A letter from Elisabeth Cook serving in Costa Rica
October 2014 - A Full Circle
Dear Friends in Ministry:
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Some of the students in Elisabeth's class in Bolivia
The Skype call dropped twice, and then, finally, we were connected. And in more ways than one. Two years ago Elizabeth Gareca finished her degree in Biblical Studies at UBL (Latin American Biblical University) and returned to Bolivia to explore possibilities for ministry in her Catholic parish and in theological education in her country. Today, thanks to modern technology, I was able to share with her students as a guest lecturer for her Old Testament course at the Andean Ecumenical Theological Institute in La Paz, Bolivia. I am thrilled to see her flourish in her own ministry, training church leaders, both men and women, to share the love of God in contexts of poverty and violence in Bolivia.
Elizabeth began her degree program in Bolivia and came to finish at UBL in Costa Rica. She carried a full load for several months and also fulfilled her community service requirement, ministering among immigrant Nicaraguan women. She wrote her thesis in record time and returned to her family, her church and, unbeknownst to her, a classroom full of students. As things come full circle, I am now privileged to be a witness to her ministry in a new context.
It is a beautiful circle I have seen and experienced so many times and even in my own life. The person who motivated and inspired me to consider teaching the Bible at a university level was inspired and supported by one of his professors. And over the past years I, along with our other faculty members at UBL, have been blessed with the opportunity to do the same for others.
Elizabeth is just one of the many students who pass through the classrooms—be they physical or “virtual” classrooms—of UBL. They prepare to engage with the difficult issues of poverty, injustice, and violence through their churches and communities. In these contexts, as in ours, the Bible has often been used to justify exclusion and oppression rather than freedom and fullness of life in Christ.
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Carlos reflecting on violence against children in Peru
As I write I am participating in a Gathering of Mission Co-workers serving in Latin America. It has been a time of sharing, learning from each other, and hearing from the Presbyterian Mission Agency staff who support us and our partners as we participate in ministry together. This gathering has been a time of reflection and evaluation for myself, as I step away from my busy days to think about my contribution to the critical issues our church is engaging with at this time.
A particular issue of concern in which UBL and the PC(USA) join together in mission is violence, especially violence against women and children. Although not confined to the Global South, domestic violence is prevalent in Central America, where campaigns against feminicide and human trafficking are just beginning to raise awareness concerning the complex social, economic and cultural roots of this violence. Carlos, who is beginning his thesis work, is focusing on the daughter of Jairus and the woman with an issue of blood in Mark 5:21-43. He is especially amazed by the way in which Jesus breaks down barriers to heal both a sick woman and a little girl, neither of which were of any special value in a context in which maleness defined what it meant to be human. We are not so distant from that context in many places in our world today. May God give us the grace and the bravery to break down walls, cross boundaries and let ourselves be touched by, and touch, those who are suffering from the violence of poverty and hunger, physical and psychological abuse, helplessness, exclusion, and even slavery.
We are together in this ministry. The work of the PC(USA) with UBL in Latin America and the Caribbean is your work. You are present in each class that is taught, in each Elizabeth who returns to her country to teach others who in turn contribute to building families, churches and societies where love reigns over fear and violence. Please pray for UBL as we move forward seeking creative ways to reach out to those who are eager to be better trained for ministry in their countries.
It is thanks to your continued prayer and direct mission giving that I am able to continue to be a part of the ministry of our church in Latin America. If you are not supporting a mission co-worker, would you think about including me or another mission co-worker in your prayers and budget? Pray for our mission co-workers, World Mission staff, and our partners around the world. May we have wisdom and discernment as we participate in this circle of life God has called us to.
In peace,
Elisabeth Cook
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 47
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