August 23, 2006
It is another breathtaking August day. It couldn't be more perfect...well...I guess what would make it totally perfect would be if I had absolutely nothing on my To-Do list! If that was the case, I would sneak outdoors, take a hike, sit and sip coffee or read my pile of when I have spare time articles. Well, there is slight chance of any of that happening. I will just be thankful that I have been given the gift of life and that I had the privilege to wake up today. I will embrace my office tasks and be happy!
We had a wonderful weekend service at Grand Rapids, MN, with Pastor Brian
McGuire, his wife and family. As always, they treated us like family and we had a wonderful time of ministry and fellowship. They are such a warm loving family!
When Larry gave the altar call during the service, many responded to make decisions for Christ. After the counseling, I gave Pastor Brian the decision cards of those that made decisions for Christ who would need to be followed up on. Pastor stood there reviewing the cards and e
xclaimed, "Wow...I know a lot of these people. I just didn't know where they stood spiritually, but now I do!" He continued, "I met one gentlemen in the hallway after the service who responded to the altar call. He said to me, 'Pastor, now if I die, I know where I'm going.'" There is no greater joy in this life than to know without a doubt where you will spend eternity.
He also shared the following about the rally:
"Once again, it was an honor to see God use Larry and Gloria Lundstrom in their calling as evangelists. Their ability to encourage people to take that critical step of faith was apparent as 13 people responded to the altar call."
A few moments later, Linda Schumacher rejoiced with tears, "Gloria, first of all, I want to tell you how much your book, Free At Last, has ministered to my life. In fact, I have read it three times. It has helped me so much!" Then her face lit up as she continued to share, "Gloria, my father went forward this morning to 
receive Christ for the very first time. I have been praying for him and this morning God answered my prayer. Dad is 71 years old and has terminal cancer. Will you please pray with him?" A few moments later she brought her father and step-mother, along with the pastor's wife, for me to pray with him. I first asked him, "Now that you have made a decision for Christ, where will you go when you die?" He smiled, "I know I will go to heaven and I'm not afraid to die." We prayed for God to heal him...as God is still the God of miracles.
Shortly after, Seth and Jenny Erway, an adorable young couple married just one week and one day, approached me and said, "Thank you so much for this morning's service. We loved it! It was so refreshing. It was great to feel the presence of God through your music and ministry. Thanks, again, for coming."
Testimonies like the ones above are like fuel to our bodies and spiritual engines. It is what keeps us going.
We were delighted to be able to have our daughter, LaDawn, and our two grandchildren, Dante' and Myanna, spend a few days with us last week at our friends' lake home. We have set up our office here for 2 ½ weeks and we drive out from this location to conduct our rallies. I was so glad that LaDawn was able to get a few days off---single parent moms need that! The kids swam, climbed trees, played games and just had good old-fashioned fun. It is good for them to get out of what I call "cement city"-the Minneapolis area. Dante' said, "Grandma, I love coming out to the cabin in the woods, away from the big city. It is so relaxing and serene." Larry and I worked most of the day but we would spend late afternoon and the evenings just having a great time with them.
One night after sunset, several games of Uno and Sorry later, we all watched 
the video entitled, Left Behind. This was the second time we had watched it together. The grandkids sat spellbound. It is a story of the rapture and it emphasizes of what the Scripture says in Matthew 24:20, "Two men will be in a field, one will be taken and the other left." It showed scenes where people disappeared and their clothing was left on chairs, in beds, in cars, etc. The next morning, as we were having devotions around the table, we discussed the seriousness of being ready at anytime to meet the Lord as we never know when the rapture will happen. It was a precious time of sharing. The next morning, the grandchildren walked by the lower level bathroom and saw Grandpa's clothes lying on the floor by the washing machine and kiddingly shouted, "Did the rapture happen? Where's Grandpa? All we see are his clothes on the floor." They giggled. Quickly I assured them, "That's not the rapture...that's a failure to put the clothes in the dirty clothes basket." The kids just chuckled.
Isn't life great that we can have fun moments along with the serious ones. Jesus says in the Word, "I have come that you might have life (joy) and that your life (joy) might be full." Christ wants us to have joy, even amidst the tough times. His joy gives us the strength to push on and hope to sustain us.
Well, it is my prayer that you will experience moments of joy this coming week. Let it encourage you and strengthen you. God Bless!
Gloria
Note: We would appreciate hearing your comments about the website. We are unable to answer all of your e-mails but it would still mean so much to us to hear from you!
Larry's Photo Pick of the Week
If you want your dreams to come true, don't oversleep.
