in full force…and wow…are they turned on for God! They helped advertise, push the rally and invited some of their unsaved friends. When the altar call was given, several teenagers gave their hearts to Christ for the first time. Talk about celebration….this photo shows it!

That same night, we were overjoyed to see partners Gary and Phyllis Hanson from Irwin, IA. We first met them in 1983 when they came to our service and Phyllis gave her heart to Christ that morning. At that point, she informed us her marriage was in trouble and she was suffering from severe depression. The other night, Phyllis said,

"Our lives have been completely changed. My husband came to Christ later that year. Since then we are involved in the church praise team and the CMA (Christian Motorcycle Association) which has taken us to Florida, California, Canada and the big Sturgis, SD, bike rally to share Christ. We have now become involved in a new area of ministry call the SOWERS (Servants On Wheels Ever Ready). It is a ministry designed for retired-aged couples who have a RV and drive to locations all over the U.S. to work on construction, painting, etc. We are also involved in the Orlando, FL, area and work at the Africa Inland Mission where we work with missionaries and retired missionaries.

Serving the Lord is sure a blessing. All of this came about because of your ministry and us getting saved. Thanks for giving us this chance to experience this new life."

P.S. " The best things in life are not things!"

Another "pearl" in that Harlan altar call was Candie Olson, a mother of two. She walked up to me in the fellowship hall radiating such joy.

"I don't want to bother you, but I want to share something with you. I was raised in a single parent home and never knew what a father's love was. I always felt a void and emptiness in my life. Two weeks ago, I attended a funeral of my friend that was 21 years old that died of cancer. I felt such compassion from the pastors who officiated the funeral. I was moved by their compassion. I have been coming back for two weeks. Tonight, I loved your music and was especially touched when you expressed that God is always with us all the time. I needed that! While I was sitting in the service and came to the altar, I felt a tugging at my heart and I heard God say that tonight was the night that I should give my heart to Him and that He would fill the void. I did and I feel so happy and free. Thank you for being here!"

From Harlan we drove to New Sharon, IA, where our friend, Lois Stephens spearheaded a rally at the Rock Center on Saturday night. It was a precious night of ministry. There was mostly a Christian crowd, but we were thrilled to see five respond to the altar call. A counselor rejoiced, "We have prayed years and years for that gentleman…he would only go to church on Easter and Christmas, but he came tonight and gave his heart to Christ." His response was definitely an answer to many prayers that have gone up to the Lord for years on his behalf.

"I enjoyed the music, the message and the Spirit in the meeting."

Pastor Pinkerton:

"It was good to hear the Gospel message in clear and concise words. Praise God for sharing the truth to meet the needs of hurting people. "

"Dear Larry and Gloria,

It was such a pleasure to have you return to New Sharon for an evangelistic rally. We so enjoyed your ministry in song and Word. As the anointed message was proclaimed, God moved on hearts and people responded to the altar. We praise God for your ministry.

It was also my privilege to attend your Sunday morning services at the Community of Hope Church in Montezuma, IA. Again as God's Word was preached and anointed, many people came forward to accept Christ. It is such a joy to see people accept Christ as their Savior. As Larry said at dismissal, 'Heaven is rejoicing with us over those that were saved'.

I also enjoyed our time of personal fellowship. It was priceless! May God continue to guide and protect you as you continue on the road for Him."

"How fun it was to see you again. I last saw you in Ankeny, IA, when I was eight years old. Your ministry is greater today than when I first saw you. May God continue to use you to bring people to Christ."

NOTE: He says, "If I"…not a preacher, evangelist, singing group, or church be lifted up…but rather I (Christ)…He will do the drawing!

Have a great week!

"The surest way to be happy is to seek happiness for others."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

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CHUCKLE

 

* It's easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.

* The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.

* Peace starts with a smile.

* When you get to your wits end, you'll find God lives there.

* Be ye fishers of men. You catch 'em - He'll clean 'em.

 

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PIC OF THE WEEK

 

 

 

We are so happy to have our granddaughter, Myanna, with us.

She is such a blessing and great help "On the Road"!

 

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RECIPE

 

Jello and Ice Cream Pie

1 lg. pkg. Jello, any flavor

 

3 c. boiling water

 

2 c. fresh strawberries or 2 (10 oz.) pkgs. frozen strawberries, thawed and drained

 

2 pt. vanilla ice cream

 

Dissolve Jello in hot water. Stir in ice cream until melted. Chill until very thick and fold in strawberries. Pour into a torte pan lined with graham cracker crust. Chill.

