Merkén

What is merkén you ask? It is a gift to the world from the people known as the Mapuche. The Mapuche are one of the indigenous people here in Chile. They are a proud people who were never conquered by the Spaniards.

While in Temuco I visited a city called Pillanlelbun (pee-'yan-lel-'boon <-- no idea if that is the proper way to spell how to pronounce something, but the ' means accent). There I met a pastor and his family who work the Mapuche. As we enjoyed dear fellowship they served us a delicious lunch. One of the condiments on the table was a small dish with merkén in it. As always, I went straight for it and once tasting it I pretty much dumped it all over my food. 

What is merkén? It has similar qualities to chipotle. Chipotle is a smoked jalapeño that is usually then put into some kind of an adobe sauce. Here in Chile we don't have jalapeños, but we do have some other chile peppers. One of those peppers is call the "cacho de cabra" (goat's horn). This is what it looks like:

What is done to the cacho de cabra is that they are smoked. Once smoked they can be used in many ways while cooking. One way I use them is to make a delicious colorado sauce. Back to merkén... After the cacho de cabra is smoked it is some how ground up with a number of other spices until the condiment known as merkén emerges. Here is what it looks like:

I have tasted various versions of merkén, and the general concensus is that the best ones come from Temuco. Having said that, I've tasted several from Temuco, and while I enjoy the condiment it is not really something I go super crazy over. However, this merkén that I ate at the pastor's house was definitely different and it was the very best I've ever tried. After raving about it they found what was left in the kitchen, put it into a bag, and gave it to me to bring back home! Needless to say, I have been putting it on everything since we got home. We have merkén coming out of our ears!

Teaching 16 times in 9 days

The trip to Temuco was wonderful! I’m so glad for the new friendships that we were able to establish and for being able to care for some old friendships. That week ended up being one of my most tiring weeks in a long time. When I laid my head down last Monday night I had taught 16 times in 9 days. Here is a recap of our trip to Temuco:

Wednesday

Take a bus to the airport, 1.5 hour drive

Take a 1 hour flight to Puerto Montt

Go to the bus terminal, purchase tickets, wait for bus, 2 hours

Take bus to Temuco, 6 hours

Take taxi to church service

Enjoy wonderful fellowship with the Pastor and his family

Finally get to our place where we were being put up at about midnight

Thursday

Preach a chapel message

Teach 1.5 hours in Bible Institute

Go to Pizza Hut while the Thompsons watched Micah (yeah!)

Enjoy a mall (I hate malls, but this was cool!)

Teach 3 hours in Bible Institute

Friday

Preach a chapel message

Teach 2 hours in Bible Institute

Go to lunch at a pastor’s house in Pillanlelbun (good luck saying that right)

Eat a delicious lunch and receive a bag of merken as a gift (more to come about Merken in a future post)

Get back to the institute

Walk to McDonalds (I hate McDonalds, but I’ve never been so happy to eat below average food)

Lay down for a little before getting to the bus terminal at 2 in the morning

Saturday

5.5 hour bus ride to Puerto Montt

Picked up by pastor friend and enjoyed breakfast with he and his wife

To the airport for our 1 hour flight to Balmaceda airport

Take the transfer back home from the airport, 2 hours

Get home and make a fire!

Living for the Prayer Letter

        In my meditations lately I have stumbled on a concept, “living for the prayer letter” I call it. It is not a positive thing, in fact, I’d call it a very negative thing. I noticed something happen the other day: I had just witnessed a victory in the life of a dear person we are working with and the first thing I thought to myself was, “Oh great, I can put that in the prayer letter.” My first thought was not, “Glory to God!”, or “Praise the Lord!”, or “I’m so happy for him!” Ultimately, when it boils down to it, living with that mindset is nothing but vainglory.

