June 6, 2008

Dear Partners in ministry,

It would seem that we are in the midst of a troubled time for much of our world. So many have died and more are suffering in China and Myanmar, there is violence in South Africa, war continues in Iraq, Beirut is a minefield, there are marches and protests against the increasing price of basic foods in places like Haiti, and the ever-deepening impact of the Central American Free Trade Agreement continues to benefit the wealthy while decreasing the living standards of the poor.
 
I guess this is not a very encouraging way to begin a letter. But all these things have led me to reflect about the role that each of us Christians play in this world. There is so much that seems beyond our reach that  I have felt paralyzed by what I hear on the news and what our students share with us from their home countries.

But our students also teach us about hope and about life, life that springs forth in the midst of all these tragedies, life that somehow, somewhere, because someone planted a seed, grows into a tree that bears fruit. Marta recently arrived in San José from Bolivia. She has been studying with the Latin American Biblical University's associated institution in La Paz for several years, but now lives in another province. Her dream has been to come to Costa Rica to finish her degree program. But Marta, like every other student, needed not only to meet the academic requirements, but to pay her airfare from Bolivia to Costa Rica.

Several months ago Marta wrote and asked me if I could help her find funding for her airfare. This is not an unusual request, especially for a student in Bolivia, one of the poorest countries in South America. Her next question helped me to understand the situation she was facing. Marta explained that she had not been able to send in the work she had done for one of the distance courses she was taking with UBL because she didn’t have money for postage.

Marta got some help from a special fund UBL has for women students, but it didn't cover all her flight costs. When Marta finally arrived in Costa Rica she told me how many women—friends, classmates, acquaintances, former UBL students—had come together to pay for her ticket, her passport, and the many other expenses involved in travel.

Miguel and Mariela.

Many of the churches I visited last fall heard me talk about Miguel and Mariela, students from Chile. During my absence, Miguel's mother passed away, and Miguel, due to financial limitations, was unable to go to the funeral. Today Miguel and Mariela are working hard to finish their degree program and trying to find the additional scholarship funds they need to do so.

What is unique about Marta, Miguel, and Mariela—and what makes me think of them in the midst of world events today—is that their struggle to study the Bible and theology have to do with planting seeds of hope and life in contexts that rife with hopelessness and death.

Miguel comes from a mining town. The mines closed down years ago, and people barely survive. Mariela's father shines shoes in the town square. But they haven't come to get a degree that will get them high paying jobs. They want to return to their countries and become a part of bringing the life and hope of Christ—life in very concrete ways—to men and women and children.

These months I have been juggling my different hats at the university. Editing several publications has kept me busy. One book in particular is very special. It’s in honor of one of our faculty members, Victorio Araya, who last year celebrated his fortieth year with the university. Victorio was the first student to graduate from the seminary graduate program in the mid-sixties.

Teaching is always a joy for me, and this semester my goal was for my students to fall in love with Hebrew—not an easy task. But I think we may have accomplished it! I keep in touch with students in Costa Rica and throughout Latin America as coordinator of our Biblical Studies department, organizing their study programs, keeping up with their progress, preparing their time of study in Costa Rica. In the midst of all of this, I'm trying to find time to begin my own doctoral studies.

So I thank you for your true and effective partnership in this ministry that I am privileged to share with you. This year we look forward to some 80 students coming to Costa Rica for their required period of study here—these are in addition to the many who live in Costa Rica. Most of our 14 faculty members will be teaching intensive courses in one of the 14 associated study centers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Each one of these students is a seed for new life and hope in the midst of a troubled world. And you are watering those seeds.

May there be Peace,

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 56