Dear faithful friends,

I'm finally getting to sit down and write a newsletter. I'll bring you up to date with our life and ministry.

Winter was full of activity and challenges. During the Christmas holidays the house was full with Brian and Melina, Bradlee, and Benjamin and Sabrina all together. With our intentions of leaving France in December the reality of losing their childhood home hit them pretty hard. They are planning on coming back possibly this summer and again on November 4 as we are having a farewell celebration inviting many of our friends and co-workers.

The Boggess Family: Brian, Melina, Bobbie with Breezy, Bill, Bradlee with Bailey, and Benjamin

In February I (Bill) went to the USA for a couple of weeks to be with a special church, Calvary Baptist Church in Shreveport, LA, for their missions conference. Since we will be retiring in 2018, they treated me like I was a special hero, gave me a commemorative plaque and showered me with encouragement and prayer. It was a real boost to my spirit after 33 years of ministry in an oftentimes "dry and thirsty land." After that I went to Dallas Theological Seminary to recruit for TEAM. I hope that I was able to influence a few of the students I spoke with to consider foreign missions.

We have been looking for the best way to keep the Guyancourt church moving ahead. At a church meeting last fall, the members organized the work among themselves. They quickly realized that continuing the work on an upward trajectory was going to be difficult without extra help. We were hoping that another TEAM missionary couple would take over the work in the fall. Well, to our great surprise, two TEAM couples will work together to take Bobbie's and my place. We still are having problems with stability of our meeting place, but are dealing with it the best we can. We are losing the use of our hotel 12 times this year.

Bobbie is working on getting all the things done for our move to the USA in December. In January and February, she got our house ready for sale. In late February she put it up for sale and sold it with the first visit! We signed a "promise to sell" for December. Now she is getting rid of things (and making me get rid of lots of things!) I know it is necessary, but it is painful. Also, she is organizing (with a couple of others) TEAM Europe's All-European Annual Conference for about 250 people in Italy this August. And she is the one planning the big going-away party in November so we can say good-bye to all our friends here.

Our plans are to leave France in December. We will buy a Fifth Wheel RV and a ¾ ton pickup truck and hit the road for several months to visit all our 30 supporting churches and 60 individuals who have prayed and given so we can serve here in France. That means that we will be officially retired from TEAM at the end of this time, probably June or July 2018. But we still have lots of living to do! We will continue on the road to see some of the western states. Then we will decide where we will settle down. Then we will decide on a new church. Then we will get involved in local ministry. Then, since I will have 34 years of experience in church planting as well as theological and pastoral training, I plan on getting involved part-time in foreign ministry, training pastors in Francophone countries. It doesn't look like we'll stop until we get to heaven.

Boggess prayer requests:
- Health (physical and emotional with packing up and leaving) and strength to finish well.
- Wisdom concerning retirement coming up soon. Pray that God would lead us to the right 5th wheel camper and ¾ ton pickup truck, all within our budget! And for all the little details which are thousands concerning where to land in the States, our plans to visit churches, settling somewhere and future ministry.
- For fellow TEAMers Ryan and Dana Powell and Paul and Missy Robelot as they take the church on to maturity.
- A more suitable meeting place for our church (more stable, better visibility, additional rooms for Sunday School, possibility to have meals, place to store the piano, etc.) and for stable church growth and maturity of the believers there.
- For results from Bill's recruiting trip to Dallas. We need more missionaries in France and Europe.
- For Marc, a young man who will be baptized in May. Pray for continued growth and perseverance. Pray for his family to come to know the Lord.
- For an evangelistic outreach in June. We are hosting an organ and choir concert in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation.
- Salvation of our Moroccan family, Habiba, Farouk and Imane. For immigration papers and an urgent lodging need.
- While I led TEAM France, I was part of the Foreign Workers Field Leaders Conference. They recently created a model prayer for all foreign missionaries working in France. So, please pray for France!

Lord we pray that you would kindle a passion for prayer in every church in France and with it a spiritual awakening and revival in the whole country.

Father, we pray that you would make French churches more effective in making disciples. We join our prayers with those of the French National Council of Evangelicals asking that you grow your church and that the number of evangelical churches would triple from from 2,200 to 6,600 so that there would be 1 church for every 10,000 inhabitants.

We also pray that the recent terrorist attacks, wars, and influx of refugees might open the hearts of many, and in particular in the Muslim community, to the hope of the Gospel.

Lord, touch the people of France. Draw many to yourself! All this we ask in Your name and for your glory. Amen

Bobbie and I are thankful to God for His blessings. And we are thankful to our partners in ministry who pray and give so we can serve in Jesus' name.

In Christ, for France!
Bill and Bobbie