 

 

** Submitted by Phyllis Reinert and featured in our new cookbook Tastes of Friendship.

 

For a limited time, with the purchase of Tastes of Friendship , you will receive one of our best selling cookbooks, Lunchies, Munchies and Household Hints for FREE!     To take advantage of this offer, click here to go to our online store,   and add Tastes of Friendship to your cart only.  You will receive your free cookbook in the mail shortly after.  You may also call the office at 605-698-7007.  Enjoy!

 

               

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HOUSEHOLD HINT

 

Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

 

With life as busy as it is, it is good that we have a legal holiday stamped on the calendar to encourage us to pull back from the hectic schedules, take a big deep breath and relax.

We had a precious service and altar call. Pastor Chris has a beautiful family with precious little ones. He is doing a wonderful job of pastoring. Pastor Chris was a youth pastor before being voted in as a senior pastor. We hadn't been to Grand Forks since they had the big flood years ago so it sure was good to be back.

Blessings on you…have a wonderful weekend. We will talk in a couple of weeks!

With Father's Day coming up, I can't even imagine the responsibility my father must have felt raising ten sons and one daughter. I often felt like an onion in a flower patch - no sisters to cling to or hang out with. But, I really didn't have much time to dwell in self pity. I think my dad created the saying, "When I work…everyone works!" Our house sat on 12 lots and nearly half of that was a garden which he raised all his own vegetables, etc. He kept us occupied pulling weeds, doing away with potato bugs, pickin beans and other veggies, mowing the grass, housework, laundry, cooking and baking, babysitting, canning, ironing…just to name a few of the odd jobs! With all that being said, we really didn't have time to think on self. As soon as my brothers were old enough to do much of the above, at about age of 8 or 10, they were promoted to another part of the family work force. My father took them down to his business, Brook's Motors where they started sweeping floors, polishing cars, and chasing parts. Eventually they became part's men, automechanics, car salesmen, and auto painters/detailers. Six of my brothers stayed with the car dealership, two went into ministry, one became a school teacher in MN, and another an engineer for Boeing Aircraft in Seattle, WA. No doubt about it, Mom and Dad taught us how to work and demanded that we work hard, do our best, be men and women of integrity, and a light and testimony in a dark world. Dad engrained in us that no matter what we were told to do-do it-if you don't know how to do it-do it-if you didn't want to do it-do it-if you didn't like the job-do it. There were no excuses or no "outs"; it was going to be done! Even though we fussed and whined about a lot of the work he made us do, it prepared us for the long and intense life we were about to encounter.

I'm mostly thankful for the day, in 1952, that he took all of us to a little church that preached the full gospel. That day eight of us gave our hearts to Jesus and that was the beginning of a new destiny for each one of us. What joy and peace he brought to us in our family and home. God has been so good!

This Father's Day…take time to appreciate your Father if you still have him. Life is uncertain and short, and we never know when they will take that last breath. Tell him you love him, he needs to hear it. Have a great Father's Day!

Greetings from home…Sisseton, South Dakota! After being gone for five months and our last visual memory being of blowing snow, great snowdrifts and cold, it was a delight as the old song says, " to see the green, green grass of home." Sitting here by the window, I can see the robins and blackbirds fighting over ground territory to find worms for their young. Beneath our deck is a nest with four little robin beaks reaching skyward anxiously awaiting for luscious worms from their mother. I love to watch the motherly instinct how she protects and provides for her young. That's was real mothers do!

We arrived home May 28th. The next day, LaDawn and our two grandchildren scurried home for the long Memorial Day weekend. Even though we came home road weary and seemingly braindead, it was so refreshing and fun to have them come as a welcome committee.

Last Sunday, we held a service with Pastor Todd and Pam Gafkjen at Harvest Church in Wahpeton, ND. It was a great service and the altar was lined with many making decisions for Christ. Several teenagers walked up to us after church and said, "We really enjoyed your ministry. You touched our hearts." A few minutes later, a lady and her husband, (about my age…young! HA!) approached me with tears of joy, "I have always been in church and thought I was okay because I was a good religious person, but this morning, I felt God tugging on my heart to rededicate my life because I had more of religion than a relationship." She continued, "After I prayed, I felt something I have not felt before…an assurance of my salvation. Now when I die, I know I will go to heaven. " She bubbled, "oh yes, my daughter gave her life to Christ for the first time also!"

When we arrived home a few days ago, we had some huge barren spots on our lawn. It was a bit discouraging to see that only weeds were growing. I tried to encourage Larry, "Honey, look at these cracks in the ground…it's screaming for water. I believe that if we can really water it well, if there is dormant grass or seeds, it will spring forth." For the last five days, we have been very intent on watering and guess what, there is grass peeking through. Excitedly I've said, "Honey, it just needed water." It reminds me of the verse in Psalms 143:6, "I stretch forth my hand unto Thee, my soul thirsteth after Thee as a thirsty land." Psalm 63:1-2 says, "My flesh longeth for Thee on a dry thirsty land where no water is; to see Thy power and glory."

