Letter from Guido and Sara Mahecha in Costa Rica
August 10, 2008
Dear Partners in mission,
Sara preaching.
Thank you for your prayers, friendship, and support. We have felt accompanied by many church members and friends in our work here in Costa Rica. Some of you have been here with mission trips and worked in la Guacima, Fuente de Amor, and other Presbyterian congregations, as well as the Latin-American Biblical University (UBL). We know what your visits mean to our churches and to us. God bless you. We continue participating in the Presbyterian Church of la Guacima, a small congregation of about 60 people that includes Nicaraguans, Colombians and Costarricans. This congregation, and its minister Ledis Ruiz, are a very good community for us.
We are working as always, despite some small health problems. Sara has taught several courses at the UBL. She is also involved in a Latin American movement of psychologists in a committee on sexual issues of the World Council of Churches. She has been to La Paz, Bolivia, and Huancayo, Perú, to teach pastoral care and counseling to our students in these countries.
Guido and boy in the Father's Day celebration at church.
Guido has taught several courses at the UBL in San José and a course on integral health (I did the biblical perspective) which was attended by 34 students from nine different countries. He is participating in a fundraising committee to support two professorships: one on women and religion and another on pastoral care to the family. He finished a small leaflet on an alternative reading of the parables. Guido has also been participating in the work of mission teams to churches.
Our three children are fine. Ebed is an account manager of a call center; Caleb is working with INTEL; and Saguid is working in a clinic as nurse. We are all grateful to God. We thank God because they had the opportunity to learn English and they have found their place in life.
Guido is planning to retire in December 2009, but he will continue participating in a local Presbyterian church and will finish a semiotic commentary on the Gospel of Mark. Plus he will do some fishing and kayaking from time to time and some small projects on solar water heating and solar cooking.
Sara plans to continue working for five more years at the UBL, if she’s invited to continue, until she reaches the age of retirement and if the PC(USA) approves the calling.
Thank you for your participation with us in God’s mission to Latin America.
Sara and Guido Mahecha
San José Costa Rica
The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study, p. 264
