Travel Day - Greenwood, Nebraska to Champaign, Illinois

Omaha - Revival In Pictures

A Tribute To A Friend

The skies opened up in Greenwood, Nebraska Wednesday night and it did rain! As it was pouring down Thursday morning I was wishing I had unloaded the sound equipment from the Green Machine after church Wednesday night and then hooked it up to the BoggsMobile. I was hating to roll out of my warm bed and get everything ready to roll in the rain.

So I waited. The radar was saying rain for hours but I got a break about 8:15 and I jumped to it. We pulled out at 9:00 just as the rain was starting again. That worked out nice.

I left quite a bit later than I had planned so I felt like I was behind all day. Especially since I was driving against strong winds out of the northeast for the first 4-5 hours. I guarantee you my fuel mileage took a hit today in all that wind.

Once the wind let up the BoggsMobile was running like a scalded dog. I guess I was pushing it pretty hard against the wind and without the extra resistance it was ready to fly. We drove through some absolutely beautiful country today. We really love the rolling farm land in Nebraska and Iowa. The winters are brutal but is sure is pretty. The farms flattened out in Illinois but also breathtaking in beauty this time of year.

A little over 300 miles into the trip Thursday we stopped again at the World's Largest Truck Stop on I-80 in the eastern part of Iowa. We stopped here before in 2011 and we thought it was time for another visit. We absolutely love this place! It may be an indication that we spend too much time on the road but we feel perfectly at home walking around a big store in a truck stop. We are usually wishing we had more time and that is how we felt today. We only had a little time for shopping and a few pictures.

In 2011 we parked out by the trucks but Thursday we parked in the front with the other RVs. The BoggsMobile was right at home.

We did buy a few things we needed and then we treated ourselves to something really special. Odie and I ordered medium Blizzards from Dairy Queen in the food court and KJ had some kind of Smoothie. It has been a very long time since we have had a Blizzard. It was sooooooo good!

Of course the biggest purchase at the World's Largest Truck Stop was for the BoggsMobile.

We finished the day in Champaign, Illinois at the WalMart Supercenter. We are parked among the trucks and RVs in a well lit corner of the the parking lot. We just happen to be two buildings down from Hometown Buffet and we drifted over there after we arrived. The we walked nearly a mile one way to Lowe's to pick up a few things we needed before we begin tent revivals.

The walk back to the BoggsMobile was beautiful.

Today we plan to pick up the tent trailer near Indianapolis and then go on down to Springville, Indiana. Once we are parked there we will start the process of preparing for the tent set up on Saturday. We are excited about that. I think we are only about 130 miles from the trailer and then 75-80 miles to Springville if I remember correctly.

Thanks for reading.

Davy

Revival In Pictures - Bethlehem Revival Center, Omaha, Nebraska

Story of a True Friend

We have had a wonderful week in Omaha, Nebraska. I appreciate Bro. Joe and Sis. Alma DiMinico for inviting us to preach in their church. We have enjoyed the services and the fellowship so much. It has been good for us to be here. God has touched us each night and we have been very thankful for His visitation.

The Bogglioni's have enjoyed being with the DiMinico's so much and we can not wait for another opportunity to be here again. I know that God has brought us together for a reason and I am quite sure our paths will cross again. Thank you Bro. Joe and Sis. Alma for treating us so well.

Thank you all so much for praying for us while we have been here. Today we will start toward Indiana. I hope to make at least 500 miles of the trip before stopping for the night. God bless you all. Enjoy the pictures.

Davy

Who ever thought I would grow up and preach in Omaha, Nebraska? That was always the home of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and Marlin Perkins. Never mind that Marlin Perkins did not live in Omaha and the scenes from the Wild Kingdom were not in Omaha and the animals were no where near Nebraska. How was I to know that as a kid? The Wild Kingdom's only connection to Omaha was that their sponsor, Mutual of Omaha was/is headquartered here. But when I was a kid, Omaha was THE Wild Kingdom. 

A Story of A True Friend

During Dryden Rd. Camp meeting in August of 1993 I saw an old friend from Keller, Texas the first night. He had not been to camp meeting before so I made a point to speak to him and make him feel welcome at my home church. I was so thrilled to see him. His first words to me were these, "Davy boy, I drove a thousand miles to hug your neck and tell you that I love you." Then he did it. He hugged my neck and told me he loved me. 

I was just about speechless because I could tell that he meant every word he said. Add to that the fact that I did not feel like I had very many friends at that moment. (Of course I had more friends than I knew about.) We visited a few minutes until my responsibilities and his desire to leave and get some rest pulled us apart.

I looked for him the next day but he was not there. He was not there the rest of the week. I called him the next week and asked what happened to him. Did he get sick? Did he go some where else? He said, "Davy boy, I told you I drove a thousand miles to hug your neck and tell you I love you. I did it and then I came back home."

If I thought I was speechless the week before, I was really speechless then. What kind of man drives 2000 miles round trip to hug me and tell me he loves me? What kind of man does that? A man that is a true friend, that is who does that. Only a man that believes in me does that. I knew that day I had a true friend. I knew he believed in me.

I took courage from that extreme act of kindness. I knew if God inspired friends like that to help me then God must intend for me to make it. I knew there were good men that were willing to go to bat for me. I knew they were "on my side." I knew that God must be "on my side" too. For the first time in several weeks I had confidence that I could be an overcomer, I could win. My friend did all of that for me by driving a thousand miles, hugging me, telling me he loved me and then going back home!

I have rehearsed that story in my mind a thousand times. I have told it personally from the pulpit dozens of times. It is a story I will continue to tell as long as I have memory and breath. It is a story of friendship, loyalty and love. I can not believe I have friends that love me that much, but I do. Wow!

My friend, Bro. L.C. Clounch passed away last fall. We were in Florida when he passed. In fact we were in service with his baby girl and her family that night. I will miss my friend until I see him again.

His dear widow drove up from Texas to visit family and be with us during tent revival in Oklahoma City two weeks ago. She brought me one of Bro. L.C.'s pocket knives. You see, Bro. L.C. was all about pocket knives. Where Bro. L.C was there were knives, talk about knives and swapping knives. Sis. Clounch said as she handed me one of his knives, "Somebody SENT this to you."

I tell you I was overwhelmed again. I held in my hand a piece of my amazing friend. I knew it would be a constant tangible reminder of his extreme friendship. I will always cherish that knife.

I was overwhelmed when she handed it to me but not as overwhelmed as I was going to be in a few minutes. Sis. Clounch and her son began to tell me the rest of the story behind that trip to Ohio in 1993. Bro. L.C. felt impressed of God to drive that thousand miles to hug my neck and tell me he loved me but there was one small problem. They did not have the money to make a big trip like that. What did he do?

Bro. L.C. went to the bank and borrowed the money to drive 2000 miles round trip just to encourage a preacher that needed it desperately. Are you crying yet? I am slobbering all over the keyboard as I try to type this. He borrowed the money so he could drive all that distance for me. Wow again!

I owe you big time, Bro. L.C.!

Bro. and Sis. Clounch November 2012

What a friend! Yet Bro. L.C. is just a shadow of the greatest friend that man has ever had. Christ loved us so much in that while we were yet sinners He died for us. Praise God for a friend!

God bless you for reading,

Davy