. AND...last night, he called! It was an answer to my desperate prayer. The phone call went great. I am so happy. We have a new start, something of which we can build on. Praise the Lord!"

I wished I would have documented and videotaped the dozens of testimonies of what God did this weekend, but I didn't. However, it is all documented in heaven and in those whose lives were touched by God.

The new Women's Ministries director, Juanita Rockstad, whom we have known for years, was a joy to work with. She said,

"Gloria, thanks for coming to us. Your messages on forgiveness, hope and soulwinning have changed the lives of our Montana women. Come back again real soon."

After the retreat, I told Juanita, "What a privilege it was to be invited to be your speaker...more than that, however, what a privilege it was to stand there and watch what God did in the lives of all those women. I was blessed and touched just as much or even more than they were."

I was thrilled to have in attendance two former Women's Ministries directors, Floral Goodman and Noralyn Baker, with whom I have worked with through the years. They are special friends.

Floral Goodman shared the following,

"An awesome ladies retreat! Gloria speaks woman two woman about the needs and issues confronting them with biblical counsel and instruction. What a joy to be in her sessions. I love her!"

Noralyn Baker commented,

"Gloria, how refreshing your message and ministry was to us at the 2007 Montana Women's Retreat. You allowed yourself to be transparent with us for God's glory. Thus we can relate to you for our benefit. Also, you spoke to us where we are and applied the scripture to our level where we live at that moment! Thank you for being the Lord's vessel to us. As you and Larry ministered to us in music, you modeled a godly marriage. Thank you!"

It was also an honor to have the newly elected District Superintendent's wife, Lois Warneke, join us for Friday night. She and her husband formerly pastored in Great Falls, Montana, and had a wonderful church and ministry there. Lois shared, "Gloria, the Friday night service was so refreshing and it was so wonderful to see how God touched all of those women through your message on forgiveness. I wished I could have stayed for all weekend but I had other ministry commitments. "

All in all, it was truly an awesome and blessed weekend of ministry.

I want to encourage all of you with prodigals-never, never give up! God's Word says in Jeremiah 31:16-17, "Thus saith the Lord; refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be reward, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again from the land of the enemy."

He has promised He shall bring our prodigals back from the land of the enemy. I love that encouraging word, SHALL. He didn't say, "I might", "I'll think about it", "I'll ponder it", or "If I have time..." His Word is positive and in future tense... "..and they shall come again from the land of the enemy." What a great promise! In God's Word, it also instructs that we should train up a child in the way he/she should go. I like what one person added, "...And Dads and Moms... walk that way yourself!" God puts the heat on us as parents to live the godly life by lip and lifestyle, and then to raise our children in the fear of the Lord. We also must remember that God gave them a free will and what they do with it has blessings or consequences. No matter what, our part of parenting is to love, pray, love, pray, love, pray and expect God to bring them home again. Oh what a day of rejoicing that will be!

As you are reading this, we will be en route from Montana to North Dakota. We will be ministering this Sunday at the Williston Assembly of God. If you can drive in to join us for a rally, please do so.

Story of Greatness

-Marilee Dunklee Pierce

Greetings from Montana Wheat Country, Townsend, Montana. We just completed another action-packed week with rallies in three Montana communities. Yes, we are tired, but rejoicing in the great numbers of those who made decisions for Christ.

A little over a week ago on Tuesday, we drove over to Dillon, Montana. It's a little community known to attract fly-fishing enthusiasts. Larry and I were invited to sing and speak at a community banquet hosted by the Presbyterian, Methodist, Free Lutheran, Assembly of God, and Vineyard churches. What a wonderful group of pastors! Larry and I love the opportunity to minister at united church events. I like to refer to it as "practicing heaven on earth". The Bible says in Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together." So often we are caught up in our own four walls (or fishbowl) we fail to fellowship with other believers of other churches. At the banquet, we were introduced by Pastor Chuck Bush of the Dillon Assembly of God church. He started out by saying, "The Lundstroms have a real special place in my heart. If it were not for them, I probably wouldn't be saved or pastoring a church. Larry and Gloria, along with all of the Lundstroms, came to an area where I lived to minister. I was away from God and through their ministry, I rededicated my life to God and here I am today."

