The last few months have been quite a whirlwind of travel and evangelism and preaching and family and fun.  The Lord continues to help us as we attempt great things for our great God and His great name.  About a year and a half ago we committed to help with a church planting effort in Watsonville California.  At that time we already had a very full calendar of ministry events that stretched two years ahead of us but we really wanted to be involved in establishing new assemblies in North America and the door was wide open in California so we decided to try to fit this ministry into our already busy itinerant schedule…. Well, its been pretty crazy…. exciting but exhausting… For every open spot in our calendar we try to get back to Watsonville to be with the team and to do as much evangelism and discipleship as we can but we've been spread pretty thin and it has been difficult.  When in California we live in our travel trailer in the local KOA campground and its a pretty tight space for the five of us :)  

Yes, there are only five of us traveling together now…. Amy and I and the three youngest kids, Josiah (18) Mya (15) and Ellia (8).  Bria started Emmaus back in August, while Javen and Cullen have already graduated and are beginning to pursue Masters degrees in Psychology and Communications......  Our kids are really growing up fast... Its kind of shocking!  In fact, Javen and his fiance, Autumn, are getting married on January 2nd!  We look forward to adding Autumn to our family!  It's crazy to see our kids growing up, becoming independent and (in Javens case) starting their own families. Most of all we thank the Lord that all of our kids really love the Lord and are walking faithfully with Him!

God has blessed the preaching of His word and it seems that He has used us as we have traveled from place to place in His service.  In August I preached 21 times as we went from Eagle Fern Camp near Portland Oregon to Koinania Camp near Santa Cruz California then to Dubuque Iowa where we got Bria set up at Emmaus.  Then in September the travels continued as I was preaching in Minneapolis, Jefferson City, Las Vegas and again back in Dubuque. In October we went from Chicago Illinois to Portland Maine to Greenfield Iowa to Shannon Hills North Carolina to Seattle Washington and then back to Dubuque for our annual mass tract distribution on Halloween night.  After preaching a few times in various places in Iowa at the beginning of November we made the 30 hour drive back to California, got set up at our camp site and now we've spent most of this month trying to help with the house church here as much as we can.          

We have a fantastic team in California and the Lord is really blessing the small assembly that has begun there.  As our schedule clears up we hope to be more and more present and more involved with the work in Watsonville.  We do have a little bit more craziness planned for the first part of 2023 before we can really focus on California though.  Next up on the calendar is Portland Oregon, then Lubbock Texas, then Dubuque Iowa, then Appling Georgia and then Tarapoto Peru.  By the month of May we hope to find a house to rent in Watsonville so we can really put all of our focus and energy there.  Living and working out of a campground is fun for about two weeks and then you realize that a house would really be a lot better :)  Please pray that we might find something suitable for our family and ministry!  

MEMORABLE EVANGELISTIC ENCOUNTER #1

          

Halloween is the best tract distribution day of the year! In the space of about two hours, the Lord brought more than 1500 people right to our door step….. all of them were asking for a treat so we gave them the best treat the world has ever known!  Ghosts and demons and even the devil himself came right to us and practically begged us for a gift.  Ellia gave them a treat for their tummy and I gave them a treat for their soul.  

Going door to door to do tract distribution is generally hard work but every year on October 31st the world actually comes to our door!  I hate how Halloween celebrates death and glorifies demons… but I love the opportunity it provides for Christians to get the gospel into the hands of hundreds of people in a very short amount of time!

The day after Halloween Amy and I went to the dentist.  While the hygienist was working in my teeth she said: “I took my kids trick or treating last night and I think we went by your place on Grandview where all the crowds of people go from house to house….”  I said: “Oh, You did?” 

She said: ”Yes, I think you were the one giving out candy with a little Jesus pamphlet.”  I said: “Ha! Yep that was me.”  

She said:  “With all the ghosts and zombies and tombstones, my kids kept asking about what happens after death…. And then we went to your house and you gave them that Jesus thing and ever since they’ve been asking me about God, and heaven and hell.…” 

I said: “That’s great! the state of your soul and your eternal destination is pretty much the most important topic there is.  I’m glad they’re talking about it.”  

The hygienist said: “We’ll, we’re not religious people but your tract got us thinking…. Thanks for giving those things out.  We’re going to read through the whole thing tonight as a family.”

