January 22-30, 2022

EMI is privileged to partner with Árbol de Vida ministries, a ministry which is rooted in the life-transforming gospel of Jesus Christ.
There are over 150 evangelical churches in Guanacaste. Some may say that these communities are reached. However, the percentage of pastors untrained and under-resourced is above 80%. There are no seminaries in Guanacaste and there are only 2 other camps in this province and both are in financial difficulties. Many of the pastors are still reeling from Covid and the shutdowns of the past 2 years. We have already witnessed pastors walking away because they cannot provide for their families. Árbol de Vida ministries would like to be agents of change to restore families and church communities letting them know that God has not abandoned them. Árbol de Vida’s goal is to make relevant theological education, practical training, and spiritual formation accessible to ministry leaders in Guanacaste!

Project Scope

This project will be a place where pastors can receive curriculum, free seminary training, and Bible studies.  This will be a place where marriages can receive counseling and guidance.  A place where addictions can be defeated.  In future phases, this could be a place where children or teens can escape abuse or trafficking. Árbol de Vida will be a place that benefits the community of believers, children to adult, where the joy of the Lord might be found.

This project scope will be a church camp, family restoration and resource center. In this current phase, this project has three distinct parts: 1) Masterplan the project with staff housing, natural pool area, multi-purpose building and 2) concept design for a Hospitality House plus as well as the addition to existing ministry outreach center. 3) A site distribution plan with energy savings in mind is also desired due to the high cost of electricity. Below is a short video from our Client ministry explaining their ministry during a recent retreat:

UWM Conferencia Pastoral 2021 - Costa Rica

We hope the end of phase 1 will give Árbol de Vida the ability to host these kinds of conferences, retreats etc. on site as they develop the remainder of the buildings in future phases.

We are looking to mobilize a team of EMI staff and volunteers to Costa Rica at end of January 2022. Will you prayerfully consider joining us in designing a world of hope for Árbol de Vida?  Click "I'm interested" above if you would like more information. Spanish would be an asset but not necessarily required. This project will be a collaboration with our EMI Nicaragua office.

As EMI Canada re-opens project travel, we face multi-layered restrictions and realities around COVID-19. In light of EMI Canada’s duty to provide as safe an experience as possible for our project teams, and our desire to effectively operate project teams in overseas locations, we are, at this time, only recruiting and deploying volunteers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. We will review this position regularly, in light of the evolving global situation around COVID-19. We thank you for your understanding as we navigate this challenging circumstance.

 We are grateful to once again travel as a project team!

— Dan Chong, EMI Nicaragua trip leader

Needs

Architecture: Position filled
Civil Engineering: Position filled
Electrical Engineering: Position filled
Structural Engineering: Position filled
Survey: Position filled
Other Specialties: Position filled
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