What a blessing to welcome our new Missionary Sandra Rhein to Mission Central for a days training and orientation on Thursday the 20th of August. It was such a wonderful day and Sandra enjoyed a tour of the entire Mission Central campus. Sandra will be working with several locations in Asia, and hopes to leave before too long for Taiwan,…
“Normal Congregations” when they received an inheritance, the normal thing to do is the attitude of “well, now we have a reserve at the congregation, and we can save this for a rainy day, because “we may need that money”. That was NOT the case with the NOT NORMAL people who served on the Mission Endowment Committee at Immanuel Lutheran…
Yes, what a BLESSING to welcome our newest missionary Iowa District West’s very own Missionary Teacher, the Honorable Missionary Barbara Rebentisch who was born, raised and attended Lutheran School at our Zion Lutheran School at Paullina, Iowa!! Barb is the daughter of missionary Arnold Hibbing, and his late wife Wanda. Arnold was a missionary in Africa and provided some wonderful…
In spite of the “Pandemic” we have found that the Lord does NOT stop HIS new missionaries from coming to HIS Mission Central. Yes the Lord is totally and completely in charge of all things that happen at HIS world famous Mission Central! On Saturday the 8th of August, we were so happy to welcome our newest missionary couple truly…
What a blessing to welcome Missionary Kelly Haynes one of three new missionaries who have accepted the Lord’s call to go to tell people about Jesus in lands of darkness! Yes, Kelly was here at the Lord’s World Famous Mission Central on August 8th, 2020 for a full afternoon for a full 5 hours of instruction and training! What a…
Long time friends are special! The Lord brings people to Mission Central at “just the right time”!!! Recently, our dear, dear, dear friends in Christ, Jim and Mary Andersen came to visit MISSION CENTRAL. These dear and special Catholic Christian friends truly know Jesus as their Savior, and they wanted their grandchildren, Lyncoln and Alyssa to see what God can…
We were so blessed a year ago to be able to have our entire parking lot finished with 6 inches of asphalt, and what a blessing that has been for the thousands of visitors that come to this MIRACLE PLACE! The snow removal for last winter was such an encouragement, because for the first time we didn’t have to “dig…
What a special blessing to welcome Missionary Pastor Michael Bodkins and his dear wife Julie, and their grandchildren to Mission Central for a very, very special tour! We were so happy to welcome this NOT NORMAL family, as Pastor Bodkins and his wife Julie serve the congregations at Wiota and Audubon, Iowa. These congregations are planning a special tour here…
The Lord continues to “call” people at “just the right time”. We needed some new typists to help with the letters and dictation here at the Lord’s Mission Central. The Honorable Volunteer Missionary Typist, Carol Auen from Odebolt, Iowa came for special training by our Executive Secretary, Pam Kovarna. On August 4th, 2020 at 1:00PM an intensive training course was…
After old Missionary Gary spoke at the wonderful congregation at St. Peter Lutheran Church on August 2nd, 2020, the Holy Spirit touched the heart of a very special farm couple. The congregation has the Honorable Missionary Pastor Rev. Greg Schaffer as the shepherd of this amazing “flock”. The Spirit called a new volunteer to want to help with HIS work…
WHAT A SPECIAL 85TH BIRTHDAY PRESENT! Special Miracles keep right on happening at the Lord’s Mission Central! Yes, and Old Missionary Gary met Robert and Norma Gonnerman from Gresham, Nebraska many, many years ago. Immediately I could tell that Bob and Norma were truly NOT NORMAL. They were “in the world, but not of the world”!!! Robert is with the…
AMAZING MEDICK FAMILY FROM CHEROKEE, IOWA COME ON A SPECIAL MISSION! On August 1st, 2020, we were so happy to welcome the family of the late Missionary Delbert Medick of Cherokee, Iowa. Delbert was a very NOT NORMAL man…. He was a special man that loved the Lord Jesus and he loved the work of the Lord’s Mission Central. Delbert…
