The muddy and turbulent waters of the Huallaga river carried our rubber raft deeper and deeper into the rainforest. Brother Joel and I were on the first leg of our trip to the churches in the Chipurana valley! Yes, I was on my way to see the assemblies that I love so much that are situated along my stretch of river in the province of San Martin, Peru! The calendar said that Amy and I were supposed to lead a team to Spain but because of complications that trip got canceled. God knew what he was doing and miraculously, there was a flight to Tarapoto that was half the regular price even though the flight was for the very next day... so we decided to go for it! Now I found myself going to my favorite event of the year... I was traveling through the jungle for a surprise visit to the convention of river churches! We were armed with nothing more than our Bibles, prayer, and a great love for the brethren! Those people are my people! My heart is in those villages. I couldn't wait to see those precious souls that I had poured the gospel into for many years!


There were moments, while in the boat, that we got roasted in the sweltering heat and at other moments we got drenched in torrential rainstorms. Finally after about eight hours of alternating sun and rain, we arrived at the trail-head town of "Huimbayoc". After regrouping, getting some rest and some food we hiked another five hours with our 50 lb. packs on. The walk involved lots of mud and several river crossings. It was hot, it was muggy and there were lots of mosquitoes. But when we finally arrived at the convention village of Leche we walked right into a huge round of applause and a standing ovation from the brethren. They were stunned to see us! It was pretty humbling and flattering and exciting all at the same time. There were faces everywhere of men and women that I had led to the Lord and discipled at some point over the last 15 years. It was an emotional moment for me. It was intense, it was exhausting, it was awesome!


That night I preached my heart out in the open air meeting and the Lord really seemed to use it. In all there were six professions of faith during the course of the conference and I was able to sit down with all of them and really invest some quality time in trying to put them on the right track as far as how to read the bible and how to pray and how to meet with the brothers at church and how to grow spiritually. It was a great opportunity to get the local church leaders involved and to show them their responsibilities in discipleship.


All conversions are shocking but one of the most shocking salvation stories at this jungle conference was that of the town drunk. The man "Florencio" had caused so much damage to his family and really to the whole village that no one believed he had really become a Christian. I spent several hours with Him personally and then a few more hours with he and his wife and kids in family counseling. He kept on saying: "Las cadenas se me han caido!" ... "The chains have fallen off!" His wife and son were incredulous while his daughter was sobbing and afraid to even look at him. They hadn't seen him sober in months! It was an extremely heart-wrenching hour when Florencio tried to convince his daughter that it was for real. He kept pleading for forgiveness and proclaiming: "I'm free now"..... "I'm a new man now." Please pray for Florencio and his family! It will take time to re-establish trust, respect and love but in Christ he now has the power to live victoriously. It was a great honor to baptize Him the next day in front of his village and his hopeful family.


One of my favorite moments was when I walked into the children's Sunday-school meeting. About 40 kids jumped up and mobbed me! They were all yelling: "Hermano Miqueas!" "Hermano Miqueas!" ..... Every time I visit the villages I try to invest in the kids. I try to just love them and play with them and, of course, preach to them. They are the future of these villages and I'm always urging the adult brothers and sisters to pour into the kids! I had a blast sharing bible stories and singing and coloring with them while participating in a few of their meetings.


I tried to take advantage of every moment with the believers! When I wasn't preaching or teaching I was meeting with individuals or groups of ministry leaders. I tried to pray with them, share some encouragement from the scriptures and give counsel where they needed it. I met with the Bible teachers. I met with the evangelists who are regularly going out to preach in the surrounding villages. I met with the children's workers. I even had one meeting with the elders of the churches that went from 7 pm. to 2 a.m. on the last night. There wasn't much time for resting or sleeping but it was time well spent that the Lord blessed in many ways. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to invest in these brothers and sisters who are key ambassadors for Christ in their respective villages.


After some intense days of ministry we had to say our "good byes". Everyone wanted to know when I would be back again. That is always a difficult question to answer. My hope is to try to attend these key gatherings every six months but our schedule is busy with so many opportunities and doors that the Lord has opened up for us in North America and beyond. Some of the village churches are doing well and others are struggling. My heart longs to be there working along side them in the gospel but I know that God is sovereign, it's His work not mine. He has directed Amy and I and our family to the States for a time to inspire and encourage evangelism, discipleship and missions in the homeland. I'm called to a person, not to a place. The place may change but the person of Jesus never will. I can rest in that!


It was great to get back to Tarapoto and to civilization! After regrouping and resting for a few hours I was able to visit with many of the precious brothers and sisters there at the assembly in town. It is my mission to share some encouragement from Gods word wherever and whenever I can. I preached at a few church meetings, youth meetings and even on the radio. "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!" It was also good to see the two missionary families in town and the team from Seattle that was visiting the Mattix family at the time. It was difficult to try and see everyone (My trip was just 10 days total). So I actually tried to sneak around town and go incognito hoping I wouldn't get distracted from the list of people I needed to see but every time I ventured into the center people would spot me and someone would yell out: “Pastor!” ....... A few even called out: “Predica hermano, predica!”


Missions quote for the day by Gailyn Van Rheene: "Missions is the very lifeblood of the church. As the body cannot survive without blood, so the church cannot survive without mission. Without blood the body dies; without mission the church dies. As the physical body becomes weak without sufficient oxygen-carrying red blood cells, so the church becomes anemic if it does not express its faith. The church . . . establishes its rationale for being—its purpose for existing—while articulating its faith. An unexpressed faith withers. A Christian fellowship without mission loses its vitality. Mission is the force that gives the body of Christ vibrancy, purpose, and direction. When the church neglects its role as Godʼs agent for mission, it is actually neglecting its own lifeblood.”

Its hard to kiss the jungle goodbye :)

Micah for the Tuttle's