Here is a bit of Pastor Bush's testimony:

It is thrilling to hear testimonies of the many who have come to Christ under both/either of the Lundstrom Ministries and are now in ministry themselves.

Thursday night, September 13th, we held a service at Gateway Christian Fellowship in Anaconda, Montana, with Pastor Phil and Tina Masters. It was a special joy for us as we have literally watched Pastor Phil grow up. Larry and I knew his grandparents when we were teenagers as they pastored in Milbank, SD; we were influenced by their Godly lives. Then, years later, we were able to minister at Phil's parents' church in Butte, Montana. We remember Phil as he grew from a young lad to a teenager and finally to a young man full of vitality and energy. We also remember Phil and Tina as newlyweds and now, all of these years later, we are back with Phil and Tina who are doing a great job of pastoring their congregation. When Pastor Phil introduced us to the congregation, it was almost like a replay of Pastor Chuck Bush's introduction from Dillon. We are thankful that we have had just a little itty bitty part of seeing them come to Christ and go into ministry. We also had a great time with their son who is a junior in high school...that makes it the fourth generation of the Masters' family.

We had another precious altar call in Anaconda with several couples being touched by the Lord Pastor Masters shared this about the service, "Once again, we considered the opportunity to have the Lundstroms with us in Anaconda a privilege. The night of ministry we shared will be an altar, a "memorial" for the people to strengthen the commitments they made to God. The music, personal sharing, and message all focused on the Spirit awakening eternity in the hearts of people who attended."

We were also happy to see our dear friend, Vivian Swihart, whom we have known since the late 60's. She always gave our children ceramic Christmas decorations or some treat when they were little. They never forgot her kindness. She also brought me Bath and Body goodies to enjoy. And I WILL enjoy them!

From Anaconda, we motored back to Townsend, MT, to set up our equipment for the Sunday morning service at Alliance Bible Church. Larry trained eleven counselors and they shared with us after church, "When we looked around at the crowd and only saw two visitors, we were worried that no one would go forward and it would be embarrassing for us eleven counselors to be standing there alone. When Larry gave the altar call, about half of the church body came forward. We stood in shock and almost unbelief that so many responded. Many of these people had attended the church for years. They are good wonderful people, and we assumed that they were saved and ready to go to heaven. When Larry asked several of them if they had ever given their lives to Christ before, many responded, 'No, this is the first time.' We, counselors, almost fell to the floor. Larry and Gloria, you will never know how many miracles happened in that service. We are thrilled and ready to follow up on them!"

As I am sitting here writing this at my little table in our motorhome, the front drapes are open and I can see the whitecaps on the Missouri River about an eighth of a mile away with the mountains in the background. It is so beautiful! There is a nip in the air. In fact, they are predicting snow showers in the higher elevations tonight. Ewww...it's too soon for snow.

About 200 feet in front of the motorhome sits a huge antelope with its rack spiraling up in the air through the grass like antennas. It is just sitting there, relaxed and gazing, entertaining me. It's doing what I want to be doing at this moment-NOTHING! I, too, just want to relax and watch the water drift by. Somehow, I am sure it is not caught up with the demands and schedule we, humans, face daily. But then again, he will have to literally run for his life when hunting season opens. So, I guess, I am still better off!

In the midst of my crazy day, God is telling me, Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know I am God." I desperately need to do that today. The engines of all my deadlines and tasks that need to be done are revving, and I need to take a fifteen minute break to sit, enjoy the scenery and recharge.

How about you? Maybe you need a break, too. Take it! Be refreshed and encouraged to know that God is near. He longs to minister peace to my soul and to yours as well. I am going to retreat right now. Have a great week!

Greetings from West Central Montana! Last Saturday evening, we pulled our motorcoach into the Trailhead Christian Fellowship parking lot which is nestled next to the Missouri River Reservoir. We were greeted by ten antelope prancing in the fields ahead of us. We stopped our motorcoach as we studied them...they abruptly stopped, turned to look at us, yelped as if to say, "Humans-RUN!", and they disappeared from sight. What a beautiful welcome committee they were with their white powderpuff tails. We had traveled in from Billings, Montana, where we ministered for the past week.

