Greetings from Arizona! We left Honolulu, which is on the beautiful island of Oahu, with its breathtaking scenery of brilliant flowers, tropic plants and mesmerizing ocean. It was definitely hard to leave.
We had a marvelous month of ministry over there. The decisions for Christ were absolutely thrilling. We met people from literally all over the world. Within minutes we were no longer strangers but friends.
The week before we left was action-packed. On Sunday, February 10th we were happy
to be back with Pastor Chris and Aurora Bartolome at Bethel Chapel Assembly of God in Waipahu, HI. We've ministered there several times and it was a joy to see friends we've met through the years, and many new ones as well. Pastor Chris has mentored 
many who are now in ministry and he's very active in oversees missions.
It was so touching to see the young and old step forward at the two morning altar calls to receive Christ, or to recommit their lives to Christ. 
Tuazon who were responsible for bringing us over to the island for ministry, took Larry 
and I to the island of Maui for two days. They introduced us to many of their friends, who instantly became our new friends. What fun we had with the different culture backgrounds: Japanese, Filipino, Korean, and South African. As you can see by this photo of us girls, I was definitely the tall Norwegian! The first evening, our new friends fixed us a Japanese meal and the following evening we had a Filipino meal. 
Each meal consisted of 5-8 courses. Yes, Larry loved it!…me too. Their delicious cooking so graciously added 5 pounds to my 5 foot 8 frame. I'm sure glad I don't have to put all my pounds in a 4 foot 11 frame- I would look like a mini Volkswagen - HA! Our island friends know how to cook…and cook they do. And oh my, all the fresh fruits - including pineapple- we will surely miss that.Oh yes, the Saturday before we were blessed to attend the wedding of our friend Leanor's son. It was beautiful and so much fun. Anytime the Filipino's have a special 
event you're sure to have lots of delicious food and a lot of fun. We were so blessed that our friends Tim, Evelyn and Leanor housed us in a beautiful townhouse for 2 ½ weeks, gave us a car to use and fed us most of our meals. They are one of the main reasons it's possible for us to return to Hawaii every two years to minister. Thanks again, Tim, Evelyn and Leanor.
On February 14, Valentine's Day, Larry and I boarded the United Airlines at 6:00 pm. We had a long, long flight home with our knees scrunched up against the seat ahead of us. We arrived into Phoenix, AZ at 9:30 am. Our friends, Jan and Dennis Duff, picked us up and took us back to our motor home in northwest Phoenix. They were so kind to watch over our motor home for the past three months as it was parked by a church in Glendale.
"I would like to thank Larry & Gloria for ministering in the first and second services last Sunday morning. It was good to see both young and old respond to the altars." - Rev. McNeely 
make it even more special, my precious mother, Julie Brooks, 92-years-old, who is wintering in Arizona was able to attend. This is a photo of some of them just leaving after the service. That was such a treasure.
Christians, you instantly bond. Isn't that great? Speaking of friends, Larry and I want to thank you for following us through our website. You've truly become family to us. We appreciate the emails, and if you'd like to leave us a note on the Guest book page you can. Have a great week. We'll connect with you again on March 5th.
One Sunday, a minister played hooky from church so he could shoot a round of golf. St. Peter, looking down from heaven, seethed. "You're going to let him get away with this, God?"
The Lord shook his head.
The minister took his first shot. The ball soared through the air 420 yards and dropped into the cup for a hole-in-one. St. Peter was outraged. "I thought you were going to punish him!"
Chocolate Nutmallow Goodies
in Nanakuli with Pastor and Mrs. Farley. Pastor Farley is "turned on" for Jesus and his congregation follows his enthusiasm. The altar service was precious. It was thrilling to see so many families come forward to pray together.
the precious prayer time at the altars. Larry and Gloria prayed for each individual family. To God be the glory great things 
church several people hollered out, "Welcome Home!" That sure made us feel good. Ewa Beach was one of 
the first churches we ministered in when we came to Oahu, HI in 1990. When we walked in the church it seemed as though we were never gone. We were welcomed back with so much love. Their wonderful worship team joyfully sang songs that gave us a little bit of that feeling of what heaven will be like. Pastor Bob and Kathy have such loving hearts its easy to see why the congregation loves them so much. The altar was packed with those who 
responded that wanted a deeper walk with the Lord and also some first time decisions. Sunday night I spoke on prayer, answers to prayer and guilt-free praying. At the end of the service we called families to come forward so we could pray over them. It was a touching time.
come to the Hawaiian Islands to speak at a women's retreat for the Assemblies of God. As the director of women's ministries she invited me back several times throughout the years. God has richly blessed her ministry and our friendship. I've often wished I could do something special to bless her personally...and never really got it done. Then last Sunday, God took "my desire" and went far beyond anything I could have done! After we sang and ministered at the morning service and Larry gave the invitation to come to Christ, Kathy's mother and sister
stood up to give their hearts to Christ for the very first time. I looked over at Kathy and saw her wiping tears of joy and I realized that God had given her the true desire of her heart...the salvation of both her mother, 82 years old, and her sister. She had prayed for years and years and years for her mother. What a joy! Thank you Jesus...you gave what I couldn't...the gift of eternal life to her precious mother. 
