Merry Christmas! God took on flesh and blood and came to earth to make things right! That means we've got both good news and bad news. The good news is “God is here”.... The bad news is: “God is here”.... the same truth is both good news and bad news..... it just depends on what side of that truth you find yourself. If you are surrendered to Christ this is great news..... He’s your Savior! But if you’re rebelling against Him.... this news is terrifying..... He’s your judge!
I'll be preaching this good news, bad news message in different ways and different places this holiday season. Please pray for me as I proclaim the gospel to about 400 Indian Hindus on Christmas day in Des Moines IA! What an opportunity! After we spend December 25th with our Indian friends in central Iowa we will head to Murfreesboro TN for a conference where I'll be speaking to the youth and teaching on discipleship. From there, Amy and I will head to Branson MO for a marriage retreat and then finally in mid January we all head to Peru for two months! Can't wait to see how the Lord will teach us and use us in all these places!
Missions quote for the day by C.S Lewis: "The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God."
Micah for the Tuttle's
We are living the dream! What a joy to do ministry from place to place with my wife and kids at my side! Over the course of the last two months our family has experienced a real whirlwind of travel as I have been preaching, teaching and doing evangelism in the places where God has opened doors for us. We have been given opportunities to make Gods name great in NYC, Greensboro NC, San Fransisco CA, Baltimore MD, Plumbsteadville PA, Pittsburg PA, Omaha NB, Nashville TN, Guttenburg IA and Dubuque IA. So many things can be said about what the Lord did and how He is working in each of those places but it would take a whole book to put them all in print.
As we travel across the continent there are many encouraging things that we've seen God doing but at the same time its shocking to see how North America is rapidly turning away from the Lord and from His word! As I feel overwhelmed with a sense of urgency to get into the battle I ask myself what can be done? The answer that always comes to mind is "Pray and Preach... Pray and Preach" .... So pray and preach is what I do.
Probably the most important event that I participated in during the past two months took place in San Jose CA where I went to a five day long prayer meeting. Twelve men came together from different places around the country to simply pray. An Airbnb house was rented and we basically prayed all day every day. We put a map of North America on the floor, got on our knees around it and prayed for hours that the Lord would spark revival in the land. It was a special and powerful couple of days as we sought our great God and asked that he would do great things.
Amy and I see our ministry as an all out effort toward preaching the gospel and inspiring missions with urgency anywhere and everywhere we can..... We are grateful for God's clear direction and the busy schedule that He has given us with itinerant work in the USA and beyond. We thank the Lord that He has opened up many doors for us to preach His word and to encourage His people.
We do not have a salary and we do not work for a company or any kind of an organization. We remain CMML missionaries that are commended from Eastgate Bible Chapel in Oregon and we simply depend on the Lord to provide for us through His people so that we can dedicate a full time effort to missions in the States. Thank you to all of you who pray and give. It is greatly needed!
Missions quote for the day by Jim Elliot: "Father, make me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me."
Micah for the Tuttle's
Bogota Colombia
Last week Amy traveled to Bogota to help Brian and Sharon Killins pack up and prepare for a move. The Killins have been faithful missionaries to Colombia for forty years and the Lord has used them to plant more than 20 churches in and around Bogota. They have had a tremendous impact on so many lives in so many ways over the course of so much time. The house church movement that they started, began in their apartment in 1978 and then spread across the city. Now, due to new ownership of their building they have been forced to look for a new place to live. Packing up after living somewhere for so many years can be difficult!... So Amy and her good friend Betsy went to the rescue! Amy and Betsy brought good cheer, motivation and a tireless work ethic to help get the job done. It was a whirlwind trip of just five days but the Lord used Amy greatly for the help and encouragement of these dear missionary friends. May the Lord raise up more missionaries like the Killins!
Day Break Point Bible Camp
We spent Labor Day weekend on Anvil Island near Vancouver B.C. About 130 young people showed up for this college and career retreat where I preached several messages on revival. We had a great time meeting new people and encouraging one another in Gods word. The scenery was incredible and the fellowship was even better. The Lord was really working in many hearts and some of our most precious moments were spent with individuals in conversation about the person of Christ. It is my prayer that the Lord would raise up a new generation of bold believers that would give everything to make His name great among the nations!
Share the gospel with everything that moves!
