Travel Day and Revival In Wichita

Saturday was a travel day but we did not have far to go so we were not in a hurry to get rolling. We visited a while with Bro. and Sis. Searcy and then Bro. Mitch and Sis. Lynn Boggs came by for a few minutes before they went home to Missouri. They had come down for church Friday night with four of their boys and we sure enjoyed their fellowship. 

It was after noon by the time we got every ready to go, the car hooked up and we started north toward Wichita. We only made three stops. We stopped once for a break at a rest area on the Kansas turnpike and twice at Kansas toll booths. 

In less than 170 miles we were pulling into Bethany Revival Center in our old home town of Wichita. The "new" church desperately needed new approaches from the road when Pastor DiZazzo bought it but they had much more pressing needs at the time. Last year we had to come in through the alley. We came in pretty easy but we barely got out. I do mean barely.

This year we were able to come in via one of their brand new approaches. We did not even have to disconnect the car before going in. That was nice. Thank you, Bro. John and all the folks at Bethany.



We were parked in a few minutes and had everything hooked up, the bugs washed off the front of the BoggsMobile and the road grime washed off the Green Machine.



After setting things in order inside, Kelly Jo ran down a couple of blocks and bought some tacos from a taco truck. They were absolutely fantastic! I perceive we may eat a few more of these tacos this week. This is our kind of food.

We cranked up revival with two services Sunday and it was a joy to do so. We met these folks when we were pastoring in Wichita from 1999 - Jan. 2003 and Pastor DiZazzo invited us to preach our first revival during the summer of 2003. They have been kind to invite us back every year and they have become very dear friends. We have shared a lot of joy and tears through the years and we always experience great blessings during revival.

Bro. and Sis. DiZazzo

We had a first time visitor Sunday morning and he prayed during the altar service. That is a good start to revival and we are expecting many folks to pray for salvation this week and for the saints to be encouraged. We took a few pictures but I am sure we will have many more toward the end of the week. I plan to post several pictures from revival in Oklahoma City tomorrow.

If I have a chance to type it up I hope to have a special post concerning some future plans on Wednesday. I have some special announcements to make that we are pretty excited about. I have been talking to friends, Pastors and advisers about these plans and I think it is time to lay it all out for you here. I believe God wants to reach many souls in these last days with the message of the Gospel and I certainly want to be right in the middle of that if God will allow it.

Thanks for praying for us and thanks for reading.

Davy

Odie and Mt. Vernon

Hey friends, it is Odie writing today.  We had a great week in Oklahoma City. We finished up revival in the open air last night. It has been fun. I am sure that Dad will have several more pictures of revival at Mt. Vernon to post next week. 

Friday's Post

It is always good to be with the folks at Mt. Vernon. As Dad was saying in a post the other day we have had some great times here with our friends. As I was reading that post I had a flashback of some of my own special times here with these great people. 

Oklahoma City marks the place of the beginning and the end of my elementary and hight school education. We were in revival at Mt. Vernon the first two weeks of my school career in September 1991 and I went to school here during those two weeks. This place and these kids were my introduction to school.

Fast forward 12 years later to Saturday May 3, 2003. On that day I received my diploma from Eagle Heights Christian Academy at Mt. Vernon Holiness Church back where it all began. 

Here are a couple of pictures of that day. I sure was skinny then! LOL  We will not even discuss the size of my clothes I wore on my graduation day. 

On the day of my high school graduation I was joined by three kindergarten graduates.  Two of those kindergartners will graduate from high school next Saturday. Now that makes me feel old!

All of the kids behind me in this picture are now grown.  The boy right behind me is Michael Joe Searcy. He was married two weeks ago.   Did I say I feel old?

As Dad told you Thursday I got to see my very good friend Rebecca Blankenship this week. Rebecca and I have been friends for a very very long time! I am so thankful to have her as a part of my life. I am proud of the work of God Rebecca, her husband Jeffrey, and their two girls Madeline and Andrea are doing on the mission field. 

While I was searching for the graduation pictures I came across this picture of me and Rebecca.  September 24th marks 10 years that Rebecca and Jeffrey have been married.

2004

This Week

2004

This Week

Here is an interesting side-note. The first time I met Jeffrey was 11 years ago at my graduation.  I guess after 11 years I will allow him to be my friend. No, really he is is a great guy!!  Jeffery celebrates the big 30 in a few days. Happy Birthday, Jeffery!

Have a wonderful weekend. 

Odie

Tent Down But Still Having Church

Yesterday's Post

A Little Sentimental Musing

It was a pretty bad storm that rolled through Oklahoma City Wednesday night into Thursday morning. The rain was hard and the wind was strong. But it really did not seem strong enough to do this.

As you can see nearly every vertical pole was bent or completely broken. Some of the horizontal poles seemed bent some too.

This is a frame tent and it is not designed to take the amount of wind that a pole tent can take. However it should have taken a whole lot more wind than it did if it had been set up properly. Some of the poles did not even have a stake driven next to it and the ones that did were driven right next to the pole. That is way too close to do much good at all. The tent rental company set it up and told Bro. Rickey to drive the stakes in some if it seemed to loosen up. He did that the day of the storm.