MN, at 9:00 AM. It was one of those mornings I did not want to get out of bed as it was 4 below zero outside, and there were two below cozy blankets (this would be Larry and me). We were at our daughter, LaDawn's, home when the alarm went off at about 6:00 AM. I peeked out the windows and the outside world appeared frozen...and it was! The thought of leaving a warm bed, and cozy house to go outdoors was at that moment undesirable.
This past Saturday we drove to the other side of the island to Rev. Janet Cordeiro's church in Waimanalo. We were greeted by Marilyn Ah Zat who assisted us in our set up for the upcoming Sunday service. Marilyn hugged me and said "Gloria, do you remember me? I was at the conference in 1990 in Kona and I asked you to pray with me for my unsaved husband. Then, in February 1994, you and Larry came to Waimanalo and sang and preached at our church. When Larry gave the invitation for those who would like to receive Christ into their hearts, my husband, Ernest responded. I was so thrilled, and I'm still thrilled!"
rdeiro and her congregation. She is such a precious woman of God. This past year she and a few members of her congregation have started a prison ministry and over 160 inmates have made commitments to Christ. They go back each week and do Bible studies with those who gave their hearts to C
hrist. That's what I call, "Getting ministry out of the four walls." Sometimes we are willingly confined within the churches four walls. We are content to come, receive, eat and go home to go about our own lives for another week. I believe what God really desires is for us to come to church, worship Him, get set spiritually, be discipled, and then mentored for the entire purpose of taking His Light to the workplace, prison, hospitals, or whatever doors God opens for us.
Greetings from Minneapolis, Minnesota! This month already reminds me of a speedometer on a car---each day is clicking away at an amazing speed. Nine days have already vanished! 
taking care of office needs in Sisseton. We are now feverishly preparing and packing for our next on the road tour. It has been great to be home, allowing us the opportunity to work out of our home office wading through the various piles of paperwork that seem to accumulate in our absence. But now...both of us are ready to hit the road! We are anxious to sing, preach, and see lives changed through the grace and power of God. 
before we knew it. It was action-packed and so much fun! Our daughter, LaShawn, and her husband, Liam, along with our son, Donovan, drove i
n from Nashville, TN. LaDawn and her children, Dante' and Myanna, drove in from Minneapolis. The house was alive with laughter, story-telling, game playing and of course, much eating! We were blessed to all be together for four days. The grandkids loved making Christmas cookies, and playing Monopoly, Sorry and Catch Phrase. Of course, they so enjoyed having Uncle Donovan, new Uncle 
Liam and Auntie LaShawn here. The weather was bitterly cold so as 
they say, "We hunkered down"... staying cozy inside our warm home and sharing memorable times together. I tried to cook everyone's favorite dishes and we enjoyed consuming every single calorie! HA! 
Grandma Julie, and three of my brothers and their families. It is always a joy to have Grandma (92 years old) with us. She is such a pillar of joy and strength to all. There were four generations represented at that Christmas celebration. 
fast. I just wanted to rewind the clock and relive those four glorious days, BUT...life goes on and as the old saying goes, "I owe, I owe so off to work I go!" Thus is the reality of life, we must all go back to work. We will savor all the hours and precious minutes of this Christmas through moments stamped in our memories and photos until we all meet again.
In a few short minutes, the ceremony began. Our son Donovan walked me up first and then Liam's father was ushered down to the sound of the bagpipes being played. Liam's family is from Irish decent. The bridesmaids and Myanna walked down to meet the groomsmen.
Everything was just so beautiful and memorable. We are so happy to have a son-in-law and we dearly love him.
message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity- hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory- because at the Father's will Jesus Christ became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on the cross." 
to leave so Larry insisted I stay home and rest up as our daughter's wedding is December 9th, and we didn't want to jeopardize this event we have been anxiously awaiting. Larry and I have hosted tours for over 42 years and this is the first one I missed...so I guess my running record is still okay! HA! I sure hated being left behind however. 
morning and headed off. Guests joined us from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Arizona. For many of them, this was a reunion tour as over 35 of them have gone with us before. After you have gone once, family bonds form and many desire to make it a tradition or annual event. 
