On campus we are sharing residential space and meal times
with two other groups: A United
Methodist Church work team from Pleasant Valley, Arizona and the Latin American
Biblical Society (folks working to translate the Bible into indigenous
languages). We have been welcomed to join the UMC in
their morning devotions. Our first day
we heard a devotion focusing on grace and forgiveness including a rap of sorts
on the Prodigal son in F minor. On
Tuesday, the devotion focused on walking by faith and not by sight –taking risks
of faith.
We are here on a study-work trip; we doing work for the
community and taking classes at the end of the week. Monday and Tuesday were our work days at the
seminary. Our assignment was to tear
down an old security building and paint the walls of the parking lot and entrance
to campus and the area where the security building was. Painting the ragged stucco proved to be quite
a challenge requiring several touch ups and spotters to see where we had missed
areas from the distance.
In the evenings after dinner on Monday and Tuesday we heard
speakers – students from the seminary/university and translators. On
Monday we heard from two students who live in Costa Rica and attend school
here. In addition to attending school
they both work and serve local churches in various capacities. Because they are living in Costa Rica, it
will take them longer to graduate since they are not in residence in the
seminary. Those students from other
Latin and Central American countries that come here to live in residence
usually come with many classes completed and only stay 1 – 2 years. Brenda and Gustavo will likely take about 4 –
5 years. In addition, all students have
to complete at thesis. The students
spoke about what brought them to the seminary.
Our first speaker, Brenda, told us about how she and her sister came to
the country from Guatemala to be with their mother when they were 12 and 14
years old. Up until this point, she had
never been churched. Her mother worked
and needed care for the children on Saturdays – so she ended up sending them to
the catechetical school sponsored by the Lutheran church and that is how she
became a part of the church. She has
come to the seminary to study and prepare for the future that God has planned
for her. She said her call right now is
to prepare as best as possible, serve God now in her studies, and be present in
each day – rather than try to guess what God has planned in the future. This is especially poignant for Brenda
because she is participating in a church that does not ordain women. So her studies and sense of call is truly a
leap of faith and taking a risk for God.
We also heard from Gustavo another student on Monday
night. He used to be a pastor in a large
Pentecostal church from the Dominican Repbulic who sent him to Costa Rica to
work. However, they censored him for one
year when he chose to attend the Latin American Biblical University not allowing
him to keep his current call and sending his wife and family into a rural
parish to live. Once his year of censure
was up, they told him he could not go back to school. Instead, Gustavo left that church to continue
his education. He was invited to be a
pastor for two years at a Presbyterian church.
Now as he continues his studies he works to create new churches with
families and small groups of people. Now
his church is three families. He is
working on his thesis that focuses on churches, wealth, and power looking at
how churches take advantage of people – taking their money and serving
them. He is focusing on Genesis 21:8 –
21 and how Sarah took Ishmael’s inheritance as an interpretive key to how
churches use their power to take from people in need.
It was amazing to hear stories of people who truly follow
God’s call and face the risks for losing their jobs or not having a call in
place for them after they finish their education.
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