#41 Weekend Woundup and Weview

This weekend could be summed up with a series of T's. Tent, Travel, Trouble, Triumph and Travel some more. That could do it, but I will flesh it out a little more than that for you, just to make it fair.

Tent

We concluded tent revival Friday night with another good altar service. Several men and women from the community prayed during the revival and Friday topped it off well. After service the folks that were there helped us fold the chairs and I stacked them in the trailer. Others helped Kelly Jo with the sound equipment and we put some of that in the bus and some in the trailer.

I was not feeling well after church Friday night so I was very glad when Pastor Hayden volunteered to watch the tent for a few hours. It was a great help to me. He stayed until 2:00 AM then Kelly Jo took a two hour shift and Odie took a three hour shift. That gave me most of the night to at least get some fitful rest on the couch.

When the girls watch the tent, they sit in the front seats of the bus and watch out the window. I sleep behind them on the couch in case they need me. They do a super job and I am very glad to get a few hours of rest.

Kelly Jo spent Saturday morning at the laundry mat and I used the time to get the trailer mostly emptied and the tent ready to come down. By the time folks started arriving after noon I had the lights down, the cords down and all the hardware I could take down.

We started at 1:00 PM and by 2:15 the tent was folded, trailer was packed and I was preparing to drive Bro. Jimmie's truck and trailer to the church. I made it fine in his big rig and hopefully it will be safe and sound when he arrives later Monday morning.

Travel

We went back to the bus and in an hour or so we were ready to ride. I wanted to get off that lot as quickly as possible and travel a ways down the road. Bugs of all sorts had invaded the whole area and we were anxious to saturate them with our absence. Bro. Hayden thinks the bug-invasion was caused by all the flooding from the torrential rains before we arrived.  

I mentioned yesterday that we did not make it very far. In fact, we did not make it near as far as we planned. We stopped and ate a nice meal and once my belly was full, I was finished driving for the day.

I still was not feeling the best so Saturday night's sleep was restless again but I did get some sleep. I am very glad I did not accept invitations to preach Sunday morning. That could have been miserable for me AND the church. I was up early and out walking the WalMart parking lot and the nice cool morning was very refreshing.

Odie's birthday was a week ago Friday and since the tent was up, we did nothing for her except for the good sauerkraut meal. I did not even leave to buy her a birthday card so I took care of that in WalMart Sunday morning along with some hot pretzel bites from Auntie Anne's. She was well pleased. 

Trouble

I had more in store for her as a birthday surprise. I intended to take her to a special concert at a church about three hours away and not tell her where we were going until we pulled in the parking lot. We were humming right along when I heard a massive air leak erupt under my feet.

I instantly looked at my gauges and the air pressure was holding fine. Evidently the pressure could be maintained by the engine compressor in spite of the leak as long as we were moving. I decided to try to make it to an exit with truck stops 8 miles down the road, rather than stop on the narrow shoulder.

I made it to the truck stop but after I touched the brakes, the air pressure could not recover. I went outside and opened the compartment under the driver's seat and this is what I found. One of the 1/4 inch air lines was split.

In these pictures I have loosened the nut and the line is split on the back side. It was split at least and inch.



I talked to Jeff Rowe and Ben Isaacs about my options but I did not have many options besides finding the fittings and fixing the line. I tried some rescue tape but it did not seem to slow the air down much. It did make a nice whistle though.

The compressor would hold the pressure while the bus was running but it would not build it up. Plus the passenger side rear leaned way over after Kelly Jo shut down the bus. This was obviously bad and we were grounded.

There was a truck repair shop at that exit and Google said they were open. They did answer the phone, but were closed and they transferred me to another shop and they transferred me to their mobile guy. It was going to take a couple of hours to finish the job he was on and get to us but he was confident he could do it.

It was time for decision. There was no way to wait two hours on the repair guy and make it to Odie's surprise concert in the bus. I decided to tell Odie about the surprise and send Kelly Jo and Odie ahead in the car the last 155 miles. I figured  there was no sense in all of us sitting there being nervous.

