Family Radio Mission to Costa Rica
February 6th - 16th, 2008
LETTER #1
"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and
for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." (Psalm 138:2)
Wednesday, February 6, 2008. All but one of our group of 11 “Ambassadors for Christ” (7 men and 4 women) from various parts of the US and Holland has arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica on another Family Radio trip. The eleventh member will arrive tomorrow due to a flight delay.
We plan to proclaim the True Gospel of Christ to the people here during the next nine days by distributing over 100,000 Does God Love You? tracts in the Spanish language, about 240 Spanish Bibles (a King James equivalent), and Family Radio Bible teaching materials in Spanish.
As is customary on these trips, the tracts have been printed locally and contain the current Family Radio broadcasting schedules for this area, School of the Bible information (which offers free correspondence courses in English and Spanish), and a reference to the multilingual website. The Bibles have been purchased locally as well.
Costa Rica is a Central American country bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the southwest and west, Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, and Panama to the southeast. Its population is currently estimated at 4.2 million; and over 2 million people live in and around the capital city of San Jose, which is located in the central highlands of the country. Costa Rica enjoys one of the highest standards of living in Latin America, and its literacy rate is estimated at over 90%. Christianity is the major religion, and over 85% of the people identify with the Roman Catholic church.
We are looking forward to serving our Lord and Savior in this country, and we pray that God will open the spiritual eyes of many of these dear people to the True Gospel of salvation as a result of our work here.
Thursday, February 7, 2008. We had a short meeting after breakfast to organize the work, and broke into three teams to work in various places in the center of the city within walking distance of our hotel. We will be spreading out to other areas as the days progress.
Many streets are blocked off to vehicles, and there was much foot traffic everywhere we worked. The acceptance of the tracts was very good, and the people were friendly and courteous to us.
One lady Family Radio listener, who had lived in the New York City area for awhile, came to the hotel to meet us, and she helped distribute tracts for most of the day. Several other people showed a great interest in the Gospel and gladly accepted some Family Radio booklets for further study. We always emphasize the fact that all materials are free of charge from Family Radio to anyone who wants them.
Since our eleventh member arrived last night, we will be at full strength tomorrow and are looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us as we send forth the precious Gospel of Christ to these dear people of Costa Rica.
"O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles." (Psalm 43:3)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Costa Rica
LETTER #1
"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and
for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." (Psalm 138:2)
Wednesday, February 6, 2008. All but one of our group of 11 "Ambassadors for Christ" (7 men and 4 women) from various parts of the US and Holland has arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica on another Family Radio trip. The eleventh member will arrive tomorrow due to a flight delay.
We plan to proclaim the True Gospel of Christ to the people here during the next nine days by distributing over 100,000 Does God Love You? tracts in the Spanish language, about 240 Spanish Bibles (a King James equivalent), and Family Radio Bible teaching materials in Spanish.
As is customary on these trips, the tracts have been printed locally and contain the current Family Radio broadcasting schedules for this area, School of the Bible information (which offers free correspondence courses in English and Spanish), and a reference to the multilingual website. The Bibles have been purchased locally as well.
Costa Rica is a Central American country bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the southwest and west, Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, and Panama to the southeast. Its population is currently estimated at 4.2 million; and over 2 million people live in and around the capital city of San Jose, which is located in the central highlands of the country. Costa Rica enjoys one of the highest standards of living in Latin America, and its literacy rate is estimated at over 90%. Christianity is the major religion, and over 85% of the people identify with the Roman Catholic church.
We are looking forward to serving our Lord and Savior in this country, and we pray that God will open the spiritual eyes of many of these dear people to the True Gospel of salvation as a result of our work here.
Thursday, February 7, 2008. We had a short meeting after breakfast to organize the work, and broke into three teams to work in various places in the center of the city within walking distance of our hotel. We will be spreading out to other areas as the days progress.
Many streets are blocked off to vehicles, and there was much foot traffic everywhere we worked. The acceptance of the tracts was very good, and the people were friendly and courteous to us.
One lady Family Radio listener, who had lived in the New York City area for awhile, came to the hotel to meet us, and she helped distribute tracts for most of the day. Several other people showed a great interest in the Gospel and gladly accepted some Family Radio booklets for further study. We always emphasize the fact that all materials are free of charge from Family Radio to anyone who wants them.
