Another action-packed week is now history! It is so good to be home! We are busy, busy, busy but it is truly wonderful. We were tickled pink to have our two grandchildren, Dante' and Myanna, come and spend a week with Grandpa and Grandma while their mommy, LaDawn, took a long overdue getaway with 
her sister, LaShawn. They flew up to Toronto, Canada, to see their brother, Donovan, and LaShawn's fiancé, Liam, for six days. Even with their crazy schedules, we encourage the siblings to try and breakaway in order to spend a few days together a couple times a year. It's important for them to keep in touch! When they were younger going through their teen years, I encouraged them to concentrate on building bridges and close relationships with each other. I would tell them, "Just remember this, all your friends will come and go...but keep close to siblings because some day you will need each other...and that's when you want family there for you." There is nothing like a family bond to share in the good times and with which to tide the storms of life. Anyway, the kids called from Toronto and told us they had a wonderful time together. It was music to our ears!
Meanwhile back in South Dakota, we thoroughly enjoyed the 
grandkids...ohhhh...and the new grand-dog named Paris. (Can you imagine a black pug names Paris?-chuckle) She brought with her a whole new form of entertainment. Of course, I told the kids before they came, "The dog stays outside or in the entryway!" They just couldn't believe that Grandma could be so heartless not allowing the dog the rule of the house. I have been through that game twice before with my kids and it didn't work. HA! I do have to admit, however, the grand-dog stole our hearts as well.
We had a great Mother's Day weekend. I had the privilege of speaking on Mother's Day at our home church in Sisseton, SD, with Pastor Vern and Mary Donnell. We are so blessed to have a wonderful sweet-spirited pastor and wife who are great people of prayer and have a burden to reach the lost. We were especially honored to have my 91 ½ year old mother, Julie Brooks, there. I had the opportunity to publicly and personally honor her along with all mothers on that special day. It was indeed a precious time.
Just before I spoke, the church had a three generation family of four sing a
song. It was so special! Julia Hills, (grandmother) 90 years old sang along with her daughter, Gloria Slaamot (secretary of our home church), and her two daughters, April and Holly. Grandma Hills still has a strong singing voice. WOW! She encouraged me to keep on singing! It was precious to see this three generation family singing together.
Gloria Slaamot shared the following: "First of all, I appreciate the graciousness of Gloria to allow us to sing our three generation trio that morning. Mom just turned 90 in April and I thought it would be fun to sing together on Mother's Day. I didn't want to get in the way of what Gloria had planned for that morning but when I called her, she was so very sweet and said it would be fine. Like Gloria said in the service, what a heritage some of us have in regards to having Godly mothers who helped us find our way to God. I love the fact that Gloria is so 'REAL', letting us know that she and Larry go through struggles, too, but with God's help, they make it encouraging us to do the same! They are always a blessing and we love them dearly!"
I missed not having my son and daughte
rs with me for Mother's Day but I was so happy to have my grandkids and some of my family. After church, three of my brothers, along with Larry and I, grilled chicken and had all the yummy trimmings to 
go with it. To top off the day, Larry took Dante' and Myanna out to the Lundstrom farm to ride horses with our nephew, L. J. Lundstrom and little Zach. The kids were ecstatic!
Monday morning, Dante' and Myanna packed up all their stuff and we motored off to St. Cloud, MN, for the annual Larry Lundstrom Ministries board meeting. Afterwards, our friends, Doug and Deb Jones, took Dante', Myanna and the dog back to Apple Valley, MN, to see their mom. They were anxious to get back home to her.
Just before we left Sisseton on Monday morning, the grandkids took Paris outside for a walk on the lawn. Just than a Senior Community transit bus was coming down the hill by our house. Quicker than the blink of an eye, Paris lunged out of Dante's arms and ran after the bus. She took off like it was the Indy 500 race. In a panic, Dante' dashed after her tackling their dog before she got run over. A look of panic appeared on Dante's face as he tried to discipline her for taking off. He looked at me and said, "Oh, Grandma, Paris makes me so mad when she doesn't mind me. When I call her, she won't come." I chuckled, "I know the feeling. We went through that when you were a toddler."
