The Lord continues to do great things in the jungle!

Tupac Amaru

When we arrived in Tupac Amaru we found that people had come from all the surrounding villages to hear us preach. As I talked with the crowds it was evident that they think I’m a prophet.  The last time I was in this village it was just before Covid hit and I happened to preach on Revelation 6 where it speaks of coming pandemics…. Covid arrived in their village about a week later…I told them that Covid was little kid stuff compared to what happens during the great tribulation and that I’m not a prophet… just an electrician that preaches the Bible..... 

That night I preached in the open air to a riveted crowd. The Lord really seemed to work on the hearts of many. The sense of urgency was palpable and the hunger was real. The next day we spent several hours in teaching and in prayer. There were many tears as we worked through some tough issues in the church but Jesus did great things. Praise the Lord!  

Ricardo Palma

The next day we arrived in Ricardo Palma to a torrential downpour. The dark storm clouds were indicative of the spiritual reality here. Wolves in sheep’s clothing had recently tried to creep into the church. These false teachers had promised miraculous gifts to those who would follow them and they were attempting to divide the brethren, steal some of the sheep and appropriate our church building (newly built by a missionary team just a few months ago). 

As soon as I found out about the problem I spent most of my time teaching from the scriptures and counseling the believers on how to stand firm in the truth and stay unified in the gospel. I was very encouraged by the two leaders, Etson and Bernabe, who had many questions but were not swayed by the false teachers.

That night I went through the town calling out an invitation for anyone and everyone to come to the open air gospel meeting….. Most of the villagers came out to listen. I was too exhausted to preach after having taught all day on the dangers of heresy so Josh and Javen gave the messages on this night. That did an excellent job! 

The next day, after praying together and saying our goodbyes, we headed up the river, just after we left I realized the offering that I set aside for the church was still in my pocket. I’d completely forgotten. Instead of turning around, I resisted the urging of the Holy Spirit.... only when I realized I’d forgotten my Bible too did I really feel the pang of disobedience. Even though it added two hours to the trip I turned the boat around. God would have me get that gift to them one way or another! 

Achinamisa

When we walked into Achinamisa we were met with the excited squeals of little kids who started running at us from all directions. As we walked by house after house, people greeted us and then  anxiously asked if I was gonna preach….. After lots of handshakes and hugs and cordial greetings I went straight to the village loudspeaker and preached for about a half an hour. The whole village listened intently. 

When I had finished preaching I went to the school and I was able to convince the director of education to let us into the grade school for an “Horita Feliz”. Soon we got the kids meeting going and Elizabet, Grety, Mya and Autumn were working hard with a big group of energetic kids. 

That night the main square was full of people as we got our open air meeting going. Pool and Josue gave the first two sermons and then I wrapped things up with a longer message from Luke 16….  The Lord seemed to use it. There was a kind of stunned silence afterward…. No repentance or professions of faith though (God knows).  

Hot and humid night.  By 2 am my sheet and pillow were drenched with sweat. Did not sleep well at all. Morning devotional at 6….. Jave gave a great message on Job 28. He’s been a big help on all these river trips! 

After breakfast we had a very productive and LONG (3 hrs) “question and answer” time with the brethren  …..  The brothers had about 20 theological questions that they were eager to find answers for. These are always very helpful times of good discussion and reflection around open bibles. These were probably the most important hours of the whole trip. Praise the Lord for faithful, available, teachable brothers in this village! 

Yarina

Our next stop was Yarina. This is a village I haven't visited for a while. It just hasn’t been at the top of my list because the church here is a bigger and healthier church that doesn’t need a lot of visits like the others do …. BUT they were begging me to preach there so I finally gave in. 

The brothers and sisters really treated us first class. They gave us a $50 ofrenda to help with travel costs! (No one does that).  Lots of food. Lots of hot coa coa. They even put us up in a “hotel”… no electricity and no water, but they brought in buckets of semi-clean water to flush and shower with.

That afternoon a supposedly demon possessed lady was brought to me. They said a witch-doctor had put a curse on her 12 years ago and ever since then she’s been mute….. Well, I don’t seem to have the gift of exorcism and the girl is still mute but her family was extremely encouraged by the time we spent with them and for the prayers on her behalf.

There were a lot of people at the evening open air. Preached from Genesis 19. Good conversations afterward. The whole church gathered in the church building at 11pm wanting a second meeting (about 70 people in this church…. One of our biggest)….. Finally got to sleep at 1 am and then woke up at 5 am for the devotional at 6 am with the whole church. 

While Rut Raquel held a women’s meeting I (like the day before) went and convinced the director of education to let us into the grade school for an “Horita feliz”.  Thank the Lord for permission! The sisters on our team preached to 200 kids for about 2 hours! 

I was able to escape for those two hours and go downriver in a canoe with brother Isaias (the main elder in Yarina).  We checked his trip-wire shot guns along the shore…. But found nothing. Then we went to his chacra and brought back all kinds of fruit. Good time catching up with him about the state of the work…. He is doing a great job with the church in Yarina and with missions to the surrounding villages! He’s a really key guy in these parts! 

After a scrumptious lunch of wild boar meat and hot chocolate we prayed with the brethren and had a time of emotional parting words. Then it was hugs and handshakes and goodbyes. Finally we loaded up in the boat and headed for the next village. Thankful for what the Lord did in this village! 

Pelejo

From the moment that we arrived in Pelejo it seemed that the whole village was ripe for harvest. There was "mucha expectativa" everywhere I went as I did house to house evangelism. At one point I was walking down the street and an entire family was gathered and hoping I would come by.  There were about 20 people present and they quickly persuaded me to come into the front room and share from Gods word.  They were all ears as I shared about righteousness, the judgment to come and forgiveness in Jesus. A woman named Georgina made a profession of faith right then and there while the rest of the family was visibly moved.... Talk about a divine appointment! 

For many years the church in this town had been divided and feuding.  As a result their testimony was completely lost and the gospel was held in ridicule by the rest of the villagers. Then about a year ago I was able to have several meetings with the men involved in the division and the Lord ended up bringing a tremendous amount of repentance and humility to both sides. It was SO ENCOURAGING to walk into this village and immediately see the results of a unified church.  The believers are doing awesome and the new-found unity has made the whole village sensitive to the gospel.  Recently the church has seen seventeen new converts!  Where there is unity there is salvation!     

Missions quote for the day by John Wesley: "Untold millions are still untold." 

Micah for the Tuttle's