Today, it's officially "50 Years"... Who would ever have thought that I'd still be on the road.

We were married on Saturday night, October 16, 1965. Sped off to northern Minnesota for a three day honeymoon, raced back to Sisseton, packed away our wedding gifts (in fact there are a few still left in some boxes in the attic), moved our few belongings into the old Flex bus (you had to be flexible to live in it!) along with Lowell and Connie and two children. We began our ministry journey in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, on the fourth day after being married. Ten days later the old bus engine blew up! We borrowed an old beat up car with the back right window busted out and covered with heavy plastic. We loaded two couple, two children, two guitars and anything else we could fit inside the car.

As the old saying goes, "The Lundstroms must go on!" The mechanic in Thief River Falls told us it would cost about $1,500 to fix the bus. Yikes, where are we going to get that much money? In the fret of it all, I recalled that I had tucked away $1,000 from an insurance claim of being in a car accident to help with medical bills. Decisions, decisions, should I keep the money for that, or give it to the mechanic so we could get the bus up and rolling again? Here we were, honeymooners of a few days and the next 6 weeks became two couples, two children stuffed into a mini-­motel room, night after night for 6 weeks, with two double beds. Yes, exciting, to say the least! You could say the honeymoon was getting a bit strained. I had to make a choice, keep the $1,000 tucked away for medical as we had no health insurance, or help buy a new bus engine for the old beater bus, honestly, just the logistics of living on the road brought me to my decision. I withdrew the money from the bank and sent it to the mechanic. In the meantime, we are beginning our ministry journey in a car while waiting for the bus to be fixed, which we were told would be 10 days to 2 weeks. It stretched out to 6+ weeks. It definitely tried and tested and stretched our patience, comfort and emotions. I was a new bride and this honeymooner's episode was turning into an nightmare. We were all tired and exhausted of living out of a car for one night services. On a Saturday night before we were scheduled to start a most-­welcomed one week revival in one place, we pulled the old beater of a car into the church parking lot in Kansas City, Missouri. It was dark, and it was late. There was no air conditioning in the carso it was hot. We were hungry, low on finances and our patience was spent. Totally exhausted we sat there waiting for the pastor to come to show us into the church where he was going to lead Larry and I into a small nursery where we would live for the next week and an apartment for Lowell and Connie. Meanwhile, back in the car, Larry was hanging over the steering wheel. Lowell and Connie were stuffed in the backseat with baby Lisa, and a guitar. Larry and I had a guitar in the front seat along with Londa sound asleep in my lap. In exasperation, Lowell shrieked, "I can't do this anymore! We are in our 7th year on the road! We are not doing this. We are all going to slow down. From now on, we will travel 6 months, and stay home 6 months." That was music to my ears. I thought "Yes, sanity is coming!"

Well, here is the rest of the story, the bus finally was fixed and off we journeyed on the road again. No, we didn't slow down, we geared up as God opened doors all across the U.S. and Canada to share Christ, and He still is. LARRY AND I WERE BOTH CALLED AND COMMISSIONED TO GO TELL THE STORY FROM THE TIME WE WERE TEENAGERS. Do we have any regrets? No. To see thousands give their lives to Christ has been a great reward for the inconveniences we have encountered. Just days before we were married, we were at my parents home, and I was sitting on the arm of the chair with my arm around Larry's shoulder when I heard these words to my heart, and it had to be God, "Your life will not be easy, it will be hard, but if you will be faithful, remain faithful, obey me and go, I will bless you, your marriage and ministry." Those words have kept me going because HE has kept His word.

We celebrate 50 years today! Years that have been by God's design and years that we wouldn't trade for anything. Have a wonderful weekend!

Gloria