Until a certain age and stage, a child has no fear which is why we, parents, have to discipline and teach them of the dangers in life. If we let them run wild not addressing the issues of life that God wants us to, they will be run over spiritually, emotionally and physically. John 10:10 says, "...the devil is out to kill, steal and destroy", and that means our families as well. God has given us a responsibility to raise our children and grandchildren in the fear and admonition of the Lord. The Bible says in Proverbs 13:24, "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him." God's intention and instruction to us as parents is to lead and instruct in order to save them from worse dangers and consequences due to their own free will resulting in eternal damnation.
Yes, we, parents and grandparents, have a great mission field and responsibility for this generation. It is Larry's and my prayer that we can have a godly influence on our children and grandchildren.
Well, it's time to run. Have a great week!
Gloria
An elderly woman walked into the local country church. The friendly usher greeted her at the door and helped her up the steps. "Where would you like to sit?" he asked politely.
"The front row please," she answered.
"You really don't want to do that," the usher said. "The pastor is really boring."
"Do you happen to know who I am?" the woman inquired.
"No," he said.
"I am the pastor's mother," she replied indignantly.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked.
"No," she said.
"Good," he answered.
One reason a dog is such a good friend is that his tail wags instead of his tongue.
-Anonymous
This is the granddaughter of our bookkeeper---she like ice cream ALMOST as much as Larry! HA!
Tortillas
These are great to bring to potlucks, get-togethers, etc. They are always gone by the end of the night!
6 oz ham or chicken, chopped
4 Tbsp minced onion
Flour tortillas
8 oz cream cheese
1 small can green chiles
1 small can chopped black olives
Mix all together and spread on flour tortillas. Roll tightly and regfrigerate. Cut into slices and serve with your favorite salsa.
Refrigerator Odors
You can always use the standby of baking soda in your refrigerator for odors, but you can also try a little vanilla on a cotton ball to give it a fresh scent.
are now in our home state of South Dakota! What a good feeling...although I wondered for just a moment when we got caught in the path of torrential rains,
flash floods and 30-50 mile per hour winds. There were 20 tornadoes that ripped through the state of South Dakota last weekend. I was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof! I'm not usually anxious but the wind was swooping-- lifting and shaking our motorcoach like it was cotton candy. This is the first storm we have experienced in nearly 40 years that had me totally unnerved. I think if Larry would have had a tranquilizer gun, he would have given me a big shot! 
en on earth. 
Pastor Hofer had this to say about the meetings: "What a refreshing time we had with Larry and Gloria. We saw that they have not left their calling in soulwinning. We had to set up chairs for the Sunday morning service with many making choices to follow after the Lord. Many first time commitments were made to the Lord. Larry has not lost his humor which is important in sharing the Gospel to show the Christian life can be full of joy. We were blessed by their servanthood at the youth night on Saturday. We had Angel Dean sing and Chad Moser speak. Larry did the altar call with ten people making commitments for Christ. What a great weekend!" 
night he felt the Spirit of God tugging at his heart's door. When Larry gave the invitation, Scott Aldering stepped forward, along with his daughter, and made peace with God. 
There were so many outstanding Christians at the weekend outreach. Two of them that really caught our attention helped Larry load out our equipment. If anyone was having a bad day or was discouraged, all they would have to do is meet Jason Pearson and Jim Meyer because Christ absolutely pours out of them to all they meet. They were a real inspiration to us and to others. 
