***Walking through McClure in VIrginia’s Coal Country. The Lord gave Eric and me an opportunity to preach to some folks outside an apartment complex in this tiny little town.***

Greetings beloved brethren. I wanted to send out a more detailed report of what the LORD has done since I posted my last newsletter, THE SCENIC ROUTE, back on October 1st. Unfortunately, the road is calling, and I must keep walking.

Since we traipsed out of North Carolina for the last time, we slogged nine straight days and then came home for a few days’ rest. We didn’t plan to come back, but late Saturday evening, after two brutal days, I started thinking to myself: “I can sleep in a lonely community park tonight, OR I can grab a coffee, drive 4 hours over the mountains, and get to fellowship with my local church family tomorrow morning and hear some good preaching.” I missed my church family and we were running low on Gospel materials . . . so we drove back, got into our own beds around 1:00am, and got up in time for church. I wouldn’t trade that sweet fellowship for the world. Plus, a little rest has truly been a blessing.

Over that 9-day stretch, we walked 170 miles and had at least 114 Gospel encounters in some pretty out-of-the-way places in Virginia. Moreover, it was a great blessing to give out 7 Bibles. Four of those went out after I started preaching in a diner near Grundy, Virginia. One of the ladies behind the counter asked me why I was walking across America, so I gave my answer to her, her co-workers, and the folks eating supper. I preached hard, and instead of getting kicked out of that place, folks started asking questions. It was a good time. Two workers and a couple eating dinner took Bibles. The funny this is, we never planned to grab dinner at a local diner. We had leftovers from a meal Bethany had cooked the night before. That was going to be our supper at a picnic table in a community park. However, on the last leg of that day’s walk, along a small backroad outside of Big Rock, a Virginia coal mining community, a man digging his ditch heard the Gospel and took a Gospel tract. Later, he got in his car and came to find us. He said, “Since you are out doing the work of the LORD, I want you to get some dinner at this nice little diner down the highway ON ME.” So, we did. And what he gave us was just enough to cover three hamburger steak specials. As it turned out, the LORD directed us to that place for a more important reason. As for the couple eating at the corner table when I started preaching, it turned out one of them was an avid Joe Biden supporter. I learned this after I had declared aloud: “Listen, if the Lord Jesus Christ can save a wretch, an old sinner like me, there is hope for even that demented devil in the White House, that fool of a fake President.” Now, I cannot quite explain it, but instead of wanting to hang me from a light pole, that Joe Biden supporter responded to my preaching by giving the folks behind the counter some money and telling them to treat us to dessert. As they left, I thanked them for their kindness and offered them a Gospel tract and a copy of the Scriptures. These things were warmly received with gratitude. I was reminded of what the Bible says in Proverbs 16:7: “When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.” In those moments, there was an open door of peace to speak bold truth that might not otherwise be heard. Hallelujah!

There were many other open-door moments just like this along that 170-mile stretch. Tomorrow, we will pick up where we left off, the very spot where that kind man found us in his car. We are very close to the Kentucky and West Virginia borders and would like to at least walk a couple of days in West Virginia before turning due west and into Kentucky. It's definitely a poor coal mining area, the heart of Appalachia . . . but we love it. Your prayers are coveted and much appreciated.

If our walk across America and these testimonies are, or have been a blessing to you, please consider financially sowing into this difficult endeavor. We have some financial needs, gas has gotten real expensive, and anything you can give is a blessing that will be used faithfully and with account. All contributions are tax-deductible, and donating online via PayPal is very easy. Thank you in Jesus’ name. Learn more . . .

It’s now 1,785 miles and counting in the spirit of watchmen upon a wall. Stay tuned for more in Jesus’ name,

Jesse Boyd

a quick update