Ground Breaking, Plans Shaping!

Ground Breaking, Plans Shaping!

2016 has been an exciting year for our family and ministry and 2017 is shaping up to be even more so. City Reach was a challenge in many ways, including physically, but building a house for Odie to live in and building it while we evangelize may be even more of a challenge.

By challenge I do not mean chore, I mean an opportunity for us to spread our wings and fly farther than ever. We do not want to get stale or in a rut and we are certainly in no danger of that last year or this year.

Most of you that read the blog regularly know of our plans to build this house. At the first of the year Pastor Scott Morris, along with several other Pastors listed below, sent out a letter expressing their desire to help raise funds for Boggs Family Ministries to build a fully handicap accessible house for Odie to live in.

I posted that letter on January 10th and I have pasted it at the end of this post as well. I answered some questions about the house building purpose and process HERE and HERE.

In one of those posts I explained that we would be preaching revivals in Ohio during June, July and August. I also mentioned that we hope to begin the dirt work and foundation in mid April while we are attending Dryden Rd. Pentecostal Church's 60th year celebration.

I explained that the next 4-5 weeks after that we would be ministering close enough that I can be in Ohio a day or two each week to coordinate prepping the electric, HVAC and plumbing for the slab to be poured. 

How can we be so close to home for that long? Well, that is one of the many small miracles that have already taken place to make all of this possible.

First of all, I already had revivals scheduled in another part of the country. When it became clear that I would need to be home during that time, I began to contact those churches and ask for mercy. Each and every Pastor extended grace to me including one Pastor that had been scheduled for two years. (Thank you, friend. You know who you are and I will not forget it.)

That opened up some time, but what now? That is when a Pastor opened an incredible door to us and it seemed like God's will to walk right through it.

Pastor David Webb of Hodgenville Pentecostal Church in Hodgenville, Kentucky has asked us to come alongside the saints at HPC in order to organize and conduct a Music and Ministry Month. We have accepted his invitation and we are excited to share this adventure with Pastor Webb and his wonderful congregation for part of April and May.

We will be conducting individual and group teaching and training sessions in worship, vocals and music throughout the whole month. We plan to spend four weeks including five weekends building on the tremendous foundation that is already in place.

One of our foundational principles of evangelism is encouraging and equipping the saints in the local church. We are excited to have an opportunity to extend our reach on that principle this year at HPC in addition to our normal revival schedule and duties.

I love watching God work!

This is an amazing opportunity and challenge to us to pour into God's people the things we have learned and are learning concerning Music and Ministry. It will be a joy to work along side Pastor David Webb, his family and his staff. We are thrilled to work under such fine people on this short term assignment.

The fact that this also enables me to remain close to the construction process in the early days of the operation is icing on the cake.

We hope to have the slab ready by mid May and to have crews from churches arriving in Ohio to begin framing the house the week of May 22nd.

At this moment the house plans are almost completed and we are preparing to submit them to the county for the permitting process.

Hopefully that gives everyone a little more information as promised. Thank you for reading.

Davy


Original Letter Below:

Greetings,  

You are receiving this letter because of a common bond we have, The Boggs Family Ministry.  We are all familiar with their dedication and work that they are doing for God on the evangelistic field.  They have truly given their lives for the sake of the Gospel.  Many souls have been touched and blessed by their ministry.  Whether by song or sermon, they have a special anointing to reach the lost, the hurting, and the sick. 

Many of you are aware of the fact that God has blessed them to be able to purchase some property near their home town of Waynesville, Ohio.  This property is located adjacent to the Dodds church in which they have ministered in and many of their family members attend.  Bro. Davy had prayed and sought God’s will concerning the purchase of some property and God opened the door.  Not only is it an ideal location, but it also has a barn that they are able to use to park their bus when they are in their home area. The barn is on the backside of the property with a large open lot on the front. 