Bus Projects

I was shocked that it was still standing at midnight after the first squall passed through. Sometime during the night the poorly set up tent bit the dust. My heart sank when I saw it Thursday morning. I thought about parking the Green Machine under the tent to protect it from hail but I really did not have much confidence in the tent standing if the storm was bad. Still, I was surprised the tent came down.

Even though there was a chance of storms Thursday evening the sky looked clear as could be so Bro. Rickey decided to have an open air service and that is what we did. We had one of the best crowds and had a very good service. I really felt God reaching out for folks and we had good response at the altar service.

So even though the tent is down God used it all for His glory. We have one more night and if the weather cooperates we will have service in the open air again. Pray for the service tonight. We had several down the street listening in and I would love to pull some of them to Christ before we close this meeting.

Thanks for reading.

Davy

A Little Sentimental Musing

We are enjoying tent revival this week in Oklahoma City. There were storms blowing through last night so we had church inside the sanctuary. It looks like we may have more storms tonight.

Update: The Rented Tent Came Down in the Storm Over Night.



I will let you know more tomorrow when we know more.

Now back to our regular programming...

Bus Projects

Not only are we having good services but I am being flooded by great memories as many of our friends visit the revival. We have been greatly blessed by friends all over this country and in other parts of the world and central Oklahoma has more than its fair share of them.

We have a long and blessed history with Mt. Vernon Holiness Church and the churches in the state of Oklahoma in general. I first preached in Oklahoma in 1986 and on that one night visit I began to make friends that have shaped the future of my life, family and ministry. It is amazing that a "chance" visit would have such a powerful impact. Thank God for His guidance even when we do not have a clue that He is involved.

A Post From Odie

After that single night visit in 1986 I came back in 1989 with Bro. Kim Myers. He was preaching an Easter meeting for his brother in law Al Hunt and I preached two more single services at two different churches. It was on that trip and another trip the following year that I met Bro. Searcy and many of the other friends that have been an indispensable part of our lives. Many of those folks have been in tent revival the last few nights. Their presence has caused me to sit back in wonder at the glorious providence and grace of God that has been shown to us.

If you have known our family very long at all then you know how important Pastor Rickey Searcy and his family have been to us since we met them in 1990. There is a good chance that I would not have made it through some of the roughest places in my life had it not been for Bro. Rickey's friendship and fellowship.

The Mt. Vernon Holiness Church that Bro. Rickey pastors has been instrumental in our lives as well. We have been blessed to be in some amazing services here and we count many of their members as some of our best and dearest friends.

Bro. Larry and Sis. Rosemary Landress and their family have been so precious to us. They were faithful Christians working in their home church and several different fields of labor when we met them. Early in our friendship God called them full time into the mission field and we have watched God use them to impact thousands of lives and He is still using them today.

They have also been with us through thick and thin and back to thick again. I can not even begin to imagine the last 25 years without them in our lives.

I know they have affected thousands but I dare say they may have affected us more than anybody else. They have been incredibly faithful friends and continue to be to this day.

Their youngest daughter Rebecca was closest of their children to Odie in age and she and Odie have been best of friends for all of these years. She is now a beautiful wife and mother and Rebecca and her husband Jeffery Blankenship are missionaries as well.

They have two daughters Madeline and Andrea.



We call Andrea "Little Odie."

Another family I met on that 1989 trip was Bro. Bruce and Sis. Priscilla Mayhan. They have also be faithful friends through the years. They have traveled many miles to be in revivals with us and we cherish them and their family so very much. In fact they surprised us by showing up in Hazard, Kentucky last year and spending a few days with us in revival. That is about 1000 miles from home! I think I may have a tough time keeping up in friendship points with the Mayhans.

In 1990 we were invited to preach our very first revival in Oklahoma. I did not know it then but it would be the revival that would launch us into full time evangelism. Bro. Kevin and Sis. Becky Clounch invited us to Oakhurst to preach revival and what a time we had. We sang, shouted, preached and probably ate them out of house and home.

They had three small children then and I spent two weeks with them crawling all over me. We had a time and I fell in love with those kids. The oldest, Christi, is now 31 years old and has four children of her own. Wow! How time flies.

I actually met Pastor Kenny Searcy and Sis. Karen in Ohio. They were temporarily transplanted in Ohio and were attending Dryden Rd. Church when we started going there in 1988. We have had some great times with them through the years as well. Bro. Kenny has preached for me and I have preached for him and we always love being with them.

When I was looking for my first tent while pastoring in Wichita, Kansas, Bro. Kenny sold me his GP Medium Army tent at a fantastic price. I conducted and preached my first several tent revivals under that tent and owned it until I gave it to Holiness In Mexico in 2011. I told the story of giving that tent to Bro. Landress in THIS post.

I might not be doing tent revivals all these years later without Bro. Kenny Searcy. When I went to pick up the tent from Bro. Kenny at a super low price he told me that somebody else had volunteered to pay for it so I could have the tent at no cost to me. That man wanted to remain anonymous so I have never mentioned his gift publicly but he has been in tent revival this week too.