MEMORABLE EVANGELISTIC ENCOUNTER #2

Several weeks ago I flew into Las Vegas to spend a few days with eleven brothers in prayer and evangelism. When I arrived the guys that picked me up took me to Dunkin Donuts for a coffee.  After coming out of the coffee shop I immediately felt like I should go over and speak with a man that was looking at his phone while sitting on the sidewalk. 

I walked up to him and said “Hello, I know that this is kinda weird but I’m a preacher and I just arrived in Las Vegas and I’m trying to get to know the place…… I’m wondering what you’d say is the greatest need in this city?”

He was stunned and said: “I know nothing about God but I think He’s trying to get through to me…. Right now I’m watching a rapper battle on YouTube and I just happened to pick one where this Crip gangster guy is battle-rapping a Christian dood who keeps on countering with Jesus raps…. I never listen to Christian rap but I just randomly clicked on this one and the Jesus freak keeps on responding to the gangster with these God messages….. He’s actually really good and its convicting me….. I was just now thinking that this city needs Jesus….. and then you walked up and asked what I think this city needs most!”

I laughed and said “Yeah, God seems to set up these divine appointments for me all of the time :)”  ...... We went on to have a great conversation about Jesus.  

MEMORABLE EVANGELISTIC ENCOUNTER #3

While here in Watsonville, we had the opportunity to go to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was amazing!  There was an unbelievable display of marine life….. and it all seemed to scream: “Glory to God!” 

There were many marine biologists on hand working to answer questions and give explanations at each display, so I began to talk with them one by one.  After thanking them for the great work that they were doing and then commenting on the delicate balance of life in the sea and the amazing complexities of the obvious design all around us I asked them what their thoughts were on evolution vrs creation….. it resulted in several great gospel conversations.  

I had one particularly good dialogue was with a young man in his twenties.  

I asked him: “As you observe and study all of this fascinating marine life, what’s your conclusion…… Did it all come about through creation or evolution?”

He answered: “Well, I believe in science and science shows us that it all came about by evolution.”

Then I said: “Okay, let me kind of ask the same question from a different angle….. As you look around at this amazing facility where thousands of people come to see these things, what’s your conclusion….. Did this building come together by a builder or did it take millions of years to slowly establish itself here?”

He smiled and answered: “Well, a builder of course…. Okay, you’ve got a good point… I guess it would make sense that there’s a Creator who created everything we see.”

Then I said: “So, my next question is: Do you think there’s an afterlife or do we just cease to exist when we die?”

He said: “Well, if there’s a God who created everything then I guess there’s probably an afterlife.” 

I said:  “Last question…..  if there’s an afterlife then where do you think you’ll spend it? In heaven or in hell?” 

He said: “honestly I would probably go to hell if it exists…. I’m sleeping with my girlfriend and getting drunk from time to time and I’m doing a lot of stuff that isn’t right.” 

I replied:  “Does that concern you?”

He said: “Yes, I want to be right with God if He’s really out there… I’ve started to think about these things lately and…… it’s like God sent you to give me a wake up call.” 

I said: “What’s your name?”

He said: “Jonah”

I exclaimed: “What!? ….. That’s a Bible name….. and it’s the minor prophet that comes right before my Bible name…. My name is Micah!”

Jonah said: “Yeah, I grew up in a Christian home and my parents took me to church three times a week… it was never real for me but ever since I moved out I’ve totally abandoned the faith.”

I replied:  “You seem to be acting a lot like the Jonah of the Bible…. You’ve been running from Gods will to do your own.”

Jonah answered: “Wow! I guess that’s a good way to put it…… Man, I don’t think it’s by random chance that I met you and that we’re having this conversation….. Did God tell you to come talk to me or something like that?”

We continued with a long and fascinating conversation and it was quite clear that the Lord was working on the heart and conscience of Jonah. 

Missions quote for the day by Nina Gunter: "If you take missions out of the Bible, you won't have anything left but the two covers"   

Micah for the Tuttle's

The last couple of months have been a complete whirlwind of ministry and travel and family and fun. At the beginning of June we drove from Watsonville California to Turkey Hill Ranch Bible camp near Jefferson City Missouri. After three weeks of preaching at camp we drove back to California to be a part of a conference at Yosemite national park.  Following an intense week of ministry there in the beautiful sierra mountains we traveled on to Portland Oregon where we visited friends and family and churches and then helped for a week out at Eagle Fern Camp. 