Triumph 

The mobile repair guy came a couple of hours after I talked to him and less than 11 minutes after he arrived, the air line was repaired. I knew it would not take long for the right guy. All you need are the right parts, right tools and right knowledge.

Well, all I needed was a "little" money and I was ready to go. I am thankful it worked out good. We could have easily been there until some time today.

I made it to church about 30 minutes late. Odie had a great time enjoying her surprise but I will let her tell you about it on Saturday.

Travel Again

We left after church and drove about 100 miles and stopped in a rest area for the night. I am writing this late Sunday night and I am hoping for a very good sleep tonight.

That pretty much wraps up our weekend. Thanks for reading.

Davy

View Out The Front Window October 23, 2016

Check out our posts from the last week at the links below. 

Odie's Saturday Post

Tent Going Up In Fayetteville, North Carolina

Weather In Fayetteville

82nd Airborne Museum

Weekend Woundup and Weview

If you do not read any other post this week, I would love for you to read this one. 

The tent is down and packed away in Bro. Jimmie's trailer and his truck and trailer have been moved to Bro. Hayden's church. 

We cranked the BoggsMobile and pulled off the tent site around 4:00 PM. I knew I would not make it far and I certainly did not want to try to park some where in the dark. I did not. 

I need about 72 hours of uninterrupted rest and I intend to get it. Who is fooling who? I will be rolling today!

This was our view out the front window of the BoggsMobile most of this week.

This was our view out the front door.

This was our view out the front window when we stopped at a WalMart last night.

This is our view out the front door.

I hope you have a terrific Sunday. Thanks for stopping in today.

Davy

Myrtle Beach Run and Fayetteville Fun

Hello, this is Odie checking in from Fayetteville, North Carolina. "We sure miss Bro. Jimmie Radcliffe around here. Did you read Dad's post about Bro. Jimmie yesterday?

It has been a great week for us here. The Lord blessed us greatly in City Reach Fayetteville. This has been our first visit here and it has been wonderful to make new friends and watch God help so many people. This afternoon, if everything goes according to plan, we will take the tent down and pack it away for the last time for 2016.

As Dad mentioned earlier this week, we had a fabulous surprise last Saturday night. I could not believe my eyes when I saw Bro. Bruce and Sis. Priscilla Mayhan walking towards the tent as Dad was about to begin the service. 

They are from Pauls Valley, Oklahoma and we had no clue they were anywhere near North Carolina. They had been planning the trip for months and were trying to surprise us. They sure accomplished their goal!

The Mayhan's have been friends of ours since I was 4 years old. I remember Sis. Priscilla letting me hang out at her house when I was little and we were in revival at their home church. They are amazing people. Over the years they have traveled thousands of miles to visit us. I was so happy to get to see them and spend time with them this week. 

Today is the Mayhan's 34th wedding anniversary. That makes this a pretty special week for them and they chose to spend it with us. Wow! Happy Anniversary Bro. Bruce and Sis. Priscilla! Be safe traveling home.

Myrtle Beach Run, Sun and Fun

I had the privilege of visiting a new place Wednesday. I have been to South Carolina quite a few times but I had never made it to Myrtle Beach. I have wanted to go there for a very, very long time but I had no clue this would be the week I would check off Myrtle Beach as one of the places I have been.

The Mayhans invited me to join them on a day trip south to Myrtle Beach! We had a fantastic time. The whole day was so much fun!  The beach and weather were both beautiful AND we ate delicious food and enjoyed great fellowship. 

This whole area was effected by the torrential rains from Hurricane Matthew. On our trip Wednesday we saw lots of flooding, downed trees, some washed out roads and evidence of the hurricane.

Then we saw this wonderful sight. 

The beach area suffered hurricane damage but was still beautiful. Seeing the ocean anytime and anyplace makes me happy but add in a sunny day and I am on cloud nine. 