In between our latest trips and over the course of the last two weeks I’ve been able to form an evangelism team here in Dubuque. A great core group of gospel-workers has come together and we have been able to share the love of Christ with many lost souls... It has been exciting to see the Lord work as we've gone out two by two passing out tracts, doing questionnaires and preaching the gospel in downtown Dubuque. Several contacts have been made and a few bible studies have even been started! Please pray for this work. It is so encouraging to see many college students jumping into this ministry with zeal and fervor! May we be guilty of "turning the world upside down" (Acts 17:6).
The Tuttle-tribe
We are so thankful for the wonderful family that the Lord has given to us! Javen and Cullen have begun their third year at Emmaus. Both of them have befriended some pretty high quality girls whom you can see in the picture below! Bria and Josiah are driving with their permits now and are very involved in their youth-group. Mya just turned twelve years old and is really growing up! Ellia is five years old and is a pro at bringing joy and happiness to everyone she talks to. Homeschool is a big part of life for Bria, Josiah, Mya and Ellia. Please pray for them as they learn and grow and come closer to the Lord with each passing day.
Missions quote of the day by George W. Peters: "Our God is a God of Missions. He wills missions, He commands missions. He demands missions. He made missions possible through His Son. He made missions actual in the sending of the Holy Spirit."
Micah for the Tuttle's
Epic Evangelistic Encounter At The Iowa State Fair!
1 comments Posted by the tuttle tribe at 8/27/2019While walking through the huge crowds of people at the fair last Saturday we decided to strike up a gospel conversation with a few cowboys… boots and hats and chaps and all. They were sitting on a bench sipping beer and taking in some sunshine when I walked up and asked them if they would like to participate in a questionnaire about family perspectives. Immediately it was evident that they were totally drunk… but they were also totally interested in the questionnaire! Three of their sober friends gathered around and also agreed to participate. So we dove into the questions:
1. Someone has said that the family is the basic unit of society. Would you agree?
2. How would you define a family?
3. What do you think is the most important element in keeping families together?
4. Do you think religion plays an important part in raising children?
5. Were you raised in any kind of a religious environment? Did that up-bringing help/hurt you?
We had some great conversation about questions 1-3 and then when we got to #4 one of my drunk cowboy friends said: “I’m an atheist”. I responded: “Oh, how interesting, why?” In a classic drunken stupor he slurred his words while mixing them with all kinds of cursing and cussing but at the same time communicating that “God wouldn't approve of all the wars that have been fought in the name of religion” to which I responded: “I agree…. but let me tell you something: You’re not an atheist” He said: “Yes I am” I said: “No you're not” He said: “Yes I am” I said: “No you're not”. After about a minute of this back and forth he was exhausted and finally said: “I’m not?”
I responded: “No, you’re not an atheist… you know that God exists…. you just don't believe in religion… I actually don't believe in religion either…. religion is mans attempt to get close to God but biblical Christianity teaches that God did everything to come close to man and now He offers us a relationship not religion.” At this point the two drunk cowboys exchanged a surprised look and then they gave each other a big high five. The rest of the group started asking some really good questions and we had an amazing conversation for about 15 more minutes. Finally I put my arm around the atheist (who wasn’t) and I said: “can I read you a verse?” He said: “Sure” So I read 1 Cor 6:10. “Nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
I looked into his eyes with love and I said: “Cowboy, you're drunk…. You heard the verse. I’m worried about you…. What are you going to do on judgment day?” He looked at me and with tears rolling down his cheeks he said: “I don't know… What can I do?” I replied: “Look at the next verse! You can be washed! You can be sanctified, you can be forgiven in the name of the Lord Jesus. Your only hope is Jesus man! What are you going to do with Jesus?” My atheist cowboy friend gave me a big hug and just kept repeating “That’s what I need… That’s what I need.”
While this whole thing probably looked quite comical with the hugging drunk cowboy, it actually really was a serious moment for him and the rest of his buddies. Everyone of those hardened guys (some were drunk and some were sober) wanted to hear more about Jesus! Please pray for those cowboys and for the hundreds of others that heard the gospel last week at the fair!
Our whole family had a blast at the Testify camp where I taught evangelism to 40 valiant evangelists. After preparing in the classroom we went out and actually did it. The above story is just one of many awesome conversations that we had as we tried to share the gospel with everything that moved at the fair. Please pray that the Lord would raise up and inspire more evangelists to take the gospel into every corner of our dark and needy world.
Missions quote for the day by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:16 "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel."