Eagle Fern Camp

Epic Evangelistic Encounters

Nearly everyday I've been having epic gospel conversations with people out on the streets here in Watsonville California.  Yesterday I had a great evangelistic encounter with a guy named "Jonathan".  I asked him if I could interview him on camera and he was more than willing to do so. As we talked he said he's been in and out of jail, had many near-death experiences and is wondering why he's even on this planet.  He was "all ears" when I told him that God has some great reason for protecting him and preserving his life up to this point.  I told him that true meaning and purpose in life can only be found in Jesus who "jealously desires the spirit that He has made to dwell in us." (James 4:5).  Soon we began to talk about sin, righteousness and the judgment to come.  He was very thankful for the conversation and said that he was going to start reading his bible...... I'm always amazed at how ripe the harvest for souls is!  People everywhere are searching for answers and want to talk about spiritual things if you come to them in sincerity and humility and a willingness to listen to them. 

In mid April we left our Travel Trailer and the campground and Watsonville California which has been our home-base for the last year or so and we set out on what will be an intense couple of months of travel and ministry.  Our travels will take us to Oregon, Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Utah, Missouri and then back to California again.  Please pray for us!     

After driving to Portland, I left Amy and the kids with our families and I flew to Lubbock Texas to teach through the book of Revelation at the Discipleship Intern Training Program. I had a fantastic time with the students going through the Word and seeking the Lord together!  Every hour was put to good use and even when I wasn't in the classroom I was able to do quite a bit of shepherding and council and evangelism.  One of those days we went to the Texas Tech campus and set up a white board on which we had written the question: "How do you think the world will end?" There was amazing interest from almost everyone we talked to!  There were many great individual conversations and some of our team even started a little evangelistic bible study to which several people came and engaged in excellent, and friendly conversation. 

When my week in Lubbock was done I flew to Des Moines, IA where I preached on Sunday morning and then awaited Amy and the kids who were driving from Portland Oregon to meet me there..... Little did I know the saga of Mechanical problems that the van would have along the way.... Our van has served us so well for the last four years as we've driven it all around the country (about 120,000 miles) without any problems. But on this trip it finally broke down with a transmission problem.  Amy and the kids ended up being stuck in Salt Lake City Utah for six days.... but the Lord was in control and provided for our needs in every way!  A friend of a friend of a friend graciously opened their home to Amy and the kids and fed them and gave them beds to sleep in and helped direct them to a good mechanic.  We are thanking the Lord for the body of Christ! What a blessing!  It took a while but now we are back on the road!        

There are always evangelistic encounters to be had along the way!  The other day I walked into the bank to deposit a check and when the clerk saw my name, she asked:  "How do you pronounce your name?" I pronounced it for her and then I said: "It's a name from the Bible..... I'm sure you read your Bible every morning... right?".... She hesitated and then said: "No, I don't really read the bible too much."  I replied: "Oh, well I'm sure you probably read it in the evenings then, right?"..... She was very interested and said: "No, I don't read in the evenings either but I've actually been thinking that I should start." I replied: "Oh, yeah, you really got to begin today!.... but back to my name, I'm named after the prophet Micah... He comes right after Jonah in the O.T..... you know the story about the big fish?".... She said that she wasn't familiar with that story and then she put on a sad face and said: "I do know that some guy died though.... Can't remember his name" .... I said: "Are you talking about Jesus?" She replied:  "YES!  That's his name."  ...... At this point there was a line building up behind me and everyone in the bank was listening intently to our conversation.... I said: "I know that you need to attend to these people in line but just let me tell you that Jesus didn't stay dead...  Did you ever hear that part of the story?"  She said: "What!?.... No, I don't really know anything about this"... I replied: "When you get done with work you need to go home and start reading, but let me just leave you with this statement:  "We see the death of death in the death of Christ because death couldn't hold Him."  She looked rather perplexed but repeated that statement slowly, thoughtfully and kinda loudly.... You could see the wheels were spinning. I said: "Jesus loves you.... start reading THE BOOK today."  I turned around and gave fist bumps to everyone in line and then left the bank, happy for another chance to scatter some gospel seeds.     

Missions quote for the day by George Peters: "Our God is a God of missions.  He wills missions.  He commands missions.  He demands missions.  He made missions possible through the death and resurrection His Son. He made missions actual through the sending of His Holy Spirit."