-Good Advice to Live By
CHUCKLE OF THE WEEK
A Sunday School teacher asked her children, as they were on their way to church service, "And why is it necessary for you to be quiet in church?"
One bright little girl replied, "Because a lot of people are sleeping."
_____
Six year old, Angie, and her four year old brother, Joel, were sitting together in church. Joel giggled, sang and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had had enough. "You're not supposed to talk out loud in church." "Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked. Angie pointed to the back of the church and said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers!"
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Many of you probably have an abundance of cucumbers right now. Here is a
Cool-As-A- Cucumber Salad.
½ cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup sugar
½ tsp celery seed
½ tsp dill weed
3 medium cucumbers sliced
In a bowl combine the first five ingredients; mix well. Add cucumbers and stir to coat. Refrigerate until serving.
HOUSEHOLD HINT OF THE WEEK
Scuff marks on vinyl??? Take a rubber sole shoe and wipe across it. The marks should come right off!
on August 5th, we boarded a cruise ship for a three day cruise to Nassau, Bahamas, Co Co Cay, Bahamas and Key West, Florida. It was short and quick, but action-packed and great fun. What a relaxing time we had without phones and office work accompanying us! We slept, ate breakfast leisurely on the 11th deck of the ship, disembarked at each port of call, returned to the ship to eat, visit, eat, visit and eat some more. Isn't that what a cruise ship is all about! It was such a treat to be together with family. We sailed out Monday evening and docked back into Miami on Friday morning at 7 AM. 
Well...immediately wasn't coming fast enough! There were 3,000 people on the cruise ship with close to 10,000 pieces of luggage of all colors, sizes and shapes. Two and half hours later, we were still searching for our luggage, but it was not to be found! Now we were facing the threat of missing our flight. I whimpered, "Why us...out of 3,000 people's luggage???" I was reminded of what my mother often jokes about. She chuckles, "Missy (Gloria), if anything crazy or humorous is going to happen, it usually happens to you!" Reality was beginning to set in that the two black suitcases with gold ribbon tied on them were lost after 2 ½ hours of searching. The terminal authorities assured us, "They can't be lost. They just came down a conveyor belt off the ship to the carousel which is on the dock next to the ship. So they aren't lost!" I kept thinking to myself, "What is it that I don't understand about the statement ' They are not lost.' They are simply not here so how can they not be lost?" I know I am getting old, but I'm not so senile that I don't comprehend that I don't see them and they are not here. 
From Minneapolis, we hurried to my (Gloria's) family reunion in Fargo, North Dakota. There were more than 60 of us that attended for two days. All nine of my brothers were in attendance along with their mates. The giggles of the grandchildren and great grandchildren 
Hurricane Chris would get exhausted and just fizzle out before it reached land. Can you imagine the stress the bride and groom were going through wondering if their wedding would be washed out? Many of the wedding guests flew in from Minnesota and Paola had many guests fly in from Peru which is her home. She has been attending the 
University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN. In answer to our prayers, Hurricane Chris fizzled out, was downgraded to a tropical storm and then headed in another direction. The wedding was magnificent, and the bride was beautiful. Of course, we all love weddings. It was special having most of Larry's family all together. It made it so much fun. After the splendid reception, we finally retired to our room about 1:30 AM. 
unbeknownst to us, we were about to embark on another adventure...finding a church to attend Sunday morning worship. 
said, "A little more ways." "But," we exclaimed, "We were told it was only 4 ½ miles away!" Again he smiled and said, "A little more ways." The fare clicked $45.00....$47.00....we all gasped and at that moment he announced, "Here!" We looked out and saw the church. We all sighed as we looked at the meter that registered $48.10. I think the fare meter needed to cool off and we needed encouragement at that point. We thought the price of fuel was high, but to pay $48.10 one way to go to church... "Come on, God," I thought. "I sure hope this service is worth it." We handed him a credit card to which he bluntly announced, "Don't take credit cards-cash only!" Panic registered in our hearts once again. We had credit cards and checks, but between all of us we only had $33.00 cash. Bless that cab driver as he said, "I go to your hotel many times a day. I will come back and get you and you pay me the rest there." I guess what else could he do as he didn't have too many options. He must of thought that if we were that determined to go to church, he could trust us for the rest of the money. Needless to say, we were all quite embarrassed about the situation! We then piled out of the taxi and strolled into the church. Again, I thought to myself, "Lord, I sure hope this service is worth the $48.00 and another $48.00 to get back to the hotel." 
