What a JOY and blessing to welcome the Honorable Missionaries Dr. Robert and Marsha Berndt from Newton, Iowa. This special couple were truly NOT NORMAL… Here you see Bob and Marsha in front of our Boss here in our office at the World-Famous Mission Central. Bob indicated this was a “stop on their bucket list” and they were able to…
Can you imagine that someone would come all the way from South Carolina? To visit a place that was on their “bucket list”. Yes, our friends Ron and Arlys Lupperger from Anderson, South Carolina came to visit and have a tour. They called and said, “We’re coming, because we saw you at the LWML Convention at Lexington, Kentucky”…. What a…
On Saturday evening the 21st of August 2021, we were honored to have a special Mission Service at Mission Central. The Rev. Merle F. Mahnken, Senior Executive Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church of Schleswig, Iowa and the Associate Pastor, Rev. Kurt Kaiser brought their congregation to the Lord’s Mission Central for a special Mission Service. Pictured are the Pastors and…
When dear Christian friends are willing to ride 5 hours by bus and non-stop to come to a place in the middle of nowhere, and then return to Winona, Minnesota for another 5 hours and do that all in one day…you just have to know for certain that they are truly NOT NORMAL people. What an absolute JOY to welcome…
August 21st, 2021 was a special day, as we welcomed a group of “Laborers for Christ” that came from their assignment at Columbus, Nebraska where they have been working at Camp Luther, where they are making some wonderful building changes at this location. Here you see this special group of NOT NORMAL people that wanted to spend the day at…
What a JOY to have our special friends from the Tilden, Nebraska area come and spend the day at Mission Central. Here you see the entire group that came for a day tour to enjoy the action at this NOT NORMAL place. Yes, this group of special friends enjoyed the complete tour on August 21st, 2021, and were fed, and…
August 21st, 2020 was a very, very special day, as we had our friends from Cordova, Nebraska came and spent the day at Mission Central under the leadership of Missionaries Chris and Gail Effken, who organized the tour group. They enjoyed hearing the report of Rev. David Baker and his family from their location in Asia. It was a special…
We have the privilege and honor of working with some very, very NOT NORMAL families, and what a blessing to have Ron and Doris Rathje from York, Nebraska make a special trip to Mission Central on August 18th, 2021! We are so happy that people make the effort to come and visit this MIRACLE PLACE! Normal people would say, “Oh,…
On August 17th, 2021 a group of Seniors from Lutheran High Northeast from Norfolk, Nebraska to spend a day at Mission Central. Yes, 21 students were sworn in as missionaries for the rest of their lives on this date. Executive Director, Dr. Perry Miller brought the entire Senior Class from the school to see the office, the ministry center, the…
What a blessing and JOY to welcome some very, very, very NOT NORMAL long, long time friends to Mission Central on August 11th, 2021. This amazing couple “just dropped in” and what a JOY that the Lord arranged the schedule that Old Missionary Gary was in his office. And, who should appear?… but Rev. Eugene Ernst and his dear wife…
How would you celebrate your 44th Wedding Anniversary? Well, let me tell you that 2 special NOT NORMAL people wanted to celebrate by bringing their children and grandchildren to come to see the LORD’S MIRACLE MISSION CENTRAL! The NOT NORMAL Missionaries, Dale and Deb Schmidt of Carroll, Iowa brought their family here for a special family tour. The grandchildren were…
What a blessing to welcome our newest missionary family to be sent to teach at the seminary in Riga Latvia. Yes, on August 3rd, 2021 Rev. Cory Rajek and his wife Jennie and their children Emiley and Lexy came for their visit at Mission Central. Here you see this special family in our “trademark” location in our office and…
Who would come out with oxygen, wheelchair and on a day when the temperature is over a hundred degrees? Drive from Columbus, Nebraska and Grand Island, Nebraska…who would do that? Missionaries LeRoy and Sylvia Loeske would do that…and they brought their daughter and son-in-law Devane and Don…and they came because it was a special birthday present for Lee!!! These folks…
Each day we have so many, many wonderful people that God sends to be here at HIS Mission Central. That was the case for Friday the 23rd of July, when an amazing group of very, very, very NOT NORMAL people came to visit. A wonderful group of folks from Our Savior Lutheran Church from Walnut, Iowa arrived about 2:00PM to…
You want to talk about NOT NORMAL PEOPLE? Let me tell you we had one of the most wonderful NOT NORMAL people come here for a tour and visit today! Yes, Missionary Patricia Fuller came here all the way from Dallas, Texas and made the special effort to come to this place in the middle of nowhere! Her husband and…
