***The Finish Line (Key West, Florida)***

Greetings from sunny, warm Key West, Florida in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen” (I Timothy 6:15-16).

By God’s grace and according to many of your prayers, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Current Location = Key West, Florida
Total Miles Pedaled = 3,411.6 (Escourt Station, ME to Key West, Florida)
Overall # of miles pedaled for the Gospel of Jesus Christ = 8,123.6
Miles to drive back to base = about 1,000
Major cities targeted with the Gospel on this Missionary Journey = 37
Gospel Tracts and Bibles freely distributed in the name of Jesus Christ = Thousands
Pairs of Fresh Socks Given out to the homeless in the name of Jesus Christ = Hundreds
Number of People confronted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ from Maine to Florida = Innumerable
Close calls with traffic on the Florida Keys = Frighteningly too many

Well, it is Friday evening (December 16), and we are relaxing in our camper as it is safely parked in the parking lot of Glad Tidings Tabernacle in the heart of Key West. As I sit here and attempt to recap for you the past few days, I am overwhelmed by all that the Lord has done since we left North Carolina back in late May and since I first mounted the bicycle at the tip-top of Maine back on June 12th. We are very grateful for all your prayers and support during these long seven months. And remember, this missionary journey is finished, but the labor of Full Proof Gospel Ministries continues, without benefit of furlough. We are already praying about the next step; join with us in prayer as we seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance. Many need to hear the biblical Gospel of Jesus Christ in these last days, a time when there truly is a famine for hearing the pure Words of God (see Amos 8:11-12). Wait a minute . . . I am getting far ahead of myself.

Let’s go back several days. So much has happened to give this missionary journey a memorable conclusion. I cannot possibly promulgate all the details, so I will attempt a general summation. Even this, I am afraid, will be lengthy.

My last update had us in Homestead, Florida with the final stretch beckoning. The very night that I sent out that email, Jamie, Bethany, and I drove up into the heart of Miami where we hit the streets with the Gospel for several hours. Some streets were rough, others were not, and it was a giant lighted Christmas tree in Bayfront Park that reminded me that it actually is the Christmas season. It is so hard to keep track of days and months out here, and the ultra-warm weather seems to distance the fact of December from our accustomed senses. In Miami, we customarily gave out Gospel tracts and had numerous encounters with homeless. Several pairs of fresh socks, bottled-water, and food were given out in the name of Jesus Christ. One man was extremely grateful and seemed very open to the truth of the Gospel. I also was thankful for my elementary knowledge of Spanish (something I am constantly seeking to improve) and an abundant supply of Spanish Gospel tracts. We were thereby able to speak the Gospel into the ears of many Hispanics in their own language.