We had a busy "catch-up" week in our home office after Larry arrived home from Latvia. His body clock is finally getting back to normal. When we drove back to Sisseton last week, Myanna giggled, "Grandpa, now you can give me rides on the scooter...right?" Her dancing brown eyes melted him and he readily acknowledged, "Yes!" In a snap, she had her helmet on and was perched on the scooter. Off they went for a short ride. 
On Saturday, Larry and I drove to Elk River, Minnesota, to the Twin Lakes Christian Center. We have known the pastor, Percy Kallevig, since he was a young lad, 4-5 years old. We have had the privilege of watching him and his identical twin brother grow up. Percy married a wonderful girl, Debbie, and entered into full time ministry. What a great couple! They started a new work about three years ago and it continues to grow. They are blessed with many young families. Pastor Percy is so charged and electric! Oh how Larry and I love to see that zeal for Christ. 
Praise the Lord....Larry's back! He arrived in Minneapolis at 4:10 PM last Friday. Our daughter, LaDawn, the grandkids and I welcomed him home with lots of hugs! He looked a bit weary from the long trip from Latvia, Russia. As soon as he cracked a few crazy jokes, I knew he was back safe...and sound??? (HA!) 
Larry didn't have much time to recuperate as that evening we celebrated Myanna's 8th birthday with a party. She had a swimming party with a few cousins and friends. Myanna also had, what we call "her twin", Tyra, there. Myanna has been through daycare and the first two grades of school with her. You have to look at them twice to see which one is which. By 9:30 PM, which was 5:30 AM Russian time, Larry was almost incoherent so we went back to LaDawn's. He literally walked in and within two minutes was in bed fast asleep. He slept 8 hours and was up and running on Saturday. 
stopped at Eau Claire, WI, to see our son , Donovan, who we hadn't seen since Christmas. He was working a few hours there. We had the joy to be able to be with him and to also attend an outdoor concert that he was running sound for. We cherished each moment with him. I miss him so much! I told him on the phone today, "I just wanted to shoot you with a tranquilizer gun, stuff you in our luggage, and bring you home so we could just enjoy you and spend time with you!" But....as you, parents, know, when they leave home, they live their own lives and we must just savor those few moments we have together. Donovan lives in Nashville, TN, and is traveling a lot so we don't see him as often as we would like. That's life!
From Eau Claire, WI, we drove to Shell Lake, WI, and set up our sound system at Shell Lake Full Gospel. We have ministered at this church several times through the years. Pastor Virgil Amundson and his wife, Linda, are so precious and have tender hearts for the Lord. Their church has a great burden for the youth and thus a great program for them. After the Sunday morning service, 30 of their young people journeyed off to Colorado Springs, CO, for a Leadership Conference. These young people are really turned on for God! Oh how I love to see that!
"Larry and Gloria blessed our Sunday service with their music and message that touched both our younger and older generation. It was wonderful to see several young people receive Christ at the altar as well as several re-dedications. 
face was just radiant and she bubbled, "Gloria, in the year 2000, you and Larry ministered here at this church and we came to see you. We were so blessed by your ministry. I will never forget when Larry gave the altar call, he waited a few minutes for those who wanted to receive Christ to respond. He then announced, 'I'm going to wait one more minute and this altar call will be over.' I knew God was speaking to my heart. When he came to the last thirty seconds, I stood up and my mother stood up with me. I will never forget that day and the feeling of Jesus lifting me to my feet. It was an amazing day and all these years later, the commitment is still there and staying strong. Thank you! I just wanted to come this morning and thank you for your part in leading us to Christ." 
to attend the service in Buffalo (July 2nd), with your wonderful singing, Gloria's testimony, words of encouragement and Larry's preaching. The true salvation message through song and word reaches people for the Lord. Praise God for those who came to Christ this morning. It was in the early 70's when my late husband, Pete, was involved in bringing the Lundstrom's to Pipestone, MN. I still see the results of changed lives during that crusade, including two of our daughters, their friends and many others who came to Jesus over 30 years ago. Thank you for allowing God to continue to use you to win souls for Him. You are faithful to God's calling as He remains faithful to us."
ar. It seems like he is just getting into the swing of things, great happenings are taking place, and wonderful results are being seen, but it is almost time to wind down and head home. We have been e-mailing back and forth as well as instant messaging. The internet has been a great way to stay in touch across the sea. Even Myanna was able to participate; she e-mailed her grandpa the last couple of days. She is almost better than me on the computer. That's embarrassing when your eight year old granddaughter can run the computer better than Grandma! HA!
