Nick and Jes Tuttle
We (Nick and Jes) were married in 2001 and have been doing ministry together ever since. Our four children, Israel, Isaac, Bella, and Braelyn have been raised in ministry, usually youth, and are an incredible asset to our current ministry. Israel will be attending Ozark Bible College in Joplin Missouri this next August. Isaac and Bella are both aspiring artists and Braelyn wants to either work as either a primary teacher or something in the medical field so she can help people.
Since we've been doing ministry in the US for over 20 years and our kids are all mostly grown our transition from local ministry to global missions was unusual and our opportunities are unique. God called in December of 2019 and resigned from the ministry that we were at on the first Sunday of March 2020. Our plan was to stick around and finish up our duties for the rest of that school year and fulfill our summer duties. However, the Sunday after we resigned Covid hit, and we didn't have church again until June.
We transitioned back to Missouri in July 2020 to live with my (Nick's) dad and begin raising our support team. God was so faithful and even with the challenges Covid presented in just under a year we had reached our initial goals and began the visa process. The visa process took roughly a year from start to acceptance and was very challenging and trying time but again God was faithful, and He made a way for us. Currently we have been living in Oughterard Ireland since late August.
We're excited to be able to pitch in at Community Christian Church in Moycullen, a town just a few miles away, and our long-term goal is to eventually plant a church in the village we currently live in. But for now, we're excited to learn the culture and see where God leads next.
Support the Tuttles!
Atheist Catholics and other oddities, how Ireland sees Christ
According to Operation World and the Joshua Project Ireland identifies nationally as about 91% Catholic. The Joshua Project even considers Ireland as 99% reached, meaning that they have at least heard the name of Jesus and have access to the Bible in their most commonly used language. But as you'll probably know there is a big difference between knowing who Jesus is and knowing him personally. If we dig a little deeper, we find that a large portion of the nation is Biblically illiterate, and many would identify as atheistic or agnostic while at the same time claiming to be Catholic. Here Catholicism was such a huge part of their national identity for so long that for many of them it is a part of their culture but not really a part of their lives in any meaningful way.
In addition, we find that because politics and religion were interwoven and severely abused that many people are very cautious and skeptical about anything religious. A telling piece of evidence to support these ideas is that average church attendance in Ireland on a Sunday morning is only around 20 people. The reality is that Ireland like much of Europe is post Christian and so presents many unique challenges and opportunities with regard to sharing the Gospel.
Ireland is an incredibly friendly place on the surface however, under that veneer is a country that struggles with extremely high levels of stress, anxiety, and suicide. I firmly believe that this dark fruit has grown in Ireland in such horrible ways as a direct result of their loss of the moral compass that Jesus provides. They lack the hope, joy, and peace that comes from a real and meaningful relationship with Jesus. Because of this Ireland is full of so many wonderful people who don’t know Jesus and need him desperately.
Support our ministry
It is no secret that from the very beginning of the church Christians have taken an active role in being missionaries and sending missionaries. Yet not all are called to be missionaries. (We are all called to make disciples)
Being a missionary is a calling, but have you ever considered that sending missionaries is also a calling? So what is your calling? Are you the missionary or a missionary sender?
All Kontaktmission staff live on support, meaning we believe that God will provide for his mission, through his church.
Please consider joining our sending team by partnering with us in prayer and partnering with us financially.
Prayer Needs
- Please pray for Ireland. Pray that God would prepare their hearts for the Gospel and pray that He would use our family and His church here to bring about revival in Ireland. Pray that we would be sensitive to God's leading and that we would be able to recognize the opportunities He sets before us.
- Pray for our family. Pray that we would overcome any homesickness or culture shock that the world throws at us and that we would become a part of the community that we live in. Please keep us in your prayers this summer as Israel transitions back to the U.S. to attend college. Please pray for all of us to find good friends, real and meaningful relationships, and partners in this work that God has called us to.
- Please pray for the individuals and churches that make up our support team. Pray that God would bless them with fruitful ministry wherever they may be. Please pray that we can be a blessing to them through our ministry the way they have been a blessing to us.
Sign up to get our newsletter
Your partnership through committed giving meets a tremendous need.
GIVE MONTHLY
ONE TIME GIFT
Find us on social media
ADDRESS
PO Box 825
Humboldt, TN 38343-0825
Email: office@gokmusa.org
Contact us