Next up: Micah preaches at a college/career retreat on Anvil Island in BC Canada (8/30-9/3) Amy travels to Bogota Colombia to help long time missionaries and friends Brian and Sharon Killins (9/3-9-7)
Micah for the Tuttle's
After spending three amazing weeks at camps in PA, NJ and NY we finally headed back home to Dubuque IA. Now, after regrouping and repacking, we are off again. This time we are traveling a few hours west to Des Moines where we will be participating in an evangelism camp called "testify". I'll be teaching and preaching several times and I can't wait to see what the Lord will do as we go into the Iowa State Fair to share the love of Christ with anyone and everyone. Please pray!
As you pray for us during this coming week of ministry please give thanks to the Lord for the great things He did last week at Camp Li Lo Li! The camp was packed out with 280 souls most of whom were High-schoolers. There were kids from all kinds of backgrounds. There were non-churched kids, wrong-churched kids and super-churched kids. There was a huge need for the gospel. I preached 12 times in all and the Lord really seemed to use it! Every night I had several kids approach me and in brokenness wanted to talk about their spiritual condition.
One of my favorite conversations was with a group of atheist kids that had taken pages and pages of notes about my sermons. They had scores of questions for me. As we talked one of them was astonished and said that she had "never heard any of these things before!" I had another conversation with a nominally catholic young man who said: "Everything I've heard at this camp is totally contrary to what I've been taught my whole life". The biggest questions that these kids were wrestling with were about absolute truth, the reality of hell, the exclusiveness of the gospel and the free gift of grace.
The root behind all the questions and doubts was always sin and it was amazing to see the Holy Spirit working and convicting each one in the ways he or she needed it. Several young men came to me in great anguish about hidden sin. One couldn't even speak as he came to me with his problem. His whole body was trembling as we prayed together. Praise the Lord that our great God gives much grace and restoration when we come to Him in repentance and renewed trust in Christ.
Missions Quote for the day by John Stott: "We must be global Christians with a global vision because we serve a global God."
Micah for the Tuttle's
We have been on the east coast for two weeks now. The Lord has opened up doors for us to preach His word and encourage his people at a few camps this summer. Please pray that God's word would set our hearts on fire for Him and that He would raise up a generation of bold believers that would use their gifts and abilities in radical ways for God's glory.
A week ago we wrapped up a fantastic time at Greenwood Hills Bible Camp near Chambersburg Pennsylvania. Amy and I and the kids had a fun and encouraging time there with everyone who came out for the family camp meetings. I preached 13 times on the theme "revival" to a diverse group of young and old people. We had a blast as a family and at the same time we experienced some sweet fellowship with the saints. The Lord really seemed to use the messages. Many of the older people came to me with a brokenness over becoming spiritually cold. The youth staffers were greatly affected too. I was pulled aside by the staff leader who told me that the whole group of young people was up until 2 am on Wednesday night talking about the messages and were under great conviction. Please pray that the Lord would continue to work in these hearts!
Missions quote for the day by David Smithers: "God has huge plans for the world today! He is not content to merely establish a handful of struggling churches among each tongue, tribe and nation. Even now He is preparing and empowering His Church to carry the seeds of revival to the uttermost ends of the earth."
Please pray for us as we continue with the following schedule this month:
August 4-10 Li Lo Li Teen Camp near Allegany State Park NY.
August 11 Northgate Bible Chapel in Rochester NY
August 15-17 Iowa State Fair Testify Camp in Des Moines IA
August 18 Creekside Bible Chapel in Urbandale IA.
August 30- Sep 2 College and Career retreat at Daybreak Point Bible Camp (Vancouver BC)
Micah for the Tuttle's
The muddy and turbulent waters of the Huallaga river carried our rubber raft deeper and deeper into the rainforest. Brother Joel and I were on the first leg of our trip to the churches in the Chipurana valley! Yes, I was on my way to see the assemblies that I love so much that are situated along my stretch of river in the province of San Martin, Peru! The calendar said that Amy and I were supposed to lead a team to Spain but because of complications that trip got canceled. God knew what he was doing and miraculously, there was a flight to Tarapoto that was half the regular price even though the flight was for the very next day... so we decided to go for it! Now I found myself going to my favorite event of the year... I was traveling through the jungle for a surprise visit to the convention of river churches! We were armed with nothing more than our Bibles, prayer, and a great love for the brethren! Those people are my people! My heart is in those villages. I couldn't wait to see those precious souls that I had poured the gospel into for many years!