Last Friday, a missionary took Larry out to a remote area. He said the church was literally boards on stumps. Before long, Latvians began to straggle in and Larry ministered. The missionary said that 13 years ago when all of the preachers and missionaries flooded into the country, the churches flourished and grew from 40 to 400 to 1,000. Then, gradually, the revivals cooled off and many of the churches fell back down to less than 100 people. The missionary, Pastor Marel, added that the pastors have become discoura
ged and a spirit of apathy has set back in. When Larry gave the altar call that day, only two of the few who came were saved but both made commitments to Jesus for the very first time! Larry said the pastor was dancing with glee and said, "I have been waiting for this move of God. This is a breakthrough!"
On Sunday, July 17th, Larry ministered in three services. Pastor Dan Pedraza and his wife, Demaris, were thrilled at the response of the people. Dan commented that usually when they have a guest speaker, they have a hard time keeping people's attention. This was not the case with brother Larry! He said the people 
sat spell bound as he spoke. At that point in the e-mail, I said, "Were you telling a joke and they responded to your wacky jokes?" Larry responded, "I was actually amazed at how many jokes actually flew!" I really laughed at that! Larry added that the people are so oppressed in some areas that they are desperately looking for joy and enjoyed seeing someone happy making them laugh. I told him, "You go...man...you're on a roll!" Of course, jokes and joy are right up Larry's alley. Making people happy and leading them to Christ is his calling. Pastor Dan was especially thrilled to see a couple that made first decisions for Christ. He was also excited to see a lady that had been searching out Eastern religions come forward and accept Christ for the first time.
get saved even before Larry gave the altar call. In that particular service, Larry spoke through two interpreters. He said it was a challenge to keep his sermon thoughts and momentum while all the interpreting was taking place. In this service, Alina came to Larry and shared how thankful she was for the simplicity in which Larry shared the Gospel. There are many new believers who needed to hear a simple Gospel message once again.
Finally, the third service was held in a soccer park. It was awesome as I understand it! Many responded to the altar call. After the service was over, a lady ran up to Pastor Dan and said, "Pastor, there were so many people that did not go up to the front, but they were crying and prayed the sinner's prayer out loud with Brother Larry!" So, if the missions trip ended now, heaven is filled with joy over the many who have come to Christ.
of her, but she is such a big help answering phones and running back and forth with papers and supplies between Larry's desk downstairs and my office upstairs. She has saved me thousands of steps which helps me not to tax my gimp leg. One of our special traditions together is every night before devotions, we play the game of UNO. Last night I was very tired so I told her that we would just play one game. Well, we are getting to competitive that the one game took one hour and forty minutes. To top it off-she beat me! It definitely made her day to say the least!
Hello! I'm back in Sisseton after being gone for 
ten days. Larry flew out of Minneapolis on July 4th, arrived in Latvia on July 5th, but without his traveling companion, Evangelist Paul Murray, whose flight was delayed. Larry flew the first leg to Stockholm, Sweden, alone. Paul arrived several hours later. They were greeted and graciously hosted by the Per Kronlid 
family. They were treated to a delicious Swedish spaghetti dinner. The housing arrangements were made by Sandy, the daughter of our partner friend, Blake Hubert, from Wisconsin. We deeply appreciate their help and hospitality. 
yet so when he should be sleeping, he couldn't, and when he was supposed to be up and running, he desperately wanted to sleep! While in Sweden, Larry and Paul had the opportunity to share Christ with many on the streets. 
They arrived in Riga, Latvia, on Sunday morning. They rushed around trying to make arrangements to get to the church where they were to minister late Sunday afternoon. The church requested music so Larry scrambled and plugged in his small music machine to a 220 outlet through his adapter and... POOF! He said he saw smoke rising off the charging transformer. He quickly got it under control and proceeded into the service. This was his first opportunity to speak through an interpreter and he said it went well. He was able to share his passion for the lost, and they made it through the first service okay. 
and I finished the final packing for his missions trip to Latvia. LaDawn, I and the kids drove Larry to the airport at 8:30 AM. We set his suitcases on the curb, and when it was time to say goodbye to Larry, I got a bit emotional! It was hard to see my best friend getting ready to leave without me. We are always together-"joined at the hip" as my mother would say! HA! Well, it was tough watching my other hip....hop into the airport terminal to embark on the first leg of his missions journey. As he disappeared out of sight, I must have whimpered as LaDawn said, "Mom, he's only been gone 30 seconds and you already miss him." 
