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Monday, September 30, 2013

Fun Bus Stuff

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While we were having great tent revival service last week in Richton we were also fighting a coolant leak on the BoggsMobile. I think I mentioned that I added a small amount of coolant on the way to Mississippi from Missouri. I thought the coolant sensor that I replaced in July might be giving me a false reading.

But when I started to leave Ellisville on the way to Richton the low coolant light came on again. I could see no leaks and nothing on the ground. I added 4 or 5 gallons of coolant until I could see coolant in the sight glass before we left Ellisville. That let me know there was definitely a leak but I could not see it any where. 

When we arrived in Richton I found the leak. It was leaking pretty badly toward the front of the bus. That can not be good because the engine is in the back of the bus. I actually have two loops of engine coolant going toward the front of the bus. One of them is for heat as we roll down the road and the other loop goes to my Aquahot unit.

The Aquahot is our diesel fired water heater/interior bus heater/engine block heater. It has its own closed loop coolant system plus the engine coolant runs through a heat exchanger in the unit too. The two coolant systems do not mix although they run through the same unit to heat domestic water. Lost yet? Don't worry it was a steep learning curve for me 5 years ago.

The engine coolant cycles through the Aquahot while we are running so that when we arrive some place we have instant hot water for showers without having to run the water heater. I can also preheat the engine coolant on cold mornings by running the water heater before I start the engine. It is pretty cool. At least it was pretty cool until I discovered a leaking hose full of engine coolant inside the Aquahot.


I lost a bunch more gallons of coolant because it just kept running on the ground until I found the source of the leak and turned off the valves back at the engine. I fought with that a few days but I think it is under control now. The leak is not repaired yet because some of the hose is nearly impossible to get to without removing some of the Aquahot. I will deal with that later.

After the tent was down Saturday we drove the bus back to Ellisville and I discovered another leak. This one was very small and it was in the loop that goes forward in the bus for heat. It was a very small leak and I was able to tighten a clamp and stop it for now. I will be keeping a very close eye on it for a while though. I can turn valves off to that if I need to as well.


While I was messing with that Saturday evening one of my bay latches quit working. I have one bay door on each side that swings out instead of lifting up. It was a swing out door that quit latching. That means there was no way to keep the door closed while going down the road so that had to be fixed right then. I guess I could have screwed a barn door latch on the outside but I did not think Kelly Jo would approve.


I took the latch apart and found a spring just laying inside. I figured out by trial and error how to attach the spring and now it is holding again. I was racing against the sun the whole time and was putting away my tools as the sun went down.

Some days/weeks owning a bus are not very fun, especially when you are as mechanically disinclined as I am. 

But there is a bright side. At least I am not pastoring a church! Praise God!

Davy

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Two Services and a Travel Day

Sunday was a long but fun day. We started in Ellisville, Mississippi at First Assembly on Sunday morning. We had a good service and wonderful fellowship with our friends. They served us a super meal after service but we were in such a rush that I neglected to take any pictures.

We appreciate Pastor Kenny, Sis. Joan and all of their church for their hospitality and kindness toward our family. They always receive us with open arms and treat us so well. May God bless them for it all.

















After lunch we cranked the BoggsMobile, pulled out of our parallel parking spot, hooked up the Green Machine and started toward Tanner Williams Holiness Church. We had a good trip of about 100 miles. When we arrived we hit the ground running. Once the bus was leveled and hooked up and the PA system was set up we had about an hour before we need to be at church. 

All the hurrying was worth it to get to be with our dear friends. We dearly love coming to Tanner Williams. Pastor Donnie Williamson and his folks are some of the best people in the world and we have enjoyed being with them through the years.

We have been preaching their Homecoming revival every other year and it is always an honor for us to be here for it. These folks love to have church and the ladies cook a pretty mean Homecoming meal too. That will roll around next Sunday morning and it will be worth the wait (and weight) I am sure!





Tonight was great and we are anticipating it to be even better as the week goes on. I hope you had a great Sunday too.

Davy


Saturday, September 28, 2013

The Tent is Down and Travel Day

Last Night of Tent Revival In Richton, Mississippi

The folks from Richton showed up at 1:00 and the tent was down, packed up and strapped in the trailer in less than an hour. The tent was mostly dry, the sun was shining and everybody worked hard. That makes everything smooth as the tent comes down.

I sure appreciate Bro. Scott and his folks working so hard to make tent revival a success in their community. It requires commitment to pray, fast, witness, worship, give and many other things in order for tent revival to be what it needs to be. And a lot of the success comes down to hard, sweaty work. God bless you all for doing it!






























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After the tent was down and packed in the trailer we pulled it to the church with the church van. The trailer will stay in Richton and we will pick it up as we pass through in four weeks from Louisiana to Pensacola.









Then Bro. Scott helped me negotiate the BoggsMobile out of the exit from the parking lot and we were on our way to Ellisville, Mississippi. We sure hated to leave our friends.







We arrived at Ellisville and there were some cars parked in front of where we normally park. This is normally one of the easiest places we park the BoggsMobile. It was easy today too. Rather than find the drivers and move the cars, Kelly Jo parallel parked that 45 foot bus! She did it with very little clearance and put it right between the porch and those cars with no problem at all! Kelly Jo is good!





We are supposed to preach here tomorrow morning for Pastor Kenny Morris and his great group of folks and then we will hurry down to Tanner Williams Holiness Church near Mobile to start Homecoming revival for the Apostle Donald C. Williamson Sunday night.

We are looking forward to a great day!

I felt like somebody was watching me when we arrived in Ellisville and I turned around real quick and snapped this picture. Who is that masked man?



I hope you have a blessed Sunday.

Davy