Tara Hope Boehlke is an evangelist who has traveled to many countries sharing the gospel. She started as a volunteer helping to give away eye glasses at evangelistic events before being called into evangelistic ministry herself. Tara has developed a ministry of giving out customized aprons and bags to share the message that everyone has great value and is “kind of a big deal” in God’s eyes. She has also published a children’s book called “Petey the Pathetic Dump Truck” that teaches about finding one’s true identity in God. She encourages other women who feel called to evangelism to start small by sharing their personal testimonies and praying for others, and to trust that God will grow their ministry as they are faithful with what He gives them.
Learn more about Tara’s Ministry: https://iamkbd.com/
Transcript:
Evangelist Daniel King (00:00):
Welcome to the Evangelism Podcast. I’m Daniel King. I’m excited about telling people about Jesus today. I have a very special guest with me, Tara Hope Boehlke
Tara Hope Boehlke (00:12):
That’s a tough name.
Evangelist Daniel King (00:13):
Yeah. So Ms. Tara, thank you so much for being on the Evangelism Podcast.
Tara Hope Boehlke (00:17):
Yeah, it’s amazing to be here. We’re in Zimbabwe, which is just crazy. Who would ever check that on their list of places they wanted to go in a lifetime.
Evangelist Daniel King (00:25):
And you and I have actually been in several places together. I think we were in
Tara Hope Boehlke (00:29):
Zambia.
Evangelist Daniel King (00:30):
Zambia together. Did you go to Kenya?
Tara Hope Boehlke (00:32):
Yeah, Kenya.
Evangelist Daniel King (00:33):
And I think I’ve maybe even seen you in the Portland area before. So God has brought us here for the Love Zimbabwe Festival, and you preached a couple of nights ago
Tara Hope Boehlke (00:45):
And
Evangelist Daniel King (00:46):
It was so powerful when you gave the altar call, many people gave their lives to Jesus.
Tara Hope Boehlke (00:50):
That’s crazy. It’s amazing.
Evangelist Daniel King (00:51):
And so you are an evangelist and you’re a minister. And tell me a little bit about your ministry. You’re kind of a big deal. I don’t know if my listeners know just how big a deal you are, but you’re kind of a big deal. Tell me about your ministry.
Tara Hope Boehlke (01:08):
Well, that all started, I began a long time ago with Andrew Palau, and I worked in just the bunkers, getting people fitted with reading glasses. And that’s when I start learning the gospel. And I did so many countries with him and I had a couple of friends of stunt dudes that said, Hey, you should try Reed Saunders. And he was in Salem Morgan. I’m based out of Vancouver, Washington, and that’s just like an hour away. So I never even met him before I decided I would go to Myanmar with him. And when I went to Myanmar, which they just opened up the borders for that, I was still not an evangelist. I was just volunteering, carrying people’s suitcases and I’m golden with that. But just helping the whole process. After Reid and I met Reid decided he wanted to get me on stage. But when I was in Myanmar, I met this guy named Sonny, and he’s out of Chennai, India. And what a man of God, I mean truly a servant to the nines. And we saw each other in a couple of different countries. So what happened is when COVID hit, I had this crazy idea, God is a creative God and that creative God lives within us, so we should be creating all the time. So I got nicknamed KBD, I think it was in the Dominican Republic. I would pray for something and it would happen. And they’re like, Tara, how’d you do that? And I’m like, I’m kind of a big deal.
Evangelist Daniel King (02:35):
So KBD kind
Tara Hope Boehlke (02:36):
Of big deal. Big deal, a big deal. But what I did is everybody’s kind of a big deal, but they don’t know how valuable their life is. So I created, created a logo. I wish I had something with me. Actually, I have a hat back in my room. But I created a logo. I mean, I just drew it out on a random piece of tissue paper. And it was within three days I had a business license. Everything just happened so quickly. And I said, what I’m going to do is I’m going to create this logo and I’m going to put it on items. It’s going to be a brand name. I didn’t know, I’m not a business woman at all. But I decided what I’m going to do is I got a ahold of Sonny and I said, who has a garment factory in Chennai, India?
(03:21):
And he rescues women from the streets, orphans trafficking, you name it, rescues these women, teaches them to sow, teaches them English, but most importantly teaches them about their value, who they are in Christ, right? They’re kind of a big deal and now their life has great value. So I applied that. I started doing an apron ministry with Reed Saunders and where I would do women’s events and I would give them my testimony. I would give them the gospel, and then at the end of that, I would give them, I’d give them these aprons. I’ve given the story about Susanna Wesley, who would these, she would pray with her apron over her head. Many of you probably know the story of Susanna, but out of Susanna was she had, I dunno, 800 children, just a ton of kids. Some of them were severely disabled. Her husband was always in debtor’s prison and they always fought politically. I just thought that was a funny take on that, all that. But she would sit in her kitchen amongst the cacophony of noise. She had to be there. But she said, when mom was praying, you are going to know her aprons overhead, leave her alone unless you really need me. So out of that came John and Charles Wesley, which most of you know are two, the most prolific man in men in
Evangelist Daniel King (04:34):
Christian and started Methodism.
