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Not Normal folks from Aurelia come to Mission Central

On May 20th, 2019, at 12:30PM we were so blessed to welcome the amazing NOT NORMAL women of the Aurelia Women’s Club from Aurelia, Iowa. They came for a special tour and what a JOY to welcome these dear folks. We had a special program for them in the NEW LORD’S CREATION THEATER….it was appreciated by these folks, and we…

WONDERFUL NEW FRIEND COMES TO SEE MISSION CENTRAL FROM CPH!!

  It was a very special evening when Dr. Ken Ohlemeyer, Missionary Senior Manager, Marketing Specialist, of Concordia Publishing Company came all the way from St. Louis, Missouri to see the Lord’s Mission Central on the late afternoon of May 15th, 2019, at 6:30 PM and was able to spend 2 hours here to see what the Lord can do with…

Amazing “Not Normal” missionaries from Geneva, Nebraska come to Mission Central

Who would in this world take their motorhome and drive from Geneva, Nebraska to a place in the middle of the hills of Western Iowa to an old set of farm buildings to spend a week of working like Slaves, painting, caulking, pouring and mixing cement, repairing gutters, spraying, painting entrances, touching up painting, painting walls, fixing chimneys, cleaning bathrooms,…

Kent Kunkel from Concordia, Missouri visits Mission Central

  KENT KUNKEL FROM CONCORDIA, MISSOURI VISITS MISSION CENTRAL!   What a blessing to welcome Mr. Kent Kunkel, Special Missionary from St. Paul Lutheran School in Concordia, Missouri, who arrived at Mission Central on May 15th, 2019. It was the “first time” experience for Kent, and it was such a JOY to show him what the Lord has done here…

Volunteer cleaners come to Mission Central for the day!

    May 7th was one of those very, very special days when 12 Volunteers came from Iowa and Nebraska to help with the cleaning here at the Lord’s Mission Central! It was such a special day, and it began in the barn with an opening devotion and special prayer. Under the direction of Pat and Ruth Nicolaus from Seward…

Not Normal women come from Ireton, Iowa to Mission Central

On Friday the 3rd of May four very NOT NORMAL ladies came to visit Mission Central.  They drove from Ireton, Iowa and came for a tour of the facilities, and old Missionary Gary was able to take their picture in front of our Boss here in our offices. These ladies came to see the facilities, and it was a blessing…

Special group from Yankton, South Dakota visits Mission Central

  It was such a blessing to have DCE Josh Schmitt and his group of youth and adults visit from St. John Lutheran Church at Yankton, South Dakota on April 27th, 2019. The group enjoyed the tour of Mission Central and what a blessing to have these dear folks come and see what God can do with an old set…

Missionaries from Messiah Lutheran in Johnston, Iowa visit Mission Central

MESSIAH LUITHERAN CHURCH FROM JOHNSTON, IOWA VISIT: What a blessing to welcome the members of Messiah Lutheran Church from Johnston, Iowa who came to Mission Central on April 27th, 2019 for a day tour.  This wonderful group of folks was headed up by our long, long time missionary friends, Missionaries Elmer and Carolyn Weber.  They were the first of 4…

Dubuque Zone LWML brings a bus full to Mission Central

  What a JOY and BLESSING to welcome a full bus load of NOT NORMAL people that traveled all the way across the state of Iowa to come and visit the most NOT NORMAL place called Mission Central. Yes, the Honorable Missionary Jeanette Kreutner was the President of the group, and it was such a wonderful day!  They arrived at…

Fifth grade missionaries from Columbus, Nebraska come to Mission Central

  Tuesday the 30th of April was a wonderful way to end the month of April, because we had special missionaries that came to visit the Lord’s Mission Central. What an absolute blessing to have the entire 5th grade from Immanuel Lutheran School of Columbus, Nebraska come for a special tour.  This group was able to spend a day here…

The Haase and Kelting families come to Mission Central

THE HAASE FAMILY AND THE KELTING FAMILY COME TO VISIT: What a blessing to have Steve and Pam Haase and Darlo and Diana Kelting from Grinnell, Iowa come to visit the World Famous Mission Central on Monday afternoon on the 29th of April.  They enjoyed their tour of the office, then the Creation Theater and the Barn Museum and then…

