Life has changed greatly for us in the last month and a half. Some of the most notable differences are the temperatures, the smells, the food, the language, the technology, the people, the highways (it is laughable to compare the NJ garden state parkway with the dirt road that goes to our house in Tarapoto).... Needless to say, we have experienced a bit of "reverse culture shock". What hasn't changed are the many opportunities to preach God's word and encourage His people. The Lord has opened many doors for us to visit different assemblies and emphasize what every Christian's missions should be: Make Christ's name great wherever you are. So far our schedule has been pretty full as I have been preaching several times each week. There have been youth conferences and missions conferences; there have been evangelistic meetings and church meetings; there have been times of wonderful fellowship and times of deep conversation. We thank God for every one of these precious moments!

Thirty days of evangelism
One thing I have missed from our ministry in Peru is some personal evangelism on the street. I decided last week that I am going to get back on track and commit to "thirty days of evangelism". The goal is to share the gospel with at least one person every day for thirty days. It can be with the guy at the gas station or at the cash register or in the park or on the side-walk.... But the key is; you have to have at least one clear gospel conversation with an unbeliever each day. When you make a conscious effort to do this it really makes life exciting! Please pray for me as I look to share the love of Christ with people I meet as we travel this month to different places (Des Moines IA, Miami FL, NYC).


Family
Everyone in our family has thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people and seeing new places but in the midst of all the pandemonium Amy is working hard to keep our kids on track with homeschool. Javen and Cullen are preparing to take their SAT's on March 11th. Bria and Josiah are advancing in the areas of math and history. Mya is reading and writing better everyday and Ellia is learning to sleep without a pacifier. Our family life has been greatly aided by Christian Missions in Many Lands and their guest house where we have been able to stay since Christmas. It has given us stability as we adjust to a different kind of crazy routine here in the USA.


Missing Peru
We are very much enjoying ourselves here on the east-coast but at the same time we miss Peru a lot! We often times sit down as a family and we remember our church and our Bible institute and the villages and our friends and the culture and the food and we wish that we could be in two places at once. The following video is one that I put together in an attempt to give a challenge and an encouragement towards missions. It gives you a quick look at our life and ministry in Peru during the last few years. We have shown it in several churches and with this posting I am now retiring it to Youtube.



Updated schedule
We have an exciting schedule ahead of us that is very full until September when we plan to head back to Peru. The Lord has blessed us in an amazing way with a 12 passenger van and a travel-trailer that will help us immensely as we drive some 30,000 miles over the next few months! We are so grateful for His provision! Here is what our foreseeable itinerary looks like:

"26 below" youth conference in Dayton Iowa (February 24-26)
South Florida missions conference in Miami FL (March 3-9)
Missions conference in Rochester NY (March 24-26)
Missions conference in Baltimore MD (April 7-9)
Youth and family conference in Ferrum VA on April 15-16
Hispanic missions meetings in Roxboro NC (April 18-20)
Regional youth rally in Raleigh NC (April 21-23)
Missions conference in Murfreesboro TN (April 28-30)
Houston Texas (May 2-19)
Iowa (May 21-25)
Portland Oregon (May 30-June 4)
Missionary Orientation Program in Harrisburg PA (June 5-8)
Indian conference in Dallas TX (June 9-11)
Portland Oregon (June 12-16)
Hispanic brethren conference in Santo Domingo, DR (June 17-26)
Portland Oregon (June 27-July 31)
Calgary Alberta (August 6)
Fort McMurray Alberta (August 8-14)
Leave Javen and Cullen at Emmaus in Dubuque Iowa (August 18-31)
Tarapoto Peru (September)

Missions quote of the day by Ann Judson: "A little while, we are in eternity; before we find ourselves there, let us do much for Christ."

Micah for the Tuttle's