There are times in my life I feel so thirsty for God just as that ground thirsts for water in order to grow. It is those times that God bids us to "Be still and know that I am God." Over and over in the Word He says that those that seek Him shall find Him.

At this very moment, to be honest I am weary in body, but I am also very hungry for more time with God that I might feel more of His presence in my life…how about you?

Have a great day, week and month! Thanks for keeping up with us on the road!

"Thank you, thank you, Larry and Gloria, for coming to our new church on Mother's Day!  What an encouragement it was to all of us in this new Kingdom work, and for those who made first time decisions for Christ, their lives are forever changed!  When you come, we can always count on a clear-cut Gospel message that draws people to Christ - and your spiritual fervor and joy come through touching everyone in attendance at the rally!"

Last Sunday, May 17^th, was another big milestone in my life - I turned 65. It was also our daughter LaDawn's birthday; it's so great to be able to celebrate our birthdays together. Our son Donovan called to wish me a Happy Birthday and nonchalantly asked how old I was. I quipped, "It's the big one, the Medicare birthday - I'm 65!" There was a short pause of silence and a slight groan as he said, "Noooo, you're not 65." I reaffirmed him, "Oh yes." I'm reminded of the woman who had never met the love of her life, and her biological clock was ticking away. Someone stopped and asked her how old she was, factually, she responded, "I'm too young for Medicare…and too old for men-to-care." Cute huh!

On May 17^th we were also privileged to be back in Eau Claire, WI to minister at Evangel Temple with Associate Paul Smith. Paul and his wife have a vision and the gusto to reach the unchurched that are without Christ. It was a great service.

"Larry and Gloria have such a warm and genuine spirit about them. We want to express our appreciation to the Lundstrom's ministry for the time they spent with us. During that time it was evident in all they said and did that their passion for ministry is seeing the lost encounter Jesus by His Spirit."

For nearly 60 years I've gone with my mother, every Memorial Day, to put flowers by the graves of our loved ones. As the years go by we are visiting more graves, as so many friends and family have passed away. Last year as I stood by the gravesite of my father, brother, sister, sister-in-law, grandparents, and other Lundstroms who have passed, I realized again how short life is. The older we get, the shorter the dash seems between the birthdate and the death date. One poem worth reading is called "The Dash" by Linda Ellis: http://www.lindaellis.net/Read_The_Dash.htm What really matters is not what "we've spent" in life, or for what, but "how we spent" our lives - for who and on those who are lost and hurting without Christ. Larry and I continue to go…preach…and encourage, because we know for many people who come to our services, we may never see them again. Their funeral flowers could be in bloom and in town.

This Memorial Day as you gather with loved ones, remember and appreciate the gift of time and life that God has given you. Take the time to share Christ with those you love.

A couple of years ago, I secretly made him a May basket, proceeded to sneak out of the motorhome, knocked on the outside door and Larry answered. I proudly handed him the basket and shouted as I began to ran away, "Come and catch me!" Off we went running at full speed through a Super Walmart parking lot. Out of breath Larry finally cornered me as I entered the outdoor garden center. People looked at us with curiosity probably thinking I had shoplifted something and a manager was chasing me. Then Larry grabbed me, pulled me into his arms, and kissed me. We were giggling hysterically and everyone looking on chuckled at, I am sure, a comical sight.

We've been crisscrossing from Pennsylvania to Michigan to Indiana and back to Michigan these last few weeks. Last Sunday we were in Jonesville, MI, at the Hillsdale Assembly of God pastored by Dennis and Joyce Haarer. We have had the pleasure of ministering in their church before, and they, too, are a sweet and tender couple.

A touching moment in the service was when we asked Ray and Carol Curran to give a testimony of what happened in their lives when we ministered there in 2004. Ray shared the following,

"We were religious people doing the religious thing but never had a relationship with Christ. We were never happy. Then one day, our friends, Bill and Donna Miller, invited us to come to church to hear Larry and Gloria Lundstrom. They said we would enjoy the singing and the preaching. We agreed to accompany our friends. We listened to their music and their time of ministry and loved it. Then, Larry preached about a relationship with Christ…not religion. When he gave the altar call, the Holy Spirit moved on our hearts and we stepped forward to the altar and prayed the sinner's prayer. Wow…what a change! We now have a personal relationship with Christ. Our lives have never been the same. Since we came to Christ, several of our children and their families have gotten saved. We are so thankful our friends, the Millers, invited us to church or this would have never happened."

This time when we ministered at Hillsdale Assembly of God, Ray and Carol invited a couple of their friends and they were saved. It is testimonies like these that give us the strength and perseverance to keep pushing on the road. The bible says in John 12:32 "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." If we are faithful to go and to lift Him up, the Holy Spirit does the rest…He draws them unto Himself.