Many missionaries from Ireton, Iowa

  It was ONE OF THOSE VERY SPECIAL DAYS on April 28th, 2019!!  Not only was it the birthday of Missionary Maxine Thies, it was a day when some real MIRACLES took place at St. Paul Lutheran Church at Ireton, Iowa. Yes, old Missionary Gary had the privilege of speaking to this VERY, VERY NOT NORMAL CONGREGATION.   However, the real…

LWML helpers at St Paul Lutheran in Hartley, Iowa

  What a blessing to be able to be at St. Paul Lutheran Church at Hartley, Iowa on Wednesday the 24th of April for the Regional LWML Zone Rally. The group was one of the best and most attentive groups that old Missionary Gary was able to visit in many years.  Having known nearly all of the members of the…

Special coin and collection missionary visits Mission Central

Over the years at Mission Central we have had so many, many unusual gifts of love that have been donated….yes to be given to our dear LCMS Missionaries….from cars to buses to stamps and coins and collections of all kinds.  The Lord sent us a special helper who has helped us so many times with purchasing these items.  The Lord sends the…

St Paul Lutheran Ida Grove 7th graders visit Mission Central

  It was an evening event, when Missionary Rev. Neil Wehmas from St. Paul Lutheran Church at Ida Grove, Iowa brought the 7th graders to come and visit the Lord’s Mission Central.  These young people wanted to see what God can do in the middle of nowhere with an old set of farm buildings.  Yes, the tour started at the…

Not Normal people from Nebraska and Wyoming come to Mission Central

  It was one of those days we will never, never, never forget here at the Lord’s Mission Central.  Four very NOT NORMAL people came to spend the afternoon at this MIRACLE PLACE to see what God has done here in the middle of nowhere with an old set of farm buildings. Yes, it was a bit of a SPECIAL…

How does the Lord get his work done at Mission Central?

HOW DOES THE LORD GET HIS WORK DONE AT MISSION CENTRAL?   That’s a question that many, many people ask us here at the Lord’s Mission Central….”Hey, how can you handle all of the work that comes into the office at Mission Central?”    It is simple….it’s because our dear Lord Jesus sends us special people to assist in this…

Coming home to a country church in Elk Creek, Nebraska

  COMING HOME TO A COUNTRY CHURCH IN ELK CREEK, NEBRASKA! Having never lived in a town or city, for Old Missionary Gary, it was “just like coming home” when he spoke at St. Peter Lutheran Church at rural Elk Creek, Nebraska!  The people know about livestock, farming, machinery, crops, and the soil! What a special blessing to go and…

Trinity Lutheran from Cherokee arrives at Mission Central

  TRINITY LUTHERAN OF CHEROKEE ARRIVES AT MISSION CENTRAL: It truly was a very special evening group that came at 6:15PM to Mission Central.  When the group arrived we could see that each one of the guests were truly NOT NORMAL to come of a Friday evening to a place in the middle of nowhere! The group was organized by…

Hansen family arrives from Wakefield, Nebraska

  HANSEN FAMILY ARRIVES FROM WAKEFIELD, NEBRASKA Old Missionary Gary was so, so, so pleased to welcome his cousin, Missionary Robert Hansen from Wakefield, Nebraska for a special tour and visit.  Robert Hansen is the son of Chester Hansen, who was a brother to Gary’s mom.  We always got along so well, because Bob would always wear bib stripped overalls,…

Special guest from Fullerton arrives at Mission Central

  SPECIAL GUEST FROM FULLERTON ARRIVES The Lord sends special guests to come and visit HIS Mission Central, and what a blessing and JOY to welcome Missionary Norman Ronell from Fullerton, Nebraska.  Norm and his late wife, Ione, have been long, long time friends and on Thursday the 4th of April Norm made the effort to stop and we had…

The world famous Missionary Jana Ingelhart comes to Mission Central

Cars drive by Mission Central and people say, “What’s going on at that place in the middle of nowhere?” Yes, there is NO PLACE LIKE IT IN THE WHOLE WORLD!  How in the world could the Lord use an old set of farm buildings in the middle of nowhere to get HIS WORK DONE? With God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE,…

How do people get fed at Mission Central?

  Isn’t that an interesting question?  Not only do NOT NORMAL people here at the Lord’s Mission Central get fed spiritually, the Lord has called special people and with the help of our Volunteer Cooking Staff, they are fed physically also. Yes, from these pictures that were taken on March 25th, 2019, you can see the people streaming out of…

Creation Theater and Barn Museum are gems that you have to see!

