We had an exciting and fun-filled weekend! We were invited by Jeff Nordin, the music minister at Christ Chapel in Woodbridge, VA, who is also our former keyboard player for our ministry team back in the 80's, to come to Willmar, Minnesota. He invited us to take part in his family reunion by sharing in music and ministry. The reunion was held in a beautiful lake home setting a few miles out of Willmar at Jeff's parents, Doug and LaDon Nordin's. This was the inclusive Krueger Family Reunion. The Krueger family tree consists of six sons and six daughters so you can just imagine how many children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren were there. Family members flew in from as far away as Texas, California, Oregon, Virginia, Colorado and several other states. It is always wonderful to see families make that special effort to spend a few action-packed days together. They estimated there were about 225 family and extended family that attended all or at least a portion of the festivities. (We tried to get a photo of the entire family but due to a heavy rainfall on Saturday and busy schedules, many had already left by the time this photo was taken.) Many of the family members had never met, or at least had not seen each other, for many, many years. It was touching to see all of them connect and reconnect! What was even more wonderful was that most of the family are born-again Christians with many active in full-time ministry. It was thrilling to hear the testimonies from this extended family how their Godly parents had left an indelible impact upon all their lives down through the generations. They shared how their parents guided them spiritually, taught them how to pray, and encouraged them in their individual walks with the Lord. God certainly honored these parents' prayers along with what they had sown into all these lives. Truly, this is a blessed family!

On Sunday morning, Larry and I shared about the importance of family. We communicated on how we are families forever thus the importance of building family relationships through faith, love and forgiveness. The Krueger family has definitely practiced this.

One particular humorous moment at the reunion was when I sat down to visit with the eldest of the living siblings (five daughters and one son) from the original twelve, Vila Baker. This lady is so mentally sharp, spiritually tuned and physically beautiful as are her other living sisters. After a few minutes of visiting, I was commenting how mentally sharp she was for her age. She said, "Gloria, you know what? My son, Chuck Baker, built a beautiful casket for me years ago. He is a master craftsman, you know! Yeah, he has the casket stored in my other son, Sherlan's, basement." She took a big breath and with a twinkle in her eye and voice, she chirped, "I never thought I would have to wait this long before I used it!" Then she added, "I guess God's not done with me yet!" I assured her that all of her children, grandchildren, great and great, great grandchildren need her prayers and encouragement.

It was also great to see an old friend, Don Kuehl at the reunion.  Larry and I met him as teenagers.  He still looks great!  I also got to spend some time with Benita Lee.  She and her husband, Kenton, live in Tacomah, Washington and she is on staff at Life Center there.

And, oh my....talk about food! For 2 ½ days, we participated in an endless open buffet. There were tables and tables of every kind of meat, dish and dessert imaginable. Larry and Myanna loved it...of course, I did too!

Speaking of our granddaughter, Myanna, she loved the excitement and fun with all of the kids. This past weekend was her last weekend with us on the road. After the morning family worship service, we packed equipment, loaded up the motorcoach, and Larry and Myanna made their way back into Willmar to join about 35 others on a chartered coach heading to Indianapolis, Indiana, for the General Council Conference of the Assemblies of God. They asked if Larry would help drive the coach...I guess he's had enough experience! HA! After driving coach for approximately 44 years, he should be adequately experienced, huh?!

En route to Indianapolis, they stopped in Minneapolis to drop off Myanna who was anxious to see her mom. Larry then picked up our grandson, Dante', who is accompanying him to the conference so he could be a part of the youth conference where 15,000 teenagers will be attending. They are having special services and concerts aimed just for teens. We are praying that Dante' will receive a fresh touch from the Lord. It is so important for our children and grandchildren to attend events that will help build their lives spiritually. Larry and one other driver drove straight through the night and arrived safely in Indianapolis. After I bid Larry and Myanna good-bye, I grabbed a blanket, snuggled in my bed in the coach and took a much desired power nap. I then visited, once again, that evening with the Nordin family.

Monday morning, I and me (HA!) lazily journeyed back the two hours to Sisseton. It was a quiet but emotional journey with both Larry and Myanna absent. Just before Myanna left, she grabbed my hand and said, "Grandma, I've been with you for eleven weeks and four days." She flung her arms around me and we hugged, kissed and held on to each other. I didn't want to let her go as she was such a joy to us. When I returned home, I carried a load of stuff up the steps and set it on the kitchen counter. I looked over at the coffee maker and there was a 3x5 yellow Post-it that Myanna must have placed there just before we left the house. It read,

After I read it, I was almost in tears. I was assured that the special times we had together- the fun, the giggles, the chat times, the devotions, and the times of prayer were a great investment in her young life.