        Don’t get me wrong…I love to write exciting things in the prayer letter. I also believe that sharing good news from the field can be of great benefit to those who have invested in a missionary family and their work. However, I think sometimes as a missionary your work can slip from serving God to serving the church that sent you and the churches that support you. The work of God is so much more than sharing good news and getting a pat on the back! You can't lose sight of the goal, living for God and desiring to see Him receive glory. Here are a few verses that I want to keep in mind as God allows us to work with people whom He loves and as we report on that work to others:

Galatians 6:14

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Jeremiah 9:23-24

23  Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

24  But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

1 Corinthians 1:29

That no flesh should glory in his presence.

1 Corinthians 1:31

That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. 

1 Corinthians 3:21

Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 

I'm still alive

This is a much needed blog post! I have seriously been slacking off, and the truth is that I'd actually really like to have the record that writing here provides. Also, I don't want to let down all of my adoring fans.

Church attendance has gotten a little lower. Some say because of the cold that always happens, but we still go to the grocery store when its cold, and so we can still go to church. There are other circumstances at hand as well.

I have noticed folks will walk by our building, look inside, take a few steps back, look at our banner, consider coming in, and then walk away. So, I built a sign that will go on the sidewalk when we are in services that says something like, "Welcome! We're in service, come on in." with the church logo. I almost finished the sign, I'll have to snap a picture of it for the blog. Speaking of projects, I really need to do this wood fixture that will go on the wall for our tithing envelope system we're going to use. I have to have it ready before the missions conference, I've decided that. I'll get a picture of that too when it's ready.

It is getting dark pretty early these days, at about 5.

We're in June and that means that the coldest months of the year have started. We woke up and it was about 20 the other morning, burr. People have said that so far it has been a very mild winter, and for that I am thankful. I feel so blessed that Micah hasn't gotten sick or anything. Chopping wood, bringing it in the house, and starting/maintaining fires is like a part time job. I do really enjoy the heat that a wood stove puts off though, I think I would missed it if I lived in a cold place that heated their homes with central gas heating.

Chaplaincy at the local school is going well. Today I had the amazing privilege to witnessing to and then helping a girl in her profession of faith in Christ.

On Wednesday we are heading out to go a few states north of us, but still considered southern Chile. I will be teaching in a Bible seminary on the subject of a biblical philosophy of music and some of the dangerous trends that exist with some contemporary music. I can't wait! My favorite part is that I will be meeting two independent Baptist pastors that I've never met before: Jaime Cid and Fernando Astorga, both Chilean pastors. If I can be transparent for a second, I have really been growing in the area of how I treat pastors who are the product of missions. For some reason, I'm sure detestable pride, in my heart I unconsciously justified treating "national" pastors in an inferior way to how I treated pastors in the United States. God has shown me that that was wrong and I have been working hard at showing any pastor from any culture or ethnicity the respect that he deserves. Sometimes the tendency is for one to think himself better because of his culture. Every country is guilty of it, and often times in the name of being patriotic. I remember talking to a man here in Chile and he said that Chile was the best country in the world; when I asked him how many other countries he had visited during his research he said that he'd never left Chile. The world is a much bigger place than we sometimes realize.

I am reading a book, almost done with it actually, that has been a very good read. It is called The Road Ahead, by Paul Chappell. I strongly recommend the book for anybody who considers themselves to be an independent Baptist or unaffiliated Baptist or fundamental Baptist.

I believe that is enough random thoughts for the night. We moved our mid-week service to tomorrow night since we are out of town on Wednesday. I love our mid-week prayer and Bible study service. Prayer is so important. Busy day ahead tomorrow. Need to study for the Bible study, need to finish up my material for the music class, need to do some financial things, need to run an important errand in town, about 50 emails to get back to, and service in the evening. I think I'll pack Wednesday morning.

Trying to stay on top of my game

I remember one time when I was at my sister’s house and she was doing some online graduate course. I thought it was weird because she’d already graduated with her master’s degree (which I’m convinced she bribed them into rewarding her cause she’s definitely not smart enough). When I asked her why she was taking the class she explained something to me about how in order to maintain her license or certification or something she was required to take a class or something a semester (and maybe the other option was to be a practicing therapist). This made me do some reflecting on pastors and missionaries.

