Letter from Guido and Sara Mahecha in Costa Rica
October 2011
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
The Latin American Biblical University (UBL), where I do my ministry as a professor of Pastoral Theology, is offering a master’s degree in theology with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS during 2011–2012. This project, with a focus on HIV/AIDS, provides a valuable and unusual opportunity to four different theological institutions that are participating: (1) School of Theology, San Leopoldo, Brazil; (2) ISEDET Institute, Buenos Aires, Argentina; (3) Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia; and (4) the UBL (Latin American Biblical University), San Jose, Costa Rica. This partnership allows the sharing of curriculums, professors, bibliography, and research results. I think it is the first project of this kind, and I have the privilege of coordinating the UBL group.
This is an initiative of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Argentina and Uruguay in partnership with the AIDS Pastoral and Regional Coordination Program on HIV/AIDS for Latin America and the Caribbean of the World Lutheran Federation. Included in this initiative is the Church of Sweden. A similar project in 2008–09 in Africa has resulted in a strong network of people and institutions working with HIV populations.
The idea of the project in Latin America is to train and educate a total of 32 students of theology (about 8 at each of the four campus sites) in a master’s degree so that more individuals (through congregations and institutions) may respond to HIV/AIDS, building networks in theology and looking at ecclesiology and HIV. The UBL students are Daniel Trujillo (Honduras), Asmiria Nino (Venezuela), Sergio Ugalde (Costa Rica), Heydi Galarza (Bolivia), Perfecto Jacinto (Dominican Republic), and Rosa Maria Lopez (Costa Rica). All of them are leaders in their churches (Episcopal, Pentecostal, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran). More information on this project can be found in Spanish at www.teologiaysida.org
Please take a moment and pray for these students as they are beginning to write their dissertations, which will guide the churches to do a proper pastoral ministry with discriminated members who are HIV-positive. AIDS//HIV is not the end of life but an opportunity for the church to show compassion, identifying HIV people in real need and suffering alongside them. It was the attitude of the Good Samaritan in Jesus' parable that made the difference. The Samaritan was moved with compassion (Luke 10:33), going beyond any unimaginable human behavior to help the man robbed and beaten.
Later in 2012 I expect to be in the United States, doing mission interpretation for three months, visiting churches with my husband, Guido Mahecha, who is already retired as a mission co-worker. We would like to receive invitations to visit you and to share the mission of God in theological education in Latin America. Please read future Mission Connections letters for updates.
In the love of Jesus Christ,
Sara Baltodano
The 2011 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 290
The 2012 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 14
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