Speaking of nostalgic...on our journey, our eyes beheld the sight of an old yellow 1965. Of course, our bus wasn't that new, ours was a 1948 model built in Laudinville, Ohio. Larry, his brother, Lowell, and wife, Connie, found it in California and purchased it for the grand price of $1500. The proper name for is was Flexible. That particular bus was used by the state of California. They wo
uld take it to disaster scenes and set up office in it. Thinking back to all the experiences we had in that old bus, we definitely paid about $1400 too much for it! HA! 
r or bathroom. When it rained outside, it also rained inside. When it snowed and the winds blew, the snow filtered in through the emergency door and would create a tidy 3-6 inch snow drift on the foot of our bed. I would have to put our daughter, LaShawn, in her snowsuit when I 
put her to bed to keep her warm. I cringe every time I think about it! There were four adults and two children living in that blue and white wonder bus. We always wondered if we would make it to the next destination without a major breakdown. That old bucket of bolts broke down almost every trip. Larry had repairs down to a science! He could drop the transmission out and shove it back in within a ½ hour. Why? Because he had to!
Right after we met at the church, Pastor Graham informed us that he remembered us from ministering at Central Assembly in Springfield, MO, in 1972 at a youth rally. He said, "I still remember Larry playing the big, upright bass. Wow, that was a long time ago." Pastor Larry smiled and gently said, "I was just a young man at the time and you were still with Lowell and Connie Lundstrom ministering together as two couples. You left a great impact on my life." 
ifetime. 
Sunday morning and see Carolyn Johnson, one of the board members of Larry Lundstrom Ministries sitting out there.
They shared the following comments with us: "We thoroughly enjoyed your ministry at First Assembly in Carthage, MO. Your passion for souls was evident through your uplifting music, ministry and altar service. Your smiles, love for the Lord, and for each other have remained genuine throughout the years. We left the service feeling revived and with a stronger desire to always have a happy spirit and a passion for souls." 
would say, "And now the rest of the story..." Email me and I will send you a copy of Larry's cancer testimony entitled, Rendezvous with Victory. You'll cry, you'll laugh and you will rejoice with us through this thrilling story. Read it and share it with a friend who needs encouragement.
Alabama and onto Nashville, Tennessee. En route, we stopped in Birmingham, AL, to see our friends, Bill and Joyce Simmons, former employees of Lundstrom Ministries. It was fun seeing them again. Years ago, Bill and Joyce, and their three sons lived with us in our old bus along with Larry and I and our three children for several years. Imagine...
two families which consisted of two couples and six children living in a 40 foot long, 8 foot wide bus. In the natural, that is not easy, but we were best friends. Bill is now working with a large church in Birmingham, AL, and Joyce is a conference speaker. Each month, you can see Joyce's financial article on page 4 of our newsletter and under the Family Matters-Financial Words to the Wise-section of our website. Even though, we hadn't seen them for over 2 ½ years, as soon as we connected, it was as if we were never apart. We just picked up from where we had left off and went on from there. That is what true friendship is about!
We then proceeded up to Nashville. Two of our 
children, LaShawn and Donovan, make their residence in Nashville but are away most of the time traveling due to their jobs. It just so happened that they were both home this week. Were we ever thrilled! I had sent them Easter cards and told them if they were going to be home when we came through Nashville, I would fix them a 
belated Easter dinner. They quickly responded they would be home and requested a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings. I spent all Monday preparing the meal and goodies. What fun! We laughed, told stories on each other, and of course, they always have stories they tell on Mom and Dad. We laughed until our sides hurt. There is just nothing like family! I sure miss my children when we are gone. Next month we will be able to see LaDawn and the grandkids...we are looking forward to that. 
your stomach. There are many people still missing among the rubble. It is interesting that after a year and a half, it looks like the devastation just occurred. One ironic fact is there are places nearby that were missed by the hurricane and are functioning with life as usual while other areas continue to be at a complete sta
ndstill.
hose who survived and whose homes were spared...miracle story after miracle story. But, after looking at all the unimaginable destruction and loss, I was tempted to ask, "Why, God?" I tried to dismiss that question in a hurry. We will probably never know the why unless God chooses to reveal it to us when we get home...but then, again, when we get to heaven, the past will be erased and it simply won't matter. We will sit and bask in His presence. 
