Davy’s Memory Lives On In Nigeria

Hey Friends,

Boggs Family Ministries with the help of God’s people was able to provide some much needed funds to complete a church in Nigeria this year. Dad was excited about this project after he saw the need for help last year during their visit there. 

He was thrilled that God helped us, and despite his health battles we were able to help our friends complete their new church building. This is one of the branch churches of Bro Shobanke’s Christ Ambassadors Holiness Church in Abeokuta, Nigeria.

The dedication date was set for December 2024 of the building. Dad wanted nothing more than to be in Nigeria for the dedication. His head knew that his body was not up to the trip. His heart still wanted to be with our dear Nigerian friends, “across the ocean”!

After Dad’s passing our friends decided to to do a joint dedication and memorial to honor Dad. Our family was so honored by the thoughtfulness of our precious friends. We love all of them dearly! 

Saturday was the special day. We could not be there but our hearts are greatly touched. We will have more pictures and details of the service later. We were sent a picture of the beautiful plaque at the church's entrance.

 

Thank you for reading. See you tomorrow.

Odie

Christmas Mall Fun

Hey Friends,

Thank you for visiting. I have something fun to tell you about today. 

Yesterday I spent a few hours with some my favorite ladies. Sarah Lakes Boyd, Bethany Lakes Hoskins and Rebecca Lakes James, which they will forever be The Lakes Girls in my brain. 😁 Ava James and Emerson Hoskins were also part of our fun crew too. We missed you, Grace Boyd and Brylee James!

I was blessed to have them as my cousins, friends and role models growing up. We share lots of wonderful memories from our younger years.

We actually had a good laugh over one of our memories! We had to stage a photo. No one was harmed in the process!

while in Indiana for a youth camp back when I was around four or five, Rebecca accidentally locked us out of the girls dorm. She was watching me while our Mothers were at choir practice. In her panic, she pushed my stroller down the back steps of the dorm. We went for a little tumble! All I remember is landing in the rocks and Sarah coming to my rescue along with our friend Anita. They picked me up and took me into the dorm. They dusted me off and made sure I was OK.

Rebecca has felt horrible about that moment all these years! It is definitely something that we have never forgotten. We have laughed a lot about it. 30 plus years later she still can not believe that my Mom trusted her to watch me. 😀

From my earliest memories, they have been a bright spot in my life. Always there to lend a smile, give a word of encouragement, or just be a friend. I am genuinely thankful that they have been my friends for life. They have always gone out of their way to make sure I knew they were my friends.

Now is no exception. They were some of the first to reach out to me when our current journey began! They have carried us through prayer and being there whenever I needed them. 

Yesterday, we actually got to sit have lunch, talk, laugh, cry and just enjoy each other's company. A little bit of retail therapy was also thrown in the mix. We finished the day off with a little treat and coffee. 

All around it was a wonderful day! Just what I needed to bring a smile to my face. it made me extra thankful for the wonderful friends and family that God has placed in my path!

See you tomorrow

Odie

God Still Has It All In Control

Hey Friends,

It is Wednesday, I don't have A Word for Wednesday for you. I I do think it would be fitting to post a video featuring Dad. 

This was originally posted to our blog and YouTube in February 2021. This is a song from a service in Livingston, Texas. This was recorded at the Beech Creek Assembly with Pastor Don Goodwin.

On this particular Sunday, we were not scheduled to be in Texas. I believe God ordained for us to be in the service. This is just one of the ways that God showed us He was indeed in control!

One week later Covid forever changed our lives. Dad and I were diagnosed with Covid for the first time the following Sunday, January 31, 2021. Dad never fully recovered from Covid and the many health problems that followed after that. One thing we never forget and never will: God is in control!

This powerful service has never strayed far from my memory since it happened. I am so grateful that it was caught on camera and recorded. We forever have the memories with us! I went back last night and rewatched this video. I wanted to hear, in particular, the message that came from God during this song!  It gave me great solace, even now. 

Wow, there was no way we could know what the future held for our family. But God was speaking to us even then! Today, I hold onto his promises. I trust that He still has it all in control!

Please take time to watch this video. Also, I will post the link to the post Dad wrote about this day on the blog himself. It is worth rereading!

Click here to see Dad's February 5th 2021 blog post. 

Thanks for visiting with me! See you tomorrow. To quote Dad, "Ciao for now."

Odie

Tribute to Davy By Larry Smith

Hey Friends,

This is Odie checking in for another Tuesday. Thank you for dropping by to visit with me. I appreciate all of you who have let me know that you are still enjoying the blog. I am doing my best to keep it going.

Today, I have another tribute for you that was sent to me about my Dad. Our dear friend wrote this tribute that we affectionally call “Uncle Larry”. Uncle Larry lives in Ellisville, Mississippi, where he attends First Assembly. He is an exceptional friend to our family. Dad often referred to Uncle Larry as his hero! 

The special day Uncle Larry talks about in his tribute below will always be a highlight in our lives! It was special for us to spend time with him and his Vietnam brothers! We were honored to be there to support our friend!