The first stop was at the Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Missouri, and they then journeyed on to Silver Dollar City in Branson. The next three days were filled with nonstop action and excitement consisting of attending Christmas shows including Baldknobbers, Pierce Arrow, Celebrate America, Daniel O'Donnell, and the tour climaxed with Dino's Christmas Extravaganza, America's premier pianist and showman. Sunday morning, the group met
in the hotel for a special church service with an hour of music, testimonies and a message by Larry. Sunday afternoon, the group motored to Carthage, MO, and visited the world-known Precious Moments Chapel. 
several cousins and other family members and friends. Of course, Connie had a delicious turkey and ham dinner with all the trimmings...and all the calories! That reminds me of a cartoon I saw a few days ago...Grandma is standing in the kitchen with her apron on preparing dishes for the big Thanksgiving meal and she says, "I love Thanksgiving, all the relatives come over-- we have four generations getting indigestion together." How true. Someone else said, "Thanksgiving is the home version of the 'all-you-can-eat buffet'." With Christmas coming up quickly, I'm sure it will be another repeat of that "all-you-can-eat buffet".
The Friday after Thanksgiving, the Christmas fun- or should I call it frenzy- shopping began. In Minneapolis, a few of the stores opened at 1 am Friday morning. Our daughter LaDawn had to be at work at 4 am, so she had to get up at 2:30 am to get ready to go. Needless to say that was an early morning start!
The season now is in full swing as everyone is preparing for Christmas. All of our calendars will be filled with parties, family gatherings, Christmas programs, shopping, etc. Each of us will come in contact with many, many people--saved and unsaved. It is our season, as Christians, to shine and let the world know where we stand. One simple way is by using two words - "Merry Christmas". Dozens of business and establishments forbid their employees to say these words, and inform them to greet customers by saying, "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings". We all know the true meaning of Christmas- the birth of the Christ child. With those who are fighting to remove Christ out of Christmas, remove the manger scene and the tree, we need to take every advantage we have to keep Christ in Christmas. I would encourage you this season that when you meet others greet them, "Merry Christmas", and if they greet you with "Happy Holidays" quickly and kindly respond, "Oh, it's Merry Christmas- the season of celebrating Christ's birth...isn't that wonderful?" Be a light in this dimmed world- it needs it. Let's not lose Christmas.
The highlight of this past week was celebrating my mother's 92nd birthday. What a gift it has been to have her a part of my life for all of my 63 years. Monday night, about 25 family members gathered at "Mom's" for her birthday. We had planned on having a potluck meal but she loves pizza so we had a pizza party instead. Larry commented to me the next morning, "Gloria, your mom is the happiest when the family comes home. I watched the expression on her face when she heard the siblings, cousins and mates laughing and interacting. Her greatest joy is having the family together." Another observation he made was, "Your mom is so loved by everyone in the
family!" (There are now nearly 110 of us in the immediate family scattered from coast to coast.) My mom has a unique gift of loving each of us personally and equally. Also, she prays every day for each one individually. We all know her deep love for God and we all agree, "When Grandma Brooks prays, all heaven is at attention!" Her great faith in God has been instilled in each one of us and has left a great impact on our lives. 
After our meal, Larry pulled out the ol' family slide projector along with slides that Mom and he had taken over 40 plus years ago of all of us kids. You should have heard the laughter filling the house when those old photos hit the screen. Of course, each sibling took their opportunity to tease one another about their hairstyles, clothes, expressions, etc. It was a very rich time spent together...there is just nothing like family! 
Greetings from South Dakota! Last Thursday we were in Phoenix, Arizona where there were temperatures in the 90s! As we were sitting outside eating lunch with a friend who was going to take us to the airport, Larry and I, simultaneously looked at each other and whimpered, "Do we really want to leave this beautiful weather and head back to the Midwest?" Even if we had a choice, we still would've left. You see, we had three good reasons to fly to Minneapolis...our daughter LaDawn, our grandson Dante, and our granddaughter Myanna. Those three were enough incentive to get us on the move back to the Midwest. 
arrived at the Minneapolis International Airport. We shuffled through the ever long halls from one terminal to another. Larry chided, "Well you like to walk...this will definitely fit your quota for the day." It did, especially when we were loaded down with laptop computers and carry-on suitcases. We claimed our luggage - four HUGE suitcases- at the baggage claim and headed off to the curb. What a wake-up call when that 32 degree air hit our face! But what a joy to see that little white car of LaDawn's pull up to the curb. There's nothing sweeter than to be greeted by loved ones at the airport. 