Larry preached the Easter story focusing on the fact that the cross became our rescue. The altar call was given and as you can see by the photo, lives were touched. There were first time commitments as well as many prodigals returning home to Jesus. What a great Easter! 
the historical French Quarter located off of Canal Street. They called and asked if we could walk down to meet them. Of course, we quickly obliged. They led us into a jewelry store where Liam had just purchased LaShawn's engagement ring. They wanted us to share that special moment. What a joy! Her ring is absolutely beautiful but the love they have for each other is even more precious! Now, we are waiting for a wedding date to be set. Don't I sound like an impatient mother! I keep reminding them, "I have my date book right here in my hand." LaShawn just laughs and politely says, "Mother...when we set the date, you and Dad will be the first ones to know." They say that to try and settle me down. It works-slightly. 
change your mind. Your destiny will be in motion. 
week, along with some photos. Since last week we drove from Fort Myers, FL up to Georgia and on to Mississippi...and then back to New Orleans. I can definitely feel all those miles on my body today. I told Larry that I'm declaring a day of rest tomorrow to unwind. We really haven't had a free day since the second week of January. I will call it the "National Norwegian Holiday"- HA! Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God." I need to be still long enough to catch my breath so I can feel the presence of God and hear His voice above the clatter of this busy life. 
Assembly of God in Thomasville...Pastor Bob and 
Mona Smith. We knew when we scheduled this service that it would be hard as we are not known in that area. It's hard enough to get people to come out when you are known; and with all the things going on in everybody's lives it makes it even more of a challenge for attendance. Of course, God always brings them in! Larry encouraged Pastor Bob and Mona Smith to take a risk and schedule a service at the Holiday Inn conference room. We pulled into Thomasville on Thursday, set up our equipment in the conference room and prayed, "Lord you have to bring them in from somewhere." We knew it was going to be a small crowd, but intently prayed that souls would be saved that night. About 60-75 
people turned out and each one came with an open and hungry heart. We had a wonderful time with the people. When Larry gave the altar call, about 1/3 of them responded to pray the sinner's prayer. Most of them were first time commitments. After the service was over Larry was visiting with a couple in the hallway and a precious little girl, Renee, approached me and in her darling accent said, "I couldn't find pastor Larry", then tears filled her eyes and she continued, "tell him thank you for saving my daddy." Her tears turned into smiles and she said, "I've been praying for daddy for 2 ½ years." I almost crumbled in tears and joy. I cuddled
her up to me in a hug and said, "Let's go find Larry so you can tell him for yourself." When we reached Larry, she looked up at that 6 foot 3 inch frame with a smile on her face I'll never forget and again explained, "Thank you for saving my daddy...". I'm always amazed at God's timing. Renee and her parents were visiting from Hartford and are planning on moving to Thomasville to begin a business. God knew all along their schedule and our schedule, but most of all God had His divine 
timing for her daddy to receive Christ. Isn't that just like the Lord? Thank you pastor Bob and Mona for taking a risk to bring us into that conference room. Many came to Christ because you cared enough to go the extra mile. After the service pastor Bob and Mona invited us over to their home for a delicious taco feed- mmm...yummy! 
Escanaba, MI. Fred and Ada love country music and heard there was going to be a "concert" at the school. They said, "We came for a country music concert, but we left with much more. We loved the groups' gospel country music, and when Lowell preached a simple message we felt God tugging at our hearts. We worked very hard at being good people, but we realized that night that being good doesn't get you into Heaven...it's not through our good works...it's only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who died on the cross, and rose from the dead that we might live forever." John 14:6 says, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." Since that night in 1973, Fred and Ada's lives and marriage have totally changed. Some 34 years later they still look fantastic and just bubble with the love of God. By the way, Ada helped take care of our daughters, who were 2 and 6 years old during the time of these services. It was such a blessing to us.
repeating that I was sorry. Larry with his calm and positive demeanor said, "Honey, it's not a tragedy, just an inconvenience." Then he added, "Who knows why all this happened? Maybe God spared us from an accident or something else. It's okay; let's go." Thank God for an understanding husband. We finally pulled into New Orleans about 10:30 pm, rather than the planned 2:00 pm. While Larry was unloading the equipment from the Suburban to the coach the storm hit. A wall of rain soaked him. I had a hard time keeping from laughing as it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. We finally got settled in to go to bed about 2:00 am.
