Last month we were blessed to have a team come from Fort McMurray Christian assembly in Alberta Canada.  They helped us with our construction project, encouraged us with their friendship, challenged us from Gods word and suffered with us on the trail.  It was a great joy to have them. There are too many things to recount so I will just let you in on the events of one day.

Here are my journal notes from the first day of our river trip:

Wednesday Sept 23rd
3:45 am - Up for Bible reading and prayer.
4:30 am - Load the van (13 people and our packs).
5:00 am - Drive to Chazuta.
6:30 am - On the boat and headed down river (spectacular landscape!).
9:00 am - Out of the boat and on the trail. Spirits are high. Backs are strong. Pace is quick.
12 noon - Now we’ve crossed several streams and passed through two pueblos, leaving NT's in the hands of many villagers. The 50 lb pack is starting to take its toll.  Really hot (100 F, 90% humidity). No food since dinner last night.
2:00 pm - Rob looks like he might faint. Sick, overheating, foot blisters, aching back. How are we going to carry him out?
3:00 pm - We have painfully stumbled into the village of Leche (not our destination yet).  Water! Shade! Breather!
4:00 pm - Forded the Chipurana river on a balsa raft....  The march continues...Rob is just barely stumbling along on the trail now.
5:00 pm - Every step is agony. Heavy packs, swollen blisters and overwhelming heat.  Hungry! ...
6:00 pm - FINALLY!  Our destination point for the day.  The village of San Jose.  We've walked 20 miles in difficult conditions today!  Rob miraculously made it.  Thank the Lord that he didn't die of heat exhaustion!
7:00 pm - After lots of back slapping (ouch), hugs and hand shakes from the brethren, Sister Leonor opens her humble home to 13 sunburned, sweaty, hungry and muddy gringos with aching backs and torn feet…. She killed her last three chickens for us!  Chicken, rice and noodles rarely tastes so good! There is nothing like the family of Christ!
8:00 pm - We limp over to the main square to our planned open air meeting.  Crowds gather.  The body doesn't want to cooperate but the heart longs to preach the gospel. The body aches but the spirit is aflame for Christ.....  Brother James preaches from Mark 10:45.  I translate.  New energy is infused.  Fire in the bones.  Much joy in proclaiming the glories of our great God and His plan for salvation!
10:00 pm -  Vocal cords are shredded.  Body is exhausted.  Head hurts from prolonged preaching without microphone.
11:00 pm - Bible reading and prayer.
12:00 midnight - Boards and a mosquito net for a bed. Rats scurrying about overhead. Strange smells. The sound of a million cricket symphony!   Joy indescribable.


Missions quote for the day by John Piper:  “But whatever you do, find the God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated passion of your life, and find your way to say it and live for it and die for it. And you will make a difference that lasts. You will not waste your life.”

Micah for the Tuttle's