A TRULY “NOT NORMAL DAY” ON JULY 31ST, 2021!!! It was one of those special days that we will long, long, long remember at the Lord’s Mission Central. People came from Omaha, Columbus, Beemer and Grand Island, Nebraska and from Sioux City and Correctionville, Iowa. Yes, it was a HUGE DAY! A special bus load came from Grand Island, Nebraska…
What a blessing to welcome two of our dearest and closest friends here at the Lord’s Mission Central! It was truly one of those very, very special days, when the Lord sent President Rev. Steve Turner, the Chief Executive Officer of Iowa District West to visit the Lord’s Mission Central on July 21st, 2021…and as an added blessing was that…
July 18th, 2021 was a day we will long, long remember here at the Lord’s Mission Festival! It was the day that Rev. Dave Lyons and his congregation there at St. Paul Lutheran in Schaller, Iowa planned for a long time to have their very own “Mission Festival” at the world famous Mission Mission Central! What a wonderful turn out…
It was a very, very special day on the 16th of July. It was a day that our new Missionary Teacher Ruth Maita came with her family to Mission Central. Ruth Maita is going to be called to teach in Puerto Rico, and she and her husband Rev. Gustavo Maita and their little daughter Mikhaela were able to come and…
From the first time old Missionary Gary met Gerald and Marilyn Bohling he knew that this couple was truly NOT NORMAL! These dear friends and their family are truly special Christian people who love mission work. They wanted to come to Mission Central on the 16th of July, because they wanted to see Ruth Maita and her family from Puerto…
God uses all kinds of people from all over the world to get His work done! Even a family from Jefferson, Iowa. What a special day it was to have Mark and Sarah Erickson come and visit Mission Central. Sarah has been connected with the work in Puerto Rico, and over the internet she has been helping to reach out…
On July 15th, 2021 we were so happy to have a special guest from Branson, Missouri come to see this Miracle Place! In the enclosed picture you will see from left to right Bruce Henderson, Jan Henderson, Old Missionary Gary, and Jennie the sister of Jan Henderson all the way from Branson, Missouri. It was a special day for Jeannie,…
On July 15th, 2021, we were so blessed to have special guests from Pierce, Nebraska the Honorable Missionaries Leroy and Janelle Fischer stop for a special tour. Here you see these dear friends in front of our Mission Central sign. They enjoyed the tour so much, and they told us that they were getting ready to celebrate their 69th Wedding…
Over the years we have had many, many families that have come together with their families for a tour of Mission Central. However, NEVER had we had 32 people come from all over the entire mid-west at one time from the same family. Yes, on July 15th, 2021, we had the entire Marvin and Janice Koehler family come from Osmond,…
What a JOY and BLESSING that the Good Lord sent two special missionaries to visit Mission Central! These two missionaries are the grandchildren of Missionary Pastor David Lyons and Lori Lyons of Schaller, Iowa. Aubrey and Connor came with their grandpa for a special visit and enjoyed seeing the Lord’s Creation Theater, and here you see them in front of…
TWO SPECIAL COUPLES COME FROM JOHNSTON AND WEST DES MOINES, IOWA! What a special Saturday to have the honor and privilege of providing a tour of the entire facilities here at the Lord’s Mission Central to two very, very, very NOT NORMAL PEOPLE! Pictured with the single picture of our Boss here, in our office is Rev. Eugene and Ernie…
Mission Central is truly a real MIRACLE PLACE. It actually attracts people from all over the world! We have folks from 2 miles away that have never set foot on Mission Central, and then the Lord sends folks all the way from Santa Maria, California that drive here with their trailer and pickup! Remember the Lord only sends people who…
What a blessing to welcome Jerry and Karen Markin back to the world-famous Mission Central after being gone for 11 years! Yes, that’s what happened on July 8th, 2021! Jerry and Karen served in Asia for 3 years and traveling through Iowa they stopped and had their picture taken with our Boss here at Mission Central! Some of you may…
It was quite a day on July 7th, 2021, when we were able to welcome the Osborn Family and the Wellman Family for a tour of the facilities here at the Lord’s Mission Central. It’s absolutely AMAZING to see how far people are coming to visit this MIRACLE PLACE and have a tour of what the Lord has done here…
What a blessing to have a special event for our Annual Volunteer Meeting at Mission Central on July 3rd, 2021! That SPECIAL EVENT was the fact that we had Rev. Carl Hanson and his dear wife Chen-Hsi, and Dr. LeRoy Hanson, Carl’s dad also was here! All of our dear volunteers we truly amazed at the report given by Rev….