There were moments, while in the boat, that we got roasted in the sweltering heat and at other moments we got drenched in torrential rainstorms. Finally after about eight hours of alternating sun and rain, we arrived at the trail-head town of "Huimbayoc". After regrouping, getting some rest and some food we hiked another five hours with our 50 lb. packs on. The walk involved lots of mud and several river crossings. It was hot, it was muggy and there were lots of mosquitoes. But when we finally arrived at the convention village of Leche we walked right into a huge round of applause and a standing ovation from the brethren. They were stunned to see us! It was pretty humbling and flattering and exciting all at the same time. There were faces everywhere of men and women that I had led to the Lord and discipled at some point over the last 15 years. It was an emotional moment for me. It was intense, it was exhausting, it was awesome!
That night I preached my heart out in the open air meeting and the Lord really seemed to use it. In all there were six professions of faith during the course of the conference and I was able to sit down with all of them and really invest some quality time in trying to put them on the right track as far as how to read the bible and how to pray and how to meet with the brothers at church and how to grow spiritually. It was a great opportunity to get the local church leaders involved and to show them their responsibilities in discipleship.
All conversions are shocking but one of the most shocking salvation stories at this jungle conference was that of the town drunk. The man "Florencio" had caused so much damage to his family and really to the whole village that no one believed he had really become a Christian. I spent several hours with Him personally and then a few more hours with he and his wife and kids in family counseling. He kept on saying: "Las cadenas se me han caido!" ... "The chains have fallen off!" His wife and son were incredulous while his daughter was sobbing and afraid to even look at him. They hadn't seen him sober in months! It was an extremely heart-wrenching hour when Florencio tried to convince his daughter that it was for real. He kept pleading for forgiveness and proclaiming: "I'm free now"..... "I'm a new man now." Please pray for Florencio and his family! It will take time to re-establish trust, respect and love but in Christ he now has the power to live victoriously. It was a great honor to baptize Him the next day in front of his village and his hopeful family.
One of my favorite moments was when I walked into the children's Sunday-school meeting. About 40 kids jumped up and mobbed me! They were all yelling: "Hermano Miqueas!" "Hermano Miqueas!" ..... Every time I visit the villages I try to invest in the kids. I try to just love them and play with them and, of course, preach to them. They are the future of these villages and I'm always urging the adult brothers and sisters to pour into the kids! I had a blast sharing bible stories and singing and coloring with them while participating in a few of their meetings.
I tried to take advantage of every moment with the believers! When I wasn't preaching or teaching I was meeting with individuals or groups of ministry leaders. I tried to pray with them, share some encouragement from the scriptures and give counsel where they needed it. I met with the Bible teachers. I met with the evangelists who are regularly going out to preach in the surrounding villages. I met with the children's workers. I even had one meeting with the elders of the churches that went from 7 pm. to 2 a.m. on the last night. There wasn't much time for resting or sleeping but it was time well spent that the Lord blessed in many ways. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to invest in these brothers and sisters who are key ambassadors for Christ in their respective villages.
After some intense days of ministry we had to say our "good byes". Everyone wanted to know when I would be back again. That is always a difficult question to answer. My hope is to try to attend these key gatherings every six months but our schedule is busy with so many opportunities and doors that the Lord has opened up for us in North America and beyond. Some of the village churches are doing well and others are struggling. My heart longs to be there working along side them in the gospel but I know that God is sovereign, it's His work not mine. He has directed Amy and I and our family to the States for a time to inspire and encourage evangelism, discipleship and missions in the homeland. I'm called to a person, not to a place. The place may change but the person of Jesus never will. I can rest in that!
It was great to get back to Tarapoto and to civilization! After regrouping and resting for a few hours I was able to visit with many of the precious brothers and sisters there at the assembly in town. It is my mission to share some encouragement from Gods word wherever and whenever I can. I preached at a few church meetings, youth meetings and even on the radio. "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" It was also good to see the two missionary families in town and the team from Seattle that was visiting the Mattix family at the time. It was difficult to try and see everyone (My trip was just 10 days total). So I actually tried to sneak around town and go incognito hoping I wouldn't get distracted from the list of people I needed to see but every time I ventured into the center people would spot me and someone would yell out: “Pastor!” ....... A few even called out: “Predica hermano, predica!”