Through prayer and the sharing of a vision it has become our desire to provide Odie with a completely handicap accessible home to live in on the front portion of their lot.  We shared this burden with Bro. Davy and Sis. Kelly to make sure that this would be beneficial to their family and not a strain.  They were both overwhelmed and thankful for the vision that we have.  We also set a date to share this with Odie and I wish you could have been there to see her face.  We truly believe that this is God’s will and plan to bless Odie.  Odie has spent her life ministering with her parents and we know it would be a great blessing for her to have a place of her own in their hometown.  This area is ideal because of the many family members that live within just minutes of the property.

We know that many might question how this could become a reality but we feel that it is very doable through the help of God’s people. Matthew 19:26 “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Many have already said that they would be on board whether through giving of money to cover the expenses or those that work and specialize in a particular field, being ready and willing to donate their time and labor.

My intention with this letter is to lay this burden of mine before you and to ask if you and your church would like to help. I am not asking for a certain amount. I am not asking for one church to carry the whole load. No amount is too small, but if only one third of the churches the Boggs family have ministered in the last few years would send $1000, we would have the $70-100,000 this will require. Some churches can and probably will do more than that and others less. That is fine. I am only asking for your consideration for the blessing Odie has been to your church and for her future.

Recently Bro. Shobanke’s church in Abeokuta, Nigeria gave $220 toward Odie’s house. They are the first church to contribute. When you consider their incomes in Nigeria, $220 is a similar commitment and sacrifice of a church in the USA giving $8-10,000. Bro. Davy was moved, touched and encouraged by their sacrificial offering.

We would like to begin the dirt work by mid-April so we have about three months to determine how to proceed. If you are planning to receive a special offering we ask that you do so by March 5^th.  You are, of course, free to handle it however you desire, but if we could know the level of response shortly after March 5^th, that would be a huge help.

Bro. Davy has set up a special Boggs Family Ministries account solely for this building project. Checks should be made out to Boggs Family Ministries and marked for house. Boggs Family Ministries is a 501c3 and you will receive a donation receipt.  Donations should be sent to Boggs Family Ministries, P.O. Box 28, Waynesville, OH 45068.

I know that many of you do not know me personally. That is why I am happy to inform you that there are several very good men that are joining with me in this request. These brothers represent a cross section of the broad fellowship that the Boggs family ministers in every year. These are good men that you know. These are good men that love Odie. They happily join with me in wanting to see this thing accomplished for Odie. I appreciate them standing with Odie, with the Boggs family and with me.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be more than glad to try to answer any questions you have.

Thank you and God bless you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Pastor Scott Morris

ksm71@bellsouth.net

Bro. Larry Landress

Pastor Donnie Williamson

Pastor Shad McDonald

Pastor Jared Burris

Pastor Darrell Meadow

Pastor Darrell Toliver

Pastor Barry Gautreaux

Pastor Kenneth Morris

What An Amazing Privilege!

The service last night at Foster Grove is the very reason I live. I love to preach to people that need to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is my passion. It is my calling. It is my life. It is the reason for Tent Revivals. It is the reason for City Reach. It is the reason we preach revivals week after week!

I love to watch people respond to the Gospel. Watching them come to the altar, pour their hearts out to God and confess their sins, beholding God pour His love and grace into them, that is what true living is all about for me. That makes getting out of bed worthwhile every morning!

For years I would get up early to go to work in construction or in the factory. For a few years I worked swing shift and went to work at all hours of the day and night. Kelly Jo and I would kneel at the couch together and pray that God would help me during that day on my job. We asked for safety, protection and ability to do whatever job I was asked to do.

I was always thankful to have a job and to be able to take care of my family with the money I earned. There were times that decent jobs were difficult to find so I was thankful for every hour worked and every dollar earned. Good jobs and lots of hours worked allowed me to pay my bills, take care of my family, tithe and give. 

I did a lot of different things to make a living. I can work a public job and I am willing to do it again. I tell Kelly Jo and Odie once in a while that there must be an easier way to make a living than driving from coast to coast, loading in, preaching and singing, loading out and then driving again.

Yep, there must be something easier. There must be something that pays more money. There must be something I could do that would involve less work, less money spent and less stress. Yes, there must be lots of occupations, but none of them that drag me out of bed and push me with the joy I feel every night when I preach the Gospel.