We ate a fantastic lunch at Damon's and we had a wonderful view to enjoy. Restaurant workers and customers told us about the storm. There used to be a big sand dune out the window below and it is now gone. The glass in the windows did not break but seals around the window were not strong enough to keep the waters out during the storm. Damon's was flooded and had extensive damage. We were shocked, because we could not tell anything had happened inside the restaurant only a few days before. 

The food was very tasty and reasonably priced. 

Soon  it was time to head back to Fayetteville for church. Bro. Bruce and Sis. Priscilla, thank you for a wonderful day and helping me add a check to my bucket list! I had super time making new memories with you. 

I understand why so many people love that place. it is beautiful. I anticipate a second visit in the future. 

On the way back, we spotted a few of these interesting bus/truck vehicles. We could not figure out what they were hauling. I had to snap a picture to show Dad. 

Fayetteville Fun

Thursday morning I was invited to brunch with some new friends. We had a great time getting better acquainted! Add in good food and it is even better. 

Thanks Charity, Meagan, and Heidi for including me in your girls brunch. It was great to make new friends! We had a whole lot of fun.

While I am working on this post early Friday morning, this is my current view from inside the BoggsMobile. I am taking a shift watching the tent over night so Dad can get some rest.

Here is the view from the end of my shift early this morning. Notice the chairs are removed. We took them down and loaded them in the trailer last night after church.

We are saying "see you later" to City Reach this weekend. Thank you again for your prayers and encouragement this year. I love our friends everywhere. I am looking forward to seeing you along the road somewhere. 

Odie

Jimmie Radcliffe and City Reach 2016

Tonight will be an emotional night for us as we see City Reach 2016 come to a close. City Reach Fayetteville is the last City Reach of the year and tonight is the last night of service in Fayetteville. We planned and prayed for over three years about City Reach and then 2016 has zoomed by in a flash! It is very hard to believe it has come and gone.

I am sure I will have more to say about the conclusion of City Reach 2016 in a later post. My heart is full of stories, details and emotion and I know that I want to share at least some of that with you eventually. But today's post is more about the strong emotions that welled up inside of us yesterday, in the service last night and today.

What is going on? Well, tonight is the last service of City Reach but last night was the last service of City Reach 2016 for Bro. Jimmie Radcliffe. 



Bro. Jimmie is flying out early this morning to California. He is a certified Grief Recovery Specialist and is attending an international convention and training session that begins tonight.

This has been part of the plan for many months but now that the day has arrived, it is a sad day for all of us. Bro. Jimmie has been and continues to be an integral part of City Reach. Those of you that were able to attend even one service of City Reach any where in the country, know that fact very well. We have conducted many, many tent revivals all over the country for many years without Bro. Jimmie, but we could Not have completed City Reach without him.

We truly believe that God sent Bro. Jimmie to be with us this year.

Bro. Jimmie Radcliffe has worked so hard and been so faithful. He has helped carry the physical load of City Reach but he has also helped carry the spiritual load of City Reach. He left his home, his business, his own ministry, his home church and his family and friends to spend nearly a year with us, helping to fulfill our vision. Who would do that?

Bro. Jimmie would and did. In the process he has endeared himself to our family and to Pastors, churches and new converts in every city. Folks all over the country are now blessed to have a lifelong friend because Bro. Jimmie spent time in their city reaching for the lost and hurting as part of City Reach. How cool is that?

It has been a pleasure to watch him connect with Pastors, church members, strangers on the street and people in the altar. He has lead people to the Lord during service, during the day and even in the middle of the night. God has used him to bring hopelessly lost folks into the kingdom of God!

It has been an amazing experience for our old friends, new friends we have met along the way, for our family and I hope for Bro. Jimmie.

Thank you, Bro. Jimmie for your service. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for your selflessness. Thank you for your strength. Thank you for your sincerity. Thank you for your spirit. Thank you for working so hard for the promise of so little. I know you have told me that God has already blessed you for blessing us but I am praying that God will bless you abundantly more in ways that you can not even anticipate.