What a blessing to have our ANNUAL VOLUNTEER MEETING at the World-Famous Mission Central on July 3rd, 2021. Nearly 100 people came and enjoyed a report of the mission action here at Mission Central during the Fiscal Year July 1st, 2020 to June 30th, 2021. Our dear volunteers have every right and need to know how the Lord is using…
The Annual Volunteer Meeting at Mission Central was held on July 3rd, 2021. Nearly 100 people attended and a special meal had to be provided for the Volunteers for this event. This year the Honorable Missionaries Jim and Cindy Hendrickson were willing to provide the preparation of the meal. Jim and Cindy have had so much experience in cooking and…
DEAR FRIENDS WHO ARE NOT NORMAL CAME FROM BELLEVUE, NEBRASKA! What would move people who have spent 20 years in the Air Force, who live in Bellevue, Nebraska to drive to Mission Central on a Friday afternoon to a Place in the Middle of Nowhere in the hills of Western Iowa? Why would they come to spend several hours in…
SPECIAL TEACHERS COME TO MISSION CENTRAL! Monday the 28th of June was such a special day. Our friends came to report on their teaching work in Asia. Yes, Rev. Paul Nelson and his family came to give a report. We were so happy to have a wonderful group of folks from Storm Lake, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska to have a…
What a JOY to welcome a group of very special mission minded folks from Pacific Hills Lutheran Church in Omaha for a day tour of the Lord’s Mission Central. It was such a blessing to have these dear folks come and they were able to have the tour and then had the privilege of listening to some special people…
June 29th, 2021 was a very, very special day! We were so blessed to have some very wonderful friends stop by on their way back to their homes in Colorado and Minnesota, after attending the National LWML Convention in Lexington, Kentucky! It was such a JOY to have Miriam, Ruth, Mary and Ken…all stop and have a tour of the…
With the absolute help, love and blessing from the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League for the last 28 years, the MIRACLES at the Lord’s Mission Central could NOT HAVE HAPPENED. What a JOY and honor to be able to report to the LWML at their convention at Lexington, Kentucky on June 26th, 2021, and be able to provide two presentations! What…
I knew the minute I talked to these dear friends, that they were NOT NORMAL and were truly “part of my real family”… Jesus truly lived in their hearts and that they REALLY GOT IT! Bob and Janice Anderson from Ames, Iowa made a special trip to this place in the hills of Western Iowa! They wanted to see what…
One of the words and fraises that Old Missionary Gary just DOES NOT LIKE TO HEAR IS: “BOY, YOU SURE ARE LUCKY”!!! Here at the Lord’s Mission Central we NEVER use the words luck or coincidence!!!!! If the Lord knows the number of hairs on our head and when a little sparrow falls to the ground….HE KNOWS EVERYTHING AND ALWAYS…
Another real MIRACLE on the 21st of June, when two very, very special Missionaries arrived at the Lord’s Mission Central. Not having an appointment and old Missionary Gary just “happened” to be in his office…the veteran missionaries, the Honorable Dennis and Sallie Rosenthal just “popped in” for a chance visit and what a JOY to see these dear long, long,…
As parents and grandparents, we are to set the example for our children and grandchildren! On June 19th, 2021 that is just what Grandpa Russ Westphalen from Kiron, Iowa was able to do! Yes, Russ wanted all of his children and grandchildren to see what the Lord can do with an old set of farm buildings in the hills of…
As old Missionary Gary travels around the country, he has the privilege of meeting some of the most NOT NORMAL people that live in this great country of ours! People who really have Jesus in their hearts! When speaking down at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church at Indianola, Iowa Gary met the Jeret and Caroline Koenig family and their 4 boys! …
On June 19th, 2021, we had a real “double header” program here at the Lord’s Mission Central. Yes, what a JOY to welcome not one but two of our wonderful career missionary families! Rev. Michael and Irene Paul from Taiwan and also Rev. Joel Fritsche and his family from the Dominican Republic. We had a wonderful crowd for the day…
Wednesday the 16th of June was truly a special day! Here at Mission Central we welcomed the Missionary Family of Ben Vanderhyde, who completed his vicarage serving in the island off the tip of India, Sri Lanka. The Vanderhyde family was welcomed by their seminary classmate’s family Mrs. Alex Sloter and her dear children. It was indeed a special day,…
On June 15th, 2021, it was one of those “special days”. We had the honor and privilege of welcoming two very, very, special people to our humble Lord’s Mission Central. Now, why would someone like the Honorable Rev. Dr. Mark Press and his dear wife Connie come to the hills of western Iowa from Bowling Green, Kentucky to spend some…
IT WAS ONE OF THOSE MIRACLE VISITS AT MISSION CENTRAL ON JUNE 11TH, 2021! Yes, the Lord is still in charge of ALL appointments here at the Lord’s Mission Central! It sure was one of those special days on Friday the 11th of June 2021!!! Many, many years ago, there was a little girl by the name of Denise Gosch…
Well, REAL MIRACLES keep right on happening at the Lord’s Mission Central! Yes, I couldn’t believe it when we received permission and authorization to welcome the Honorable Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer, as our newest Volunteer Staff person at Mission Central!!! Yes, the “World-Famous” Dr. Dale Meyer will be our Volunteer Staff person and his title will be: EXECUTIVE VOLUNTEER WRITER,…
Over the years we have the privilege and honor to meet some of the most NOT NORMAL MISSIONARIES! Yes, people that “really, really” get it! On Thursday the 10th of June we had ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING Missionaries come to spend the night on June 9th and then present on Thursday the 10th at 10:00AM. The Lord allowed us…
It was one of those REAL MIRACLE days here at the Lord’s Mission Central. While working in his office all alone old Missionary Gary heard a knock on the door at the Lord’s Mission Central! Our long, long time friends Dennis Meseck and his dear daughter Heather Riessen “just happened to stop by”…and what a blessing to visit with them…
HOW CAN WE FEED SO MANY PEOPLE AT MISSION CENTRAL? The answer to that question is so, so, so simple and that is to just pray that the Lord will send special people to help with the cooking of meals at HIS Mission Central, and the Lord answers and sends special NOT NORMAL people who want to help. In these…
