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Not Normal pastor and his family come to Mission Central

    It was one of those special days…a day we will long, long, long remember.  It was a Saturday on the 28th of July, 2018.  A day for making memories… From the very first time that Old Missionary Gary met Rev. Steve Schulz he could tell that this guy was truly NOT NORMAL…and when he met his wife Sue,…

God sends special helper to work on adoption agreements

 The Lord seems to always “RAISE UP” the right people at just the right time.  We needed some volunteer help to assist in the updating and printing of our Official Adoption Agreements for all of the LCMS Missionaries that we support here at the Lord’s Mission Central. God sent Cindy Gray from Deloit, Iowa to fill that need and Cindy…

TWO SPECIAL GRANDMOTHER MISSIONARIES COME

It was an afternoon event for two special grandmothers that brought their grandchildren to Mission Central for an afternoon tour.  Yes, Grandmother Sharon and Grandmother Glenda brought their grandchildren to the Lord’s Mission Central for them to hear the story of the 6th day of Creation and also the story of “The word became flesh and dwelt among us”.  This…

Pastors from Illinois and Mississippi visit Mission Central

  July 23rd, 2018 was a very, very busy day with tour groups in the morning, afternoon and evening! We are so blessed to have pastors come from all over the United States to witness the MIRACLES of what God has done here at HIS Mission Central! In the tour groups of this Monday, we had Rev. Eric Wood and…

The Trinklein missionary family from Korea visits

TRINKLEIN FAMILY FROM KOREA PRESENT AT MISSION CENTRAL: Our long, long time friends the Rev. Hans Trinklein family from Korea came to present at Mission Central on July 21st, 2018.  Yes, the former Pastor of Zion Lutheran Church at Pierce, Nebraska came with his family and what a great program they produced.   A large group of people came and Pastor…

The Rabe missionary family visits from Ethiopia

  Rev. Mark Rabe and his dear wife Stephanie and their children came to Mission Central on July 21st, 2018 to share their story and how the Lord is using them to teach and equip the pastors, teachers, leaders and evangelists in the fastest growing area for Christianity in the entire world.  Pastor Rabe teaches in the seminary of the…

Holtzen family comes to Mission Central

  What a JOY and blessing to welcome the Marvin Holtzen Family all the way from Nebraska.   Yes, Marv Holtzen and his family came from Geneva and Davenport, Nebraska to visit Mission Central on July 19th, 2018, and what a JOY to welcome the family here.  Yes, Mar’s daughter, Joni, and her family came and the family had their picture…

David Martens and family visit Mission Central

  Yes, MIRACLES keep on happening in the world, but we just say “BOY YOU ARE LUCKY AND ISN’T THAT SOMETHING!” David and Karen Martens have experienced a REAL MIRACLE in their lifetime and in their family!  Yes, old Missionary Gary has had the privilege of knowing Dave and Karen for many, many, many years.  Dave was “struggling” with a…

Rev. Greg Shaffer and family comes to Mission Central

  What a blessing to welcome Rev. Shaffer and his entire family to Mission Central on July 19th, 2018.  Yes, all the way from St. Peter Lutheran Church at Davenport, Nebraska…this dear pastor and his entire family came to see what God can do in the middle of nowhere in the hills of western Iowa. Old Missionary Gary on June…

Amazing youth and adults come to Mission Central

  What a JOY to welcome some very, very, very NOT NORMAL people who came from all over the mid-west to spend their day on July 19th at the world famous Mission Central!!! Yes, here you see in THE LORD’S CREATION THEATER, some very, very not normal people. These three pictures exemplify the type of people that the Lord sends…

Mission Central welcomes Rev. John Fale and Rev. Bob Zagore

  On July 14th, 2018 at our Annual Volunteer Meeting at Mission Central we were so blessed to welcome two special guests. First, Rev. John Fale, with his picture taken with our Boss in the background was one of our featured speakers, and what a blessing have him announce that effective this fall he will be joining our Volunteer Staff…

Volunteer staff at Mission Central

  How in the world do you take a picture of about 100 people in front of a barn in the middle of nowhere in the hills of Western Iowa? The Lord can send a volunteer professional photographer from Ames, Iowa and he can come and get the job done!  That’s exactly what happened on July 14th, 2018 at Mission…