Since our eleventh member arrived last night, we will be at full strength tomorrow and are looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us as we send forth the precious Gospel of Christ to these dear people of Costa Rica
"O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles." (Psalm 43:3)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Costa Rica
LETTER #2
"For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth." (Psalm 43:3)
Friday, February 8, 2008. Four teams went to various locations in and around San Jose today. We worked in the central area of the city, at a general market, in a sleazy "red light" district of bars and all manner of sinful activity, and in an outlying community.
Although there were crowds of people walking everywhere in the in the city center, the acceptance rate seemed to diminish throughout the day. Some of the group reported that less than one out of four people offered a tract would take it, which is a relatively low acceptance rate based on our experience in other Latin American countries. The good news is that very few tracts taken were discarded and that the large crowds enabled us to distribute many thousands of tracts in spite of the low acceptance factor. It is also a blessing for us to see many people sitting and standing around intently reading the tracts.
The lady FR listener from New York, who distributed tracts yesterday, worked for a few hours with one of the teams in the central area again today. A young man and woman attended our Bible study last, and the young man also helped another team in the central area for a few hours between classes at a local university. We thank God for the work He is doing in the hearts of those people.
The 2 man team that worked in the notorious red light district submitted the following report:
"The area is located about 8 blocks from our hotel, and although the streets were deceptively quiet, there was a lot of activity inside the many bars and liquor stores. Men and women addicted to alcohol and drugs were prevalent and ear splitting rock music blared from the bars; but the people were polite as they took the tracts with very surprised looks on their faces. We did not receive any angry looks or comments, and that is a testimony to the fact that the hand of God is always guiding and protecting us as we do this work."
One team took a 30 minute taxi ride to Desamparados, a town about 12 miles southwest of the center of San Jose, and they submitted the following comments about their experiences at that location:
"We started working in the Central Square where there was a very large park, lots of stores, souvenir shops, eateries, a bus terminal, and a very large Roman Catholic Cathedral located in the center of the square. The streets were very busy because Friday is the beginning of the weekend and schools reopen from a semester break on Monday. Many shoppers were purchasing uniforms, shoes, books, and other school supplies for the start of school.
"Hordes of people coming and going on numerous buses and taxicabs provided for a steady flow of traffic and a favorable reception of the Does God Love You? tracts. Many people entering and exiting the Cathedral took the tracts, and quite a few were sitting on park benches reading intently. We gave out FR study materials to those who were interested and Bibles to those who requested them. We thank the Lord for the very productive day that He provided for us in that town."
May God grant repentance unto salvation for many of the people of Costa Rica.
"Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land ." (Hosea 4:1)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Costa Rica
LETTER #3
"And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)
Saturday, February 9, 2008. We had five guests at our Bible study last night, and all seemed to be highly interested in learning more about the True Gospel of Christ.
Because our initial supply of 100,000 Spanish Does God Love You? tracts is dwindling rapidly, we ordered another 25,000 for delivery on Wednesday and distribution on Thursday and Friday, the last two days of our visit.
Four teams went to busy markets in various outlying communities, and the distribution rates remained high everywhere we worked. The following report by one of the teams is an example of how our work is going here:
"We went outside the city of San Jose to Alajuela, the second largest city in Costa Rica, which is located about 35 minutes away by taxi. We arrived there about 10 a.m., but our distribution efforts started at a slow pace, given that Costa Ricans normally start later on the weekends."
"However, foot traffic in and around the city square continued to increase with time, and activity had picked up considerably by noon. One team member worked in the central area, and the remaining two team members visited the stores, eateries, pharmacies, markets and other places of business at opposite ends of the main square. We met one person who was very familiar with Family Radio and listened regularly on shortwave radio; and we saw many people reading the tracts."
"It seemed that the pedestrian traffic had picked up considerably after lunch as families came to visit the large park nearby and many parishioners attended Catholic services at the Cathedral in the center of the square. In general, the acceptance rate was good, and our tracts were going out at a rapid pace."
"One member found a very busy bus terminal with scores of buses and many local and out of town passengers. That provided a very fruitful distribution effort with long lines of people waiting to get on board and many people disembarking to go into the central square."