with his friend and fellow evangelist, Paul Murray, who Larry is joining for this trip. They were to meet in Newark and then fly together to Stockholm, Sweden, for the first leg of the journey. While waiting in the Newark airport last night for Paul to arrive, he received a message from Paul that he couldn't get out of Cleveland, OH, due to bad weather. Paul's flight was delayed to Newark so he instructed Larry to go on to Sweden without him and he would meet him at the Stockholm airport a few hours later. Sounds easy, doesn't it? At this writing, I am still waiting to see if they have connected. 
took me over to one of their friend's homes who hosted a neighborhood 4th of July party. They had a pool so Dante' and Myanna swam and played nonstop for four hours straight. What did I do? I sat under an umbrella and totally relaxed. Wow...was I ever ready for that after the past week of preparation for Larry's missions trip along with tackling piles of mail and taking care of the urgent matters that needed to get done before he left. I was thrilled for a holiday! The weather was perfect with temperatures in the high 70's and lots of sunshine. Also enjoyed were delicious snacks, food off the grill and desserts. It was a joy getting to meet many of LaDawn's friends she has known for many years. The climax of the day was watching the kids shoot their fireworks and also enjoying the local display.
Last week, en route to our service in Buffalo, MN, we held our annual US LLM board meeting in St. Cloud, MN. We held our Canadian board meeting in Estevan, Canada, in May. We are so blessed to have wonderful men and women of God serve on our board who are great advisors to Larry and I and the ministry. We are also blessed and at peace knowing that they seek God over the decisions of this ministry which affects thousands of lives monthly.
We had an exciting weekend of ministry in Sioux Falls, SD, at Calvary Assembly of God with Pastor Dave and Janine Tims. Dave is passion-driven to reach the lost! It literally physically pours out of him. We had a precious altar call. I only regret that I wasn't able to get personal testimonies and photos from all of those who responded to the invitation. I can, however, tell you about one young man who came forward. I guessed him to be in his late 20's. I greeted him as he entered the church. He was tall, handsome, and stately dressed. I reached out to shake his hand and he said, "I'm so glad I could come this morning and finally meet you in person. My mother attended several of your services through the years and encouraged me to attend one if you were ever in the area....so here I am. I just wish my mother was here but she has since passed away." I offered 
my condolences for the passing of his mother who I could tell he greatly admired. He sat at full attention during the service and when Larry gave the altar call, he readily responded. He stood and then made his way to the altar to receive Christ for the first time. How thrilling! At that moment, I wondered if God allowed his mother to look down from heaven to see the answer to her prayers that her son would come to Christ. That sure gave me more mileage to keep going. In the same altar call, a very poised grandmother and her beautiful teenage granddaughter walked down hand in hand to receive Christ for the first time together. It was another joyful reunion. 
It was also a delight to have our friends who were formerly from Sisseton, Don & Vicky Hagen, attend our rally. They shared the following about the rally:
on the roof, along with our friend, Lynn Naber, to fix it. Yes...you guessed it....I freaked out a little bit as I saw him climbing up the ladder. Of course, I had a flashback of our last ladder incident and I told him, "First of all, I don't want you to go up there." He looked at me and asked, "Do you want your ceiling to fall in?" "No," I responded. I then proceeded to caution him to be really careful and I assured him that I was not going to hold the ladder...as my common sense told me, "Once is enough!" I am not about to take a chance of a 240 pound hunk falling on my again! Thank God Lynn was here to help him. I told Larry, "I'm not chicken...I'm just smart! I have one good leg to stand on and I plan on keeping it!" Anyhow, they did get it patched up!
Our granddaughter, Myanna, loves being with us. She makes friends quickly at the services and is so good to help Grandpa and I in whatever we need done. Last week I found a box of my children's newborn clothes that Larry brought out of the attic. You should have seen her eyes light up. "Grandma, they are just the right size for my doll," she exclaimed. I laundered them and I must admit I was surprised they didn't fall apart as some of them are 38 years old. Okay, yes, I'm a packrat! When the kids were little, they asked me to keep some of their toys and clothes for them, but for 38 years???? Bad thinking! Oh well, Myanna is putting them to good use and is enjoying them.
s." 
The service was precious and the altar call touched our hearts. Among those that responded to the invitation was a young man in his early 20's that made a 
first time commitment of his life to Christ. His mother, with her arms wrapped around her son, wept tears of joy. She had been praying for him a long time! What an unforgettable sight!
Last week, she was so excited to be able to attend a Kids Crusade held in our home church led by Children's Evangelists, Dan and Merilee Ottoson, from Pelican Rapids, MN. Myanna was mesmerized by their puppet ministry, songs and stories. The Ottoson's do a great job in touching the hearts of children and young teens. Many received Christ into their heart through their ministry. That's the age to reach them....when they are young!