I write this at 2:00 a.m. Thursday morning. Javen, Cullen and I just got back from a wake. A man in our church died today.... He'll be buried tomorrow... This man, "Rafael" claimed to be a Christian but has been living for the last few years in fornication. I was able to talk to Rafael on several occasions about his sinful lifestyle and warn him of God's discipline. He refused to listen, refused to repent and refused to turn from his sin.... and now.... he's dead.
Just three months ago Rafael was in great shape.... but then God's hand began to weigh upon him (Psalm 32:4) and the discipline began. I really believe that God gave Rafael chance after chance but finally, the line was drawn, and the words rang out: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb 10:31). What a warning to us all! If you insist on continuing in sin it would be better that God kill you than for you to go on defaming the name of Christ! (1 Cor 5:5).
When we arrived at the wake the crowd of unbelievers found out
that I was a preacher so they asked me to give a word from the Bible. I
jumped at the opportunity and took the next hour to preach
the gospel. It was a tremendous opportunity as this captive crowd listened intently to every word. These were people that I don't think would have listened to my preaching in any other context but when faced with the death of a close friend they were instantly "all ears" to hear what the Bible has to say. Please pray for those that heard!
Missions quote for the day by Larry Osborne: "Life is too short and hell is too hot to just play church.”
-Micah for the Tuttle's
What fun we've had over the last few days! Planning and scheming about how to love and serve Christ by sending food for the believers in Papa Playa, many of whom have lost whole crops in the recent flooding, has occupied much of our attention.
As we've worked out, we're hoping that the food in this truck is enough to sustain 50 families of four (complemented by their daily catch of fish) for at least a couple of weeks. There are about that many families represented at the village church, and we're making a gift of beans, oil and pasta for each family. Plus, the store where we bought most of the things was inspired and donated 10 boxes of panetones free of charge! Now, that doesn't happen every day!
Of course we couldn't take enough on this trip to give a gift to everyone in the village. But we have some really cool ideas for ways to use this opportunity to bring glory to God and hopefully the gospel to people, if we're able to send more later on this month. We're looking forward to it.
Our visitors, David and Joana, arrived yesterday from France, today assisted in loaded the truck, and will be with Micah until tomorrow finishing off the food drop; along with Miss Mya who is making her first river trip with Daddy!
Please pray that above all things the Lord would receive much glory from every aspect of this project: from how the items and the gospel are presented, to how the people receive them. Pray also that the people would see Christ and that the eyes of their hearts would be opened to His word and to His Spirit's working.
We are figuring on taking a truckload of rice within the next couple of weeks. But, I think we'll have to take a bigger truck! It is exciting it is to be part of a rescue project! Several of you have offered to send money to help. We consider ourselves lucky that we're the ones who actually get to deliver Christ's love into their kitchens. They are going to be SO excited! Oh, and those of you who have joined with us on this project by praying or sending, we too, want to THANK YOU!
May the Lord bless you as you continue to seek and serve Him.
Amy on behalf of the whole tribe.
Boas, alligators, electric eels, pink river dolphins and piranhas are all residents of the lake at Navarro. Checking the fishing nets in Navarro can be a very interesting experience! Last week I was able to not only check the physical fishing nets but also the spiritual fishing nets.
Navarro is a village of about 300 people and is situated at the foot of the mountains in the Huallaga valley. This village first heard the gospel from Bert and Colleen Elliot about 55 years ago and in the following years had a thriving church. But today there are only about 10 believers that are going on for the Lord and trying to be a witness for Christ in this rather hard-hearted pueblo. I was able to spend the last three days with these precious brothers and sisters trying to encourage them and spur them on in their walk with the Lord and in evangelism.
On the first night of my visit we went to hut to hut and invited the people out to the open air meeting. The problem we faced that night was.... we were battling the television. The "well-to-do-people" in these villages are starting to get electric generators and that means that most evening hours are spent sitting in front of the T.V. At about 6 p.m every day the generators are fired up and the crowds begin to gather until everyone is mesmerized and helplessly captivated.
When the main brother in Navarro saw that few people were coming to the gospel meeting and that we were losing the battle with the television he went around to all the 'T.V huts' and announced: "The Lord's servant, Miqueas, has come to preach the Bible and if you all watch T.V instead of listening to the message.... you might end up being damned for eternity"...... Immediately the generators were turned off and the crowds hurried over to the main square. The people came and listened with great interest and attention! The following night the generators were never even turned on and even more people came out.
The war on television was won... at least for a few nights. Please pray that the Lord would work in the hearts of those who heard the gospel in Navarro.
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| This fish was caught in the net but the piranhas got to it before we did |
Micah for the Tuttle's
Dear brothers and sisters,
Please watch the following video and imagine that this was your dining room and kitchen.