"He concentrated his efforts on those people getting on the buses because the passengers would be profitably occupied as they read the tracts onboard; and hopefully, others in their families would have an opportunity to come into contact with the True Gospel, perhaps for the first time"
"Despite the slow start to the day, our dear Lord provided the grand opportunity for about 6,000 tracts, a dozen Bibles, and various FR booklets to be placed in the hands of the people of Alajuela. May the Lord put a desire to be obedient in the hearts of those dear people as they read the Words of Life they have received."
We are praying that God will perform a mighty work of grace in the lives of many of these dear people of Costa Rica for His glory and honor.
"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (John 17:17)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Costa Rica
LETTER #4
“But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness,
nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:2)
Wednesday, February 10, 2008. We had three guests at our Bible study last night, and the local lady who has been helping us with tract distribution translated the lesson into Spanish for the other two.
Today we received permission to visit a prison on Tuesday. Our group leader submitted an application for four members to visit when he came last December to set up this trip, and it had to be processed through many layers of bureaucracy because that facility is the largest and highest security prison in the country with a population of about 2,000 male and female inmates.
Two teams went to busy markets in two other cities, and two teams worked in San Jose at a bus station serving other cities in the country, near a large evangelical church of some kind, and at a sports stadium and park where families were enjoying soccer matches, picnics and various recreational activities. The team at the stadium was even allowed to distribute tracts in the stands, which is quite unusual. Again by God's grace, the distribution rates remained high everywhere we worked.
The team at the bus station met a street vendor selling books who had received a Bible and some tracts from another one of our members a few days ago. He showed them how he puts a tract in each of the books he sells and said that he patrols the central area picking up usable discarded tracts from the pavement and trash cans to put in the books. God certainly does work in mysterious ways, and we pray that he will use that man's efforts to accomplish His purposes in this city.
One of the traveling teams went to the city of Cartago, which is a 40 minute taxi ride to the east of San Jose. They worked in a bustling market area until it closed at noon, and then they went to a Roman Catholic Basilica where many people were attending Lenten services and participating in baptism ceremonies. The people were receptive to the tracts, and the team encountered no opposition whatsoever to its work at the Basilica.
The other traveling team provided the following comments on its activities:
"Today our team took a 2 hour bus ride to the costal town of Puntarenas located on the Pacific side of Costa Rica. The highway climbed over some beautiful mountain passes and past many coffee plantations. The town is on a narrow peninsula surrounded by beaches, and when we got there the beach activities were in full swing."
"Many families were picnicking, sunbathing, swimming, and enjoying some boat races and other beach related activities. In addition, the eateries and bars around the area were very crowded, and there were many fruit, food, clothing, and souvenir stands doing what looked to be very brisk business as they satisfied the needs of the visitors to the area."
"One team member trudged practically the whole stretch of a long beach distributing hundreds of Does God Love You? tracts, which a favorable number of people accepted while others, by their demeanor, indicated that they did not want to be bothered."
"Another team member worked at the bus station where many buses were letting off droves of passengers for a day of fun at the beach. His distribution efforts were quite productive with many of the tracts and FR teaching materials being handed out. He met an older couple who were very interested and enthusiastic about the Gospel message on the tract and especially the information about 2011 being the end of time. They indicated that they would be traveling to San Jose tomorrow (Monday) and said they would like to attend one of our evening Bible studies this week."
"Yet another team member walked around the area distributing and came upon a fishing village with some weather beaten boats and fishermen mending their nets. Those people were simple, humble, and friendly folks, and everyone graciously accepted the tracts. Could it be that God will give some of them the desire to follow Jesus like the Apostles Peter, James and John?"
"We are thankful that the Lord provided the opportunity for us to proclaim the True Gospel to the people in Puntarenas, as well as to those who had come in from other areas of Costa Rica; and we pray that many lives will be changed as a result."
We had five guests at our Bible study this evening, four of which were there for the second or third time, and the local lady listener translated into Spanish for us again. We praise and thank God for those people and pray that He will teach them how to compare "spiritual things with spiritual" according to 1 Corinthians 2:13.
“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Costa Rica
LETTER #5
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,” (Ephesians 1:13)
Wednesday, February 11, 2008. Our group leader ordered 300 more Bibles to take into the prison tomorrow (Tuesday), and that brings the total to 540.