Andrew Schaff and Faith Lutheran from Holstein, Iowa come to Mission Central

    It was Sunday Afternoon on July the 15th….and the wonderful new congregation of the AALC from Holstein, Iowa, Faith Lutheran Church brought their adults and students from their VBS to present to Missionary Teacher, Andrew Schaff a special gift of love from their VBS offerings. Andrew Schaff and his wife Noel, have served the Lord Jesus at Concordia…

Approximately 100 people attend annual meeting at Mission Central

It was such a blessing and JOY to again provide a special meal and special meeting for the 103 Volunteer Staff members of the Lord’s Mission Central located in the hills of Western Iowa! July 14th, 2018 will be a day we will all long, long remember!  God brought together HIS SPECIAL NOT NORMAL VOLUNTEERS that so faithfully serve the…

Annual meeting brings together our wonderful typing staff!

  What a JOY and blessing to have the privilege of having a meeting with nearly all of our Volunteer Typists that God has CALLED to help with HIS work at Mission Central!  Some of the members of our Volunteer Typist group could not be here as a result of other appointments. However, on July 14th, 2018, what a JOY…

Jungemann children come to Mission Central

  What a blessing it was to have the entire family of the Jungemann Family here at Mission Central on July 14th, 2018 for our ANNUAL VOLUNTEER MEETING.  Yes, mom and dad Jungemann would be so dog-gone proud of their four children.  Yes, Wayne Jungemann, from Columbus, Nebraska and his 3 sisters all came to be a part of Mission Central’s…

Three not normal people from Atkins, Iowa come to Mission Central

  On the afternoon of July 12th, we were so blessed at Mission Central to have some very, very NOT NORMAL people come and visit the Lord’s Mission Central!  These were special friends from Atkins, Iowa, and what a blessing and encouragement to have them stop. Brian Voss came with his mom and dad, and Brian called and wanted to…

Two new missionary typists join the Mission Central staff

  God works in amazing ways and CALLS people at “just the right time” to help carry out HIS work for the HIS missionaries!  This past month Missionary Gary spoke at St. John Lutheran Church at Crete, Nebraska (Kramer)…and in this congregation a long time secretary was waiting!  Yes, Ellie Kock, was the secretary when about 20 years ago Old…

Nebraska District South LWML President visits Mission Central

  The Honorable President of the Nebraska District South LWML, Katie Gifford came to personally deliver their gift of love in the amount of $5,000.00 for the support of our newest Missionary going to teach at Concordia Middle School in Taiwan, Missionary Hannah Shull.  What a blessing it was to receive this gift of love at “just the right time”. God works…

Rev. Gifford and family visit Mission Central

  It was a special day when Rev. Dan Gifford and his family came to visit Mission Central.  Yes, the family from St. Paul Lutheran in Falls City, Nebraska and also Christ Lutheran from Falls City, Nebraska came to visit Mission Central and to have their picture taken in front of our Boss here at Missionary Gary’s Office. Pastor and…

102 Volunteers have a huge impact at Mission Central

Here at Mission Central we get to see MIRACLES on a regular basis, and so few realize the Lord’s hand of blessing on this remote location in the middle of nowhere! Yes, few realize the HUGE, HUGE IMPACT of how the Lord has called 102 Volunteers that have been willing to come and help with the work at this MIRACLE…

God uses little children to keep missionaries on the field

  What blessing to welcome Paul and Linda Meyer from West Point, Nebraska and their son Dan and his wife Amanda Meyer from Grand Island, Nebraska on the 7th of July.  These NOT NORMAL people have set the vision of the Lord’s Mission in the hearts of their family members. Grandpa and Grandma Paul and Linda, handed the vision for the…

The Warren family comes to Mission Central from the Dominican Republic

God uses all kinds of people to get HIS work done.  He can use lay people with accounting backgrounds to do HIS work!  Yes, one of the fine Regional Business Mangers from Latin America who takes care of the dollars and cents that God provides for our missionaries in that region is the Honorable Missionary Dr. Blake Warren and his…