There is nothing that compares to watching men and women kneeling in the altar and weep their way to God like they did last night. That is worth every long mile, every hard trial, every drop of sweat, every dollar spent and every ounce of strength expended.

What an amazing privilege to preach the Gospel! Praise God for His help and grace!

Thank you for reading today.

Davy

A 40 Year Old Act of Kindness

There were lots of people I hung around during elementary and Jr. high school but most of the people I thought of as friends were either cousins or friends from church or both. Some of them were Mike, Eric, Bobby, Delmar, Chris, Steve, Paul, Angie, Annette, Jennifer, Laura and Dean. All of them were cousins or church friends. All of them were good long time friends.

In high school there were several more added to that list and most of them were family or church related too. I am still friends or at least acquaintances with some of them and of course the ones that are family are stuck with me I guess.

A 40 Year Act of Kindness

I had a special friend in elementary School and through Jr. high. This friend was different in that he was not a cousin and I did not meet him at church. He was a friend I met at school and he absolutely proved he was my friend.

Let me tell you a story about how I knew this boy was my friend. It is a story that has stuck with me about 40 years. I think about it often and I have told Kelly Jo and Odie about it numerous times.

He had a birthday coming up. I do not remember how old he was going to be, probably 9 or 10. We were basically the same age. His mother was going to take him out to eat at a special place for his birthday. Part of his gift was that he was allowed to choose someone from school to go to dinner with them.

He chose me. He could have asked any other boy in the whole school to go with him on his special birthday dinner to a nice restaurant, but he did not ask someone else. He asked me to go.

He chose me and I felt very special. I knew this was a really neat thing, even as a boy. It was his birthday and I was the one receiving the best gift. I have never forgotten it.

The big evening came and we went to Peking Inn on 725 in Centerville, Ohio. It was the first time I had ever eaten Chinese and my first time to eat duck. They served the food in fancy metal covered dishes. I had never experienced anything like it. It was a great night!

This was not a family that was accustomed to meals like that. They were hard working people living from week to week just like my family. It was a big day for their oldest son and they chose to include me in their special occasion. I still feel honored today.

I spent the night with him that night and we enjoyed a great friendship through the years. We had a lot of good times, hanging out at his house, riding bikes and mopeds, fishing and playing with other friends and cousins from town. He was a true friend and my life is better because he was my friend when we were boys.

I thought about all of this again the last few days because his mother passed away. Her funeral is today in Waynesville. She was kind to me. Her thoughtfulness brought two boys together that needed each other. We remained friends into High School and his mother always welcomed me in her home.

Times like this and my cousin's funeral last Saturday cause me to wish we were home a little more. I can not be home, but it did make me think. Have I ever told him what that birthday dinner invitation meant to me then and still means to me now?

Surely I had enough manners to say thank you then. But there is no way I could have known what an impact his one act of kindness would have on me the next few years and still today. 

I have said thank you the best way I can now. I sent him a note and I am thanking him in front of God and everybody right now. Thank you, friend, for being a friend to a boy that needed one. I have never forgotten it.

I have only seen him once or maybe twice in passing since we left High School nearly 32 years ago. But that does not diminish the value of his friendship to me as a boy.

All of this makes me want to be very careful to treat people well. The old saying is true, People may not remember what you said, they may not remember what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel!

I will be praying for my old friend and his brothers during the funeral today. May God help him and comfort him and draw him near during the terrible loss of his mother.

Thank you for reading.

Davy

Weekend Woundup and Weview #8

The highlight of this weekend was welcoming Odie back from vacation but it certainly was not the only thing we did this weekend. Thankfully we did not have far to travel because we had too many other things to accomplish.

The first order of business for the weekend was the final day of revival at Bibleway Assembly near Foley, Alabama. We started the day by discovering the source of a water leak but I will have more about that later.

We went to lunch with Pastor Eddy Sullivan at the Oyster House in Gulf Shores. We had a great lunch and Kelly Jo made a new friend in the process.

Friday night was a terrific conclusion to revival. The presence of God settled down on the folks there and ministered to several needs. It was wonderful! We had a great crowd Friday including Pastor Tim Cauley, but we did not take very many pictures.