Have a great week and I wish a very special Mother's Day to all of you mothers who give your heart and soul to fulfill this extraordinary calling on your life.

 

 

 

P.S. Special thanks to Walt and Joan Clutter for allowing us to park our motorhome by their beautiful pond providing us a peaceful refuge while in Clarion, PA. They also spoiled us with home-cooked meals and sweet fellowship. Many, many thanks!

April showers…well, I can tell you this…we have had showers, showers and more showers here in Pennsylvania. The spring flowers are making their debut, but they are begging for sunshine. As a matter of fact, so am I. Here it is almost May and it was down to 38 degrees a couple of nights ago. Is this what they call global warming (chuckle)? They are predicting the temperatures will reach 70-80 degrees this weekend; maybe we will go from winter to summer in three days.

I last wrote to you from Grantsville, Maryland, where we had a service with Pastor John and Leona Munley. Talk about an energy-packed ministry couple with an earth-shaking testimony! We had a wonderful service and a sweet altar call. I refer to it as "sweet" because when God moves people to repentance, there is a sweet aroma of God's presence that is so special.

"On Wednesday evening, April 8^th, Maranatha Assembly of God, of Grantsville, MD, had the privilege of hosting Larry and Gloria Lundstrom. The Lundstrom's were not new to Maranatha as they had ministered here many years previous. Much to this pastor's surprise, people from about eight surrounding churches and varying denominations filed in prior to the service for about 30 minutes and the sanctuary began to fill. Old friends, as they consider themselves, sat and were waiting with great expectation to hear the Lundstrom's music and to witness the power of God. By the time the fellowship, the worship and the Word was complete, the anointing fell and the altar began to fill with several new converts and many who rededicated their lives. What a great night in the presence of the Lord! Larry and Gloria will always be received with great expectation at Maranatha Assembly of God!"

On Easter Sunday, we ministered at Cornerstone Assembly of God in Boynton, Pennsylvania, pastored by Rev. and Mrs. Thomas Twigg. They are another wonderful ministry couple with a passion for the Lost, plus a sense of humor like unto to my husband, Larry. Scary! HA! While eating Easter dinner at the Alpine Restaurant, I looked at the two of them and said, "You two are too much alike; I don't know if it is good to have you both together for any length of time." Seriously, it was great and they very much enjoyed exchanging jokes. Now, Larry has some new ones! HA!

From Boynton, PA, we drove to Romney, WV, on April 15^th for a Wednesday evening service. We were delighted to have two churches come together to host a joint service. There was also a precious altar call at this service, but unfortunately I left the memory card out of the camera so we were unable to take any pictures and share them with you.

While we were in the Grantsville, MD, area, we had the opportunity to visit with several friends that we have known since the 70's. Once of those was Hilda Maust who just lost here husband, Ivan, a few months ago. He pastored Maple Glen Mennonite Church for several years and then began to do some hospice work. Hilda and Ivan were instrumental, along with our friends, Raymond and Martha Yoder, to bring us back into the Grantsville area for services this time. If you have been staying current with the "On the Road" updates and have seen the pictures of the many various altar calls, you know that God blessed their efforts. Martha Yoder sent us down the road with homemade bread, strawberry jam, cinnamon rolls and three homemade soups. What a special treat!

On Thursday, April 16^th, we packed up the motorhome and drove to central Pennsylvania, specifically the Clarion area. Again, we have been blessed to have friends like Walt and Joan Clutter who have literally made an RV space with water, electricity hook-ups located behind their house that we are able to use. It is located adjacent to a beautiful pond, stunning flowers, and swimming geese…aha…peace, quiet and beauty…just what the doctor ordered. I feel like we are staying in a scenic park. We will be staying here for about another week…how blessed we are!

"There were several things I really appreciated about your ministry. First, the interaction between the two of you while you ministered revealed a very visible love for one another. Secondly, your authenticity; because you were real, people felt like they knew you. Lastly, I felt it was so important that you shared your real-life experiences as it gave hope to our people."

Sitting here at my work table in the motorhome, I can look out the window and see the pond. The rain is softly falling. I can see spring flowers bursting forth. The grass is so green and the flowers are proudly displaying their brilliant colors of yellows, purples, blues and whites. As I observe this tranquil scene, I am reminded of Lamentations 3 where it states, "His mercies are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness." As sure as spring follows a long winter season, God is always faithful in His mercies and blessings although we may go through long, cold seasons of discouragement, pain or loss. In the midst of a gray day, He allows the Son to break through…just as it literally did a few minutes ago to brighten my day. Great is thy faithfulness! I pray that whatever is taking place in your life at this time, you will sense His love and faithfulness!