The months of February and March bring extra rains here to the northern jungles of Peru. This year has been the worst in recent memory for many of the villages along the Huallaga river.
Many of the pueblos are completely flooded and the people are facing very difficult times because of the loss of their crops. Rice, Yucca, and plantains are the food staples here and most of those crops have been destroyed by the excessive flooding. The main source of food and income for these people would have been harvested within two weeks time... but it is now gone... swept down the river.
Last week I visited "Papa Playa" (one of the key villages that I visit on my regular circuit). This pueblo is suffering worse than the others because of it's low elevation and has been under water for about three weeks now. The church in Papa Playa is one of the biggest and strongest in the area with about 50 members, all of whom are suffering great losses. Please pray for these people at this difficult time.
I hope to take a truck load of rice and plantains to the believers in Papa Playa soon. If you would like to help in the provision of some basic staples for the needy Christians in this village you can contribute by sending funds to Christian Missions in Many Lands Inc. P.O. Box 13, Spring Lake, NJ 07762-0013. On a separate piece of paper* indicate, ATTN: Micah and Amy Tuttle in Peru and that the money is for Flood Relief (*for tax reasons, we ask that you please don't write any notation on the check itself).
Missions quote for the day from Amy Carmichael:
-Micah for the Tuttle's
Just arrived back home after visiting several villages along the river where we were able to preach the gospel and encourage the brethren. The following video is a quick update about some of last weeks events.
....As darkness crept into the surrounding jungle Eber and I slogged through the mud and battled the torrential downpour that had just hit. After about 45 minutes on the trail we came to a huge bog and had to cross it on some lashed-together logs. The 10 foot long pole wasn't long enough to touch the bog's floor so we had to manage by hand-paddling our way across. Another 30 minutes down the trail and we came to the village of Inayuca. We asked which way to Navarro and then followed the indicated trail. Just when I thought we were about to get lost for sure a drunk came down an adjoining trail and claimed he could get us to Navarro. (Does God send drunk angels?).... We had a flashlight and he had the trail knowledge so we made a good team in the dark maze of paths. It was quite an experience being led through the dark and stormy night by a staggering drunk.... In the end we made it to Navarro where the brothers were anxiously awaiting our arrival. We went straight to the meeting and preached our hearts out just as we were, soaked, muddy and tired, ..but happy to be used by God for the encouragement of His people.....
- said of John Geddie
Our church here in Tarapoto is slowly but surely growing as the Lord blesses us with a general spirit of encouragement in the assembly. Last Sunday we had about 90 people at the evening evangelistic service. It is great to see the Lord bringing this growth after having started with just ten people four years ago. Now we are dealing with the good problem of needing more space as we have become quite crammed in our small building. Please pray that there would be genuine spiritual growth as well as numerical growth.
Two weeks ago we crammed about sixty people into a bus and went to a nearby river where we baptized seven new believers. Two of those believers were Javen and Cullen, our oldest boys! We praise the Lord for their desire to identify themselves with Christ and His people. It was a great time of encouragement and fellowship with our church body as we obeyed the our Lord's command to baptize the new disciples in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Please pray that these brothers and sisters would go on for the Lord!
I have been spending a lot of time lately doing pastoral visits and discipleship. It is amazing to see how encouraged the brothers are when I show up at their house without warning. I try to ask how they are doing spiritually, physically and economically and then share an applicable passage from scripture that has to do with their situation. After praying together I go on to the next brothers house and do it again. This pastoral work has actually opened up several evangelistic opportunities as family members and neighbors many times want to listen in on what we're talking about. Please pray for this ministry.
Missions quote for the day: Robert Moffat writing to his parents from London shortly before sailing for Africa, he said: "Oh, that I had a thousand lives and a thousand bodies! All of them should be devoted to no other employment but to preach Christ."
Micah for the Tuttle's
Last Thursday Amy and I celebrated 18 years of being each others valentine! God has blessed me with a wonderful wife who is totally opposite from me in many ways but at the same time is the perfect compliment to my personality and character. I thank the Lord for giving me such a precious partner.
Someone has said: "How can you learn to love unconditionally if your spouse meets all your conditions". It's true! It is so easy to put conditions on our love without even realizing that we do it. I'll love you if you act this way..... or I'll love you if you look that way.... If God's love was based on conditions we'd all be in real trouble, but it's not and we ought to follow His example. "Lord help me to love my wife unconditionally"
Amy has dedicated herself to me and to our five our kids. It is so easy for a Christian woman today to neglect her family because of ministry or secular work or a thousand other distractions but Amy has decided to take the path less traveled and to invest her life in Javen, Cullen, Bria, Josiah, and Mya and I. I'm a very blessed man to have Amy as my wife!