Micah for the Tuttle's

Here in Watsonville California our team is committed to daily prayer meetings.  We really feel that if we are going to see a fresh work of God in these last days we will need to seek Him in prayer.  We pray that our great God would do great things for His great name and His great cause.  Some days our prayer meetings are in one of our homes, some days they are through zoom and on Fridays they are in the park.  It's amazing how praying in the park opens up doors to share the gospel with people that are passing by and wondering what we are doing.  After about 30 minutes of prayer in the park I usually leave the group and go sit by someone on a bench at the playground and say: "You see those people over there gathered in a circle with their heads bowed?..... I'm with them and we are just praying for our community.... I was wondering if you had any specific prayer requests that we could pray for?"  That almost always leads to an awesome gospel conversation.        

One of those great evangelistic conversations took place a few Fridays ago when I went over to a guy named Daniel who was shooting baskets at the BB court adjacent to where we were praying.  He had a big back-brace strapped around his waist and chest and spine.  I had tried to talk to Daniel before but he was always distant and didn't really respond to spiritual conversation.... until this day.  

I asked him my question about what we might be able to pray for and he told me that two weeks ago he had heard voices in his head telling him to jump off a high roof top and kill himself..... It was a long story but in the end he woke up in a hospital surrounded by doctors and nurses.  He said that immediately he knew that God had spared his life for a reason, that he had been given a second chance and that he was hoping "Micah" would come back to talk to him more about the Jesus whom he had previously ignored..... For the next couple of days we met together and talked through the gospel for long periods of time.  It is amazing to see how God has really shaken him into reality and now he's "all ears".        

Another person who is "all ears" here is a woman named "Ernestina".  She is a Mexican who makes a living picking strawberries in the fields around Wastsonville.  Since the first day we arrived here in California she has been a good friend that Amy has poured into.  She is not a believer yet but she seems to be very close.  About two weeks ago Ernestina made a big dinner for 30 people at her house and when she gave a speech (which Amy translated) it was evident that the Lord is really working on her, even in the midst of some difficult circumstances.  She has been struggling with some health problems, she is dealing with a few rebellious kids and to top it off her estranged husband recently died... Tough stuff!  People need the Lord!    

One of the best things that we can do in our ministry is to have a strong marriage.  I love my wife!  God has entrusted me with a certain daughter of His and I want to do my best to love and nurture and take care of her.  We want to be continually working on our marriage and building our family.  One of the ways that we want to invest in our relationship is to attend marriage retreats or conferences from time to time.  Last weekend Amy and I went to a Focus On The Family marriage retreat in Branson Missouri.  It was a great time to get away together and learn some tools that will help us communicate and work together better.  I believe that a strong marriage and family life is one of the greatest evangelistic tools that we can have and it should reflect to the world the love that Christ has for His church.  

Missions quote for the day by Robbert Moffat:  "Oh that I had a thousand lives and bodies!  All of them should be devoted to no other employment but to preach Christ to these degraded, despised, yet beloved mortals."  

Micah for the Tuttle's

Many of you know that during our epic jungle trip in Peru last month I tested positive for COVID.  After quarantining for 10 days and finally getting a negative test we were able to travel back to California.... but for some reason my fevers persisted.....  The day after we landed in Los Angeles I went into my third round of high fevers and we soon found out that I had malaria.  At temperatures of 104F I was miserable and we were about to cancel a speaking engagement in Iowa that was scheduled for five days after our arrival in the USA.  But before canceling, a doctor friend in Kansas helped Amy get my case figured out and they were able to get me some hydroxychloroquine.  I took the first dosage that night and then went to bed feeling like death.... When I woke up in the morning I felt WAY better so I decided to take my flight to Cedar Falls and attempt great things for our great God at the Iowa youth rally.

As the weekend in Cedar Falls progressed I slowly came out of my head-fog and I regained my strength.  Im not sure how, but it seems that everyone at the youth rally could understand my rambling messages :) It ended up being a fantastic time and the Lord really seemed to use it in the life of many that were there.  Whenever I preach at these kinds of meetings I'm filled with a sense of urgency and passion to be used of God as a useful instrument in His hands.  The weight of responsibility to preach Gods word to His image bearers is always crushing. The prophet Amos called the message a burden... It is indeed a burden.... one that I happily bear.  But oh, the relief when that burden has been unloaded and left in the hands of the only One that can truly transform lives.          

After the meetings in Iowa I arrived back in Watsonville California just in time for Michaels baptism.  Michael is the guy that I've referenced before about how the Lord has recently saved him out of a life of drugs and debauchery.  He began attending our house church about a year ago and is now reaching out to his friends that are seriously interested in the changes they see in him.  Many of his friends came to the baptism and listened intently as I preached a solid 40 minutes on the forgiveness that Christ offers us.  It has been awesome to see how Jesus is transforming Michael and setting him free in so many areas! 

