October 24, 2012

{ October 24, 2012 }

Greetings from the road! Today we are parked in Nappanee, Indiana - a beautiful Amish community. We are parked in an RV repair center getting some tweaking done on a sticky slide out on our motorhome. One nightmare that no one wants, especially me, is the experience that a slide out will not slide out - or will not retract! It's been going half way out and sticking, so we are in the mode of having to get it fixed NOW. As you can guess, you can't drive down the interstate with a motorhome slide out sticking out 5 feet. So...this momma has been whining to get it checked. The RV mechanic just came in, looked it over, looked at Larry, groaned and said, "Yah, we can fix it, for a price," (we are holding our breath on his price... but it has to be done). In the meantime, we're enjoying the scenery and remembering the weekend.

We had a wonderful weekend in Wisconsin. We left Sisseton last Wednesday, October 17^th, to begin the five week east coast tour. We arrived in Oak Creek, WI (suburb of Milwaukee) Friday evening, to prepare for our Sunday service at my brother's church, the Oak Creek Assembly of God.

We are very proud of him, his wife Sherry, and their family. Pastor Jerry started in a little tiny church building, not much bigger than the size of a country school, back in 1979. Now the church is running around 2,500 for attendance. It is truly a soul-winning center. It has a huge campus with dozens of outreach programs, illustrated sermons, weekly television and events that reach thousands, as well as a huge participation in missions work. God is truly blessing their efforts.

It was also great to see our neices and nephews and their mates at Oak Creek. They are all involved in ministry with their parents. We love all of you and are proud of each one of you!

Sunday morning we were honored to sit back, take in and be fed by Pastor Jerry. It was a wonderful message of encouragement...and I needed it.

As always, it's a joy to be with my brother, Jerry!

Sunday night we ministered and there were visitors there who had followed us clear back to the 1960s. In the service I joked, "You all came just to see if we were still alive! " That got a good laugh from the congregation. But, as always, the most rewarding part of the evening was to see many respond to the altar call. Seeing people come to Christ never gets old...it is precious gold. It's truly what keeps Larry and I going. What's genuinely exciting is that the simple gospel message reaches all ages, races, the rich and the poor. Today there is a desperate cry for hope in a messed up world. We love giving them Jesus, HE is the answer to their hearts cry - and only Him.

We also wanted to share this precious story: This photo is of Michael Sutton with his children, Leyla age 9, and Luke, age 7. Luke gave his heart to Christ that night and his father said, "Thank you Larry and Gloria for coming to Oak Creek, I was deeply touched tonight, especially when my son wanted to respond to the altar call. It was a thrill to see all of those people make commitments for Christ when you presented the invitation."

While we were in the second service on Sunday morning, we learned of that fatal shooting that occurred in an upscale spa in Brookfield, Wisconsin (just a few miles from where we were in Oak Creek). A person's heart breaks to think that lives can get so messed up... to become so miserable and then do some crazy act and lose their soul for all eternity. That tragedy was blamed on deep embedded hatred. It prompts me to pray, "God, help us to be a source of hope and strength to everyone we meet. Give them You, before they would commit such a horrific crime." Our prayers go out to the innocent families who lost their loved ones.

Today, Wednesday, we will be ministering in South Bend, Indiana and then going on into Camden, Michigan for services on Sunday morning. From Michigan we'll be off to Pennsylvania for services. The miles are piling up quickly!

We pray that you will have a great week and please be sure to pray for the upcoming election and take advantage of your duty and privilege to vote. Thank God for the privilege that we still have.

Gloria

Happy 45^th birthday to our first born, LaShawn! You are such a joy to us. Thanks for being such a wonderful daughter!

{ Quote}

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,to proclaim the year of the Lord 's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,and provide for those who grieve in Zion-
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

- Isaiah 61:1-3

{ Chuckle/Reflection }

A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present "Seven Wonders of the World." Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids

2. Taj Mahal

3. Grand Canyon

4. Panama Canal

5. Empire State Building

6. St. Peter's Basilica

7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."

The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the 'Seven Wonders of the World' are:

1. To See

2. To Hear

3. To Touch

4. To Taste

5. To Feel

6. To Laugh

7. To Love

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous! A gentle reminder - that the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.

{Pic of the Week }

The last few minutes before we left Sisseton on this tour, Larry decided to fulfill my

Christmas wish - lights on an evergreen outside our window.

He decided it was easier to do it in 70 degree weather versus 40 below...hmm, wonder why?

Thanks Larry!

{Recipe}

My sister-in-law, Sherry, is a great cook - here is a recipe for her brown bag apple pie.

Brown Bag Apple Pie

½ cup sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix together and set aside. Peel and slice 6 large apples. Mix with above ingredients and put in an unbaked pie crust. Mix the following topping ingredients and put on top of apples.

Topping:

½ cup sugar

½ cup flour

¼ cup soft butter

Put pie in large brown bag and fasten with paper clips. Put on a cookie sheet, so the bag is not hanging over the edges. Bake for 55 minutes at 450 degrees. Enjoy!

{Household Hint}

Store your best silver in Ziploc plastic bags. It helps prevent tarnish.

October 24, 2012

Related Articles • More Articles