On September 2^nd, we ministered at Parkhill Assembly of God with Pastor and Mrs. Robert Fox. What a sweet couple who share a loving pastor's heart. Their congregation reflects their same sweet spirit. Sunday morning after the morning service, Luz and Harold Luce came up to me and said, "Gloria, I am five months pregnant and as soon as you and Larry began to sing, my baby began kicking in my tummy." Then she grinned as she patted her belly, "My baby likes your music!" CUTE!

We had a precious service with several making decisions for Christ. Pastor Fox shared the following:

"I heartily recommend Larry and Gloria to our pastors and churches. Their music...inspired; their testimony...transparent; their message...evangelistic and to the point; the results...gratifying-souls came to Christ. We really enjoyed the Lundstrom's and they were easy to host."

Tuesday night, September 4^th, we sang for the Light for the Lost banquet at Parkhill Assembly of God. I had a rough time of singing as I had come down with what the doctor diagnosed as "a real nasty, nasty case of bronchitis." The doctor put me on some strong antibiotics and an inhaler. When I breathe, it still sounds like a whistling train rolling through town. Oh well!

On Thursday, September 6th, we drove over to Laurel, Montana, a suburb of Billings, for an evening rally with Pastor and Mrs. John Farnes. They are another great ministry couple who are making a difference for Christ in that community. I squawked through the music, but I made it! It is a good thing that God doesn't depend on my singing for people to come to Christ. HA! As usual, the Holy Spirit took over and did what He so faithfully does, drew the Lost and hurting onto Himself. Several responded to the altar call, and I believe four of them were first time commitments. Thank God altar calls never grow old. Each time someone comes to Christ, it is like a physical and spiritual blood transfusion to Larry and I.

Pastor Farnes said this about the evening: "We had an awesome night with the Lundstroms here in Laurel! Several people came to Jesus for the first time, several others rededicated their lives to Christ. Members from our congregation had the opportunity to pray with these people, share with them and start them down the path of new life in Christ! (If that doesn't energize the flock, check the pulse, or get a shovel folks...) We now have the Divine responsibility as the Body of Christ to nurture these new lives into disciples themselves. The fields are still white for harvest. Thank you, Larry and Gloria, for sharing in Laurel and for still working those fields!"

After the services, Larry is always swamped with all of his favorite-age little friends. They are revved, and they want to help "Uncle" Larry load in and out the equipment. Larry and the kids just giggle, laugh and carry on. It is a delight to watch! I believe that children can see happy, bubbly adults. Prayerfully, they can see that being a Christian is fun, even when you get big and old! My mom always told me, "SPEAK to the children when they are little....and prayerfully they will LISTEN to you when they get big." It is all about building bridges.

On Saturday, September 8^th, we drove from the Billings area over to Whitehall, Montana, a small community about 35 miles from Butte, Montana. We were graciously greeted by the wife of Pastor Chuck Lanes, Sandy, and their son, Bill and his wife, Dina, who serve as the Associate Pastors of the church. Bill and Dina have four picture-perfect children, ages 2-6. She has her hands full! WOW! The two little girls look like little princesses and the two little boys are cute as buttons but fearless and action-packed! All four wanted to help "Uncle" Larry carry in the equipment. They tugged, pulled and grunted as they carried them in. We sure got our free entertainment for the day.

On Sunday morning, Whitehall Assembly of God filled up with many visitors and much anticipation of what God was going to do. No one was disappointed. When Larry gave the altar call, many responded to make commitments for Christ. Needless to say, there was a party in heaven AND earth going on that morning.

Associate Pastor Bill Lanes shared,

"We were very pleased to have Larry and Gloria with us this past Sunday. Their ministry touches young and old alike and their encouraging message of hope was well received. Several people rededicated their lives to Christ during the altar service. We appreciate their heart for the family and ability to reach into the lives of people."

After that precious service and a week that had been packed with rallies and other commitments, we joyfully but wearily headed up the road to the Helena area where we had the motorcoach parked. As we drove along Canyon Ferry Reservoir, which is part of the Missouri River, the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. People were boating and fishing. I then spotted some windsurfers, and I pleaded with Larry to pull over so we could just sit and watch for awhile. The sun, breeze and water were perfect enabling them to get their sails up.