***While street fishing in downtown Miami, we got a stark reminder that Christmas is coming up.***

One encounter in Miami with a man claiming to be a devout Catholic really summed up the unbiblical and false Gospel preached by the Roman Catholic Church. As I offered this gentleman a tract, he said that he did not need it because he was on the way to the cathedral. I responded that Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. He said, “I am Catholic, so I don’t need you to tell me about Jesus.” I then replied in John 3:3 fashion, “But, Jesus said that you must be born again.” He comeback was very telling: “I was already born once; why would I need to be born again?” Oh, how prevalent is false and deceptive doctrine in these latter times. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Also in Miami, Jamie had an encounter with a group of women that proved to be a shocking reminder of the materialistic and humanistic nature of American society. As she offered these ladies some Gospel tracts, one of them retorted: “I’d rather not; I am on my holiday vacation” (as if they needed and wanted a holiday from the things of God). I sure hope these busybodies didn’t have a head-on collision on the way back to their hotel room and thereby pass into eternity without Jesus Christ. That would mean a permanent and undesirable “vacation” from the things of God! This particular encounter really made me think about the goodness of Almighty God and the reality of a fiery, burning hell. Many would say that if God is so good, why does he send people to hell? I am not going to waste my time with such vain and profane babblings that reflect ignorance of Scriptural truth and a self-righteous denial of man’s culpability (see II Timothy 2:16-17), but I will offer one thought. When people go to hell because they have rejected the salvation that is only found in Jesus Christ, their judgment is deserved because of their sins. A holy God cannot look upon sin, and sin can only be cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh (I John 1:7). However, I do believe that there is even a slight tinge of mercy in eternal damnation. God is simply giving the sinner who has rejected his salvation what he really wanted all along—a permanent vacation from the things of God, the Word of God, and the presence of God. In hell, the condemned sinner will never have to worry about the conviction of the Holy Spirit again; he will never have to worry about being approached by someone like me with a Gospel tract; and he will never have to worry about being invited to church. The Lord God will be out of his life forever. Isn’t that what the prideful, self-righteous rejecter of Scriptural truth wants anyway? After all, why would the hater of God want to spend eternity with Him in His eternal Kingdom? Well, he/she might think that is what is desirable. Unfortunately, hell is a horrible place according to Jesus Christ himself (He spoke more about hell in the Gospels than he did about heaven), and I am not ashamed to preach about it as so many “preachers” are today. The party in hell has been cancelled due to the fire, and in that place, “Stop, Drop, and Roll” will certainly prove ineffectual. Repent, and turn to Christ Jesus! I do not say these things out of a spirit of pride and self-righteousness. No, I speak them because I know that I am the wretch that the old hymn “Amazing Grace” talks about. I deserve hell as much as anyone else, but I have been gloriously saved by grace through faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This same FREE GIFT of salvation is offered to all; for I am no better than anyone else. Jesus Christ is the only escape from the damnation of hell. “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation” (Hebrews 2:3)?

I just sensed a need to preach a bit, but let me get back to the journey. From Miami, we returned to Homestead and another depressing trailer park. I was glad to mount the bicycle the next morning and head south onto the Florida Keys. The weather was gorgeous, and I pedaled 102 miles this day with a glorious tailwind pushing me along. Since I was pedaling in a westerly direction, I was sure that the wind would be horribly in my face, but God was good. He sent a mighty wind out of the east, and I was able to average about 19 mph.

U.S. Highway 1 (the same highway upon which I entered into Maine from Quebec last June) is the only route that goes to Key West, so it is extremely busy with speeding traffic. There was also a lot of road construction (much of which is a result of Hurricane Wilma) and some long bridges. Right before I pedaled into Key Largo, I was flagged down by a Florida Department of Transportation officer. He tried to tell me that pedaling on a highway is illegal. Of course, he was wrong, and I politely explained to him my situation. He begged me not to ride Highway 1 because it was so dangerous. Now, this guy, I believe, was genuinely concerned about my safety, but he did not have a legal leg to stand upon. With God’s help, I was going to pedal to Key West. We were so close; there was no way I was going to quit. He said to me, “If you die out here, you will wish that you had listened to me.” I said, “No, I will be in the presence of Jesus Christ, my Saviour, if my life is snuffed out. The last thing on my mind will be this earthly life.” He then replied, “Well, I would be with Jesus, too.” I said, “Sir, you have to be born again to get there.” His comeback: “Well, Jesus wants us to use our heads and not do anything stupid.” I ended the conversation with these words: “No, sir, first and foremost, Jesus wants us to be obedient to what he commands us to do. He commanded me to pedal from Maine to Key West, so that is what I intend to do. Since I am not breaking any laws, and you cannot show me that I am, I will be on my way.” He threatened to call the police on me (I politely told him to do whatever he felt he needed to do) but then, he was nice enough to hold traffic back while I pedaled through a messy construction zone with no shoulder. When I got to Islamorada, I went into the Chamber of Commerce to inquire about the legality of riding on Highway 1 (just to verify what I already knew to be true). They told me to pedal on and that the D.O.T. officer was on a crazy power-trip. Now, I would not necessarily agree with that assessment. I really believe the guy was concerned about my safety, but the Lord protected me, and I had to press on.