All of these folks are just a sample of our Oklahoma friends. We are truly blessed. No wonder I get so sentimental sometimes. I have a big bunch of blessings to be sentimental about!

There is no telling who might show up and what the Lord might do the rest of this tent revival. Maybe you should come and see for yourself.

Davy

A Few Bus Projects

We are having a great time in Oklahoma City this week. The tent revival services have been well attended and God has been reaching for the folks in the community. Tuesday night I could feel conviction even before the service began. The love and grace of God are amazing. Thank you for praying for us and tent revival.

I kept busy while we were home with a few things that needed attention on the BoggsMobile. One of the first projects I tackled was the rub rails on the side of the bus. I had three that were pretty loose. I removed the brackets and then took it all to Dad's barn. 

Dad and I cleaned all the adhesive off the brackets and the rails. That was the biggest part of the job. Although some of it was obviously coming loose the rest had stuck for 19 years and was not about to come off without a fight.

After they were clean we applied the proper adhesive and clamped the brackets and rails for nearly 48 hours. The two long rub rails fastened perfectly but the short one not so well. The brackets on it were not  as wide as the others. It looked like they were fabricated at the converter and had obviously been glued at least twice before. An acquaintance on one of the Prevost forums had two of the proper brackets and he sent them ahead of me to OKC.

I found the bolts locally so all I have to do now is get all the old tape removed and put it all back together.

Here are two pictures of the bay doors with and without the rub rails.

With the rub rail removed

With the rub rail reinstalled

I had to remove the interior door panel to remove the rub rail on the outside of the door. The original panel was in very bad shape. We recovered it with some new material and it looks great. The door originally had quite a bit of fancy work but is was looking worse for the wear and it looks much better now. The old covering was thicker too and once we had the panel off we noticed the door was much easier to shut. We added less padding on the replacement and now is shuts better than ever.

All the stars aligned to try to repair the remote spotlight on the front of the bus the last Wednesday we were home. There were several elements that had to be in place in order to do this. The front of the bus had to be in a lowered position and it is here at Dodds. I wanted a hard paved or concrete surface for the ladder.  I had to have the tent trailer handy because that is where I keep the big ladder. I need no rain and time. Then I had to actually think about doing it. All of those things came together so I tackled it.

We had several electricity spikes at one church a few years ago and several things went haywire that week. One of those things was the spotlight on the front. It turned itself on and would not turn off. The remote control would not work it at all and there is no other switch. With every breaker off, every fuse pulled and every switch in the proper position it remained on.

Finally a friend climbed up, took it apart and unplugged the light. With it unplugged we tried resetting it with the remote like the destructions said but no change. We left it unplugged ever since that time. I intended yesterday to remove the brain of the thing to see if it was fried and try to find a replacement.

However, when I plugged it up ..Voila! All the controls were working. The light switches on and off properly, the remote moves the light side to side and up and down. We are now back in business. This light REALLY comes in handy pulling in some places at night.

Other than replacing the tag tires, all the rest of the projects were just piddly stuff but I was glad to get some of it completed. It is just like owning a house, there is always something to do.

Thanks for reading.

Davy

Feeling Great To Be Rolling

Hey friends!

Odie here today with an update. I continue to make progress with my vision. I am so very thankful for God's goodness to me!! I am still waiting on more news on  the Neurologist appointment. When ever they schedule my appointment I will travel home then. 

I know we may sound like a broken record, but thank you so much for your support through this time! We are still praying and believing for a complete healing. All your calls, text and emails keep coming in. Thank you for standing in the gap with us. 

It feels great to be rolling down the road again. I am excited about what God has in store for me in the days ahead. I guess I inherited the asphalt in my blood from Dad. My bones just feel it is good to be back on the road. I know I am blessed beyond measure by God. 

Yesterday's Post

I enjoyed our time at home. It's always great to see my family and friends. We preach a few revivals in our home area again next month. So we will be back soon. 

I want to include a few pictures from home I had not posted here. 

The Saturday before Easter my Gran, Papaw and Courtney came to visit me. We had good food and lots of laughs. They cheered me up a lot.

I love staying at Mamaw and Papaw Boggs while home. It is my getaway place. Yes they do spoil me!! I am 28 and I admit I am still spoiled. LOL. Mamaw's yummy cooking draws me in. 

The last few days we were home Dryden Road was in revival. I so enjoyed being there for two services. Monday night it was good to have Victor in church with us.  Victor is my "short stuff" cousin. I am 5' and he is 6'6", makes me feel like a midget. 

It was great to see my friend Shea Meadow last week. Shea is an awesome girl. 

Jacqueline and I had to get a picture with our handsome buddy Drew Meadow. 

Tuesday afternoon my cousin Lisa and I squeezed in some girl time. I love catching up with Lisa and having a good time.

We are having a great time under a tent in Oklahoma City. It is good to be outdoors again. Have a wonderful week!!

Odie