Missions quote for the day by Gailyn Van Rheene: "Missions is the very lifeblood of the church. As the body cannot survive without blood, so the church cannot survive without mission. Without blood the body dies; without mission the church dies. As the physical body becomes weak without sufficient oxygen-carrying red blood cells, so the church becomes anemic if it does not express its faith. The church . . . establishes its rationale for being—its purpose for existing—while articulating its faith. An unexpressed faith withers. A Christian fellowship without mission loses its vitality. Mission is the force that gives the body of Christ vibrancy, purpose, and direction. When the church neglects its role as Godʼs agent for mission, it is actually neglecting its own lifeblood.”
Its hard to kiss the jungle goodbye :)
Micah for the Tuttle's
The Lord has opened up many doors for us to preach His word and to encourage His people across the country. Over the course of the last two months we have traveled 20,184 miles and it has been great to see a remnant of believers everywhere we go that are not only praying for revival but also taking some steps toward it by doing evangelism and discipleship.
In April and May I was able to preach in Madison WI, Santa Cruz CA, Portland OR, Lincoln City OR, Houston TX, Rochester NY, Greenfield IA, Dubuque IA, Chicago IL and Atlanta GA. This may seem like a crazy schedule but we do this because we feel that the Lord has led us to work in this type of an itinerant ministry with a missionary focus here in the USA. Our mission is to make Christ's name great wherever and whenever we can by encouraging and teaching and exhorting God's people in the areas of evangelism, discipleship, church planting and missions.
It has been exciting to see how God provides for our needs. We do not have a salary and we do not work for Emmaus or any other kind of organization. We remain CMML missionaries that are commended from Eastgate Bible Chapel and we simply depend on the Lord to provide for us through His people so that we can dedicate a full time effort toward preaching the gospel with urgency..... Yes, to preach as if Christ had been crucified yesterday, risen today and coming again tomorrow. We are thankful for God's clear direction and the busy schedule that He has given us. Please pray for us as we long to be useful instruments in His hands.
Missions quote for the day by Unknown: "You win the battle in prayer, then you pick up the spoils as you minister"
Micah for the Tuttle's
Over the course of the two months that we were in Peru I preached 97 times. The Lord opened up doors to proclaim His word in villages, in cities, in church buildings, in market places, in parks, in houses, on the streets, and on the radio. It was exhausting yet invigorating. It was draining yet exciting. The strenuous schedule was worth the joy of being able to communicate the love of Christ with multitudes of souls!
A major highlight for me took place the day before we left Peru. I had the great honor of officiating the wedding of a brother that I led to the Lord and discipled about 12 years ago. Brother Eber accompanied me on nearly every river trip I did for the space of about 4 years. We became extremely close friends and it was a great joy to see him marry a godly woman that shares the same passion for Lord and His work. They plan to serve the Lord in a full time capacity in the church in Yurimaguas and also in the villages along the Huallaga river. Over the years I have challenged many young people in many churches and in many villages that I will pay for the wedding and the honeymoon of the first Peruvian couple who gets married as virgins..... I finally had the great joy to fulfill that promise! You can't put a price on purity! God always rewards it! May the Lord greatly bless Eber and Topacio in their marriage!
After 24 hrs of travel from Tarapoto to Lima to Miami to Chicago to Dubuque we finally arrived home! As we drove from Chicago back into a frozen solid Iowa we were reminded of the great spiritual need in North America! So many souls.... and churches... that are frozen solid. We were reminded why we are in the USA: To try to encourage and inspire and challenge a new generation in the areas of evangelism, discipleship, church planting and missions. We are praying that by the power of the Holy Spirit we might be able to help spark a spiritual fire that will spread across the nation. It is exciting to see what the Lord is doing and how He is opening up doors in many places!
Just a few days after being back in the frozen tundra of the midwest we tried to warm things up by doing a SPARK conference in Chicago. Amy and I and the rest of the team had a fantastic time teaching on evangelism and discipleship. These SPARK conferences are such a blessing and so encouraging to everyone involved... especially me. After preaching and teaching a few times on these subjects we sit down with all the attendees and brainstorm about what can be done to revive our frozen generation for the Lord. After brainstorming we go out and do it! It's always exciting to go into a mall or a neighborhood and intentionally share the gospel with anything that moves. Please pray that the Lord would continue to use these conferences for His glory!
