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THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE SO “BRIEF”

Sorry for the delay, but FINALLY I have assembled a bit of an update for you to, hopefully, enjoy and catch up with
what I have been involved in over the past several months.

Happy New Year! And for that
matter, Happy Election Day,
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and St.
Valentine's Day too! Uh...it's been a
while since my last update and
plenty has happened since my last
update (I think it was in May.) I
moved in with two of my closest
friends in Chile, visited the United
States, attended a conference for
missionaries in Brazil, received two
close friends for a weeklong visit,
started a weekly study with one of
the members of the church,
continued my involvement in my
small group, and much more. Again
I apologize for my dilatoriness but I
hope this “brief,” as I call, it fills
you in on what’s been happening
in my life and gives you a glimpse
of what I’m going to be doing
over the next eight months.
Hopefully I can keep it together
and continue updating you
throughout the coming months.
Enjoy,
Garrett

1
 “CHA
U
NEW LIVING A PA R T M ENT!”

SPACES

”
e s!
llo at
“He em
o us
H

“Garrett, tomorrow you’re coming to live with us. Don’t ask why.”
So I live with my closest friends in Chile. Christian and Diana
told me several months ago that I was going to move in with them
prior to their wedding as to set an example for friends and
family. It has been quite an experience living with a
young, newlywed couple. Christian has become more “I enjoy
and more of someone beyond a friend for me. He has every moment I
helped me with some struggles and kept me pass alongside
accountable in those battles. Diana is full of energy them...”
and likes to throw herself in to several things. We’re the
cooks of the house.
Well the congregation has moved in to a new stage of its life;
like a child, it's growing up and the parents are preparing it for the
future. The missionaries have set departure years and will
eventually be completely out of the mission in seven
years. There was a recent call to discipleship and
Christian and Diana were a couple that was called
and they happily accepted it. They are strong leaders
in the youth and beyond in the church body. I enjoy
every moment I pass alongside them growing together
in our faith and friendship.

READING AND LISTENING LIFE OF PI THE CASE FOR A CORNERSTONE PODICTIONARY

CREATOR SIMI PODCAST

Good fiction If you ever Weekly sermons Podcast for word

A boy is on a boat
with a tiger. I like
fiction and I like this
book. Thanks
Robert.
wondered... Itʼs good to lovers
I was having a hard supplement what Want to know how
time with the you are a word ended up in
workings of the accustomed to with the English
universe and where something different. language?
God was. Great
read. cornerstonesimi.com podictionary.com

2
“Los jóvenes”
With the recent absence of one of our stronger leaders, it was difficult to see
where the youth group was going but God has moved several individuals to
take the lead and run with new ideas and engaging their peers.

Saturday activities Nursing home visits Katyʼs baptism Luz de Cristo Carliʼs baptism

So for quite some our Dianaʼs youngest Katy (pronounced “Ka- We try to get out to Luz Carli Valle came to us
Wednesday evening brother, Byron, got our tee”) Moore is the sister de Cristo, a local through Manuel
devotionals and worship group hooked up with a of Christian, my abused childrenʼs Valenzuela. They dated
had stopped. It was nursing home across housemate. She was home, once every off and on for several
hard to only see each town. The youth scared off a year ago couple months. The months and in that time
other and have a organized a church- after hearing a sermon churchʼs Hospitality she got to know Coté. In
moment to socialize and wide adult diapers and on the cost of following Committee put together October, she was
be together once a milk drive. The church Christ but she could not an event to celebrate invited to participate in a
week, Sundays. So was very supportive and stay away. Watching her Christmas at LdC and youth retreat.She
several of our group brought in dozens of brother transform after the youth were put in seemed to have had an
stepped up to begin packages of both items. meeting Christ, studying charge of activities and excellent experience.
weekly Saturday Since our initial contact, with him and her sister- games. We put on a Coté invited her to learn
meetings. Weʼve had weʼve visited multiple in-law, and a meaningful puppet show, painted more and in the end she
varying attendance but times and have grown conversation with faces, did makeovers, decided to get baptized
at those involved in the closer to the residents Cristian Rebolledo and just played with the and is now reaching out
organization continue in and staff. brought the desire to kids. It was a blast and to her friends through
seeking ways to make it become a follower of a good experience of the weekend activities
better. Christ. giving for the group. of the youth.