DO PEOPLE REALLY ENJOY THE LORD’S CREATION THEATER AND BARN MUSEUM? Well, let’s take a look at what took place on March 25th, 2019, when a group of very, very, very NOT NORMAL people came to visit the world famous Mission Central for the day! As you can see from these two photos, that the Lord’s Creation Theater was absolutely “cram-packed”…..and…

VOLUNTEERS ARE THE VERY”BACKBONE” OF THE WORK OF MISSION CENTRAL

  OUR VOLUNTEERS AT MISSION CENTRAL ARE THE VERY “BACKBONE” OF THE WORK GOD HAS CALLED US TO DO! For the History Lesson of Mission Central, it has been very, very, very clear over the last 25 years, that God is totally and completely in charge of all things that happen.  If HE knows the number of hairs on our…

Winter decends on Mission Central

It was 2003, when the old farm buildings were purchased here at Mission Central, and prior to that for 9 years God allowed us to work in the basement of our home right across the road.  The years have gone quickly, however, NEVER BEFORE have we experienced the volume of snow that we were “blessed with” this past week! The…

Special Bible study group from Ascension Lutheran in Ames, Iowa

  What a blessing for old Missionary Gary to go to Ames, Iowa and stay overnight with two very, very NOT NORMAL PEOPLE! Yes, on February 16th the night of the “big snow” in Iowa….Gary was able to travel to stay overnight in the home of Rev. Roger and Cathy Twitto. It was so much of a blessing that on…

Redeemer Lutheran from Sioux City comes to Mission Central

  It was indeed a very, very special evening at the Lord’s Mission Central on February 13th, 2019.  It was such a blessing to welcome the youth and adults from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Sioux City, Iowa for a special evening presentation. The entire group arrived at 6:00PM and we all gathered in the little chapel and set the record…

Missionaries from Uganda and Spain arrive at Mission Central

  What a blessing to welcome our dear missionaries from Uganda and Spain to the Lord’s Mission Central.  Yes, on this special Saturday, the Lord sent our Missionaries from Uganda, Mark and Megan Mantey and from Spain, Rev. David and Shelee Warner to present to a group of very, very NOT NORMAL PEOPLE, who were brave enough to come out in this…

Not Normal parents arrive at Mission Central

  With farm background, farm experience, rabbits, ducks, geese, sheep and so much more…the wealth of the rural background comes to life and give to people amazing wisdom.  Especially, if they deal with bees also. That was the background of the amazing Wolf Family.  Yes, what a blessing to welcome the mom and dad of one of the finest of…

Hinton and Kingsley Missionaries arrive at Mission Central

  What a JOY and BLESSING to welcome the youth and adults from the congregations of Kingsley and Hinton, Iowa.  This AMAZING group of folks arrived for a special tour and program here at the Lord’s Mission Central on January 16th, 2019 at 6:30PM. This group was led by Missionary Pastors, Rev. Steve Stoll from Trinity Lutheran Church at Hinton, and…

20 seminary students come to Mission Central for two days of training

  Yes, January 11th and 12th were special days at the Lord’s Mission Central.  A wonderful group of 2 professors and 16 students came from the Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and with Rev. Brent Smith and Old Missionary Gary a group of 20 came together for two intensive days of Missionary Training! Here you see in this grouping of pictures Old Missionary…

Only Not Normal people would work on New Year’s Eve!

  Over the years we have seen that God truly called special people to have the privilege of being a part of HIS work here at HIS Mission Central!  These special people are NOT like people of this world….they think differently, they act differently, and they WORK differently!  They are “in the world, but not of the world”. Who would be…

The amazing Mahnken family visits Mission Central

  In this journey we call “life”…God gives us special people to be our friends and to be our “encouragers”…and we sometime forget that special gift! One of our dearest and special families that “keeps us going” here at the Lord’s Mission Central is the family of the Honorable Rev. Merle F. Mahnken, Senior Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church at…

Families from Alta and Denison come to Mission Central

  What an encouragement and blessing to welcome families that brought their children and grandchildren to Mission Central on Sunday afternoon on the 30th of December!  What a great way to spend an afternoon with the young families, grandparents and family members. This special group of people from Alta, Iowa and Denison, Iowa came to spend a couple of hours…

What does a Not Normal family do on Christmas Day?

