CAMDENTON – While on a mission trip in San Felipe Usila in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, in September 2024, a member of First Baptist Church, Camdenton, Mike Luttrell, suffered a cardiac arrest and died while walking down a street in the village.
His wife, Connie, was with him and she recently provided a narrative to The Pathway about the incident and how God was so faithful to her and the mission volunteers as they went through the traumatic incident and made arrangements to return to the United States.
SAN FELIPE USILA, Mexico – Mike Luttrell guides a patient through an eye chart during a Vision 3:16 mission trip in September 2024 (Photos courtesy of Connie Luttrell)
The Luttrells were on the mission trip with an eyeglass ministry called Vision 3:16, which was founded by members of Concord Baptist Church, Jefferson City.
They were engaged in helping people in Mexican villages get tested and fitted for eyeglasses. Connie Luttrell shared she had worn glasses for most of her life and felt this would be a good way to serve the Lord and share Christ while meeting human needs. She and Mike had been married for 50 years and had previously gone on several mission trips.
They traveled from St. Louis to Vera Cruz, Mexico, where they were met by a local pastor and his wife and were transported by van to a couple of interior villages. They spoke in the pastor’s church in the village of Rodeo on a Sunday morning.
Pastor Ubaldo Roque then helped the mission team drive to the village of San Felipe Usila where the vision clinic was to be held the following Tuesday. They had some mechanical trouble with the van and went through what Mrs. Luttrell described as a curvy, mountainous road which was scenic but provided for some scary drama. While descending down the incline the van’s brakes overheated and were not working. They tried to downshift into a lower gear but were unable to do so because of a faulty transmission. The Lord protected them, and they were able to maintain control and coast to their destination without an accident.
They set up for the vision clinic, and the next day the group saw 240 people in the village. Mike Luttrell’s responsibility was to conduct a vision test with an eye chart. He tested everyone who came through the clinic that day. Others would fit the people with eyeglasses.
At the end of the clinic, the group decided to walk to a nearby restaurant rather than take the van, which was being repaired. They walked about four blocks. People were milling around in the street and the team visited with the villagers. The team was offered refreshments and drinks. It was a casual and pleasant end to a long day of ministry.
Mike was feeling tired and sat down on a small porch of a business to rest. Connie, leaning on a post beside him, commented that it seemed like a long four-block walk. Mike said, “It didn’t seem like it until the last four steps.” A moment or two later he collapsed, falling off the step and hitting his head on the ground. He had suffered a cardiac arrest. A crowd gathered around him to give aid. A doctor was sent for but was not available. Mike left this world and entered his heavenly home.
Of course Connie was shocked and devastated with the tragic loss. The team and the villagers gathered around her. The police came and gave aid. Water bottles were provided. Men in the village erected a tarp over the front of the store to give shade until the coroner and the funeral home could come for the body. Chairs were provided for the crowd gathered in the sidewalk and street. Connie said it was estimated there were about 400 people in the crowd.
At one point a local Mexican pastor spoke to the assembled crowd, sharing Scriptures, and Connie was also asked to speak and share about her hope in Heaven. She tried to comfort the crowd that was desperately trying to comfort her.
SAN FELIPE USILA, Mexico – After Mike Luttrell passed away during a Vision 3:16 mission trip here, an impromptu funeral service was held in the street, where people had gathered out of concern following his death. During the service, speakers translated the message into Spanish, English and Chinantec, an indigenous language of Oaxaca, Mexico. (Photos courtesy of Connie Luttrell)
A charter bus became available in the village to take them back to where the pastor lived in Rodeo. They trekked back through the mountains. Cell service was limited but Connie said she was able to contact her family back in the U.S. by texts.
Coincidently the Luttrells had just started the process of pre-planning for their eventual funerals with a facility in Camdenton. Connie had started writing down their plans and arrangements and had texted that information to their son just before they left the country.
There were papers to fill out and special governmental arrangements needing to be made to return Mr. Luttrell home. And, of course, funeral homes and airline flights needed to be engaged in Mexico, as well as back home. The team and the local pastors guided Connie through every step of the way. Even villagers from the local church in San Felipe Usila journeyed through the mountains to be with Connie as she waited to begin the trip home. The villagers had collected money, and the church elders presented the gift to her.
The group returned home a day or so later. Prayers in Mexico and back in the U.S. followed them. Tearful reunions and consolation from church folk and kid’s ministry groups back home comforted Connie. She shared with a special needs ministry group about Mike’s passing, and the young boys ended up consoling her and celebrating that Mike was in heaven.
Connie Luttrell shared her story with Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director Wes Fowler when he visited her church recently. He asked her to write about the experience, and she shared it with him for The Pathway.
Fowler commented: “Their willingness to serve in difficult places should inspire, encourage, and motivate all who follow Jesus. I am continually amazed how God uses even our suffering for His glory! Although Mike’s untimely death was incredibly difficult, hundreds heard the gospel because of his obedience and willingness to go.”
One never knows what will happen when departing on a mission trip, but one thing is for certain, God will be faithful to take care of His messengers and guide them every step of the way.