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A few days ago, my mother who just turned 96 years young, had her annual health check up and also had her pacemaker checked for its battery life. She called and with excitement in her voice, she announced, "Missy, the Dr. says I have 9 years left on my pacemaker battery." Then she continued, "My cousin called the other day and she is 103...so I may not be going anywhere for a while." (Note-this is her second pacemaker. The first one was a 1991 model and they assured it would last but she outlived that one, so she is now cruising on with her second pacemaker. She truly reminds me of the bunny on the Energizer battery commercial!)
My emotions were teetering between tears and laughter as I tied a birthday balloon to the headstone of my deceased father Clair Brooks. Like a little kid I gleefully chirped, "Happy 100th birthday Dad." I miss him - he passed away at 87 years of age when I had just turned 55 years old...I was officially a senior.
This is the 46th Mother's Day that Gloria and I are enjoying together. Gloria desires to always minister to our newsletter family with encouragement, inspiration and comfort but seldom is she mentioned or credited for all she does behind the scenes. I was recently reading about the wonderful godly woman that Proverbs 31 illustrates. I often tease Gloria and call her my "P-31" wife (and may I add, she truly is). This time, however, when I read Proverbs 31, I was challenged when I read verse 28 which states, "Her children rise up, and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her" (NKJV).
It has been an amazing May...definitely not boring or dull by any means. Mother's Day is always special and this year was no exception. I was invited to speak the Mother's Day message at Aberdeen, SD at First Assembly of God. As always, it was a delight to be back with pastor friends, Rev. Gary and Joni Wileman and their wonderful congregation. They are another exceptional pastor and wife team, who lead their church by example: vision, love, zeal and motivation. The most precious part of the service was when I invited the Mother's to form a complete circle around the sanctuary.
Hello from Sisseton, South Dakota! We are enjoying some time at home right now as we pull in off the road after a five month tour and prepare to minister in churches around the Midwest area. We are energized as we reflect on the ways God moved through commitments made to Him and being able to witness the miracle of a changed life, over and over, these past months.
I recently returned from Zimbabwe, Africa. I was honored and privileged to join Pastor John Brady and eight men from First Assembly of God in Minot, North Dakota, on an action-packed mission trip, February 28-March 11. I boarded the plane on February 28th in Phoenix, Arizona, thus beginning the long journey! From Phoenix, I went to Denver to Atlanta and then on to Johannesburg, South Africa (this flight overseas was 20 hours long). We changed planes in Johannesburg boarding South African Air which then delivered us to Harare, the capitol of Zimbabwe. Needless to say, after 11,000 miles crunched between two people for 20 hours, this big Swede needed to stretch out!
Here we are in the great windy state of Kansas. I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz! In fact, we are just about 30 miles from Woodrow Kansas where the story took place. The wind literally pushed us in here. We drove in the night before the 100+ tornados hit the state, but praise God we are in the very northern part, in the panhandle, in Hugoton where we escaped the wrath of the weather. God is so good. I am really a chicken when it comes to dodging storms in a 45 foot motor home, pulling our car. Larry knows that when we hit the road, I live by the weather channel and prayer!
Sunday, March 18th we were invited and very excited to sing and preach at the Cowboy Church in Wickenburg, Arizona. From the minute we hit the city limits of the historical Old West town, we felt an air of excitement come over us. Early Sunday morning we set up our equipment at the local movie theatre where services are held- people began to flow in from the streets filling the theatre seats.
Over a year ago our pastor friend, John Brady from First Assembly of God in Minot, North Dakota invited Larry to join him and 8 of his church men on their mission trip to Zimbabwe, Africa. Little did he know how much of a "mission accomplished" would take place.
In all reality, you cannot find a substitute for family! I'm a family man...we raised our three children, LaShawn, LaDawn and Donovan, "on the road." We were always an arm's length from each other living in a motor home for the better part of 16-18 years while they were with us.