June 23, 2010
We just completed an exhilarating DADFEST weekend that was hosted by Minot First Assembly of God in Minot, ND with Pastor John and Naomi Brady. This entire event was a gift to the city.You name it, they did it. It almost looked like a county fair had come to town.
Last Saturday morning started out with classic cars that cruised around Minot, followed by 26 motorcycles
taking a 2 hour bike ride, which Larry was thrilled to be a part of. A
man named John Nolden borrowed Larry a
motorcycle and helmet and soon the whole group was on their way. I
decided to stay back and pray for all of
them. With all the energy that was about
to hit the road, I felt that they may need a few extra angels looking
over them
- HA! 
Among the
many attractions offered
there were inflatables for children, booths selling kites, a blacksmith shop, a
quilt tent and in another area they had farm equipment lined up, another
area
had fire trucks, a bomb squad, the National Guard, and a free car wash.
To top it off they had a tent that served
hamburgers, steak kabobs, homemade fries, hot dogs, soft drinks, coffee
and
shaved ice. Needless to say…Larry made
sure he found each of them and tasted it all to make sure it was
good…you know
him! Everything was free to the community
and hundreds flowed in and out of the tents and all over the grounds. At
1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Larry spoke a short
teaser sermon that ministered to Dads and families about relationships.
All of this was held under their brand new, large
blue and white tent. 
At 6:30 Sunday morning, action began again.
Hundreds of chairs were set up in the tent
and at 9 a.m. Larry and I set up our sound system for the morning
service. They held a "Liquid sunshine hour" where they
served free juice, coffee and rolls to whomever wanted it. While all of
this was going on, the church
set up their worship band, etc. At 10
a.m., the big blue and white tent came alive with the worship group and
special
highlights about honoring fathers. By
this time the tent was full as friends and family from around the area
and the
Assembly of God congregation came with expectations of what was going to
happen
under the tent.
Larry and I were invited as special guests for Father's Day. What a great morning as we ministered and the climax of the morning was a dedication of the new tent. Larry was asked to dedicate it as this tent is to be used for evangelism of all avenues. Pastor Brady, his wife Naomi and his entire staff are passion driven and compassion filled to reach the lost and hurting. Wow - seeing the tent dedicated for souls brought tears to all of our eyes.
Through all of the DADFEST events over the weekend, hundreds in the community saw a church live out the statement, "Do all…to reach some." And…they did it!
"On behalf of our First Assembly of God church family I want to thank you for our ministry to us here in Minot. What a special honor it was to have you as part of our DADFEST outreach. Please know that you are loved. Thank you for your faithfulness to the ministry and your love to the church."
Rev. John & Naomi Brady
Thank you, Pastor John and Naomi, for the privilege of taking part in the DADFEST and the dedication of the tent. Again, we appreciate your passion for souls and your exceptional staff - what a testimony of what God can do when we all pull together!
"If you think you're too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito in the room."
- Anita Roddick
The church choir was putting on a car wash to raise money for their annual tour. They made a large sign which read, "Car Wash for Choir Trip."
On the given Saturday, business was terrific, but by two o'clock the skies clouded and the rain poured, and there were hardly any customers.
Finally one of the girl washers had an idea. She printed a large cardboard poster which read, "We Wash and God Rinses." Business Boomed!
5 lb. cooked beef
roast 2 onions ½ c. sweet relish 1 qt. Miracle Whip
salad dressing Grind roast beef and onion. Add sweet relish and Miracle Whip. Spread on buns or bread.
PIC OF THE WEEK
have to use the Jaws of Life to get us back out - Ha!
Roast Beef
Sandwich Filling
Plant window boxes and patio containers with cheerful marigolds. Besides adding a jolt of bright color, these easy-to-maintain flowers naturally repel pesky mosquitoes.
"On the Sunday following the
Lundstrom's visit with us I asked the church if they appreciated having
the Lundstroms come and minister with us. There were praises and smiles
all around! We were blessed by the decisions made for Christ and
grateful for a "prodigal" visitor who teared up when we spoke of the
Lundstrom's time of ministry showing God ministering to her in a pretty
powerful way. They're both fun people and we sure enjoyed having them
here!"
for Christ.
did everything, plus more, that needed to be overseen in the ministry. She and her husband, Rev. Mark Bittner, are living in Fargo, ND. 
Assembly of God with Pastor Van Berry.
Breakfast. Praise the Lord, over forty responded to the invitation to accept Christ.
Our niece, Londa Lundstrom-Ramsey, is now Senior Pastor of Celebration, along with Pastors Lowell and Connie Lundstrom. Last Sunday morning, May 2nd, Larry and I sang and preached at the two morning services. Celebration is experiencing a fresh anointing! About 
1,200-1,400 were there from the two services. The worship time was exhilarating and soul-searching. Truly, there was an air of excitement and anticipation of what God was going to do that was definitely evident. There were 27 decisions - nine first time - that responded to the altar call. Their tears of joy and repentance made all the road miles and weariness of the past couple weeks worth it. We say it all the time and it's still true, seeing people come to Christ is a "transfusion" of joy and much needed energy. 
