On October 1st we wrapped things up with the Bible institute and on October 2nd our whole family jumped into the car and we drove 1000 kilometers (16 hours) over the Andes mountains and down to the coastal city of Trujillo. We spent 4 wonderful days at the beach with most of the other CMML missionary families that are working in Peru. This scheduled retreat was an extremely encouraging time for everyone involved. We were able to pray for one another, hear about the work in different areas, fellowship, eat and have fun. Phil and Mary Parsons came from NJ to encourage us from Gods word while Dan and Peggy Covert came from Seattle to help out with the children's ministry. We thank God for His servants that He sends for encouragement and for times like these to get away and rest.
When we arrived back in Tarapoto we had about 24 hours to unpack and get ready for a team of friends and family that came from South Dakota for a ten day visit. Paul and Anita Carrette and their four kids came with Sean and Hanna Mustian and encouraged us greatly with their company and eagerness to work. They helped with several projects around the house like framing, painting and deep cleaning. We had lots of fun too as we beat the heat by visiting our favorite lake (laguna azul) went rock jumping at a nearby creek and enjoyed the refreshing waters of Tarapoto's famous waterfalls (ahuashiyacu). As far as ministry goes Paul and Sean each participated in open air meetings in which I translated for them. We also did several pastoral visits to some of the believers homes and even fit in an overnight river trip with everyone, little kids and all.
It's not easy to take little kids on over-night river trips where the living/sleeping/bathroom conditions are less than ideal but that's just what we did... and we survived! We loaded up the boat and cruised about 2 hours down river where the brothers and sisters eagerly awaited our arrival. The brethren helped us haul our baggage out of the boat and up to the church building. They tried hard to serve us in whatever way they could. After a scrumptious meal of smashed plantains we headed over to the main square of the village for an open air meeting with the church. We sang, Sean preached, then I preached and we sang some more. Finally we got to go to sleep at about 10:30 p.m in our 13 different tents which we had set up in the upper room of Brother Rember's house. The next day started with a 4:00 a.m meeting where I preached again (let's just say that not all the gringos made it to this service). Chicken soup (not from a can) was on the menu for breakfast and then we went for a short 30 minute hike through the jungle to one of the brother's coa coa plantations. After seeing where chocolate comes from we continued on to enjoy a natural hot water spring. The kids all had an unforgettable experience while the brethren in the village were greatly encouraged to see these gringo families experience "the village way of life".
Missionary quote for the day by George Whitfield: "God forbid that I should travel with anybody a quarter of an hour without speaking of Christ to them."
Micah for the Tuttle's