Wasmund family comes to Mission Central from Korea

July 7th, 2018, was a day so many, many NOT NORMAL people will long, long remember.  The special NOT NORMAL Matt and DeeDee Wasmund and their dear daughters Olivia and Lily came for 2 days to spend time at Mission Central, as this was their very first stop on their flight from Korea!  Yes, this family has served so faithfully in South Korea and Asia…

Three brother pastors come to Mission Central

This story began over 24 years ago!  Yes, that long ago, a much younger Missionary Gary came to visit Rev. James Moll the pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church at Deshler, Nebraska.  We had never, never met, but the Lord told Rev. James Moll not to be afraid of this NOT NORMAL layman from Iowa who came and asked to…

The Heckmann family visits Mission Central

This story began 24 years ago!  Old Missionary Gary had just started making calls in his first year, and he called a Rev. John M. Heckmann who was the pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Kramer, Nebraska…but they had a Crete, Nebraska address.  Yes, Rev. Heckmann was the pastor of this wonderful rural church located in the hills of…

Geneva, Nebraska couple comes to Mission Central

A number of years ago Old Missionary Gary had the honor and privilege of meeting some very, very, very NOT NORMAL people from Geneva, Nebraska.  They were introduced to our work by one of our best missionaries, and now a staff member of Mission Central, former foreign Missionary who served the Lord Jesus in Africa, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea…the…

Lakefield, Minnesota visitors come to Mission Central

Many, many, many years ago Old Missionary Gary met Dale and Mary Hedstrom when they were serving as missionaries for the LCMS in Bangkok, Thailand.  Dale came back to the United States and went to the seminary and became a pastor for Jesus.  Pastor Hedstrom, his dear wife Mary and each one of their children have been like family to us here…

Nebraska City group comes to Mission Central

                          What a JOY and blessing to welcome Rev. John Cotton and his dear wife and the members of Christ Lutheran Church from Nebraska City, Nebraska on June 18th, 2018.  It was such a special privilege to have this group of NOT NORMAL people come and spend an…

Wedding in the Barn at Mission Central

                        When we hauled out 21 loads of manure out of the old barn at the Lord’s Mission Central, did we ever in our wildest dreams think that our dear friends Danica and Garrett Zink would be married in that building. But, the Lord works in amazing ways!  On…

THE 101ST VOLUNTEER JOINS MISSION CENTRAL STAFF!!!

The power of the Lord’s Mission Central TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY rests on the backs of our dear Volunteers!  Never did we think that the Lord would send us 101 volunteers!  Yes, the Lord has sent us some of the MOST WONDERFUL folks who are indeed NOT NORMAL.   After old Missionary Gary spoke in Sioux City, and special lady called…

NOT NORMAL PEOPLE COME FROM CHILI, WISCONSIN!!

What a blessing it is to work only with NOT NORMAL PEOPLE!  Yes, the people we work with and get to meet are in the world, but not of the world!  They are “peculiar” people…1st Peter 2:9.    I had NEVER met these people…they were people that were TOLD about this MIRACLE PLACE!  They drove all the way from Chili,…

THE SAINTS FROM ST. PAUL LUTHERAN IN AURELIA VISIT!

It was one of those SPECIAL evenings that we had looked forward to for a long time.  It was a time to be with wonderful NOT NORMAL friends from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Aurelia, Iowa!  Yes, on June 14th at 7:00 PM, our dear friends from this wonderful congregation came to spend time here at the Lord’s Mission Central. …

SPECIAL FRIENDS FROM DANNEBORG, NE. COME TO VISIT:

  It was 20 years ago that old Missionary Gary was invited to come and speak at Christ Lutheran Church at Cairo, Nebraska, by the sainted pastor Glenn Keylon.  At that very first meeting, it was a blessing to meet some very NOT NORMAL people by the name of Paul and Marilyn Wilhelm, who live at Danneborg, Nebraska.    They have…

SPECIAL BIBLE STUDY GROUP FROM OUR SAVIOR IN DENISON, IOWA COME TO SEE

  On Monday evening June 11th, 2018 a group from Our Savior Lutheran Church in Denison, Iowa came over with their pastor Rev. David Loeschen…they wanted to see the new creation theater, and also have a tour for the evening.  They arrived at 6:00 PM and it made a special evening tour for the entire group.   Denison, Iowa is just…

NORTHEAST KANSAS PARTNERSHIP BUS ARRIVES AT MISSION CENTRAL!