Missions quote for the day by Dr. Moffat Gautrey: “The gospel is not an “old, old story, freshly told…. No, rather it's a fire in the soul, fed by the flame of Immortal love, and woe unto us, if through our negligence, that fire burns low and we refuse to stir up the the gift of God that He has put within us.” 

 Micah for the Tuttle's  

  

One of the best things that I can do for the church leaders in the jungles of Peru is provide them with Bibles and study materials. Burt Elliot taught me many years ago that the brothers will value it much more if it costs them something.  So I charge a pretty steep price :)  One brother paid me with a turtle (which Ellia loves). Another traded me a baby chicken for his bible (a second pet for Ellia).  Yet another brother gave me a bag of beans for a systematic theology.... Ellia didn't really care about the beans but the brother sure loves his new book!

Many of us have whole libraries of bibles and commentaries and study materials but most of these jungle preachers have a New Testament and nothing more.  I love to see the look on their face when they get their hands on a whole bible.... complete with study notes, definitions, maps, cross-references and a lengthy concordance.  Yes, the look on their face and sometimes the tears in their eyes .... those are golden moments for me.  

It was great to go from village to village these last few weeks and try to encourage the saints in each of the churches.  Some of the churches were doing really well and others were really struggling.  In my observation the spiritual health of the church is directly tied to the leadership there.  If we can raise up healthy and mature spiritual leaders we will usually end up with healthy and mature church congregations.  Last month was full of invaluable meetings with those church leaders as I tried to encourage them in word and deed and by getting them some helpful study materials.  As we went from village to village doing this we made many lasting memories.  

The following story is one of those unforgettable experiences that left a lasting sense of urgency in my bones:  .... Upon arrival in Ricardo Palma we could hear great wailing and bitter lamentation.... A man had died... He had passed just minutes before we got there. The deceased along with his whole family were know to be vehemently opposed to the gospel but when we came with a financial gift for the burial they listened intently to my message from Psalm 91. As I prayed there were loud and uncontrollable sobs from the many family members that had crowded into the house. What a sobering reminder of the hopelessness of finishing this life without Christ.  This lifeless body whose spirit had just departed served as an urgent reminder that people need the gospel now.... not tomorrow... NOW!

When we stepped outside there was a smoldering fire that was slowly consuming some tripas next to the hut.... Beside the fire stood a little piglet. He was very close to the fire and seemed to be gazing into the flames.  The vivid illustration hit hard.... Jesus said that hell is a place where their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched.  So many souls that stand at the precipice of hell and don't even know that they need to be saved from the wrath to come!

C.T Studd famously said: "Put your ear down to your bible and hear God bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire that they ares stepping into. Put your ear down to the burdened agonized heart of humanity and listen to its pitiful wail for help.  Go stand by the gates of hell and hear the damned entreat you to go to their fathers house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there.  Then look Christ in the face whose mercy you profess to obey and tell him weather you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world." 

Filled with a great sense of urgency we took the gospel hut to hut, spent time investing in the leaders, held children's meetings, pleaded with souls and then that night we preached our hearts out in the open air to a pitiful and precious and needy crowd of villagers.  

Micah for the Tuttle's

We just wrapped up an epic jungle trip along the Huallaga river!  The DITP institute from Lubbock Texas joined us as we visited 6 villages in 9 days.  Our long week was filled with children's meetings, hut to hut evangelism, plentiful feasting and open air preaching. We suffered thousands of bug bites, a few sunburns, three swollen ankles, two cases of Covid, two poisonous snake encounters and some general exhaustion, but besides that we ended the trip in pretty good shape :)

The second half of our journey required a sixteen mile hike to get from one set of villages to the next... it took us 11 hours.... We crossed two rivers and numerous smaller creeks. The terrain was steep and the trails were extremely muddy.  In order to keep hydrated we had to stop and filter water several times out of the sediment clouded streams.  Of course the jungle is always hot and the humidity is oppressive, so after hiking for hours on end with heavy backpacks your energy levels really start to drop.  We were thankful for a big rainstorm which came at about midday and brought the temperature down while giving us a good soaking. 

Cullen and Josiah were way ahead trailblazing the way for everyone else. Amy and Bria carried their own 40lb packs the entire way.  Mya gave her backpack to the pack-animal about halfway through, but persevered on her own two legs to the end.   Ellia, our seven year old daughter, went on horseback for most of the way until the animal took a scary fall and slipped down a muddy bank into a creek.  The horse somehow avoided crushing Elia and she was okay but pretty shook up.... We thank the Lord for His protection!!! 