While observing, I noticed a young man with a lime green sail was sliding effortlessly over the water and waves. He glided about a quarter of a mile up the river and back again. I then noticed another guy with a multi-colored sail who on the contrary was struggling about 30 feet off the shore. He would try to get the sail up, get his feet in position and attempt to turn the sail into the wind . About halfway to his goal of getting the sail up, he would then jump on, and the sail would plummet down causing him to lose his balance, thus he, the sail, and the surfboard would plunge into the water. I watched as he struggled to pull himself up once again jumping onto the board only to have the sail flop down. He lost his balance and into the water he went again. This process was repeated several times. I was sitting in the vehicle with the window down cheering him on like his own personal cheerleader and grunting with him as he would fall into the water. I knew he was getting physically tired of fighting it. I kept chanting out loud, "Keep going. You'll make it! You'll make it!" After many failed attempts, he finally caught the sail in the wind and away he sailed. I was so glad he didn't give up.

I guess the episode I had just witnessed reminded me so much of me! I watch some people go through life effortlessly with what seems like little or no trouble setting their sails to take them wherever they want and to do whatever they want to do. Then, there is me. I'm like the wind-surfer that struggles and struggles to muscle that big rig. It seems like I am always physically or spiritually muscling events. Some days I get so weary I tell Larry, "I'm just too tired to muscle this project." Then, I recall the words my mother told me about 40 years ago when I was going through a tough time and wanted some sympathy. She looked at me lovingly but sternly and said, "Missy, self-pity is one luxury no woman can afford." With that 220 volt jolt of truth, I learned not to give up and to keep trying and pushing on. If your sail of life, like mine, flops-I encourage to not give up. Get up, gird up and with God, you will be up and sailing again. When I go through my challenges I go back to the scripture in Isaiah 41:10, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

Are you challenged or discouraged today? Don't give up or give in. Muscle the situation as God is with you.

Greetings from Billings, Montana!

The date was Saturday, August 25^th and it was truly a deja vu moment. There we stood on the stage, Lowell and Connie Lundstrom, Larry and myself, under the big yellow tent in Lakeville, Minnesota, singing "The Traveling Song" just as we did so many times in the '70's and '80's.

Back in May of 1961, Larry's brother, Lowell, and wife, Connie, graduated from Bible School. My husband, Larry, graduated from high school the following day, and the very next day the three of them journeyed off into full-time evangelism. Larry and I were married in October of 1965. These two couples filled with boundless energy, enthusiasm and the call of God on their lives ventured off traveling throughout the United States and Canada, singing, preaching at city-wide crusades, speaking on the radio, appearing in television specials, participating in conferences, and etc. Crowds grew and people came to Christ by the thousands. Larrry and Lowell's youngest brother, Leon, and his wife, Ronda, joined the team in 1971 as a drummer. Now the three Lundstrom brothers, wives and their families were singing and playing their instruments together spreading the Gospel news! The name "Lundstrom" became a household name in the Midwest due to the television specials and weekly television program.

In December of 1982, Larry, I and our three children embarked on a new adventure and formed the Larry Lundstrom Family ministry. We ministered all across the US and Canada focusing on salvation and ministering to families. One by one, our children grew up and left the nest. In 1997, it was back to Larry and I. Since then, Larry and I have traveled over ten months a year sharing the simple Gospel message with thousands making decisions for Christ.

During the week of August 19th-26th, Lowell and Connie Lundstrom celebrated 50 years of ministry and marriage. We were honored to be invited to be a part of the celebration. The Original Lundstrom's consisting of Lowell, Connie, Larry and myself, took the stage for a concert on Saturday night (the 25^th) and were joined by Leon and Ronda, and several of the children playing keyboards, drums, guitars, percussion, etc. What a reunion we had! As we stood there singing, after being apart for 25 years, once again, I was reminded of God's faithfulness to all of us through the years. One person commented, "As you all got on the stage, there was that same family magic and anointing that you all once shared and I felt it flow tonight." It was a wonderful and unforgettable evening. It was amazing to see that from the original Lundstrom's in the 60's, there are now three generations that fill the stage.

It was also a special treat to see and reacquaint ourselves with dozens of former staff, team members, guest speakers and singers.

All in all, it was an action-packed, emotion-filled weekend. Here are some photos of the big event. You may know or recognize several of them. Have fun!