Tara Hope Boehlke (04:35):
Right? So that being said, that’s been a very, very successful ministry. The apron ministry. I got ’em on these cinch sacks that have gone all over the world where we would go in, we speak in schools and whatnot, we have really these beautiful ax with my logo on ’em. And we teach ’em, even though it doesn’t really translate to other languages, KBD, but it is knowing that they are kind of a big deal. Their life has great value. And I’ve done that with a homeless ministry all over Portland and Vancouver. They’ve been handed out letting people know, especially what’s really interesting is we handed them up to the American Indians up in Washington state. And I thought, well, the Indians in India made these bags and they’re blessed and prayed over and we handed out these cinch sacks that were filled with toothpaste, toothbrush, whatever these neat. And they would give them to the American Indians, say, Hey, you’re kind of a big deal. And it’s the best warm introduction. Their first question is, well, who said that? Well, I’m glad you asked, right? So that’s where the whole KBD thing started. And as it has evolved, I am now we’re at a new season in life. I’m an empty nester and I’m beginning to write and I’ve published my first children’s book.
Evangelist Daniel King (05:52):
Congratulations. So this is a beautiful book, Petey, the Pathetic dump truck.
Tara Hope Boehlke (05:57):
And as you can tell, that’s not a dump truck. But this story is all about this little firetruck that believes he’s a dump truck, but he thinks he’s pathetic and his journey to find out his true identity and what he was created to be.
Evangelist Daniel King (06:15):
He’s really a firetruck, but he thinks he’s a dump truck.
Tara Hope Boehlke (06:18):
And look, he’s all broken and he’s trying really, really hard to be a really good dump truck. He practices all the time and he grows bigger and bigger. You think a truck that big and hauls some dirt, but he’s so unhappy and he keeps on going to the truck maker and asking him over and over again, make me a better dump truck. But ultimately, when he comes to the end of his rope, he makes his last trip, he’s done. Everybody told him how nice the maker was. And at the end of it, he goes, he tells the maker off. He goes, if you just gave me what I wanted, I would be happy. But then something happened in the look of the maker’s face and PD finally asked the right question. He goes, okay, then what am I? And isn’t that what we all should be going to the creator? We spend our whole life trying to figure out who we are and we’re unhappy and we’re struggling and we’re tired and our lives are falling apart, et cetera. And we have failed to go to the creator to find out who we are. Now through all of this process, I’ve learned that I’m an evangelist. I didn’t even know what that was. Luis Palau in Canon Beach Conference Center. I didn’t know nothing about nothing. He goes, Tara, you’re an evangelist. I’m like, cool. What’s that? I had no idea. But that began
Evangelist Daniel King (07:35):
To evolve. That’s me how when you are around evangelists, you begin to see that gifting come out of you. And so being around Luis Palau, I mean he was a great evangelist. And just that word of encouragement, it was really prophetic because now you really are an evangelist. You have proven that he was right.
Tara Hope Boehlke (07:55):
And the more that I’ve learned about what an evangelist is, and it’s really interesting, is when you look through scripture and about, the first evangelist was a woman who was just a shameful, shameful woman, a Samaritan. And she was rejected. Nobody liked her, nobody. One wanted to touch her. And there the savior of the world is chatting her up and it was so profound to her. She had the loudest voice because there the savior, the Messiah who she’d known about and she’s one of the loudest voices. And then you think of,
Evangelist Daniel King (08:26):
And she runs into the village and says, come and see a man and told me everything I ever did. And they’re like, you’re the woman who stole half the men in the village. We don’t even like you, but we’ll come and follow
Tara Hope Boehlke (08:38):
You. That kind of
Evangelist Daniel King (08:38):
Courage. And the whole village came out to meet Jesus. And he stayed there two more days and she brought people to Jesus. I love that story. It’s so encouraging because it shows that if you can just reach one person, maybe someone who’s down and out broken has problems in their life, if you can reach one person, you have the potential to reach an entire village.
Tara Hope Boehlke (08:59):
Amen.
Evangelist Daniel King (08:59):
Their entire community. Amen.
Tara Hope Boehlke (09:00):
And what’s really interesting about this is I see the women and the other women that came out of the tomb, they were crushed. They were like our savior died. They were there to take care of his body and he had risen, he was there. And their excitement as women was so profound. So you have some of the first evangelists were women, right? And what’s even more incredible about that is they both have this encounter with God. And I think it’s that encounter is what is the manifestation that power within us that when we’re able to speak with such fervor and such absolute, I had an encounter with God. And it’s not like any other encounter in the world and it changes you. It makes you fearless, it makes you courageous. And I think, do you remember when the disciples were talking, they came to Jesus. Hey, there’s people over there preaching your name and they don’t even know you. And Jesus is like, if they’re using my name, that’s how powerful his name is. So whether you’re an official evangelist or not, you know what the truth is, you’re still able to tell the truth.
