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A Work and Witness team of 14 people representing the College Church of the Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho came to the Nazarene Seminary in Costa Rica in early October to brave the rainy season and work on the final stages of the new bathrooms. They are the third team to work on the new structure in front of the gymnasium.

The team mainly worked on placing tile in the restrooms, though they were willing and able to jump in with a variety of other jobs that needed done. Eighty-seven year old Fern Hutter even tried her hand at using the hammer drill when it was time to break some asphalt. Other team members worked on digging the trench for the water supply.

Go Fern!!!

Dr. Ruben Fernandez, the president of the seminary said: We are thankful to God for every Work and Witness team that visits us. They are doing more than putting bricks together; they are building the Kingdom of God. Improving our Convention Center facilities will result in a direct investment for preparing the best Nazarene leaders in Latin America!

The team also poured concrete alongside the church building in Los Angeles, just a few short blocks from the seminary. They joined a full crew of church members to pour the long-awaited entrance to the Los Angeles property, and will be the envy of all other Work and Witness teams since their concrete was delivered in a cement truck rather than mixed by hand.

They got a chance to enjoy some free time during their stay in Costa Rica. One of the highlights of the trip was an impromptu ice cream outing with the Los Angeles church members who attended the Tuesday evening prayer service.

The team members were all moved by the dedication of the seminary staff as well as the faith of the church in Los Angeles. Emely De Leon, the children’s pastor at College Church, summed up her time in Costa Rica when she said, “Spending time in Costa Rica and at SENDAS was meaningful. God reminded me his kingdom is flourishing around the world. It was encouraging and inspiring.”

The construction continues on the bathroom project for the gymnasium. In addition, there are other projects that need to be completed in the next year: the final stage of the water project and the Guanacaste and Cypress dorms remodeling are two of the priorities for 2014. If you are interested in bringing a W&W team to SENDAS, please visit the Work and Witness website (www.workandwitness.nazarene.org) or send an email to the Work and Witness Coordinator, Stephen Sickel at ssickel@mesoamericaregion.org.

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