  Yes, it was about 16 years ago we met Rev. David Lyons and his NOT NORMAL wife, Lori!  Pastor Lyons did his vicarage year at the world famous Zion Lutheran Church at Denison, Iowa under the careful and watchful eye of the Honorable Missionary Pastor Kurt Kaiser. As soon as Old Missionary Gary met the Lyons Family, he knew immediately…

What do “Not Normal” people do on December 24th?

  As you all know the only kind of people we deal with here at the Lord’s Mission Central are people who are NOT NORMAL!! Normal people would not be working on December 24th….but the people that God has called to help with HIS work, are very special NOT NORMAL people who are WILLING to do all they can to…

Special family from Lincoln comes to Mission Central

    Dan and Kim Masters and their four children came for a special Mission Tour of the world Famous Mission Central on December 20th, 2018. Yes, this family was so interested that they came from Lincoln, Nebraska so their children could experience the Creation Theater and the Barn Museum at Mission Central. It was a special day, and here…

Two Not Normal people from Sioux City, Iowa and Laurel, Nebraska

  Don Herbold has been a friend of old Missionary Gary for many, many years dating back to his days as President of the Mapleton Trust & Savings Bank at Mapleton, Iowa. Don Herbold is a member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, and he wanted to come and visit Mission Central and bring his special…

Special birthday for Not Normal people who visited Mission Central

  It was a very, very cold day here at Mission Central, and we had a request for a special appointment on the 6th day of December.  A very, very special couple from Council Bluffs, Iowa drove to the world famous Mission Central at 9:35AM. Yes, it was a special day for Missionaries Aaron and Nancy Goddard, because it was…

Delzell family and South Sudan church leader come to Mission Central

It was one of those days that “was supposed to happen”!  Yes, the Lord is truly in charge of all appointments, and this was another example. What a blessing to welcome Rev. Jordon Long, president of the Lutheran Church of South Sudan.  He was visiting some congregations in the Omaha area, and was able to travel to visit Rev. Brent…

Huge amounts of mail flows into Mission Central

  At the Lord’s Mission Central, this is the BUSIEST TIME OF THE YEAR!  Yes, as the year end approaches, the Lord’s NOT NORMAL people are moved by the power of the Holy Spirit to once again understand that the Lord truly gives us all that we have! It’s a time when HUGE, HUGE amounts of mail and gifts arrive here for…

Congressman Steve King visits Mission Central

  The morning of Monday the 26th of November was a very, very special day!  It was a day that Congressman Steve King from the 4th District of Iowa came to visit this MIRACLE PLACE! Congressman Steve King had never visited this location and what a blessing to have him stop and visit.  Steve is a dear Christian friend and…

Three generations of the Harr family come to Mission Central

  The day was just perfect for a special family to arrive from Sioux Falls, South Dakota!  Yes, it was Saturday the 24th, 2018, and the sun was out and a clear day to share NOT WHAT WE HAVE DONE HERE AT THE LORD’S MISSION CENTRAL, but, what GOD HAS DONE HERE AT THIS MIRACLE PLACE! Almost 20 years ago…

Volunteers from 10 congregations send out Thanksgiving mailing

Each year Mission Central does something that has been a custom for over 20 years!  Yes, we send JUST ONE MAILING A YEAR.  It’s at Thanksgiving Time, to thank the dear folks that have helped with special projects and support for our dear Missionaries!  To do this mailing we always want it to go out to send a special THANK…

The Henningsen family comes to Mission Central

  Yes, we were so delighted to have our long, long time friend, Virgie Henningsen come to Mission Central from Denison, Iowa and make a special visit on November 14th, 2018! Being the real MISSIONARY that she is, Virgie was delighted to bring the Honorable Ron Arbustini all the way from Costa Rica Central America.  Ron was an “exchange student”…

Fremont missionaries come to Mission Central

  When we get a call from people who “have never been to the Lord’s Mission Central” we get EXCITED here! Yes, that’s what happened on the 14th of November, when Missionaries Marilyn Whitehead and Diane Poehling came to visit at 1:00PM from Fremont, Nebraska! What a blessing to have these dear ladies come and she what God has done…