The last few days we have taken a bit of a breather and spent some time preparing for the many ministry opportunities that are fast approaching. Here are some of the upcoming events that are on the Tuttle-tribe calendar. Please pray for us as we desire to be useful instruments in God's hands at each of these events.
April 4-10 Nashville TN (A/O Homeschool conference)
April 11-15 Freedom CA (SPARK)
April 25-29 Houston TX (First Colony Bible Chapel)
May 3-5 Rochester NY (Northgate youth conference)
May 3-5 Lincoln City OR (Eastgate ladies retreat)
May 8 Lincoln City (Lincoln City Bible Fellowship)
May 11 Portland OR (Global Challenge at EGBC)
May 12 Portland OR (Eastgate Bible Chapel)
May 23-26 Dubuque IA (Iron Sharpens Iron conference)
May 30-June 3 Atlanta GA (Youth conference)
June 3-5 Mountain Top NC (SPARK)
June 9-15 Dubuque IA (LIGHT)
June 16-23 Zaragoza Spain (BLAZE missions trip)
June 24-28 Rome Italy (IBCM)
Missions quote of the day by Lawrence Tribble: "One man wakes, awakens another. The second one wakes his next door brother. Three awake can rouse a town and turn the whole place upside down. Many awake can cause such a fuss it finally awakes all of us. One man wakes with dawn in his eyes surely then multiplies."
Micah for the Tuttle's
I spent last week in the jungle town of Yurimaguas where I taught at "Capacitación Biblica". This is a yearly event where brothers and sisters come from many of the surrounding villages for an intense two weeks of Bible training. Each class session was two hours long and I taught three classes: the gospel of Mark, the book of 1 Samuel, and "the Christian Home". Six hours of teaching in a hot and stuffy cement building with a metal roof made it feel like we were in a slow cooker oven, but the sweat pouring down my face only reminded me of my desire to burn brightly and to keep trying to set others on fire for the Lord!
In the afternoons and evenings I wrapped up each day by preaching either in the open air or in one of the various church meetings in town. Then at night, after a few hours of small group conversations with some of the students I would finally be able to curl up on a bench in the church building and try to get a little sleep. It was grueling, it was hard, I didn't sleep much and my vocal cords took a hit..... but it was awesome! I was constantly reminded about how at the end of our life we will wish that we had given more of ourselves to living for that day when every tribe, nation, people, and language will bow down at the throne and sing the praises of our Savior who delights in our efforts to make His name great.
One huge highlight of the week for me was the opportunity to go on a evening missions trip to an outlying village with a brother that I led to the Lord about ten years ago. Brother Llin (to my left in the picture below) came to faith in Christ when he heard me preaching in one of the plazas in Yurimaguas.... Ever since then he's been a tireless evangelist and a faithful shepherd of souls! The guy now knows his bible better than almost anyone and he has led many to faith in Christ. In the course of the last several years He has started a few village churches and has faithfully pastored the flock at his local assembly. It was a great joy to go with him (and two of the men that he's discipling) to the village of 'Jeverillos' where he is starting a new work. When we arrived villagers ran up to the motokar and kept exclaiming with great emotion: "Pastor Llin! Pastor Llin!" Everyone was so excited to see him! It was amazing to see a small crowd gather around to give him countless hugs and heaps of backslaps. We had a blast going from hut to hut sharing the gospel and praying for people. At dinner time there were families that were almost fighting over who would be able to host us with a meal of fish, rice and plantains! The love that these people had for Llin spoke volumes about his work there! After an awesome open air meeting we finally said our goodbyes at about midnight and started the one hour drive back to Yurimaguas. It was late and we were spent but our hearts were overflowing!
My experience with Llin, seeing his growth and his work in the Lord, filled me with an ever growing zeal to be poured out for Christ. Visiting this new work set my heart on fire! It was moving to see crowds of people who live in poverty but who also live with a passion for God's word. I was reminded that we owe the gospel to the world, to old people, to young people, to rich people and to poor people, to the best people and to the worst people. Yes, as Christians we are in debt to the nations! Llin is a great example of how missions should work! Please pray that the Lord would raise up more evangelists, pastors and teacher like him!
Missions quote for the day by David Platt: "What if we took away the cool music and the cushioned chairs, what if the screens are gone and the stage is no longer decorated what if the air-conditioning is off and the comforts are removed? Would God's word still be enough for His people to come together? Is His word enough for us?"