Senior Pastor, David Stocker was away at his son's college graduation into the ministry. The pastoral care pastor and his wife, Bill and Cecilia Thornton graciously hosted us for the weekend. What a precious couple. Their enthusiasm and dedication for Jesus shines forth. Last August, Larry and I had the opportunity to visit Central Bible Church and were so blessed by the worship and were fed the word so richly by Pastor David Stocker. After the good service that morning Larry and I commented, "I'd love to go back there and minister someday." We felt an instant bond with the pastor and church. Well, long story short...Pastor Stocker called us a few months ago and invited us to minister there last Sunday. 
was the first time Larry and Gloria Lundstrom ministered at our church, and I must say they have an excellent ministry. Their music and songs are anointed by His Holy Spirit. Larry's preaching is anointed by His Holy Spirit, and his message is all about Salvation. We had several people saved and many rededicated their lives to our Lord. God has blessed them with many testimonies during their life. It was a pleasure as well as a blessing to have them at our church. And the people loved Larry's wit and humor. We continue praying for their ministry." His wife, Cecelia also shared,
"We were able to visit with Larry and Gloria after the services and found them to be as warm and dedicated as they were on the platform. Their ministry was a blessing to us. Larry and Gloria don't seem to meet any strangers outside the church, they were a blessing even as we enjoyed lunch together." They were such a blessing to Larry and I too. Another blessing was a man named Martin Pino, who headed up the counseling. What an energetic and enthusiastic worker for God! He commented, "It was awesome seeing how powerful the Lord moved through Larry and Gloria's ministry. I thank God for allowing me to be a part of the counseling team. Most of all I thank God for the 
many that got saved, restored and encouraged through their ministry. Thank you, Larry and Gloria. Please come back and minister to us
again." We loved seeing couples and families making decisions for Christ. This was just one of the couples who made a commitment to follow Christ. I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to pray with many hurting people. 
Another brother in Christ we got to meet was Jeff Jennings. He is the Student Ministries pastor and was doing group counseling in the counseling room. All in all it was an awesome weekend of ministry and we are anxious to go back to Miami to minister with Pastor David and Mrs. Stocker.
set up at Christian Life Assembly of God on Saturday. It was great seeing Pastor Darrell Worley, his wife Sharon, and their daughter Lindsey. We've been ministering here every 2 years since the early 90's. A lot has happened since we were here in February 2005. Katrina failed to forget them. Although it wasn't as bad as New Orleans it definitely poured out it's wrath and destruction there. With the hurricane was tornadoes that uprooted 100 year old oak trees and made them fall on houses leaving unbelievable damage. Everywhere you look you see FEMA trailers where people are still waiting for help. On Saturday night Pastor Worley took us for a drive and showed us some of the country. The destruction along the Gulf Coast is undescribable. Pastor Darrell Worley's church had minimal damage. After Katrina they built a new sanctuary and were 2 weeks from moving in when 
they had an electrical fire which totally gutted out the new building. So they have had to start over. All these people are truly survivors. Pastor Darrell is a terrific pastor and is running over with optimism, energy and determination to keep moving on. We had 2 wonderful Sunday morning services with several rededications. Christian Life Assembly has supported our ministry monthly for 12 -14 years, so they truly are family to us. 