I love what I read in the Bible just a few moments ago in the book of Deuteronomy. Forty years the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness. They learned that God's firm promises still stand, both in the times of blessing when they obey him and in the times of judgment when they sinned against Him by disobeying His law. Deuteronomy 6:2 really spoke to me as I read and pondered it. I felt it was very appropriate after attending the Krueger Family Reunion and spending the last eleven weeks sowing into Myanna's life. This verse is referring to obeying God and His blessing will follow. It reads, "So that you and your son and your grandson might fear (or love) the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life and that your days may be prolonged." And, may I add my own thought: "And be blessed from generation to generation." That is my heart's deepest prayer for my children and grandchildren. I am sure that is your heart's prayer, too. Keep investing and God will provide the promise. Have a great week!

Gloria

Can you believe it is August already? This year is fleeting by so quickly, I can hardly believe it! Last weekend, we drove to southwest Iowa for a weekend of ministry. We squeezed everything we needed for a church service (which was a lot) along with Myanna and ourselves into our suburban and hit the road. We chose to drive our suburban on this trip because of the fuel prices...I am sure you can understand.

Being in a smaller rig allowed us to take some secondary roads through the beautiful Iowa cornfield country. As we were driving along we saw several sweet corn stands. Excitedly, I chirped, "Honey, look! The sweet corn is ready to eat already!" Larry looked at me like I was joking and said, "Honey, it's the first of August. It should be ready." I gasped, "Oh, it is, isn't it. Where did the past two months go?" When I was a teenager, my mother used to tell me, "Missy, the older you get, the faster life seems to fly by." Way back then I remember thinking, "Not for me...it's not going fast enough! I want to be in junior high. I want to be in high school. I want to drive a car. I want to date, etc." It seemed to me that time stood still while I was impatiently awaiting those seasons in my life. Well, those seasons plus fifty more seasons of my life have come and gone since then. Now, I must admit, it does indeed seem like life is racing by more quickly than I can keep up with.

Last weekend, we were invited to minister in the small community of Arthur, Iowa, at the Arthur Evangelical Church. What a loving group of people! The congregation is awaiting the arrival of their new pastor so we were graciously hosted by layman Reese Johnson, and by interim pastor Allen.  There were precious decisions made for Christ with six of them being first-time decisions. One lady who had been invited to the morning service by a good friend gave her life to Christ at the service. After the altar call, she came back to the friend who had invited her and said with an exuberant sentiment of joy, "Thank you, thank you for inviting me!" Even if she had been the only one that responded to the invitation, the long trip to Iowa and back would have been worth every mile.

After the altar call, Reese Johnson, commented, "The service was wonderful! The music was great, the songs and testimonies were touching. There was a salvation thrust throughout the entire service. No one could miss the message of salvation. Oh yes, I loved your humor and the joy the two of you shared. It kept the service alive and moving."

Many friends and partners drove in for the morning service, including Roger and Beverly Sorensen from Harlan, Iowa. It was also great to see our long time friends, Lewellyn and Wanda Larson of Kiron, Iowa. Wanda sewed most of the dresses our daughters wore when they were little for the Lundstrom weekly television programs and specials. Lewellyn and Wanda invited us into their home for birthday cake to celebrate Myanna's 9^th birthday on the 27^th. It was Myanna's favorite cake-- marble with white fluffy frosting.

Lewellyn and Wanda shared the following regarding the time of ministry in Arthur, "We always love coming to your services because there is something for everyone, and everyone feels a part of it, including the children. What continually thrills us is that the salvation message is so simple and powerful that anyone of any age can understand it. There are always people coming to Christ at your altar calls. That is truly what it is all about, isn't it!"

Well, Larry and I would agree with that last statement...what this ministry is all about is reaching the Lost and hurting.

We rode back to Sisseton Monday evening, exhausted and weary, but Larry and I were both rejoicing over those whose lives were changed. Last Sunday, one of our faithful followers and partners asked, "Do you ever get tired?" I chuckled and confessed, "Oh yes! After 42 years on the road, we get very tired." I continued, "I would never live this lifestyle for any amount of money. It's way too tough! But," I added, "the clock is ticking fast towards eternity. Larry and I are doing what we can do to save as many people as we can from going to a godless eternity in hell forever and ever."  The Great Commission doesn't address it as "If you would like to go into all the world to preach the Gospel", rather it is a command, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation" (Mark 16:15). We are just trying to obey the command. We are so honored to be able to have a small part to enlarge heaven.

We would appreciate it if you would pray for us as we need your prayers and support to keep going. Have a great week!

Gloria

Whoo…it's another sweltering, hot, South Dakota summer day. The temps are soaring in the high 90s. I walked outside and it was as if I had walked into a sauna-it literally takes your breath away!