Micah for the Tuttle's
Missions quote for the day by Jim Elliot: "Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those that I come into contact with to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road, rather, make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another as they face Christ in me."
Friday, January 25
This morning Nate Bramsen and I headed into the jungle accompanied by a team of eight Peruvians. As we navigated the muddy waters of the Huallaga river we cruised through a torrential downpour and then into a furnace of thick humidity. This river cuts through the eastern-most finger of the Andes mountains in the north of Peru and then flows into the lower Amazon basin. Breathtaking scenery! Brings back so many memories of the numerous river trips I've done here in the past 10 years. This never gets old! Along the way it was as if God unfolded a stunning canvas of His art-work with rainbow’s, waterfalls and vibrantly green foliage covering mountains that were shrouded in fog. All of creation screams of our God’s greatness! At about 3 pm we finally arrived in the port of one of my favorite villages, “Achinamisa”. Immediately we were greeted by a crowd of excited brothers and sisters. Wow! I’ve really missed these precious souls! There was plenty of joyful backslapping, vigorous handshakes and bone crushing hugs. It’s so good to be back! Before we knew it we were having a children’s meeting in the church building and then shortly after that an open air meeting in the main square. First day translating for Nate! Its fun to preach with someone that shares the same passion and urgency! This week is going to be a real blast!
Saturday, January 26
Last night I was awakened by a rat that ran right across my chest…. Didn't sleep very well after that! From here on out I’m setting up my tent! We began the day in prayer, bible and singing with our team that I’m calling: “the tremendous ten”. Elizabeth and Nancy are awesome with the kids. Our twenty-year-old youths, Dino, Eber, Roger and Jhon are eager to help with anything and everything! Lucho and Yuri are tending to the boat and do all the heavy lifting while Nate and I are preaching our hearts out three times a day. We need to be careful to not lose our voices at the beginning of this trip. It’s hard to hold back when you see lost and desperate souls sitting all around the main square hanging on every word of the message being preached. Both last night’s and tonight’s open air’s have been powerful! Listeners left stunned. Today was the first of seven full days doing the following schedule: Team prayer, Breakfast, Children’s meeting, Lunch, Children’s meeting, Dinner, Open air meeting, Personal prayer, Sleep.
Sunday, January 27
Great to have the Lords supper with the brethren here! The fruit of the vine is hard to come by in these parts, no grape-juice or wine to be found in this village so we used coconut water. God sees the heart! ….. After the church meeting we continued with our program and gathered the, more or less, 60 kids that we've been working with each day and we did one last VBS meeting for Achinamisa. Nate has been tremendous with these precious little children! It seems like he’s always got about 4 or 5 kids hanging all over him….. As we slowly motored the boat out of the port I yelled out to everyone on the riverbank a quick reminder from Revelation 22 that Jesus is coming quickly. I kept preaching it from the prow until we were out of earshot and then i flung myself into the river…. just don't want to leave this village! When the boat turned around to pick me up we went on to the thermal hot springs down river. Boiling hot water comes right out of the ground and then splits into two waterfalls. Great place to rest, recharge and refocus! When we arrived in the next village of Yarina, we immediately rounded up about 70 kids for an unforgettable “horita feliz”. So many special little souls! Tonight people crowded around to hear as Nate and I preached our hearts out. Now my head is throbbing and my vocal cords are raw but my heart is bursting with joy. It doesn't get any better than this!
Monday, January 28
At our team devotional this morning a demon possessed woman came into the room, fixed her eyes directly on me and took from her bag what looked like an animal fetus and waved it all around my face while murmuring unintelligible things and then she finally left. Very spooky! God is my rock and my fortress, my shield and my strong tower! We prayed! Torrential downpour all morning! When the rain let up we said our goodbyes, jumped into the boat and headed to the next village “Leche”. After installing our camp on the boarded up second story of a brother’s house we went around inviting all the kids to come out to the VBS. Its amazing how kids eagerly come out of the woodwork in all these villages! We had a great meeting! After a scrumptious meal of Yucca root and Cacao we went on to do the evening open air. The adults here aren't as eager as the kids are…. Not too many people showed up to sit on the benches that we put out, they preferred to hide themselves and listen from the shadows. All the same, we preached with every bit of urgency that we could muster.