3
 José Pablo answered a call, I didn’t weekly with Mark. Well Mark and his
make the call, but I was privileged family moved to the United States in

IDCP.CL to be placed alongside him to study. April and I was asked to consider
In June 2005, I stepped foot in
Chile for the first time and I met José
Pablo, an interesting fellow who rode
his bike across town to church with a
little American flag flying above it.
In October 2006, during my first
internship, José Pablo was admitted
to a mental hospital to help him cope
with his battles with schizophrenia.
The youth surrounded him and we
would go to visit him almost every
other Sunday afternoon.
In late 2007 Mark Dean preached
a series on what a true disciple of
Christ was and José Pablo was
listening. Mark invited anyone who
wanted to know more to find him or
any other missionary. José Pablo
sought him out and started to meet
stepping in to continue.
I can’t say it’s been the easiest
study; I can say that I’ve learned and
grown walking with my friend. We’ve
been through the book of Mark, More
Than a Carpenter, and the book of
Acts. José Pablo’s commentary is
sometimes just a re-phrasing of what
we read - not much depth, but he
loves Christ and strives to be a true
follower of Him.
Some don’t pay him much
attention but I love him and his family
and he honors me as a friend. I hope
that God transforms José Pablo and
that he always carries the desire to
follow Christ and become him to
others around him.

They feed
me well.

Change has come

I do have to admit it has been a
slow process but I have been
working on updating the
churchʼs website for the past six
months and very soon (I hope,
as well do many others) the new
idcp.cl will be uploaded and
online for the worldʼs browsing
pleasure. Check it out and send
me a note of encouragement if
you donʼt see any changes
anytime soon.

4
 Images throughout this report are provided by Jennifer Cook, Royal Thai Embassy - Santiago, Carlos Godoy, Christian Bradford, Elaine Castilho, , Coté Valenzuela, Diana Novoa, and others.
Second time around, The Brazil
Missionaries Conference
It had been over two years since I had
been in Itu, Brazil. When I first came to South
ETC... isit
America in 2005, I made some of my closest USA V
friends on the trip in Itu. My good friend Guto
opened his home to me for the week.
The key note speaker was Don McLaughlin
from Atlanta. He brought encouragement and
perspective in his daily lectures on the book of

Hebrews along with Eugene Peterson's book, A

Long Obedience in the Same Direction.
The conference also included sports (I
T
played soccer ONCE!), separate classes for men Coo hai
k
Dem ing
and women, and a final banquet with an
incredible talent show. The conference was
great for a good recharge and recreation.
o
C
For urren
After the conference, I was invited by Guto
Mis mer M t/ to his hometown of São João da Boa Vista
sio
nar ac where we spent a relaxing weekend with his
ies friends and family.

by her Spanish skills from the get-go; she got to

Jennifer and Robert get a taste of
the house on a van service by herself! We toured
life in Santiago, Chile K
downtown Santiago, hiked in nearby Cajón del
10
In mid-December I received the best Maipo, ate great food, visited the coast, went to First
Christmas gift of the Luz de Cristo (the
year: my closest “The grocery store was quite a culture children’s home),
shock for some reason. The store was inside and much more.
From Robert:

friends from university,

Jennifer and Robert. It of a mall, and I was always running across The missionaries
interesting food differences. There was milk were a great help
was exciting that I that didn't need to be refrigerated before it
was going to have the was opened, and what really freaked me out i n s h u t t l i n g u s
opportunity to share a were the condiments, which were in these around at different
bit of my life with my squishy plastic bags. I, for one, do not want times. Diana and
friends, as well, I was to feel the squishiness of mayonnaise.” Christian were
looking forward to great hosts and
observe Robert’s first overseas experience. welcomed them warmly. That may have been
Jennifer had spent several weeks in the best part of the trip - bringing my best
Guatemala in the summer and I was impressed friends, worlds apart from each other, together.

What’s next?
In April I will be leaving
my home for the last year
and a half for Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. I’ve committed to
working with missionary Abel
Azevedo for six months.
More information to come in
the future.