NOT NORMAL PEOPLE COME FROM ST. JOHN LUTHERAN AT RURAL, IRETON, IOWA FOR SPECIAL TOUR! One person can surely make a difference. The older we get the more we understand that in our lives. When we got the phone call from Missionary Laura Jasper a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Rural Ireton, Iowa it was clear that SHE…
What a special blessing, honor and privilege to have the President of the South Dakota District of the LCMS and his dear wife Sarah take time to stop and visit our humble setting here at the Lord’s Mission Central! President Sailer has been a wonderful friend for so, so many years, and because of “leadership people” like him in the…
ANOTHER “NOT NORMAL” COUPLE COME ALL THE WAY FROM WISCONSIN! Why would a couple drive all the way out of their way to come to the Lord’s Mission Central…here in the hills of Western Iowa? Why, because a missionary by the name of Rev. Ron Meyer told them about this MIRACLE place in the middle of nowhere!!!! On Tuesday afternoon…
It was one of those VERY SPECIAL DAYS, when the Lord called Ryan & Jessica Voelker to come to visit the world famous Mission Central!! Usually, Old Missionary Gary would be gone on Saturday traveling to speak at a congregation on Saturday….but, the Lord MUST have arranged to have him speak closer to home, and he was in his office…
It was a special Tuesday at the Lord’s Mission Central. A special day tour was planned for a new family that old Missionary Gary had never met until he had the privilege of speaking at Trinity Lutheran Church in Auburn, Nebraska! Yes, the Lord always puts the right people at the right place at “just the right time”. What a…
The Lord is so good to us here at HIS Mission Central. What a blessing to welcome to welcome the African Congregation that meets at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Sioux City, Iowa. This special tour was organized by the Honorable Missionary Pastor David Zirpel, one of the pastors at Redeemer Lutheran. On Sunday afternoon July 19th, 2020, this entire group…
What a special Friday afternoon at the world famous Mission Central! We were so blessed to welcome special friends for a full tour of the facilities at this MIRACLE PLACE. What a JOY to welcome Jeff Allen and his dear wife Laura all the way from Oklahoma and also long, long time friends from Danbury, Iowa….Dean and Vae Uhl. The…
What an absolute blessing to welcome a very, very, very NOT NORMAL FAMILY to the world famous Mission Central! Yes, all the way from Columbus, Nebraska the Lord called The Wade and Nicole Johannes Family to come and spend an afternoon seeing what the Lord can do in the hills of western Iowa with an old set of farm buildings! …
What an honor and blessing to welcome the very famous Dr. Dale and Liza Grotelueschen for a tour of the world famous Mission Central. These dear friends took time out of their busy schedule to drive all the way here from Garland, Nebraska. In 2018 Dr. Dale Grotelueschen, veterinarian and director of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Great Plains Veterinary Educational…
Saturday the 18th of July was such a special day to welcome some dear friends from Lincoln, Nebraska, the Honorable Missionaries Linda and Bill Himmelberg. Bill and Linda drove over from Lincoln to have a special Tour of the facilities and to pray with Mission Gary and hear the MIRACLES that take place at this MIRACLE PLACE. It was such…
What a great blessing to have folks come from Sloan, Iowa and Panora, Iowa as well as Mapleton, Iowa to visit the Lord’s Mission Central. It was truly a special day on this Saturday to have this amazing group of Christian people who were NOT NORMAL come and be here to see what the Lord can do with an old…
Here you see the Keith Zediker Family from all the time zones of the United States gathered at the famous Mission Central sign on the evening of July 3rd, 2020. Yes, few people would think of coming to a place like this on a Holiday weekend! However, at the Keith Zediker home the entire family from across the United States…
What an amazing afternoon, with some folks from Columbus, Nebraska. They are the Pastor and his wife, Rev. Jim and Kristen Thelen, and their members Greg and Kate, Dirk and Kris, and Randy and Jane. It was an afternoon we all will remember! A time of touring, praying and seeing what God can do with an old set of farm…