“Our Bro Davy Boggs has gone to be with the Lord he has preached about for all these years and here is something to show how special him and his family are.

They were starting a meeting in the Dallas area at the same time we were holding our Vietnam reunion. On Friday afternoon they took time out of their busy schedule to spend time with me and my Vietnam brother's. That's what makes the Boggs family so very special to me and especially to our church. I hope they know how much we love them.”

Uncle Larry, thank you for your service to our country! Thank you for being our friend You will forever be our hero. Thanks for the invitation to join you for such a special event! 

In answer to your question, we know that you love us and your church loves us! You all have proven it time and time again! Thank you for your prayers and standing by us!

Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Odie

Davy’s Funeral Services Link And A Tribute

 Hey Friends,

This is Odie, last night many hundreds of our dear family and friends showed up to pay their respects to my Dad and the impact of his life. The line lasted over four hours!

Mom, myself and all of our family feel extremely loved! People journeyed from coast to coast and many from points in between to be with us. We are astounded by the kindness that we have been shown!

Dad’s Celebration of Life will be this morning. Click here to view the service on Boggs Family Ministries YouTube channel. It begins Thursday at 11 AM Eastern, 10 AM Central. Please share with others who may like to attend virtually as well!

I will close today with a poem written in tribute to Dad last week. These words were penned by our long time dear friend, Bro. Rick Combs. I found this picture of Dad and Bro. Rick in our archives. 

A BETTER CHOIR

A poem By Rick Combs

Honoring The Graduation To Heaven Of Brother Davy Boggs

November 10, 2024

For years, he poured his heart out,

In his preaching and his singing,

From slow ones to the faster ones,

That had the rafters ringing.

From tent revivals everywhere,

To Africa and more,

He never lost sight of the One,

Who he was working for.

And now, his work on Earth is done,

And now, it’s time to rest.

Surrounded by the saints of GOD,

The happy and the blessed.

I’m sure that Heaven’s choir,

Has been doing great for years,

With rousing songs of victory,

And no more death or tears.

But as our brother’s voice joins it,

I think it just got higher!

With Brother Davy Boggs’s voice,

It’s now a better choir!

Tribute to Davy from David Riddell

Hey Friends,

Odie here reporting again from Kettering Hospital. Thank you for your continued prayers! 

Sunday morning I had a rough spell. I opted to stay in the hospital one more night. Now the plan is to go home on Monday. Thankfully I have not had anymore spells. The staff here has taken great care of me. 

Today I have something special to share with you. One of our dearest friends David Riddell shared this heartfelt tribute to my Dad online. It so moved mom and I, and we are sharing it here with David’s permission.

Please read the great words listed below. 

Odie

Tribute to Davy from David Riddell 

He was my longest best friend. We were 17/16 years old when we met, and we became immediate best friends. Cousins that somehow had not met until then, but it was a God thing. We held our first revival together at the Stubbs Mill church; he preached one night and I the next. Even though we were young and competitive by nature, ministry was never competitive between us. We were teammates. We studied together, prayed together, and in those days, you rarely saw one without the other. We just had that brotherly connection, where we even thought alike. I'll never forget when I found the most awesome-looking green pants at Kaufman's in Lebanon, and I walked into church that night thinking that I was looking good only to find him wearing the same pants. Someone asked us that night if those pants came with a dimmer switch.

When he was blessed to find Kelly, I became the most loved third wheel in all of history. She was never my best friend's wife; she just became my best friend too. And when Odie came along, she just became my little sister, since they both were helping raise me.

He had a faith that I always admired, probably because I didn't personally have it. I fell away from God in my early 20's, and it was in his study, where I was spewing my newfound religion of secular humanism and psychological babble, where he simply said, David, God is married to the backslider.

 Those simple words from my dear friend, anointed by the Holy Ghost, broke me completely. Before I even knew what I was doing, I had fallen on my knees and was sobbing, begging for God to forgive me, and He did. There's only one other human who knew how truly frail and weak I am because he became my most trusted confessor. He never cut me any slack; that's why I went to him, but he always spoke to me with love. I will miss that. The last time I was with him, he said, "Man David, you don't need anyone to beat you; you have that covered yourself."

I hate how the cruelty of life separated us after our youth, but I always knew that you were there, but this cruel death is almost unbearable. I never expected him to outrun me to the gates of Heaven, never expected that he would see my daddy again before me, never expected to have to live in a world without you in it, but here we are, me still down here, you over there, my heart broken, yours full of joy, my eyes unable to stop weeping, yours never to shed another tear. I never expected, but l probably should have; you were always the better man. You deserved a better friend in me, and I never had a better friend in you.

Goodbye my dear friend, what time I have left, you will never be forgotten, never be unloved, and your impact on my life never unfelt.

 David Riddell

Davy’s November 8th Update

Hey Friends,

This is Odie with another Davy Update. Please do not stop praying! The prayers are working! We still have a very long way to go. Below is an update from yesterday.

We have something to praise God for today. Dad’s kidney function numbers have improved slightly. The tube they inserted Wednesday afternoon is working to drain the kidney, helping eliminate the source of the infection. 

