Snowflakes softly falling like lace doilies, Christmas carols playing, lights twinkling on the trees, and family coming home all bring back memories of Christmases past. I still remember the first Christmas after I asked Jesus into my heart. I was 8-years old. Christmas changed! Up until then, Christmas was all about Santa Claus (even though I really questioned that story because I couldn't imagine that anyone - most of all a jolly fat Santa - could actually get down our chimney carrying gifts, no less). I was thinking, "Gifts? No. M&M's or raisins? Maybe."
Larry and I just returned Monday evening, December 7th from our Fun and Fellowship tour to Branson, Missouri. We were honored to have 34 guests join us for 6 days and 5 nights of action-packed activities. All the way to Branson, we visited, sang, played games, and ate Christmas goodies that our guests brought. There's nothing like fellowship!
Hello...by the time you receive this Larry and I will be on board a plane leaving sunny Arizona en route to Minneapolis, MN. The past two weeks have been a whirlwind as we are trying to catch up on our "road" year-end work. We drove our motorhome from Nebraska to Glendale/Phoenix, Arizona two weeks ago and parked it at the Harvest Church which is pastored by our friends Ron and Sue Rockwell. We are excited to have a service with them when we return in February. They are building a new sanctuary with retired seniors called the "RV'ers"!
Greetings from sunny Arizona! Doesn't the name "Arizona" just warm you up thinking of it? What a blessing after the weather we've been through in the last few weeks. A week ago we were in the state of Nebraska for services. We had intended to make a quick trip back to Sisseton to the office and to see my Mom. She had her third pacemaker put in a few weeks ago. Nearly seventeen years ago she had the first one put in. She was about 77 years old then…the surgeon told me, "This one will last her…till she leaves this Earth. It'll last a good 8-10 years." I chuckled, pointed my finger at him and said, "You don't know my mother…she's a tough Norwegian!"
WHEW…let me take a big breath…we just arrived back to the state of Nebraska from the state of Maryland. Again we were greeted by colder than usual weather and peppered with snowflakes. I'm still waiting for summer… for some reason I think we skipped a season somewhere. We had a wonderful service in Cumberland, MD at Friendship Haven with Pastor Floyd and Marsha Bender. On Saturday night Larry and I met with a group from his congregation who were interested in Soul Winning. Of course, that's our button.
Greetings from the road! Fall is here…ready or not. I love fall! Larry and I made a marathon run beginning in Minnesota out to the East Coast taking us through the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut. This entire trip has been engulfed by endless rain.
Greetings from Dekalb, Illinois! Does that city name ring a bell? Of course it does if you are familiar with agriculture…Dekalb seed corn! We are parked in a church parking lot about 25 feet from a massive corn field. On the way here, we felt like we were literally traveling through a maze of cornfields all the way from Rockford, IL.
We drove from Whitehall, WI (located near Black River Falls, WI) where we were kept quite busy with several types of ministry. We held two services, participated in a TV interview and spoke at a bike tent rally. It was a fun active week!
It was good to be back with Pastor Allen and Wanda Skroch for these various outreaches to the lost and hurting. One visiting pastor commented, "I have never been to anything like this before. God did a new work in my life." Even those in ministry need encouragement and a "shove" every once in a while.
We drove from Whitehall, WI (located near Black River Falls, WI) where we were kept quite busy with several types of ministry. We held two services, participated in a TV interview and spoke at a bike tent rally. It was a fun active week!
It was good to be back with Pastor Allen and Wanda Skroch for these various outreaches to the lost and hurting. One visiting pastor commented, "I have never been to anything like this before. God did a new work in my life." Even those in ministry need encouragement and a "shove" every once in a while.
Greetings from the beautiful and breathtaking dairy state of Wisconsin! What a perfect September day! It seems September has rushed in before I hardly knew it. My father-in-law used to tell me, "Gloria, the older you get, the faster life goes." I used to chuckle knowing that wasn't the truth. Time is time. However, I must say that now…I think the same way! It does seem that life travels at a much faster pace these days.
On August 16th, we were in Grand Rapids, MN for a Sunday morning service with our friends pastor Brian and Bonnie McGuire. It was a joy to be back with them again. There were a host of visitors at the service who we've met through the years. We had a precious service and altar call; there were over 20 decisions for Christ, with over half of those being first-time decisions.
Hello---what a beautiful August day! It couldn't be more perfect! Larry just arrived back home from Orlando, FL. (Yes, you heard me right… Orlando, FL, in August…yikes! Hot, hot!) Larry was invited by Pastor John and Naomi Brady of the Minot Assembly of God Church in North Dakota to help host a group of young people and their chaperones to the General Council Convention of the Assemblies of God.