Andrew Levi Sherrill
Missions Report: October 2009
Puerto Montt, Chile
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October 9, 2009

Pleasant Valley Church of Christ
10900 Rodney Parham Rd.
Little Rock, Arkansas


Dear Friends,
 
Greetings from Chile. Hope everybody back there in the US is doing well and enjoying some nice autumn weather, It is spring here and it is finally back up in the 60’s. Because of the rain, things stay green here year round, but the flowers announce a change has come.
 
I was sure this letter would be coming to you late this month as I had agreed to join a men’s retreat in Sao Paulo, Brazil. However, and to my great embarrassment, I was unaware that you had to apply for a visa in advance of your trip. I had the tickets purchased and even made the trip to Santiago last Friday in order to catch the international flight the following Monday. I was really looking forward to seeing some other Americans and speaking in English but I am glad I will only have to wait a month longer before I will be back in Arkansas….if you guys will still let me back in without a visa.
 
October was the last full month of classes for the Bible institute. I have included a picture of the 6 of us who completed the course. We started as 8 but the two lady participants were not able to finish.
 
I enjoyed this group very much and was glad for the intimate size for my first attempt to teach a year long course in Spanish. They were very patient with me and my vocabulary as I tried to explain some very deep concepts. The class seemed to be very well received. I hope that a course like this will grow over the years through reputation. It is a challenge to get people to be committed to something like this for a full year when it is completely of there own free will. But this first year was invaluable and will give me a much better perspective of how to make adjustments in the future.
 
This month I spent a bit more time reaching out to some homeless ‘kids’ that live in the park across from my apartment. The are all in there 20’s so they aren’t really kids, but they call me ‘Uncle’ and they all seem to be kind of stuck in the maturity level of 10 year old‘s. One of them, Daniello, has become a friend that I enjoy talking to when he isn’t high on the inhalant drug they all abuse. We had a plan in place for him to get out of this street life and go back to live with a relative in a nearby town. I am afraid there were a few setbacks with that, but I am still hopeful that he will break through someday. It is so hard trying to help people with addiction. He thinks he is 28 and says he has been on the street since he was 11. I am sure it is hard for him to imagine another life.
 
Today I treated 6 of them to lunch. We got one of their favorites and ate on the steps outside my building. Baloney and avocado on a white role….yum, right? Each of them got two sandwiches and they were in heaven….They were all a little out of it still from what I figure had been a drug filled night the day before. Daniello tried to make conversation with me and his questions ranged from, ‘What is the best basketball team in America?’ to, ‘How big are the waves in New York?’ I smiled at his humble attempt at interaction and tried to answer as best I could. There are days when he functions on a much higher level than that…but today was not one of them. You might say a prayer for them tonight if you have the time. They have some hard things to deal with.
 
I am also going to include a few pictures of the independence day celebration here in Chile. This year I was in Santiago and got to see it on a larger scale….but it was still about the same….Bar-b-que’s in the park, flying kites, and llama rides for everyone (well for the kids anyways)
 
Take care everyone. Lord willing I will see most of you soon.
 
God Bless,
 
Andrew Levi Sherrill