***US Hwy 1 through the Florida Keys is dangerous on a bicycle, but certainly not illegal.***

Through Islamorada and Marathon, many saw the Gospel banner unfurled, and Gospel tracts were given out. Jamie and Bethany targeted some streets in Marathon, and I spoke with a few that were in my path. After Marathon, I crossed “Seven Mile Bridge”, beholding a glorious sunset out over the waters of the Caribbean. I paused, watched the fiery orb dip into the waters, and praised my Maker for his wondrous creation. Unfortunately, Jamie was about 15 miles up ahead; there were very few places for her to safely pull off the road; and my headlight was in the back of the truck. It was getting dark quickly, so I pedaled hard. I prayed for God to extend the daylight as he did for Joshua and Hezekiah in the Old Testament. Thankfully, I had a blinking red light attached to the back of my bicycle, so traffic could see me as they approached from behind. Ahead, however, I strained to see the road. Now, there was a lot of debris on the shoulders left over from Hurricane Wilma, so I had to be real careful. The Lord was good to send the illumination of car headlights, street lamps, and a full moon at precise times that I needed the way to be lit. I caught up with Jamie on Ramrod Key well after dark with only 27 miles left to Key West. I was riding with a flat tire but did not discover this until I packed the bicycle up that night. ‘Twas a miracle! I ran over so much glass, metal, and other junk this day that I should have had ten flat tires. At times, there were bicycle paths (especially through some of the areas of heavier traffic), but these often proved worse than the highway shoulder. I guess the hurricane clean-up crews don’t consider the bike paths as much of a priority and rightfully so.

***Roadside Debris from Hurricane Wilma***

After a century day of pedaling, we shuttled over to Key West and parked our rig in the parking lot of Glad Tidings Tabernacle. Pastor Ernie Deloach, his wife (Kay), and the people of this small church have been so kind to us . We rolled into Key West late and hungry. The Deloach’s took us out for dinner before we had to go through the grueling duty of setting up. It is much easier to set up the camper on a full stomach. God is so good.

The next morning, (Wednesday, December 14) Jamie took me back to Ramrod Key, and by God’s grace, I pedaled the final 27 miles to our ultimate destination. In Key West, many saw the Gospel banner, and I was able to share Jesus Christ with a woman at Milemarker 0 of Highway 1. She stopped and offered to take my picture. I then pedaled over to the corner of Whitehead and South Streets, the southernmost point in the continental United States (only Hawaii is farther south). Jamie and Bethany were waiting for me, and at 3,411.6 miles, the pedaling journey was complete. At this place, there was a buoy-shaped marker, and lots of tourists were taking pictures. We were able to pass out some Gospel tracts, and the reaction was far different from the cold shoulder that I received out on that remote beach outside of Neah Bay, Washington. One man was rude to Jamie, but I was able to proclaim Jesus Christ to a group of six college students who were visiting from Daytona Beach. All accepted Gospel tracts and politely listened with interest. Please pray for these!

***The Southernmost Point in the Continental United States***

At the end, the emotions were bittersweet. My mind was instantly flooded with all the memories, all the street preaching, all the encounters for the Gospel, all the big cities, all the miles. The Lord God had seen us through to the end. It was a short jaunt of less than a mile back to Glad Tidings Tabernacle. There, I packed up the bicycle one last time and was able to preach at Glad Tidings’ Wednesday evening service. Having just completed this journey, I exhorted the folks to be bold public witnesses for Jesus Christ. Many were convicted and claimed that the message was from God at a time when they needed to hear it. I was truly humbled that the Lord would use me. I truly believe that seeds planted here in Key West will be watered by these faithful believers.