  It truly was one of those very, very, very special days.  For folks to leave at 6:30AM and then travel from Kansas all the way to a place in the middle of nowhere in the hills of Western Iowa on a bus….YOU KNOW THAT THEY HAVE TO BE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT NORMAL!   Mission Central has a wonderful…

“Not Normal” people from Grand View University come to Mission Central

  It was truly one of those very special days that the Lord used to bring 3 very, VERY  “NOT NORMAL” people here for a visit to the world famous Mission Central! Yes, at 1:07PM the staff members and the president of the famous Grand View University of Des Moines, Iowa came for a personal visit to see “what in…

Three African missionary families come to Mission Central

  Yes, June 2nd, 2018 was indeed a very, very, very special day and the Lord blessed us with the presentations from three African Missionaries that God called to bring people out of total darkness. Rev. Jonathan Clausing and his dear wife Anita and their nine children were all here in person, having traveled from their home in Kenya in…

Early June event was a blockbuster at Mission Central

                      Please know that a “triple header” at the Lord’s Mission Central means that we have not one, not two, but THREE missionaries that will be speaking on one day! That’s what happened on June 2nd, 2018, when Rev. Jonathan Clausing and his wife Anita and their 9….yes NINE children…

Home Bible study group comes to Mission Central

                      We could tell immediately when this group arrived that they were NOT NORMAL.  Yes, they were God’s special people who have a “home Bible Study” in the home of the members of this group that came from Odebolt and Holstein, Iowa. They came for a special Bible Study and tour. …

A new light shines at Mission Central

  During one of our wind filled Spring days here at the Lord’s Mission Central, the old yard light was actually blown off the pole that held that light for so many years! What could we do, and who could climb the pole to put a new light up?  We found that the pole was too high for a ladder,…

Amazing signs come to Mission Central

                              Yes, God always sends the right people at the right place at “just the right time”!!!   We have seen it and seen it over the years here at the Lord’s Mission Central! Another MIRACLE happened this past week here at Mission Central….what a blessing to…

New benches at Mission Central

                      It was 2003, when Old Missionary Gary purchased the benches for people to set on at the Lord’s Mission Central.  These benches were used and used and as the years pasted the weather and the temperature took it’s toll.  Yes, they were rotten, and about to collapse. However, the…

Congregation from Pipestone, Minnesota visits Mission Central

It was indeed one of those VERY, VERY, VERY special days that God had arranged in advance.  The temperate and day was just perfect…and that’s when the Lord had the saints from St. Paul Lutheran Church in Pipestone, Minnesota come to visit the world famous Mission Central! This group of NOT NORMAL people arrived at 10:00AM, and this group was…

Iowa District West Board meets at Mission Central

IOWA DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEET AT MISSION CENTRAL! What a blessing to have the privilege of hosting the Board of Directors meeting of the Iowa District West on May 17th, 2018.  It was a special day that featured the attendance of nearly all of the board members, and the total was 22 for the day! The meeting was called…

Special Ascension Service at Mission Central

                      What a blessing to have a special Ascension Service here at the World Famous Mission Central.   Yes, on May 10th, 2018, we were so, so blessed to have the President of our Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana come and speak at our evening service.  The Honorable Missionary…

District Educational Executives from across the US come to Mission Central

                          Each year 6 special Educational Executives from all over the Synod come together to meet, pray and discuss mutual objectives in furthering the Lord’s Kingdom work with Lutheran Schools in Districts within the Synod.  This group is called “The Six Pack” Group and it includes the District…

Amazing Hodge family visits Mission Central

                        It was one of those very, very, very special days on May 4th, 2018.  It was a day at MIRACLES keep on happening! Only NOT NORMAL people come to visit Mission Central, and that’s exactly what happened again.  Terry and Jan Hoge drove all the way out to…

Bockelmann and Kravitz come to Mission Central

                          What a blessing to have David and Phyllis Bockelmann as special friends and Staff Members here at the Lord’s Mission Central.  Dave and Phyllis live in Denison, Iowa…and when they have friends visit, they want them to see the Lord’s Mission Central. On April 30th, 2018, what…