Finally, after about ten hours of slogging down the trail we arrived at the Toasapa river where some brothers were waiting for us with canoes to take us the rest of the way to the village of Vista Alegre.  If they hadn't come we would have been walking in the dark..... which is something that you should definitely avoid in the rainforest! 

An hour later we came to shore at the village port there were many people eagerly awaiting our arrival. We were greeted with a lot of hugs and backslaps and hearty handshakes. One brother had slaughtered a pig for us and we had a real feast waiting on the table. That night the whole village came out to the open air meeting.  Cullen preached the gospel, Percy gave his testimony and I preached on the return of Christ.  The Lord really seemed to use it and there was a great response. But I must say that after eight days of preaching at the top of my lungs my head was hurting and my vocal cords were shredded.  

At about 3:00 am the next morning one of the villagers went to the pastors house and woke him up, wanting to get right with the Lord. He said that he couldn't sleep all night because he was thinking about Christ's return and how he wasn't ready. At breakfast we ended up having an epic meeting to address the mans concerns.  The house was totally packed out and after a message from Revelation 1:6 two people made decisions for Christ. Shortly afterward everyone made their way down to the river where I baptized three new believers. It was a powerful time and very exciting to see the Lord work!

Today we landed at our home in Tarapoto Peru!  We are beyond excited to be here with the brethren for the next several weeks and there are many ministry events on the schedule that I will be reporting about in the next blog.  But for now let me just say that it took many minor miracles to get here! There were so many hoops and obstacles to go through it was unbelievable.  We had to have the right face-masks and the right documents to go on the right flight with the right Covid tests, taken within the right time frame and, of course, all for the right price :/ ..... Yet, it all came together!  We are praising the Lord!     

I have let too much time go by without a blogpost/news-update and so many things have happened in these last two months that I cannot relate them all here. Exciting evangelistic encounters seem to be a regular occurrence wherever I go and there are many stories I could tell but let me focus on the one that is having the most multiplying effect.  This is just a short testimony about what the Lord has done in the life of a man in Watsonville named Michael.   

About a year ago one of our team members (Micah Williams) invited Michael to visit our little house church.  At the time Michael was growing and selling marijuana and dabbling in Hinduism, and was really searching for spiritual answers.  Fast-forward several months and he is now growing in a different way..... He is growing leaps and bounds in Christ!   I've been teaching Michael how I read the bible and how I take notes each morning and he's really putting it into practice.  He sends me a screenshot nearly every morning of all his notes from the 12 chapters he reads each day!  He's been reading his bible with reckless abandon and soaking up everything he's taught!  One of the other guys at our house church gave Michael a book on holiness which he immediately devoured and then yet another brother has been meeting with Michael and teaching him how to pray.  

When Michael learned from Dave Reeve how to lead a bible study he started asking some of his old marijuana friends to read the scriptures with him and they were so curious as to what had happened to their friend that they actually came .... and with great interest!  Michael invited Ceasar who, in turn invited Julian.  Michael also invited Tony who invited his friend Jonathan and now they are all quite excited about what they are finding as the read through the gospel of John.  All of these guys are pretty rough around the edges but precious in Gods eyes! 

A bible study with unbelievers is quite different than your typical "church cell group".  While doing the study the other night I was offered pot more than once, the F-word was quite commonly used to express joy over what they were discovering, there were plenty of cigarettes on the table and one guy even slipped into an off-colored joke.... but then caught himself and apologized.  But it was within that kind of context that there were actually some really good questions and some really good discussions about evil the world and suffering and the judgement to come.  A couple of times there were tears of joy but mixed with a trembling in fear of God.  There was no religiosity, no pretending to be something that they aren't, just a genuine interest and an honest searching of the scriptures.  We spent four hours in the first chapter of John that night and there were some amazing discussions about the person and work of Christ.  That particular  study was one of those awesome God-ordained moments that I will always remember.  Please pray for Michael as he continues to reach out to his friends!          

Missions quote for the day by Lawrence Tribble: "One man wakes, awakens another, second one wakes his next door brother. Three awake can rouse a town and turn the whole place upside down. Many awake will cause such a fuss, it will awake all of us. One man wakes with dawn in his eyes, surely then it multiplies."   

Micah for the Tuttle's