Church Planter’s COVID Journey Leads to Miraculous Healing
Relaxing with his son in a swimming pool one afternoon, Boore began feeling weak and nauseous. Forty days of spiking fevers followed, as well as pneumonia; he was eventually hospitalized with cognitive issues and dropping oxygen levels. After he finally tested negative for COVID, the “long COVID” symptoms began, putting serious stress on Boore’s emotions, his family, and the church. That stress would last for over four years.
Boore, an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, was serving on the executive pastoral staff for a large Texas church, when in 2016, God began speaking to him and his wife, Priscilla, to return to Las Vegas. Having served at Mountain View Assembly of God in Las Vegas from 2002 to 2006 before moving to Texas, they knew the culture was resistant to the gospel. But with the motto “Vegas needs Jesus,” they began making plans, and a core group of about 10 families decided to relocate along with them. After a small beginning in 2016, a move to a more favorable location brought growth at Anchor Hill from 2018 to 2020. Then the pandemic hit.
Attendance dropped from approximately 450 down to 45, necessitating somewhat of a restart; but not everything during 2020 was bad, as the congregation was able to find a permanent location. In spite of lingering pandemic-related concerns, the decision was made to restart at Easter, 2021, and resources began coming in to facilitate regrowth; but then Boore’s illness hit.
Boore suffered severe migraines, and fatigue and low oxygen made him almost continually nauseous. After finally making slight progress over a year, he suffered another variant in November 2022.
Stress was mounting up for the family. “I was present sometimes, but not involved,” says Boore, who missed church for 4 months and was unable to fully enjoy holidays or activities with daughter Larissa, then 14, and son Dylan, then 9. His lab results were stable, and specially compounded medications helped occasionally, but the fatigue continued.
“It was heartbreaking to watch the long-term effects of COVID on his life, family and ministry,” says Matt Clayton, who pastors Real Life Church in Galt, California, and serves as a district presbyter in the Northern California/Nevada Assemblies of God district. “Memories we shared had vanished from [his] mind, and his personality had appeared to change, his wit and sense of humor not as prevalent. Watching the effects of this on his wife and kids made it even more painful.”
When Boore began to notice that he felt better when visiting in California or Texas, doctors advised him to lean into those improvements, leading to a 90-day sabbatical back in the Houston area. He says he strongly believed at that time God was going to heal him, but every time he returned to Las Vegas, he became sicker. By the time his daughter graduated high school in 2023, his attitude became “I still believe God heals, but He’s not going to heal me.” With John’s cognitive abilities still somewhat hampered, Priscilla took the lead in a September 2023 decision to base out of Houston while trying to stay involved in leading the church.
Matt Clayton says the Houston move was definitely a sacrifice after seeing the growth at Anchor Hill, but Northern California/Nevada leaders encouraged the Boores to make family a priority. Anchor Hill leaders stepped up to establish a campus model where John spoke in Las Vegas every third Sunday; and Grace Church in Houston welcomed them back with an outpouring of support. Boore experienced an improvement in symptoms over about 14 months; but then, at Christmas 2024, he got COVID again.
This go-around, a big symptom was vertigo, but even worse was the emotional low. The entire family was disappointed and scared, and Boore admits to being “sort of disappointed in God,” while wondering if perhaps God was trusting him with a Job-like trial. He found support through long-COVID groups on social media and tried a variety of homeopathic, alternative, and traditional treatment options, but it was a rough seven weeks, until the night of Feb. 6, 2025.
Following what he sums up as “a long night on the bathroom floor,” Boore stumbled into their guest room to try to rest. Falling into a deep, hard sleep, he dreamed he was on a hospital bed in a surgery suite, with a surgeon at his left side. “He [the surgeon] was so bright, I knew it was God,” Boore says. To the right of the bed in the dream was his wife, wearing the garb of a medical assistant.
The dream continued from 2:30 a.m. until 9:30, when Boore awoke to find the bed sheets soaked. His surroundings seemed “bright and crisp,” compared to the fog of migraines and fatigue, and he thought to himself, “This is what I remember normal feeling like.”
Knowing his wife had experienced a difficult night worrying about him, he was initially hesitant to tell her what had happened; but when he finally entered the room to do so, she asked him, “What just happened?” All her pain, fear, and frustration had disappeared instantly when he appeared in the doorway, before he even told her of the experience.
After waiting another couple of days, they told their children what had happened. The family realized that the real test, though, would be getting on the plane to Las Vegas—the flight, the cabin pressurization, and altitude usually hit hard. Priscilla secretly took video of the experience, and there were no problems. As of this writing, Boore has been pain-free and symptom-free for 120+ days, with lab tests confirming the turnaround.
“The miracle this year couldn’t be denied,” says Clayton. “I recently sat across a table at an ice cream shop, and what I saw was truly remarkable. A joy I hadn’t seen in John and Priscilla for years had returned; his quick wit and sense of humor brightened up the conversation; and his mind seemed sharp once again as he talked about ministry.”
The family is currently processing next steps, wanting the best for the church as well as for Dylan, now 14, and Larissa, 19; but God is using the entire experience for His glory. As the Boores testify to His faithfulness through the pain and frustration, God has also been faithful at Anchor Hill.
“The seeds of faith and sacrifice during the past season are bringing multiplication,” says Clayton. Several people accepted salvation at Easter services, and Boore says as he shares his testimony and prays for people, including at other churches, many respond. “We’re seeing some real old-time revival!”