Also, they have targeted the specific bacteria that caused him to be septic and can target it with specific antibiotics. We are told it will be a two week treatment of these IV antibiotics.  They say at least 7 days of it in ICU, and we will see after that. 

They will proceed with stone removal after the infection is gone and he is strong enough for it. 

Dad is still not out of the woods and is still a very sick man. We are asking God for complete healing, including the damage from the stroke he suffered last December. 

One thing remains true and solid… The Goodness of our God and the blessing of great friends.   

God’s presence is here with Dad in an amazing way! There is obvious praise in His heart for our great God! One thing Dad knows for certain is, "He may not come when you want him, but he'll be there right on time"! We are trusting and believing in an always On Time God!

Uncle Steve and Aunt Karen and Bruce and Priscilla Mayhan have been some of the hands and feet of your prayers for us.  

So many of you continue to pour out your well wishes and prayers and offers to do anything in the world for us if we name it. You all are fantastic friends. We know everyone can not be here. It would not be good wisdom.

Brother Bruce, Uncle Steve, and their wives have helped us with the strongest support you could ever imagine for us. God has used them for you for our benefit. 

So thank you all immensely for your prayer and support!

Thank you for checking in for an update. 

Odie

A Quick Trip With Great Purpose

Our mobile lifestyle comes with a lot of things that we think of as advantages. If you live your life in one place, you might think otherwise and that is Okay. There are many things about our mobile life that we adore.

There are some disadvantages too. If it was all sunshine and roses then everyone would be doing it and they would be doing it much better than me. I would have to stay home.

We go so many places and we know so many people. We often experience the joys in their lives as well as the pain. Because we are always moving on to another place, we are often not in the right place to help celebrate the joys or help carry the pain when it happens.

We do not like that part at all. 

But, if we canceled revival every time one of our friends was seriously ill or even died, we would probably preach less than twenty weeks a year. It is impossible for us to be with most of our friends when we would love to be.

That grieves us. We talk about it a lot. If we lived in one place and had public jobs, we would not be free to go because of work. I suppose we would know less people and not have as many friends, but that certainly does not work.

So most of the time we grieve and offer comfort the best way we can and we miss way too many weddings, birthdays and even funerals, unfortunately.

Because we were not preaching revivals this year due to the stroke recovery, we were able to visit Bro. Alan and Sis. Tammy Harris a few times after Sis. Tammy's accident. We were thankful for the time we were able to spend with our dear friends during the summer.

When Sis, Tammy passed suddenly last week, we felt compelled to be there if we could. The distance almost completely ruled out driving, but the flight schedule worked perfectly. We caught non-stop flights from Dallas to Evansville, Indiana for a great price and drive less than 90 minutes to the funeral. 

Pastor Lendell Birdsong was gracious to us and we were able to make the trip while only missing one service. We appreciate them very much. They took a huge weight from our shoulders.

We were able to be there for the viewing and funeral and we are thankful for that. We saw dozens and dozens of friends from all over the country and embraced them all tightly because of the heightened sense of life's brevity.

The funeral was beautiful and excellently done. Each preacher spoke perfectly and Bro. Alan asked us to sing three songs. We were honored to participate in our dear friend's funeral. It was a sad but spiritual day that we will long remember.

As is appropriate, we did not take pictures during the visitation or funeral. I wish we had pictures of all of our friends, but we do have wonderful memories.

We snapped a few along the route.

Odie with a new friend.

We rented a Toyota Camry or similar car but when we arrived in Evansville, they offered an upgrade.

Instead of a Camry, they gave us the new minivan behind the Corvette.

Please pray for our dear friend, Pastor Alan Harris, his family and the Trinity Pentecostal Church in Central City, Kentucky. Thank you.

Davy

This Week

Monday morning we were up and moving toward Moore, Oklahoma by mid day. We love parking at Bethany tucked in behind the fellowship hall but it was time to roll. 

We drove 90 miles to the Flying J on the northside of OKC to do the work of the evangelist. We barely got in because of construction on site. If there had been cars at the pumps, we would not have gotten through. 

I am interested in seeing what the final layout will be after construction because the RV parking lanes are gone and the path to the dump station is blocked. This has been a regular stop for us for 22 years. 

We were delayed a few moments there but the total day was 114 miles and two hours and twenty four minutes. KJo guided me into the church at Crosslight and here we are. 

Some of the week was supposed to be rest but it did not work completely like that. I rested Tuesday but the girls took care of laundry and some groceries. We did walk to midweek service Tuesday night but we did nothing in the service but enjoy it. 

Wednesday KJo drove us less than two hours to a special place in our hearts. We slipped into the midweek service at the House of Prayer in Gainesville. 

Like many other churches these folks have prayed fervently for us this year. I can not remember how many times they have text and called from their services to tell us they were praying right then. 

The service Wednesday was fantastic! They wanted to hear some testimony about the last several month so I mixed it in among the preaching. We had a wonderful night. 

Odie captured some great pictures. 

They have been our friends for years and they are special to us. While we were so close, I did not want to miss an opportunity to see them, embrace them and thank them personally. 

Thank you for joining us today. 

Davy