When we got married we were 19 and 20 years old and we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We had no idea that the Lord would bless us with so many neat kids. We had no idea that the Lord would lead us to be missionaries in the jungles of Peru. I had no idea what a treasure I had found in Amy. Praise God for his good gifts!
Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: “Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.” Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. (Proverbs 31:28-31)
-Micah for the Tuttle's
Many of you have been asking about my health.... I am now fully recovered and able to, once again, wrestle with the alligators (OK, only the baby ones like you see in the picture below). Thank you for your prayers. The Lord has answered them! Our whole family is doing well and we are grateful for God's many blessings.
Chris Mattix, a missionary friend from Bolivia, is visiting us this month. He has been preaching and teaching in most of our church meetings and is a real encouragement to the believers here. The brothers and sisters have been coming eagerly to the studies to learn more about #1 church history and #2 Islam (two of Chris' favorite subjects). I think everyone here wants to convince him that he should stay in Tarapoto :)
Last week Chris and I took a trip down-river to a village called Callanayacu. The name is Quetchua and means "salt water". This area is known for it's huge salt mines from which the villagers harvest thousands of tons of the white preservative every year. Aside from the salt veins, the scenery surrounding this pueblo is spectacular. It is nestled in the beautiful mountains of the high jungle close to several streams that come cascading down the nearby slopes and into the Huallaga river.
The believers were very hospitable and they gave us their best accommodations and food.... a hard dirt floor and plantains is about as good as it gets in Callanayacu :) We had meetings during the day with the church and open air meetings at night with the whole village. It was a great time of ministry and Chris was a big encouragement to the believers. It was his first time "deep in the jungle" and although he appreciated the experience, I think he was glad to make it back to civilization without getting sick :)
One afternoon a brother took us into the forest to see some waterfalls. It was about an hour long trek in which we crossed several streams and traversed some incredible landscape. Praise God for his creation! The area was like the garden of Eden as we came to a beautiful pristine pool fed by a crashing stream of crystal clear water. After a wonderful swim we were told that the pool contains huge boas and alligators (I should have figured that something was up when none of the locals wanted to jump in with us)..... In reality, I don't think it was that dangerous and we survived without incident.
The assembly in Callanayacu started about three years ago when a few men from there happened to be in a different village where I was preaching. After hearing and believing the gospel they eagerly took the message back home and ever since then the Lord has been working in peoples lives. Slowly but surely the church is growing and there are now 14 adult believers in this village of about 250 inhabitants. Every time I visit Callanayacu there are new believers wanting to be baptized and this was, once again, the case. Please pray for the newest convert, Demetrio, and that he would go on for the Lord and be a useful instrument in His hand.
Missions quote of the week: “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God" - William Carey
Micah for the Tuttle's
Amy has kept you all updated on my health and now I guess I should give you a personal update to let you know about the last week and how I'm coming along now..... After this, we just need to stop talking about it :)
thanks to the recommendation of our doctor in trujillo, and a little help from our friends, we located the neurologist in tarapoto and micah got to his personal clinic around 8pm last night. going to the neurologist proved to be a really GREAT idea. he was the second in tarapoto to suggest or suspect meningitis, well, except for my own self of course, but i would never say 'i told you so' to a doctor or anyone else for that matter, at least not directly. ;)
from what i can piece together from the conversation (which is not much from this distance), the neurologist was pretty confident right away that micah does have meningitis, even before doing the expensive test. micah was annoyed by said expensive test. thinking he was doing it only at my and our trujillo doctor's insistence, with his splitting headache and weakened state he was made to sit up perfectly still for a seemingly everlasting 10 minutes. however, the test did confirm to the doctor that something was going on with the left lobe of his brain which was in fact causing his aforementioned splitting headache.
a full night's rest, several injections and a handful of pills later, micah is doing notably better this morning. his voice finally has a little of its music back (as opposed to the scratchy stutter-y sound of the last couple of days). yay!
however, rejoicing aside, there are still some questions that remain to be answered that will help us to know if micah is pulled fully out onto the road to recovery or if he's only just to the onramp. ;) meningitis can be caused by malaria and tuberculosis and even all by its very own self can be pretty contagious. which of course would have repercussions for our whole family.
please rejoice with us and praise the Lord for His marvelous mercy AND keep praying that the doctors will be thorough and that we'd get it all taken care of!
thank you SO much for your prayers and for taking the time to send those encouraging notes! micah expressed via the patchy cell phone connection this morning, that he'd read the e-mails and that they were a HUGE encouragement! again, thank you SO much, you may never ever know how much of a soul booster those personal notes can be!!
y'all are the best :)