The good news is that Bro. Jimmie will be flying back to Fayetteville Monday and then pulling his trailer to Ohio to join us for several more days. We need to remove all the tent stuff from his trailer and move it to our tent trailer that is stored at the barn. Then if all goes as planned he will stay a few more days and help me with a few projects at the Lazy OD Ranch.

That means that today's goodbye is really only "see you later." That sounds and feels much better.

Thank you for reading, friends.

Davy

Weather In Fayetteville, North Carolina

Would you help us pray about the weather? This area of North Carolina was very saturated with rain the two weeks before Hurricane Matthew. During the hurricane they had at least 24 inches in two days here in Fayetteville. I do not think anyone in North Carolina is praying for rain right now.

It has been beautiful every day this week with lots of sunshine and no rain. It has been getting a little warmer each day but it has mostly been 70's-80's during the day and 50's overnight. You can not get much better weather for tent revival. It has been wonderful!

I am concerned about Friday though. Friday's forecast has been up and down all week long. Right now the weather guessers are calling for a 50% chance of rain for Friday. 

Wednesday morning it was 10% for Friday and a few hours ago it was saying 70%. I really need to get this tent down dry on Saturday and with much cooler temperatures forecast on Saturday, it may have a hard time drying if it rains much Friday.

I know God can take care of all this for me and I would appreciate you mentioning it to Him when you pray.

Thank you very much and thank you for reading.

Davy

82nd Airborne Museum

We have been having great services each night in City Reach Fayetteville. As I mentioned earlier the churches are small so the crowds are not giant but we are having plenty of visitors and they are responding. Praise God for every person God has touched and brought into the altar this week.

One Pastor's wife posted this tonight and I had her husband send me a screenshot. I think her note is hilarious.

82nd Airborne Museum

One thing we wanted to do while in Fayetteville was visit the 82nd Airborne Museum on Ft. Bragg. There is an Airborne and Special Forces Museum in town and I have heard that it is a little better. But I had two reasons for visiting the one on base. Number one, it was highly recommended by a close friend and number two, our Pastor, Bro. Bennie Sutherland was stationed at Ft. Bragg as a member of the 82nd Airborne.

The fact that Bro. Bennie spent 2 1/2 years there as  young man makes it interesting to us. I am sure that things have changed at Ft. Bragg in the last 50+ years but it was neat to see the whole place. It is absolutely huge. According to online sources, Ft. Bragg is the biggest military installation in the world by population and covers over 251 square miles.

We really did not know if we could go because our schedule during City Reach is pretty full. But we had a man volunteer to watch the tent Monday night for several hours and another watched the tent last night. That allowed us to rest some and have a few hours to spare in the afternoon. 

Bro. Jimmie stayed with the tent and we went for lunch with the Mayhan's and then on to the museum. We did not realize we would have to go inside a building, get a background check and get our picture taken for a pass to get on base. That took some extra time so we did not spend as long in the museum as we might have.

I am glad we went though. The Museum shares a lot of history of how the 82nd came to be and information, displays and pictures of various campaigns they have participated in. It is plain to see that the 82nd has been pivotal in a lot of critical situations. They liberated the first city in France during WWII and they lead the way in more battles than I could count. A bunch of heroes sprang out of the 82nd Airborne. 

The museum also includes a 25 minute film about the history and exploits of the 82nd Airborne. It plays on the hour or by request if they are not busy. We enjoyed that too. We spent some time in the gift shop so we did not have much time to tour the outside exhibits. I would like to go back to do that if we had time.

It was worth the trouble of getting the pass in order to get on base but I do wish we had more time to see it all and more of the base. Maybe next time we can do it better.

Our inside pictures did not turn out too well because of the lighting so I did not post any of them. Here are the few we took outside.

Thanks for reading.

Davy