We've had a wonderful time of ministry in Wisconsin. We left Tomah and headed out to Grantsburg, Wisconsin for a weekend of ministry. Grantsburg borders the Wisconsin-Minnesota border. We went by way of Minneapolis and dropped off Myanna to spend a weekend with her Mommy and brother. Myanna is always so upbeat and happy, so we sure missed her those couple of days. She and Grandpa Larry have this special connection. I remember being that age and how I absolutely loved being with my Grandpa Brooks. To me he was magical, adventurous, and fun; plus he made me feel so loved, special, and secure. Larry and Myanna's relationship reminds me of my Grandpa Brooks and me. She's definitely Grandpa's little shadow and that's good for both of them. Last week Grandpa asked her if he can walk her down the isle when she grows up and gets married. She paused a few seconds and chirped, "Sure, if you're still alive!" HA! She turns 9 years old this Friday, July 27^th and I can hardly believe it!

Back to the road...we had a wonderful time ministering in Grantsburg, WI. We were invited by the Grace Baptist church in Grantsburg to take part in their annual Water Cross days. The original plan was to be downtown by the water on a stage right in the middle of all the action, but somehow it didn't work out so we were at the Grace Baptist Church with Interim Pastor David Prosser. We had a nice crowd on Sunday morning despite all the activities going on. There were precious decisions made at the altar call. We were told that people went forward that the congregation had been praying for a long, long time. Needless to say, there was a lot of rejoicing in the counseling room.

Just before the morning service, Larry and I joined Pastor Dave and the elders for prayer. We prayed for the upcoming service and for much needed rain as they are experiencing a serious drought. As we were praying, the sky got darker, clouds rolled in, and it began to sprinkle-then the rain fell-and then heavy rain came down. I kind of chuckle now, realizing that God knew this all along. If we had been downtown as originally planned we would've been rained out. This way, we had a beautiful sanctuary to hold the service in. Don't you love the way God works?

Our hosts, Bill and Leesa Shultz invited us to park our motor coach in their huge backyard amongst the beautiful towering pines; it was like being at a park. Before we parked back there we asked if there was any prediction of rain for us to worry about the coach sinking into the sand. We were reassured that there was no rain in the forecast, and they hadn't had rain for many, many days. We rolled that coach in and parked it with none of us knowing that God was going to send the rain Sunday morning. While we were singing and preaching, the rain was falling and continued to get heavier. We got a bit concerned…so right after the service we scurried back to the motor coach to move it off the grass and out into the street. By the time we got that done, it was POURING rain. We all rejoiced doubly over the much needed rain and also that we got the coach out before it began to sink into the sand. Can you imagine that huge coach sinking in? That would've been an enormous task and an outrageous tow truck bill-ouch! Thank you Jesus!  We also want to thank you, Bill and Leesa for your hospitality.  We had a wonderful time meeting you.  Here are some kind words from these kind people:

Late Sunday we drove back to Minneapolis, picked up Myanna and drove back to Sisseton, SD to work this week in the office. On the way home we stopped at a grocery store to get some milk and other beverages. Coming out of the store, I happened to walk by a lady who was unloading a grocery cart filled with canning jars, containers of salt, jugs of vinegar, and huge batches of fresh dill. I knew right away what she was going to be doing…canning pickles. The aroma of that fresh dill…the smell was so strong and enticing. I had an immediate flash back of many years ago when Mom and I would can dozens and dozens of quart jars of dill pickles (along with everything else!). She and I handpicked those cucumbers from a huge garden. We needed bushels because we had a family of 10 or 11 at that time. I always loved the smell of the dill as I picked it out of the garden. After we washed them, I put a sprig of it in each jar along with the spices, onions, salt, vinegar and boiling water...I can just smell it now in my memory- HA!

As I reminisced about this experience of years past, I was reminded of how God wants us to live such a godly life that when people walk by us or come in contact with us they will catch the sweet aroma of Christ pouring forth out of us. It's God's plan for us to live a life that is so attracting to the world that it would create a desire and a thirst for God and His righteousness in their hearts. I love the scripture 2 Corinthians 2:15: "For we are unto God a sweet aroma of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish."

Amidst the busyness in my life and the intensity that I frequently get caught up in, I often have to remind myself, "Gloria, you need to chill, lighten up, and relax, for that sweet aroma to flow out of you to others- they need Jesus." I want to be that sweet smelling aroma to others all around me…how about you?

Speaking of a sweet smelling aroma, Larry and I have met so many people whose lives have poured forth into ours. One of those is Sheri McPherson from the Tomah, Wisconsin area. She has been a prayer warrior and a friend when we're in need, indeed, for the many past years. It was so good to see her again.

Have a great week and keep cool!