Let me just say a little about the ministry of this church. Once again, God has shown us that despite the overwhelming presence of lukewarm Laodicean “churchianity” in this nation, the Lord continues to reserve unto himself a faithful remnant. This church body is not interested in fancy buildings, complex programs, and a watered-down Gospel. Rather, they seem to be consumed with giving, and most of their ministry efforts are directed at the plethora of homeless that live in Key West. They distribute free food, prepare meals for the homeless several times a week, and serve as a base for many homeless to receive mail and find help with various situations. In all of this, of course, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed. They have not forgotten: Relationships, yes, but proclamation is essential. Pastor Ernie is well-respected in this community because of his faithfulness, and it has truly been a blessing to be a part of this work for a few short days.

***Glad Tidings Community Church was such a nice refuge while in Key West.***

As far as Key West is concerned, it is a cesspool of iniquity. After dark, things go on along Duval Street that I will not even dare to mention. Homosexuality, fornication, drunkenness, drugs, and homelessness are rampant. Truly, ‘tis a place of spiritual darkness. We have tried to sow some seeds of the Gospel here, but it has been difficult. Please pray that the light of the Gospel at least pierces a few hearts. Hurricane Wilma really did a lot of flood damage to this place as well. Debris has been swept into piles, but these piles, in many places, have yet to be cleared. One entire section of town was under six feet of water during the storm. Right now, the church secretary is having to live with Pastor Ernie and his wife. She lost everything. Today, I spent the majority of the day helping the pastor do some hurricane clean-up for her and another man that really suffered. He has been sleeping on the floor, and his house was a total wreck. We took him some furniture and did what we could. I was able to witness to a city employee on a clean-up crew and to another man that was offering some help. Please pray that the Word of the Lord does not return void. During these efforts, I also became overwhelmed by how blessed we really are. We take so many things for granted. May the Lord forgive us.

The day after I finished my bicycle ride proved to be a true blessing. About 70 miles east of Key West lies the most remote of America’s national parks—Dry Tortugas. I love America’s national parks, and this was the only one I had not visited in all of the continental United States and Hawaii. I had been praying for awhile that God would make a way for me to go out there. Normally, a day-trip costs about $140, and there was no way I could afford this. To make a long story short, a young lady from the church called the office and explained what I had just done. Because Glad Tidings Tabernacle is so respected in the community, the manager of the concessionaire agreed to waive all the fees. I only had to pay $10 (unavoidable federal fees). I was able to board this nice boat with other tourists who had paid $140/person. They took us out to the island, fed us a wonderful breakfast and lunch, and brought us back to Key West that evening. For me, and by God’s grace, it was the deal of a lifetime. Truly, this place was remote and desolate. The main part of Dry Tortugas is a small key that boasts Fort Jefferson (building began in 1846). This sweet fort just rises out of the sea, and the surrounding waters are truly pristine. I was able to spend around four hours on the island. I explored the fort, found a secluded beach, did some snorkeling around old coaling docks, and swam a really deep and blustery channel over to another deserted island. In that place, I was alone; so, I laid on my back in the sand and gave praise to Almighty God. What a way to celebrate a glorious finish to a glorious missionary journey. ‘Twas truly rejuvenating and amazing to think that I was comfortably swimming in mid-December. The time out at Dry Tortugas was also special in that it allowed me to spend some quality time with the Lord, something I needed desperately. I also took the opportunity to strategically place some bottled water and Gospel tracts in the fort for someone to find in case they get stranded out there (and this has happened). The name “Dry Tortugas” is a reference to the fact that there is absolutely NO fresh water on these small islands, so I pray that a stranded soul will find what I hid for him and see it as provision from the Lord. Also, I noticed that Fort Jefferson (just a little over 150 years old) boasted evidence that the THEORY of evolution, along with its concept of an earth that is billions of years old, is nothing short of a deluded fantasy. In fact, it takes more faith to believe this garbage than it does to accept the simple claims of Holy Scripture. Now, the science books I was forced to use in my high-school taught that stalagmites and stalactites which grow in caves took millions of years to form and that such were evidence of the old age of the earth. If this is true, can someone please explain to me why I saw stalactites growing from the roof of a manmade fort that is less than 200 years old? It amazes me what is called “science” these days.