Tuesday, January 29
Last night the river rose about 10 feet! Lucho and Yuri had to wade in chest high water for about a kilometer to get out to where we had tied up the boat yesterday! This is actually great news. The more water the better! The tributary we had to take is usually only about knee deep but with all this extra water we cruised all the way to Santa Rosillo with no problems. What’s usually a difficult ten hour hike turned into an easy two hour boat ride! Thanking the Lord!…… Upon arrival our team scattered throughout the village and invited all the kids for our usual meetings. When the kids descended upon the church building, the whole team sprang into action. Nancy and Elizabeth gave the lesson, Lucho taught the memory verse, Dino, Eber, Jhon and Roger lead the small groups and when they all came together again I translated for Nate who gave his, as usual, very dynamic message. The kids loved every minute of it!
Wednesday, January 30
Today we ate Powfil (jungle turkey) for breakfast, we had anyuje (a large jungle rat) for lunch, and we enjoyed Sajino (wild bore) for dinner. In addition to our usual schedule of children’s meetings and open air preaching we also did some hut to hut evangelism today. After everyone had some good conversations I wrapped things up by preaching on the towns loudspeaker. At the afternoon VBS Brother Roger organized an epic tug of war battle for the kids. It was loads of fun for everyone! After a great time with the kids I was able to escape for a prayer walk down my favorite jungle trail with the Lord. Golden moments alone with my Savior! The open air meeting tonight was especially powerful as Nate preached about trusting God in the midst of difficult circumstances. Wrapped up the day with a midnight swim in the river and gazing at a billion stars overhead while flashes of lighting lit up the sky on the distant horizon. Spectacular!
Thursday, January 31
We’ve picked up another team member, brother Milton from Santa Rosillo is coming with us to preach in the last two villages. As our boat pulled away from the crowd on the riverbank, Milton’s dog decided to followed us! He swam behind us dodging logs and rocks. When he came to exposed sand bars he would run along them and then dive into the water again. Nothing could stop that dog from following his master. What a spiritual lesson! Everyone was yelling at him to turn back but he would not be deterred! …. The river is way down. Couldn't use the motor so we had to float most of it, pushing our way through with a long stick (tangana). Along the way we got stuck a few times on sandbars. Each time several of the guys had to jump out and push. This is the life! When we arrived in San Jose they were smoking wild boar guts over a smoldering fire…. I might fast tonight :) ….. After exchanging hugs and greetings our team sprang into action and we held our usual children’s meeting followed by preaching the gospel to everyone who would come to the open air. It’s amazing how people can be so hardhearted so as to not respond to Nate’s convicting messages. Just a reminder to me; “You respond Micah, you respond!”
Friday, February 1
Didn't sleep much because of the all-night drunken party and pounding music across the street. It was a good opportunity to pray and learn patience. After stumbling out of our tents and having a good devotional time we enjoyed a breakfast of champions: Mashed plantains that had been cooked in pig lard accompanied by one inch thick bacon slices and corn chicha. Delicious! …… It’s Bria’s Birthday today! I called her from the satellite phone in town. She is becoming such precious and virtuous woman of God! She said it was -30F in Dubuque IA! It’s +90F here. After the VBS we jumped in the boat and motored our way down the Chipurana river and then up a portion of the Huallaga and finally after about four hours we arrive in the village of Huimbayoc where we went for it again. This doesn't get old! Precious kids. Precious souls. Tonight we preached our last open air message and we tried to leave it all out there, didn't hold anything back! Finished with head pounding, throat aching, chest heaving. “Lord, please use these messages to spark revival in the land!”
Saturday, February 2
Woke up with strained vocal cords, small price to pay if Christ can be preached! We said our goodbye’s and then we began our long boat ride up river toward civilization. As we cruised along we ate smoked pork, plantains and rice which had been wrapped in banana leaves and sent with us for easy transportation. Sitting here in the boat I reflect on some of the things that God has used Nate to teach/re-teach me this week:
1. Don’t waste the difficult circumstances that God puts into your life. Turn them into opportunities, and find joy in the midst of the storm.
2. You’ve got to leave the work in God’s hands. He saves souls you don’t. He brings them to maturity in Christ you don’t.
3. Make disciples! Invest in faithful, available, teachable young guys that can carry on with the work. Life on life, live with them, give them an example but also give them an opportunity.
4. Focus on kids! Children are sponges. They are the future. They want your attention. They want your touch. You have a chance to impact a life that hasn’t rejected God yet.
5. Love people. Christianity is not only taught it’s caught. People see your love or lack of it.
Micah for the Tuttle's