was standing on. He fell 12 feet causing the ladder to act like and axe, thus nearly severing my right foot. We drove back over to Kiln, MS where the accident happened. Pastor Darrel Worley's mother and father, Ken and Faye Worley were pastoring that church when it happened. I stood in 
the parking lot reliving the event. I remember lying on the asphalt holding onto my injured right foot that was being held on by only a small portion of skin so it wouldn't totally fall off, while waiting for the ambulance to come. Thank God I was in shock or I probably would have freaked out of my mind. After surgery and several days in the Slidell hospital, Pastor Kenneth and Faye Worley so graciously brought us into their home. They gave up their bedroom and king size bed so I could begin the healing process. The Picayune and Kiln churches brought in delicious southern cooked meals during that time and Faye pampered and nursed me for over 2 weeks. I remember the day I came to Worley's from the hospital. Being a 
stubborn Norwegian, I was determined to be independent and inch my way into the house with a walker, hopping on one foot. I figured if I'm going to walk again I better toughen up and learn now! Larry helped me out of the car. I hung onto my walker and hopped about 20 feet over to the door of the house. The door jamb was about 3 inches high. I thought, "That looks simple enough." But I was soon to realize it would become my 3 inch mountain. I tried to figure out how to hop up there without falling again. I tried every which way, and that 3 inches still looked like a mountain. Larry finally said, "Now will you let me carry you through the door?" Which he did. Poor Larry. 
reminisce and think back on how impossible that 3 inch incline seemed to me. Then I began to relive the 10 month battle in and out of clinics, hospitals, emergency rooms, learning how to maneuver the walker, wheelchair, crutches, .... as the Norwegians would say, "Uff-da!" It was a huge mountain experience. Five months after the accident I was in my livingroom at home trying to put a little weight on the foot to try to begin to learn to walk again. It hurt so badly I fell back in my chair and wept, "God I can't do it the pain is too excruciating!" After sitting there for several moments, thank God I finally came to my senses and thought, "If I don't handle the pain now and face it I'll never walk again and I'll remain in this wheelchair the rest of my life." That didn't sound very encouraging either so audibly I said, "C'mon Gloria, toughen up! Don't be a wimp! You can do it! Get up and get going!" Of course the rest is history. I'm up and going. Yes, I still have a lot of pain but everyone deals with discomfort in some way. Every time I tried to put weight on that nearly amputated foot I would recite the verse, "And He will uphold you with the right hand of His righteousness."
visiting family for a few days. Frank and his family lived in Browns Valley, MN, which is just 12 miles away from Sisseton, where I grew up. I must confess...I had an enormous crush on my own cousin. (Yeah, I know-that's not good--but I did.) Frank was tall, good-looking, had a great personality and stole the hearts of the girls in that county. His character and integrity matched his good looks. After graduating, he went into the Navy and was a pilot. He married, Fran, who is a real gem, and in time, they felt God calling them into some type of ministry. God opened doors for them to travel to China where Frank taught in a university and Fran taught in a grade school. With the ability to use the Bible as a textbook, they had the privilege of leading countless numbers to Christ. We sat spellbound as we listened to their testimonies and stories. It is always a joy to rub shoulders with coworkers for the kingdom. Thanks, Frank and Fran, for being dedicated servants all these years. 
stretch Hummer limo parked right in front of the church. We thought, "Wow! There must be something really special going on. They must have a real celebrity visiting." The next thing I knew, we were walking into the church and were greeted by a wonderful group of loving parishioners. They ushered us in just as they were starting worship. It was such a rich and precious time of worship. Trying not to be obvious, I would sneak a peak each direction to see who looked like they came in that limo. I really didn't see anyone who fit the identity of a celebrity. God must have known that this Norwegian was more than curious because just then, a man took the microphone. His name was Bob and he began "I just want to tell our church body something. As you all know, I have a full time limo service. I keep really busy. Then, God began to talk to me about using that limo for Him. Within days, God gave me a plan. I began to use it on Sundays to go pick up children and visitors who wanted to attend church and activities. Someone said to me, 'You mean you use that expensive Hummer and all that gas to bring visitors to church?' I readily affirmed, 'Yes!' You see, everyone is special to God. Everyone is a 
celebrity in His sight so why not make it a special experience. I pick them up, give them gifts, bring them to church, feed them lunch and take them home again. A few weeks into the limo outreach, however, I was really feeling the financial crunch of making 2-3 trips around the area to get everyone to church. I prayed, 'God, now what? You didn't direct me to do this to go under. How can I afford to keep the fuel going in?' " Bob continued on, "The next Sunday, someone came up to me and said, ' I believe in what you are doing and we are seeing great results. I would like to pay for the fuel every other Sunday.'" 