The Weekend Dispatch 1/9/2023

This was quite a weekend! We were on an emotional roller coaster from the news I shared in Odie's post Saturday, but there was preaching to be done, people to be helped, miles to be driven and problems to be solved. The Lord blessed and helped as we expected Him to do. Hallelujah!

My parents surprised us by driving down from Ohio for service Thursday night in London. Wow! What a thrill. There were some pictures of them in the Revival In Pictures post on Friday.

They wanted to get home before dark Friday, but they stayed long enough to eat lunch at Sonny's in Corbin and visit with us. We absolutely loved having them.

Pastor Lester Carpenter stopped to see us Friday afternoon. We love this man! He had a great influence for good and for God when I was young and helped us through some tough times. I do not forget that.

The final night of revival was amazingly blessed with visitors, a good crowd of home folks and the sweet presence of the Lord throughout the service. It was so good and we enjoyed every moment of it. Kelly Jo, Odie and I needed His touch as much as anyone there and He came to us. Praise God! 

Two other families that have had huge impacts on our lives visited Friday night.

Bro. John and Sis. Ann Gabbard

Bro. David and Sis. Karen Noe

We sure appreciate friends from home and from the London area for coming to see us in revival. It is an amazing boost when they come.

And we appreciate Pastor Vernon Jarvis and his people for receiving us and loving us. We really loved being there. We always love it! They have always treated us with tremendous kindness and respect. May God bless our dear friends at First Pentecostal.

Several men helped tear down the sound equipment and load it up in the BoggsMobile. I do not think I touched one thing and I know I could get used to that. Thank you, brothers.

By the time we rolled up cords and hoses, attached the Jeep, cranked the bus and prepared to ride, it was about 9:10 Saturday morning. The GPS said it was 147 miles (As a crowbar flies, IF you could throw it that far) to the church in Gruetli Laager, Tennessee, but it took considerably longer to work our way around and get up on top of the mountain.

You have heard the phrase, You can't get there from here, well that is nearly applicable to Gruetli Laager when it comes to a bus, for sure.😊 It was 256 miles and took us five hours.

The last 65 miles or so were not interstate, but 111 south of Cookville, Tennessee was a good road with one steep climb south of Sparta. Once we turned on 399 it was slow going with only two lanes and no shoulder. After several miles I had a long train of cars and trucks behind me so I pulled next to the road to let them pass. 

This church sign was directly in front of us.

I love the message. And I love to lauff at chuch sings. Kneal in Prayer.

The last mile was the same as the previous 13 miles but much narrower. Thankfully, we arrived at the church before the road ran out completely.😎

It had been raining for a couple of hours and was raining as we unhooked the Jeep, parked, leveled and hooked up utilities. I had a problem with one of my electrical cords, which required an extra couple of hours to diagnose and remedy. I first thought it was the bus as I always do.

Yep, the bus is a mess outside, but probably will not get washed this week. We need warmer weather.

Shortly after we arrived, Pastor Roger Peyton and his wife showed up. It was super great to see them again and we look forward to fellowship the next few days.

When we were finally finished, we rolled our equipment across the road, set up and got a sound check. Four hours after arriving, we went inside the bus.

My supper was prepared by the bus chef!

I was in bed by 8:00 PM Saturday and slept pretty good. We had two wonderful services Sunday and we look forward to the next three nights. This is our first time being here so we are meeting new friends. We always enjoy that.

Also, we actually do know people here. We have seen them at camp meetings in other places, but we did not know where they lived. It is always cool when it works like that.😊

That wraps up our weekend. Thank you for joining us.

Davy

Our View From The Front Window 1/8/2023

Sunday Morning Sanity

Bro. Gautreaux sent me this. 

As long as the church wore scars they made headway. When they began to wear medals, the cause languished. Vance Havner

Our View Out The Front Window in London, Kentucky.

Our view this week in Gruetli Laager, Tennessee.

I hope you have a super great Sunday.

Davy

Pausing To Praise

Note From Davy:  A dear friend of ours, Mark Capps, was tragically killed Thursday and we learned of it on Friday. We are in shock and disbelief! Mark was a long time employee of the Isaacs and our friend for 12 years. There are more questions than answers concerning his death and I simply do not know what to say about it at this time. Please pray for the Isaacs and Mark's family and friends.

Now, here is Odie!

Hey Friends, 

This is Odie reporting in from the road. The BoggsMobile is Tennessee bound. I am excited to be on the road again. This week, we had a fabulous time with our precious friends in London, Kentucky. 

Pausing To Praise

Recently I was praying for some extra special needs of people close to my heart. The actual needs of people are endless! So many people need God to move desperately in their lives! The sufferings and afflictions of my friends break my heart! 

I wish my words had the power to move mountains, heal the sick and save the lost soul! I was reminded that you and I have the privilege of helping our brothers and sisters. We can bear part of their burdens by going to God in prayer! God does have the power to turn things around!

I felt the need to pause to thank God for answering prayers in 2022. Reflecting on so many answered prayers from last year, I began to rejoice. The goodness of God is amazing!

As I reminisced, my faith was growing one more time! We are one week into 2023, and I am excited to watch God move in the days ahead! God can do the impossible this year for you and me!

I cannot share all of the prayers He has answered! There are a few I want to share today! I pray this will help you believe that God to move in your needs too!

Chloe Jean Shoemaker

My sweet cousin Chloe Jean will turn 1 on January 20th. Click here to see some of her story. She has already traveled through some scary situations in her short life! The exact details of her troubles are too many to write here. God has already performed many miracles in her little body.

Many of you helped us pray for her and her family. We are so grateful! I still regularly get texts from people checking on her.

She is doing wonderful now! They had a checkup with the liver specialist last month. All of their tests came back good. Now she can go 6 months between the specialist visits! 

Both of these pictures were taken on Christmas Day. As you can see here, she loves food! She is growing quite nicely! I am so thankful for this little one! Her smile brightens my world!

Bro. Larry and Sis. Rosemary Landress

In November, our dear friends Larry and Rosemary Landress were in a horrific car wreck. I shared a prayer request for them here in this post. 

Thank God they are both doing much better! They are now at their home in Oklahoma. Their recovery is still an ongoing process. God has brought them a long way in the last two months! I know they would appreciate your continued prayers!

The first texts I received from both of them post accident, I cried tears of joy! Then a couple weeks ago, I was able to talk to them on the phone for a moment. I rejoiced in my heart! They have been our friends for so long! I am so thankful God allowed them to stay with us longer! I can not wait to hug them again!

Becky Isaacs Bowman

Many of you are fellow Isaacs fans. Some of you let me know that you have been praying for our cousin. Becky Isaacs Bowman was involved in a head on collision three weeks ago!

God was merciful and spared her life! The injuries she experienced were not life threatening! Although, the injuries were life altering for a while! She underwent major surgery to fix the damage to her legs and knee. 

We are thankful that God has helped her so much already! This picture was taken 13 days before the accident.

 

Becky spent 2 weeks in the hospital and rehab. She was released to recover at home on December 30th. She cannot put weight on her legs, and the predicted recovery time is extremely lengthy. 

I know Becky and her family appreciate all the prayers on their behalf! The prayers have carried them through this valley! For more updates, check the Isaacs and John Bowman Ministries pages. 

Friends, as we move forward this year, remember God is still doing miracles for His children. He really does hear and answer our prayers. Keep praying and believing!

Thanks for visiting with me today. See you next week.

Odie