Here are a few we snapped after church.

Saturday morning I cranked the bus and we prepared to hook the car up and pull over to Mobile. I had started the bus earlier in the week and looked for damage from the road debris we picked up on Monday but nothing tells the story like actually driving. Thankfully all seemed well and 55 miles and an hour and 25 minutes later we were pulling into Foster Grove Holiness Church.

We did not need to be in a big hurry but the water leak I mentioned earlier needed to be resolved. We had been noticing some dampness in the front two bays but could not find the source. Friday, the source found me.

I was in the second bay adding coolant (just water) to the AquaHot system. The boiler is cracked and we have been milking it along for a few years. It took a turn for the worse in September and I have been adding coolant nearly every day since then. The coolant leak drains straight out the bottom of the bus. 

The leak I discovered Friday is the death blow to the AquaHot. I had the water hose hooked up and I could hear water spraying inside of it.

The fresh water loop in the AquaHot is busted and sprays water every time the hose is hooked up or the water pump is turned on. Most of it drains straight out through the floor but some of it was seeping into the carpet depending on how we were parked.

I had to get on top of this fast. I had two options. I could bypass the AquaHot with a little plumbing work but then we would have no hot water. The second option was to install a 120V water heater next to the Aquahot until we can do something better.

Have I ever mentioned that I am no plumber? Have I mentioned that IF I dare to do any plumbing at all, I can not finish the job without at least three trips to the store for parts? I now have even more proof of both of those things.

Lowe's had a six gallon 120V water heater and a 12 gallon version. The 12 gallon was only $10 more and not that much bigger so that is the one I chose. I got it wired in fine. That was the easy part. I plumbed it two or three times before I had it leak free.

We worked about 8 hours and finished about 9:00 PM. Now we have hot water and no leaks, at least for now! Kelly Jo worked like a mule helping me and I appreciate it very much. No pictures from the whole ordeal because most of them would be of my feet and legs hanging out of the second bay on the driver's side!

We left about 9:30 for the airport to pick up Odie.

It really was good to see her roll through those doors. She had a great time and will have more pictures later.

We kicked off revival with a super great service Sunday morning at Foster Grove. It is great to be back with Pastor Jimmie McDuffie and his people.

Tanner Williams Holiness Church was having Friends and Family Day and they invited us down for lunch. What an amazing lunch it was. We had a good meal and wonderful fellowship with the Tanner Williams folks and lots of others too.

We finished the weekend with another great service at Foster Grove and then salad and fellowship at Newk's.

That wraps up a fun, full weekend. Thanks for riding along.

Davy

View Out The Front Window February 17, 2017

Here are links to the posts from the last week.

Odie's Saturday Post

Revival In Pictures - Foley, Alabama

50 Reasons Why I Do Not Drink Alcohol

The Mystery

Bro. Jack Eubanks

Weekend Woundup and Weview # 7

Odie In Florida

This is our view out the front window this week at Foster Grove Holiness Church near Mobile, Alabama.

This is our view out the door.

But this is the best view all week!

I hope you have a great Sunday. Thanks for reading.

Davy

Back To Land

Hello Friends!

This is Odie checking in from Florida. Today my awesome friend Kaylene Stephens and I will part ways. She will return to Kansas and I will meet up with my parents late tonight in Mobile, Alabama. I hope you had a great week. I had a spectacular week of vacation and we returned to land yesterday morning. 

It was an early morning and a very long process getting off the ship and through customs. We finally made it to our hotel room. We were both ready to chill for a while. 

I have not had time or the mind to sort through my pictures yet. I will post more Singing At Sea 2017 pictures later. I had issues with my camera flash on my Cannon. I am not sure how well the pictures turned out. I included a few pictures so you could get a peek into our fun. 

I loved this Singing At Sea cruise. This is my 3rd cruise with Templeton Tours on Singing at Sea. If I have my way, it definitely will not be my last. It was a blast seeing old friends and meeting new friends. It is amazing being surrounded with wonderful music all week and delicious food!!

Well I will close for now. Please pray for me and Kaylene that our arms will not get worn out as we fly back to our homes.

Odie