Seminary Library where many teams work

The Latin American Biblical Seminary has about 2000 students located in a dozen different countries scattered through out Central and South America and the Caribbean.  Because all of the students are very poor and the expense of transportation is high the seminary faculty members fly to other countries where the seminary has established study centers.  For advance studies students do have to fly to Costa Rica.  Each of them must find their own funds for flying to Costa Rica.  Once there, however, they are on full scholarship support.  The seminary is an Advance Special Project of the General Board of Global Ministries and there are currently four General Board of Global Ministries missionaries serving on the seminary staff.
 

Location:  The seminary is located in a residential area of San Jose, Costa Rica, one half hour from the airport.  San Jose is the lovely capital city of Costa Rica located at an elevation of around 4,000’.  Costa Rica has been described as the Switzerland of the Americas because of its beauty.

Work:  Construction teams are needed to build apartments for faculty housing.  Library teams are also needed to work in the library repairing books and entering books into the computer system.  There are often other jobs needing to be done like painting.

Accommodations:  Teams stay in the new seminary dormitory.  Missouri teams worked on the dorm and the Missouri cabinet team built the bunk beds which are in the dorm.  Rooms hold two to four people.  Married couples can get a room for themselves.  The seminary does not charge anything for lodging for volunteer in mission teams.

Food:  Meals are prepared and served at the seminary for $15 a day per person.  It is very good and plentiful.  A combination of US and Latin American food is served.  The fruit served at each meal is fresh and wonderful.

Sightseeing:  The seminary will help to arrange for a day of sight seeing for the team.  The day of sightseeing including transportation, noon meal and entrance fees to parks varies from $50 to $75 per person depending on what the team wants to do.  Favorite options are the volcanoes, coffee plantations, ancient ruins and the rain forest.

Contact:  Contact Max Marble (marble@umocm.com) at the Office of Creative Ministries if you are interested in putting a team together or going your self.  Max has served as the major project leader for the Latin American Biblical Seminary for the past 7 years and has lead at least that many teams to the seminary.  Over the past 7 years we have had over twenty VIM teams serving at the seminary.

2006 Team led by Max Marble

VIM Team painting at the UBL

Irasu Volcano, one of the many sites