Dearly beloved and faithful friends of my corner;

Pardon me if you find me repeating some concepts. They are most important and necessary.

There is a higher purpose in God's mind for your prayers than just holding my hands in sympathy. Jesus himself has told me through his own words "From my fathers hands no one can snatch you away" The security of my soul is signed and sealed also by the blood of Jesus, and the active and constant powerful work of the Holy Spirit. If there is something I know for sure it is that "Salvation is of the Lord alone from beginning to end" and that I am saved by Grace to the Glory of God.

God has worked in you the desire and will to do prayer on my behalf more for your sake than for my sake. It is your love for God to whom you have not seen manifesting itself in the love and prayers for me your brother to whom you have seen. And as for me it is God to whom I cannot see loving me through you whom I have seen. Thank you for your investment in me. I believe more because of you, I trust more because of you, I love God more because of you. I have been blessed because of your prayers.

Know now then that our Lord blesses those who bless me and he curses those he curses because of me because "I belong to Jesus". I belong to you and we both belong to God not as this computer belongs to me but as my right hand and my left hand we both belong to the one and the same body who is Jesus the head of the body.

My father died before I was born. Our loving God choose for me to come into this world and live "Fatherless". That was God’s perfect will for me and..."I had lacked nothing".

Recently our Lord took Ruthie for himself leaving me Ruth-less. That too was God’s perfect will for us...". She is with Jesus her eternal lover and I have more time for our Lord and the elect" (Though I miss her terribly).

When God called Ruthie my helpmeet she left me "Helpless". That too was the perfect will of God for me... I am now in complete dependence from him alone.

After the funeral, when my children and grandchildren went back to their home, I was left "Homeless" in and empty house. That too was the perfect will of God for me... Now I pray eagerly and with impatient desire... "Your kingdom come"... and I am truly looking forward to going home to be with the Lord.

Lately I have lost many of my teeth through surgery and that has left me "Toothless". That too was the perfect will of God for my life... now I have more time to focus on food that does not need teeth.

My molars were real faithful friends for more than fifty years and even though I did not cry for them due to the strength of your prayers, I bled for almost ten days. Several stiches were necessary on both sides of my molars. The Dentist struggled for an hour in sweat and almost tears as he split the teeth in pieces to extract each tooth. He also cut the gum to facilitate his work. After all, he was dealing with a stubborn good old Inca Tooth.

My knuckles were white and my body was as rigid as Moses's Rod when I grabbed the handles of the dentist's chair. Today I am feeling good and almost ready to face the next step that is the extraction of three not two more teeth. Tomorrow is Friday the fifteen of June and at 10:15 AM I will be at the dentist’s chair again.

Mean while the blender has become my best friend, hello tapioca pudding, good morning oatmeal, good evening mash potatoes, applesauce and juices. The up side is that I will have a Colgate smile like that of Sammy Davis Junior.

In his perfect will that prevails.

Gerry Gutierrez

Your Sleepless, Restless and about to become Friendless brother of yours.

Now let me share some "Goose bump news" as my neighbor David would say.
Ruthie was born the 26 of October.
Her parents married the 26 of April.
We were married the 26 of March.
She pushed the whole family to marry on the 26 of the months.
She asked her doctor to have Benjie induced so he could be born on the 26 of April and she had first C-section "Caesarean”

There was nothing on the month of February so she decided to go home with the Lord on the 26 of February on a Sunday Morning as the Sun was coming up at 4:00AM. "She did it her Way".

After 40 nights and days of mourning Ruthie's death I decided to get up and seriously write about "Prayer" in which Ruthie and have been struggling for 40 years and were finally able to pray "The Prayer" two weeks before she died.

In the afternoon I found myself at the Atlanta Airport hugging, weeping and saying good bye to my son Nathaniel and family as they departed to Bogota Colombia to language school and from there as missionaries to Peru.

Up to that moment I was still numbed by Ruthie's death and busy cooking meals for Nathaniel’s family as they packed their belongings. Once the baggage was checked in the Delta Airlines counter, there was a period of quite and stillness as we realized that this could be the last time we may see each-other on this side of heaven. I was glad that my son Osman was with me to drive the big van back to Chattanooga.

My tears were too much in the way of vision of the road.

Then all of a sudden I realized that it was not only exactly forty days since Ruthie passed away but also it was GOOD FRIDAY - right there and right then when Our Father in Heaven over two thousand years ago gave his one and only Son as a missionary to die on the cross in our place. That very same day and hour I, a feeble man, was also turning my back to the son of my prayers and left him weeping at the Airport by himself just as our Lord Jesus too was left by his father.

Our Lord could no longer stand the sight and the pain of his Son and abandoned him. (Perhaps to hide his own tears from his Son?) I will never forget that GOOD FRIDAY because the Lord give a taste of the fellowship of his own sufferings.

Today, 40 days after Nathaniel (30) left for Colombia, I was able to finish my first draft on "The Lord's Prayer" which is in need of your intercessory prayers so it may be for the Common Good of the body. My ulterior reason for your prayers is that you may remember me personally in your prayer. I am being swift like wheat again as I am full time working in this project that I believe is my Out Most for his Highest. (Understanding Prayer)

It is the wisdom of my Director at Mission to the World that I take time to heal and refrain from going back to Peru for at least a year or two. Meanwhile, I have been assigned to my old job when I was in Washington D.C. and I will be traveling to China and other countries. Doors of opportunity are being opened and invitations are coming with what I think are for Divine Appointments.

I still beg your prayers for my sleep nights. I feel very good when I sleep at least six hours.

I have met Doctor Kan in Texas who came from China last week. We were able to plan our trip inside China and have a "Think Tank" meeting afterwards. We have been friends for over 30 years. I will be meeting his three best friends (Peter, James and John)

In two weeks I will be going to Peru for a visit to take Ruthie's ashes and to report formally the death of Ruthie to the Government since she was a Naturalized Citizen of Peru. I will also have same Radio meetings and talks with fellow Missionaries and encourage the believers there.

Remember me in your prayers - this Fatherless, Ruthless, Helpless, Homeless, and Toothless brother of yours by the perfect will of God.

Gerry Gutierrez