For the most part, we study intensely for four years, to get our bachelor’s degree in theology, missions, pastoral theology, etc. After graduating, some go on to get a master’s degree, and a rare few go after a doctorate. For the most part, once a pastor leaves Bible College or seminary, he stops being a student in the conventional sense. Now that I am teaching and preaching the Bible 5+ times a week, I realize that being in the ministry does not mean you stop being a student. I study all the time. However, there is a difference between the pastor’s study and sitting in a classroom, doing assignments, etc. I think we should subject ourselves to classes like my sister was. That is why I am thankful for Bible Colleges who offer things like a Ministry Refresher Institute (which I recently got an email about) or for churches who offer Leadership Conferences with classes. I also think that online graduate degrees are a good option.

I think missionaries have their own set of dangers where they can get comfortable and stop growing. I have reached a place with my Spanish, for example, where I can say anything that I want to say and I can understand anybody I want to communicate with (whether I have to say, “Pardon me?” a few times or not). Don’t get me wrong, my vocabulary is still low compared to the average Chilean, and there is definitely room for improvement. The danger I sense though is that I will get comfortable with my level of communicating in Spanish and never put myself to work again like I did in the days of sitting in Spanish class. To kick against that I picked up a book last month. It is a high school Chilean history book. I am enjoying the book for many reasons: I am learning a lot about Chile’s history, I am seeing the difference in vantage point of historical facts learned under a Chilean education and a United States education, I am learning the Spanish version of names I already knew like Christopher Columbus, and every few sentences has a new vocabulary word that I’m unfamiliar with which I look up and try to use in my daily speech. I am thoroughly enjoying it, and hoping to keep myself sharp through the years.

The Sheridan Hotel

Most of my life people have said things like, "Kyle Sheridan? Like the hotel?" Well, no, not like the hotel, but rather like the general. However, this week the hotel seems more fitting. We have visitors coming in from Argentina. The Merlo family. They are independent Baptist missionaries in Comodoro Rivadavia in Argentina's side of Patagonia. According to my knowledge, the church they started is the furthest southernmost independent Baptist church in the world; they beat us by a hair ; ) We are really looking forward to the visit. They'll be in town for a couple of days doing some money changing because of our better rates here in Chile. After they leave missionaries Louis and Kathy Long from Puerto Montt, Chile, will be arriving on Friday to stay until Monday. It is going to be a full house this week, but it's going to be great as we enjoy some company from like-minded missionaries. I'm hoping that we can be a blessing to them all and that we'll truly live up to the Lord's standard in this verse:


Romans 12:13
Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 

Un nuevo integrante

That's what people say sometimes in Spanish when they are congratulating you on a pregnancy or the birth of a child. It means "a new member". I was thinking about that this week. Sometimes there are words in Spanish that sound like their English counterparts; these are called cognates, and they are one of the easier parts of language learning. Some Spanish cognates are piano, mango, tecnología, comunicar, cristiano, etc. Any English speaker can know what those words mean in English whether they've studied Spanish or not. Anyways, all of that was a big rabbit trail just to say, "integrante" is not a cognate...haha. But although it means "member", if it were a cognate the English word it sounds like to me is "intricate". This is how my weird mind works.

Intricate is a good word to describe a child. I don't say that because they in and of themselves are intricate, but because they are an intricate part of the family. I was reflecting this week on Micah. Micah is such an important part of our family. It blows my mind though to think of the fact that a year and a half ago he wasn't really even a part of our lives (although Annie was pregnant with him). It is crazy to think about how our family was fully functioning without Micah, but now that he has become an intricate part of our daily reality I can't even imagine life without him, and I don't want to! As I thought on that, it made me think about our next child who is slowly forming in the womb right now, which is a miracle in itself. Everyday we live our lives in our current reality, and that reality pretty much excludes him. It is crazy to think that come September, that reality with be changed forever! I can't wait!

Here is a beautiful picture of my current reality : )