***It’s not easy to get out to this national park.***

***Exploring Fort Jefferson on the Dry Tortugas***

While I was out on the Tortugas, Jamie remained in Key West. She did not think that she or BB could handle the bumpy boat-ride. And, it was bumpy. I thought I was turning green several times. The ladies, of course, were faithful to sow seeds of the Gospel as God gave them opportunity. Today, while I labored with Pastor Ernie, Jamie and BB walked up and down Duval Street (the heart of wickedness in this town), saturating the place with Gospel tracts. They talked to numerous people and left tracts at seedy bars, brothels, and homosexual hang-outs. Please pray that the light of God’s Word pierces the darkness. Truly, my wife is very bold. I could never have accomplished this journey without God’s help and her faithful partnership. Last night, I walked back from the boat docks to our camper. I was able to sow seeds of the Gospel as opportunity arose, and then, I joined my family at a local “hole-in-the-wall” diner for some delectable and authentic Cuban cuisine.

Tonight, we were blessed to fellowship with the folks from Glad Tidings Tabernacle at their annual Christmas Banquet. It was out at the naval base, and the prime rib was a real treat. It helped to get us into the Christmas spirit.

Tomorrow, we depart from this place and began our LONG journey back to Hickory, North Carolina. As opportunity allows, we would like to take the Gospel to a few cities that lie along the Interstate-95 corridor. Pray that we will have divine appointments between here and the Old North State. It will be difficult to leave this gloriously warm weather and return to my hometown which, by the way, was just hit with a terrible ice-storm. Many are still without electricity. Hopefully, we will be able to celebrate Christmas with our families.

I would also ask that you pray for a possible opportunity that has come up. I cannot go into detail right now, but it looks like there could be an open door for Full Proof Gospel Ministries to spend a little time on the streets of Argentina sometime in February. At least we are praying to that end. God would certainly have to provide for some needs in order for this to happen. Stay tuned for further developments. Also, I already mentioned about going to India in the summer for several months. Please continue to pray with us about this as well. We just want to keep preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Before I sign off, I want to share with you a short section of an email that I received from a Christian brother today. Malachi Nimmons is a security guard that I saw standing on a street corner as Jamie, Bethany, and I walked the downtown streets of Chattanooga, Tennessee several weeks ago. To make a longer story short, I gave him a Gospel tract, and he wrote to tell me what followed from that initial encounter. I rejoice because the Lord has once again demonstrated that the victory is not in the results but in the going forth. God will give the increase in his timing, and the Word will not return void. For those of you who have prayed for fruit and the salvation of lost souls, this is your blessing. And, praise God for faithful witnesses like Malachi who are bold to share the Gospel even when it is a job risk. What follows are Malachi’s words:

“I put the tract that you gave me on a table at work (I'm not allowed to pass out tracts while working), and I noticed a man pick it up, read it for a minute and crumple it up in disgust. I walked over to him and said, ‘I guess that wasn't very good reading’ He then mentioned that his brother-in-law used to give him the same kind of tracts, and that his in-law later turned out to be a phony. I told that man that I used to be a phony Baptist until I realized what a filthy, rotten sinner I was and came to the Lord and asked for salvation. And I told him that his in-law being a phony would be no excuse for him rejecting the gospel when his moment before God comes. He looked me in the eyes, and I thought that he was about to tell me off, or report me or something, but he asked me how exactly I got saved, and I was able to witness to the gentleman for about 30 minutes! I told him about a few things that had happened to me in my life, and how the Lord brought me through many hard times, and he said that he was going to ask the Lord to save him! He did it right there in the lobby, too! I was amazed to see the Lord work! And he used that tract to bring another lost soul to Him! Praise God!”

Stay tuned for more adventures for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ. Even back in Hickory, our work is cut out for us. May all of you have a Merry CHRISTmas, and please do not forget that the season is not about us; it is about the birthday of the King of Kings. “Neither is there salvation in any other” (Acts 4:12).

Jesse, Jamie, and Bethany Boyd

mission accomplished