Evangelist Daniel King (10:02):
I like your point about how the women who saw the empty tomb became some of the first evangelists to go and tell people Jesus is a lie. We saw him
(10:14):
And he came back to life and no one believed them. And some people say, well, you can’t really believe that these reports of the resurrection are true. But apologists have pointed out that if you were trying to make up a story, like you’re an author, you write stories. If you’re trying to make up a story and you wanted it to be credible, this is good. You would never put the news in the mouth of a woman because back then they wouldn’t have been considered credible. No one would believe them. But yet we know that the gospel is true because it was these women who came and were the first to share the good news that Jesus is no longer in
Tara Hope Boehlke (10:56):
The tune. And they weren’t afraid, just like the shepherds weren’t afraid. They were fearless because there was something so incredible that happened to them that they could not keep it inside. So my crushing was when my husband had died and after he died, I decided to devote my life completely to Jesus. I still didn’t know what an evangelist was. And I got married a couple years later and we approached Luis Palau and I said, we want to serve God, but we don’t know what to do. And he goes, Tara, you should go with my son Andrew, to Tanzania, but it’s probably too late. But two weeks later, we had our five kids taken care of our dogs, our house. And he took two weeks off of work and we went to Tanzania and I had my first taste of what it was to tell people about Jesus. I was, there was no going back. There was no other life to live. There was nothing else for me to do. I had found out, just like when Pete, he found out at the end of this book, spoiler, the maker said, you’re not pd the pathetic dump truck. You’re Pedro. He gave him a new name. You’re Pedro, the fierce firetruck. I built you to save lives.
(12:07):
And to me, when I understood that I don’t have a lot of education, I don’t have a lot of academics in scripture, but the Lord still built me to save lives. And he proved his point with saying, he’s looking, his eyes roam the earth, looking for somebody that will believe in Him, that will believe what he has to say, that he may encourage them. He just wanting people to say, yes, it’s not about us, but will we say yes? Will we trust him? Will we obey him? And I’m like, I’ve got no place else to go. So I’m yours. What do you want to do? I will go. Who will go? I will go.
Evangelist Daniel King (12:43):
That’s awesome. What advice would you give to women who maybe feel called to be an evangelist who want to be used by God?
Tara Hope Boehlke (12:53):
That’s a really good question. And it is to go to Jesus, pray first. If this is what you’re called to do, start simply start with your family and understand the significance to repentance, turning away from this world and giving yourself fully to the Lord. Understand truly what the gospel is, but start with your family. And that’s the one thing about women. Start with your kids. That’s a big deal. And then you go to your neighbors, start small. And there’s very easy introductions is you just tell your story. Why do you love Jesus? Or just listening to people’s, their hearts are broken, they’re scared. You listen to them, you pray. It’s like, can I pray for you? And then you give your testimony. I used to be scared too. I used to think I was worthless too. I used to be have a disease, whatever it is, you’ve got your story and it’s such an easy introduction into introducing them to Jesus and what he has done for you and what he wants to do for them. There’s no accident that you ran into them, but start small. And when you are a good steward of the small, then all of a sudden there’s a little bit more and there’s a little bit more. I started, Daniel did an incredible devotional the other day about
Evangelist Daniel King (14:09):
Obed, Edem,
Tara Hope Boehlke (14:09):
Obed, I want to say obediah all the time, Obed.
Evangelist Daniel King (14:12):
But
Tara Hope Boehlke (14:12):
He started small and the more he took care of that little bit and it grew bigger and it grew bigger and it grew bigger and it grew bigger. I started, I started literally in these bunkers,
Evangelist Daniel King (14:23):
You’re just passing out eyeglasses.
Tara Hope Boehlke (14:25):
Yeah, reading glasses, practicing the gospel. Thousands of times. I think I about have my doctorates, I’m sure by now. And every time the Lord would win somebody to Christ through me, I was like, this is crazy. This is the best. It’s like the lottery a hundred times a day. And now I’ve had the,
Evangelist Daniel King (14:46):
It is the best job in the universe, isn’t it? To be able to share the gospel, to see people turn from hell to heaven, from sin to Jesus,
Tara Hope Boehlke (14:56):
From death to life,
Evangelist Daniel King (14:57):
From death to life. It is the greatest feeling in the world when you give an altar call and people give their lives to Jesus.