Here we go again…..The Lord sends us some VERY, VERY SPECIAL NOT NORMAL PEOPLE that Old Missionary met over 20 years ago out in Eastern Colorado and spoke in two churches served by the Honorable Missionaries Rev. George and Ruth Ann Hesse! Yes, it was a long, long time ago, but these dear friends NEVER FORGOT OUR FRIENDSHIP AND TIME…
Yes, there are some very, very, very special days that we have been given here by the Lord at HIS Mission Central! On June 24th, 2020 we had the honor and privilege of being with ONE OF THE MOST “NOT NORMAL” PEOPLE THAT OLD MISSIONARY GARY HAS EVER MET. For over 20 years the Honorable Missionary Pilot Harry Barr from…
What do Missionaries look like? You might wonder about that question, but it’s not that hard. A long time friend from our area near Sioux City, Iowa by the name of Missionary Scott Herbold, is a teacher in a public school, and he is a real missionary. Yes, he brings buses from the public school to see Mission Central, so…
What a JOY and blessing to welcome Missionaries Marvin and Shirley Frerking from Robins, Iowa at the world famous The Lord’s Mission Central! These dear friends have been very, very special friends for many years and have been so supportive of the Lord’s work in helping missionaries over the years. These dear friends came with a very, very wonderful gift…
WHO WOULD DRIVE 5 AND A HALF HOURS FROM CAMBRIDGE, NEBRASKA TO MISSION CENTRAL? When we talk about “Only NOT NORMAL people come to the Lord’s Mission Central”…we really mean it!!! Yes, I knew for sometime that the Jim and Nora McGowen family from rural Cambridge, Nebraska were truly NOT NORMAL! They were “OUR KIND OF PEOPLE”….they love and teach…
Many people seem to think that here at Mission Central things have kind of “quieted down”….however, that is NOT THE CASE! Our dear special office staff, Pam Kovarna and Sonya Sexton are working every day with so much to do and so little time to get everything done. Yes, in these days we are so filled with so much to…
Here at the Lord’s Mission Central, it seems like each day brings some new MIRACLES and surprises and so many things happen that we do NOT plan for each day! We have had so many people that stop here at Mission Central and many do not have an “appointment”, but just trust in the Lord that…
As you all know, we have real MIRACLES happen here at the Lord’s Mission Central! ANOTHER ONE HAPPENED TODAY!!! Yes, we had a “flock” of unusual birds arrive today. These birds are called “Ox Peckers”…and they live in Africa, and their number one job is to land on the Cape Buffalo in Africa and they peck out the ticks that…
March 21st, 2020 was a day that we were to have 4 congregations bringing people here to the Lord’s Mission Central! A day for seeing the Rev. Jon and Anita Clausing and their family, our dear missionaries from Tanzania, was planned, however, with their 9 children their family of 11 members, EXCEEDED the 10 person limit, so they had to…
A very, very special group of dear friends came to carry the check from the LWML proceeds of $100,000.00 to be used for help provide a MIRACLE GIFT of $10,000.00 for 10 of our lady Missionaries in Asia. Some of these dear folks had to come all the way from Clarinda, Iowa and Schleswig, Iowa. Perhaps, some of you recognize…
It was truly one of those VERY, VERY, VERY BLESSED AND SPECIAL SUNDAYS! Yes, on March 15th, 2020, Old Missionary Gary traveled to speak at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sac City, Iowa! What a privilege to work with Missionary Pastor Don Pobanz and his flock of missionaries that God has given to him! After speaking in over 1700…
What an absolute JOY and blessing to welcome a truly NOT NORMAL family from Fremont, Nebraska to the Lord’s Mission Central on Thursday afternoon on March 12th, 2020! It truly was a very, very special day for old Missionary Gary!…WHAT A BLESSING TO HAVE THE ENCOURAGEMENT FROM GOD’S SPECIAL PEOPLE! Clayton and Amy Glause felt that it was important for…
The next time you drive through Carroll, Iowa, you might keep in mind that there are three very, very, very NOT NORMAL people that live in that community! Yes, on Saturday the 29th of February these three NOT NORMAL people came to visit the world famous Mission Central. They are members of St. Paul Lutheran Church there in Carroll, Iowa. …
