As our boat motored down the turbulent, chocolate-colored waters of the Huallaga river it was absolutely stunning to take in the vibrant colors of the amazonian rain forest. Six guys were with me and we were on our way to visit three different villages over the course of five days. We ended up having a "fantastic" time in every sense of the word. The best part of the trip was the opportunity to seek the Lord together as we read large portions of scripture out-loud, spent precious times in prayer and sang praises to our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The best discipleship always happens along the way as you seek the Lord with younger believers and then give them opportunities to do ministry after you've set the example. In each village we had kids meetings, open air meetings, church meetings and home bible studies. We did jungle treks, swam with piranhas, ate interesting foods and slept on boarded floors. Each one of the guys took on their given responsibilities with much gusto.... Yes, it was Fantastic!!!


The little kids in every village are such a delight to work with! They always come running, full of energy and excitement to the organized "horita feliz" which we did in the morning and then again in the afternoon. Usually these meetings consists of a game, then a memory verse, then a bible lesson, then some songs and finally, some kind of snack with a drink. These children are the future and we must invest in them! Usually by the end of our first kids meeting the ninos are hanging all over us and soaking up every second of attention that we can give them. It is a great honor that, in nearly every village, there is some little boy that's been named after me: "Miqueas"! I'm praying that the Lord would raise up many of these kids to be faithful witnesses for Him for many years to come.


One afternoon, in-between meetings, a group of villagers took us on a hike to see a beautiful cascade that poured into a deep pool of dark, foreboding waters.... We were hot and sweaty... and the water looked good... So I jumped in! The villagers that had taken us on the hike were quite alarmed about this but after they saw that the piranhas, alligators and boas didn't do anything to me they all started to jump in too. We had a blast jumping off rocks, swimming and refreshing ourselves. The view looked like something you might have seen in the garden of Eden! Absolutely spectacular!


Open air preaching works quite well in the villages and I try to make it a priority to sound forth the gospel in the main square everywhere I go. There is nothing better than thundering God's word over the ripe harvest fields and to rain down His warnings and His love on the general public. This is what we did in every village and there were professions of faith and recommitments to Christ each time God's word went out! Please pray for these new brothers and sisters in these pueblos.


There was no way to communicate with these particular villages to let them know ahead of time that we were coming. Nevertheless, the brothers and sisters dropped everything to received us with much love and hospitality! When we unexpectedly arrived they were so overjoyed to see us that they sprang into action, spreading the word to everyone to come out to the gospel meetings. In two of the villages they slaughtered the few chickens that they had in their possession and cooked up a feast for us. In the other village one of the brothers set out on an all-night hunt so that he could bring us a tasty jungle rat for breakfast. The outpouring of love was very humbling! It's amazing to be part of the universal body of Christ!


Missions quote for the day by C.T Studd: "Christ's call is to save the lost, not the stiff-necked; He came not to call scoffers but sinners to repentance; not to build and furnish comfortable chapels, churches, and cathedrals at home in which to rock Christian professors to sleep by means of clever essays, stereotyped prayers, and artistic musical performances, but to capture men from the devil's clutches and the very jaws of Hell. This can be accomplished only by a red-hot, unconventional, unfettered devotion, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the Lord Jesus Christ."

Micah for the Tuttle's