Tara Hope Boehlke (15:05):
And the profound thing is knowing who I was for 40 plus years, I think what’s really, I was talking to Daniel the other day about this book called A Pilgrim’s Progress, and there’s a follow up book called Christiana and
Evangelist Daniel King (15:17):
By John Bunion
Tara Hope Boehlke (15:17):
By John Bunion. And at the end of the book, when
Evangelist Daniel King (15:20):
Christian Classic, every Christian should read both of them.
Tara Hope Boehlke (15:22):
Both of them, because one of them focuses on the man in Ladies read Christiana, read Pilgrims Progress first, but read Christiana because at the end of this book, when she crosses over the river and goes into the celestial city, and she didn’t know the Lord. In fact, her husband got called. Christian got called out of the city of destruction to go on his pilgrimage and left his wife and his children behind because the wife said, I’m not going. That’s crazy. And she even had her sons mock him. And so how I identified with her is I rejected Christ. I rejected his people, I mocked them. I lived my own life. I was the Lord of my own life. And the fact that God called me that he forgave me for my sin was enough for me to just like, I don’t even know the gratitude in that alone.
(16:09):
But then he goes, Hey, you want to play? And I’m like, yeah. So then now I get to do this thing where I’ve been to 45 countries and I’ve got to bring my middle name is Hope. I get to bring the hope. He gave me that name, and I get to give that hope away and it’s the best job ever. I have such a heart and a desire. The other part of me is like I want to take revenge on the enemy for what he’s stolen from me and others. And I can see everybody who’s been lied to and deceived and distracted from their eternal salvation. I know how much the enemy hates us and he’s wicked. And when I get to come in with something as simple as loving them with the word of God, fearlessly, boldly, courageously, truthfully, authentically, humbly, all those amazing, even though kind of a big deal doesn’t sound humble, but still it is. You watch, watch the light enter their eyes. And my daddy did that through me. He chose me, he counted me. He counted me of amazing men and women. What’s the word I’m looking for? He counted me worthy. That’s the word worthy to do such a thing, to wake up my brothers and sisters all over the world. It’s the best life ever.
Evangelist Daniel King (17:23):
That’s awesome. Well, thank you so much for being on the Evangelism Podcast. If someone wants to find out more about your ministry, what’s your website?
Tara Hope Boehlke (17:31):
It is i the letter IAM kbd.com. So I am kbd.com. This is the first. In this next year, I’ll have four other books coming out along the line of this. I’ll have this and Livy the Lousy Cowboy Boot, Abby, the Awkward Turtle, come and see what’s going on. And it’s all about my influence was different children’s authors that were Christian, but you didn’t know that they were Christian. But you could read through their books, the message, like Narnia, for example. There was a message there and a teaching there that really is quality for the parent reading it and for the child receiving it. So go there.
Evangelist Daniel King (18:10):
Yeah. So you’ll be able to find pd, the pathetic dump truck on Amazon, on Amazon, Walmart,
Tara Hope Boehlke (18:17):
Barnes and Noble.
Evangelist Daniel King (18:18):
So it’ll be available everywhere,
Tara Hope Boehlke (18:20):
Everywhere on September 23rd, 2025, depending on when you watch this, it’ll be available there as well as on our website. And just my whole heart would say, whether you’re called to be an evangelist or not, you actually are called to tell people, everyone you know about Jesus, there are people burning because you’re not talking to the person next to you. That person will burn unless they know the truth. So be that one.
Evangelist Daniel King (18:44):
Speak one more word to the person who doesn’t think that they’re a big deal, but you know that God wants them to be a big deal. Just speak a word of encouragement.
Tara Hope Boehlke (18:59):
I know what it is to be rejected. I know what it is. The words that came out of my mouth regarding me was so destructive. And it drew me to the point of death several times, whether it was emotionally, mentally, physically, I know what that is. And now looking back on it, I could see where the enemy was trying to stop this from happening because he knew that I am a weapon that was forged in the crushing and in the fire against him and his just wickedness to try to destroy all of us who are made in God’s image. So my encouragement to you to know of your value is to spend time in the Word and find out what he says. I am the words. When you say the words I am, you will believe every word that comes out of your mouth when you say, I am kind of a big deal. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am saved. I am redeemed. I am a child of God. You’ll begin to believe that and know that and live that, and it’s contagious. So go out there and let people know that God is good and that they’re kind of a big deal.
Evangelist Daniel King (20:20):
That’s awesome. Well, Ms. Tara, thank you so much for being on the Evangelism Podcast.
Tara Hope Boehlke (20:25):
Yeah, thank you for having me. Oh wait, this is a gift for Daniel.
Evangelist Daniel King (20:29):
Oh, thank you. I love books. I’ll put it in my library and I
Tara Hope Boehlke (20:33):
Or give it to somebody
Evangelist Daniel King (20:34):
Or give it to someone. I especially love books that have such a powerful message that will change people’s lives.
Tara Hope Boehlke (20:40):
All right. Thank you. God bless you guys.