What a blessing to welcome the members of Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Elkhorn, Nebraska, where Missionary Gary had the honor and privilege of speaking this past year, with their 2 wonderful pastors that are NOT NORMAL! This group was headed up by the Honorable Missionaries Allan and Janet Jo Macklem! This group was such a blessing and…
What a blessing to have the privilege of being with Wayne and Ardith Loseke on their farm north of Columbus, Nebraska. It was one of those very, very special days that one will never forget. On February 25th old Missionary Gary had the privilege of being with Wayne and Ardith on their farm, and it made Gary feel like he…
What a blessing to welcome two very special friends, Jay Faber from LeMars, Iowa and Joan Schreier from Sioux Center, Iowa who came for a special visit at Mission Central. Both of these folks are members at Grace Lutheran Church at LeMars, Iowa and they wanted to come for a special visit and tour of this MIRACLE PLACE! It was…
It was truly a special day to have the Honorable Missionary Pastor Phil Ritter, Senior Pastor at the congregation at Redeemer Lutheran Church at Corning, Iowa come to visit Mission Central. Our dear friend, Pastor Ritter, came and brought along Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan Ritter his son and daughter-in-law, who were just married on Saturday the 15th of February. It…
On Wednesday the 5th day of February 2020, the young people and adults came to visit Mission Central and have a tour of the entire facility. These were the young students and adults from Immanuel Lutheran Church at Schleswig, Iowa. It was a very special time for all of these dear missionaries. The group had the full tour, and so…
What a JOY and blessing to welcome two very, very NOT NORMAL people from Jansen, Nebraska! Yes, Daryl and Kathleen Holle drove out to Mission Central from their farm home near Jansen, Nebraska to spend the afternoon at this MIRACLE PLACE. They were able to come and see the offices, the Ministry Center, the Lord’s Creation Theater and the…
The work of the Lord’s Mission Central MUST continue after the founders, Gary and Maxine Thies, are in their real home in heaven! This CAN be accomplished by the establishment of the Gary and Maxine Thies Mission Foundation. This special Foundation will provide the overhead and administrative costs for many years in the future, in order that more and more…
It was one of those very, very special days, when the special group of NOT NORMAL men arrived at Mission Central from the famous St. John Lutheran Church located 10 miles north of Columbus, Nebraska on February 3rd, 2020! This special group arrived at 3:00PM on a Monday afternoon, and spent several hours seeing what the Lord can do…
What a blessing to welcome the Honorable Missionary Pastor Brad Birtell of Columbus, Nebraska to the World Famous Mission Central! Pastor Birtell is the Senior Pastor of St. John Lutheran Church a rural congregation located 10 miles north of Columbus, Nebraska. This congregation is truly NOT NORMAL! This congregation is truly “exploding” for the Lord Jesus. Pastor Birtell came for…
Yes, ONE person in a family can truly make a difference. That is, of course, if you are NOT NORMAL! Some time ago, old Missionary Gary received a call from Missionary Rachel Desy from Denison, Iowa. She stated that she wanted to bring “her family” over to the Lord’s Mission Central for a “family tour”. On Friday evening January 31st,…
What a blessing to welcome two very NOT NORMAL people to Mission Central! These dear friends came all the way from Cumming, Georgia, where Vicar Jay Dass serves the Lord Jesus along with his dear wife Julie. They wanted to visit the World Famous Mission Central. They came on Thursday evening the 30th of January and then stayed until Friday…
Rev. James Krikava, our Eurasia Area Executive Regional Director made a special trip to come and see the world famous Lord’s Mission Central. Yes, for two days we had the privilege and honor to welcome Rev. Krikava all the way from the Czech Republic to stay with us and be part of our training a number of Seminary Students from…
