The work is done...

Having just completed the second and final day of the work part of this work/study trip, I decided it was time to write a little bit more. Our past 2 days have consisted of little more than eating, sleeping, working and fellowship. It has been an exhausting 48 hours. 

On Monday, we woke up bright and early and still tired from travel a day later. I made sure that I was awake and ready a bit before breakfast so I could continue the morning tradition I had from 3 years ago...enjoying a delicious cup of Costa Rican coffee while looking over San Pedro. It was just as delicious, beautiful, and wonderful as I remember it. After breakfast, the Methodists invited us to their morning devotion, which consisted of magic and the key of F. Before we started work that day, we were able to take a tour of the UBL. As part of the tour we learned that each of the buildings on campus were designed with a different cultures architectural style, ranging from Caribbean and Costa Rican to Mexican and Mayan. We were also able to see the murals painted on the walls of the school building featuring various theological and social rights topics. Also inside the school building is a library of 40,000 books in Spanish, Portuguese, English, and other languages. 

After our tour we began our work, which consisted of painting the front gate and entrance wall and demolish the old guard house. Our group was joined by two of the younger members of the Methodist group, one of which was high school girl training to be an MMA fighter who was pumped for demolition. I wish there was more to say about the actual work, but unfortunately it would not be that interesting to write or read. Some highlights include painting walls, dismantling the house instead of demolishing it, and fighting off large spiders.  Our second day of work was more of the same except with more touching up the paint, more demolition, and about the same amount of spiders. 

Both evenings after dinner, we had different groups of people who were studying at the UBL. On Monday we were able to listen to two students who were working on degrees here. The first speaker had moved here when she was 12 to live with her mother. She started going to a church while her mother was at work, and through out her life she has gotten more involved in the church, even traveling to the USA a and studying in Germany because of her involvement. Our second speaker that night was a former Pentecostal minister who at one point was suspended and partially exiled due to his study at the UBL. He now studies biblical sciences and is working on his thesis(trying to prevent the victimization of people by church leaders).

On Tuesday we had three members of The Latin-American Biblical Society speak to us. They were currently working on translating the bible from Spanish to an indigenous Mayan language called Achi. The translation has recently been finished and is looking to be dedicated in April. One of the members was asked why they feel these translations are important, his (paraphrased) response was: My grandmother used to memorize bible verses in Spanish even though she did not speak Spanish, so when she was able to read the bible in her native language, she now not only knew the bible in her mind but in heart as well. 

Pura Vida,

R Craig Poole