Larry and his wife, Gloria, were with us. Our congregation enjoyed their music and the message that Larry shared. It was a strong clear call to commitment. Over twenty stepped forward at the invitation to receive Christ or to renew their relationship with the Lord.
who is currently working with Celebration Church.
in McCook. We held a Saturday night, Sunday morning and Sunday evening service while we were there. The crowds weren't huge, but God's loving presence was and again God touched lives. 
many new dedications to Christ and many rededications to Christ, from young children to mature adults. The way that they tie everything together is so powerful and the Holy Spirit flows throughout the service. The services went smoothly and were just AWSOME!! Anyone would be blessed to have them come be a part of their services. Thank You Larry and Gloria!!
I am always amazed at the lessons that God teaches us along the journey of life. On April 9th while we were preparing our motor home for the trip to Nebraska, I made one more walk around the parking lot to see this intriguing ant hill. I had been observing the ant hill for several days. The first time I saw it I was determined to stomp it out when I saw a line of hundreds of ants, like an army marching back and forth in two lines across the gravel parking lot. They looked so organized and intense I decided to withhold my urge to stomp them out and have mercy on them, really just so I could watch to see what they were doing. For days I watched this army of ants that had its troops traveling about 50 feet or more over to a fence line where there were sparse patches of green weeds amidst the gravel and sand. They were carrying little bitty pieces of grass
and minute pieces of twigs taking them to their ant fortress and using all of that to build a barricade around the ant hill. I stood there that day totally amazed at the detail and design, the work ethic and effort, those hundreds and hundreds of ants went through to achieve their quest and build their fort. I guess my thought was, "Isn't it great and amazing how much we can actually get done if we all pull together, put our own whims, wishes and whines aside and work for 'one purpose'." It's kind of a sermon on its own isn't it? Ants can teach us a lot. The scripture says, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel". If we, the church, would stop bickering and fighting, catch the vision of the burden to reach the lost, pull together, take orders, and carry the load, we can and will see more people come to Christ. Thank God for many churches who are doing just that. There are still so many that need to catch the vision! If there is ever a time to work for the kingdom - it's now. Jesus is coming soon-are we quickly going out? Let's fulfill the great commission God has given.
on the stove. She boiled the eggs and cooled them while I set out and prepared about 15 cups of boiling water, put the color dye tablet in and a touch of vinegar (don't ask me why, I just did it because I was told -ha!). Then, about 6 of us kids began dipping the eggs in the variety of color dyes and decorating them. It all started out fun, but believe me, I was happy when we got to the last dozen eggs. Going through the first 100 eggs was alright, but after that it became more of a chore. With all the eggs colored, it was time to pull the Easter baskets out of storage. It was my delight to be able to fill them with eggs, candies and chocolates. Early on Easter morning, I would get up before anyone else and place a basket by each of my brother's pillows. Thinking back, I should've been a little smarter as more often than not, they would roll over, knocking the Easter basket off the bed creating all the grass, candies and chocolates to go flying all over the floor. But hey, it was fun!
baskets, a new dress and shoes. Then, when I was 8 years old, our family was invited to church and heard the Easter story during the message. I was so touched and amazed that this man named Jesus, as I was told, loved me so much that he was willing to die for me and to pay the penalty for my sins that I had committed. The preacher encouraged us that if we would pray and ask Jesus to come in to live in our hearts that he would always live in and with us. They told us he would be our friend forever. Then the preacher told of the promise that if we live for Jesus, when we died he would take us to live with Him in heaven for all eternity. Wow, what a deal! That's one we didn't want to refuse. 
we 'had to go listen to those people'. He could not tell us what they said, just that we had to hear them. The next night we went and they really made believers out of us. We marvel how they have endured the miles over the years and are still ready to energize us with their music, messages and their love. There is no question that God is in control of their lives." 
30 feet towards the beautiful blue Arizona sky. I've always admired this cactus and as I stood there this time, letting my eyes take it all in, I saw something I'd never seen before. There in the center of that cactus, surrounded by prickly needles, was a perfect heart shape. The heart shaped hole had been constructed and hollowed out by birds. I directed my brother and his wife to look at it. They too had never noticed it before. 
of some people that we meet or know?" They appear to be big and prickly, void of personality, sometimes even heartless. They've been through some hurt or life situation and their hearts' seem hidden. Until, through an up close encounter with them the prickly needles appear to fade away, and we notice their heart. When we get to know them, and the trials they are going through, we are privileged to really see their heart and appreciate them in a new way. I just stood there and prayed, "God, help us to look for the heart in all that we come in contact with so we can encourage them. Let us never miss that moment to touch a life of someone who is hurting."
It was interesting to find out that his father came to Christ under Lundstrom Ministries many years ago in Bangor, Maine. Now his son pastors here. Hearing stories like that always makes the hard work on the road worthwhile. Pastor Brown along, with his evangelism pastor, Kelly Bashore and associate Pastor Bob Roche, are doing a great job rebuilding the congregation. Great things are happening! 
Oak Creek, Wisconsin. In those few hours we had so much fun and even squeezed in a pizza party. When we are on the road so much we seldom get to see family, so I cherish every moment we can see any of them.
but it will come quickly. Thanks for letting us share our island travels with you and we'll connect with you in two weeks when we're back ministering in Arizona!