In order to schedule the distribution of the remaining Does God Love You? tracts until we receive the second order of 25,000 on Wednesday, we divided up the tracts on hand and purposely took out a lighter than normal load today.
Three teams worked in various places in San Jose: Two teams worked at a couple busy shopping areas near the city center, and the third team worked outside of three different hospitals where steady streams of people were entering and leaving.
A fourth team traveled to the town of Jaco on the Pacific coast, and they submitted this report:
"We took a 2.5 hour bus ride to Jaco and were able to share tracts with passengers at the bus station and those embarking from towns along the way. The town of Jaco showed signs of affluence with some palatial homes and much construction activity for condominiums and garden apartments. It seemed to be an expensive resort town with many foreigners who were mostly not interested in taking the tracts. However, we had excellent acceptance of the tracts by the local people."
"One team member visited some of the construction sites and shared the Words of Life with the workers. The security official at one site did not allow access, but he took a quantity of the tracts and promised to distribute them to the workers. Our member also had a good discussion with a Canadian businessman who has made Costa Rica his home base, and the man was very receptive to the tract's message and was not at all surprised about the 2011 date. He called the town "a little sin city" and said that the people there are in need of the life changing Gospel of Christ.
"Another team member went door to door in one of the few barrios. Many tracts and a few Bibles were graciously accepted by those people who do not have much in the way of worldly goods."
"The third team member visited many of the local stores, souvenir shops, eateries, bars and other places of business in the various strip malls along the main highway. Many of the vendors and workers gladly accepted the tracts; and a man expressed his thanks for our efforts to bring the Gospel to his town."
"Although our distribution time there was short, we are thankful to the Lord for providing us with that wonderful opportunity to share His precious Word with the people of Jaco and neighboring villages."
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” (Ephesians 2:4 5)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Costa Rica
LETTER #6
“For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;” (Colossians 1:5)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008. This afternoon a team of three men and one woman visited a maximum-security prison called “La Reforma.” It is the largest male prison complex in Costa Rica housing about 3,000 inmates, and it covers a huge area surrounded by razor wire and guard towers. Our group leader gave this account of the visit:
“After thorough security checks, we were escorted into a meeting room and were permitted to speak for 20 minutes about Family Radio and the True Gospel to a couple dozen professing Christians who were the spiritual leaders of each cell block.
“Although those men had been incarcerated for all manner of grievous crimes, we saw tears welling up in the eyes of several of them as they listened to the message in Spanish by a very proficient inmate translator. We gave each of those men a supply of Bibles, tracts, and Family Radio materials to distribute within their respective cell blocks; and some guards made a meticulous record of the materials received by each man.
“The prison officials and inmates were greatly appreciative of our visit, and we were able to place about 200 Bibles, over 3,000 tracts, and a supply of Bible-study booklets in that spiritually dark institution. We pray that God will perform a mighty work of grace in the hearts of many people there.”
Another team took a 25-minute taxi ride eastward to the suburban community of Coronado where they distributed tracts to the locals on the streets and in the shops downtown and to many children and their parents entering and leaving an elementary school. In addition, many teenage students and other travelers gladly accepted the tracts at a busy bus station. The acceptance of the tracts was excellent everywhere they worked in that community.
Another team worked in the always-busy Central Plaza of San Jose where the reception continued to be good. It seems the general rule-of-thumb in that area is “the larger the crowd, the lower the acceptance factor.” It must be some kind of a crowd-mentality thing because several people will pass by without taking a tract, but the large throngs of pedestrians allow for a fairly fast distribution rate anyway.
Another team visited some schools in San Jose, and their comments are as follows:
“The first high school proved to be quite amenable to our distribution efforts. Many students were in the school yard because the morning classes had just finished, so we went right in and started sharing the tracts. After about 10 minutes, a school official asked one of our members what we were doing there and was told that we were distributing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the message of His impending return. The official looked through the tract and said we could continue. We were also able to distribute to the students coming in for the afternoon session.
“We went to other schools, but our timing was not right as most of the students had already left for the day. However, we were able to share with people on foot and in vehicles in the neighborhoods of those schools. We then went to the Central Plaza and finished our tract load for the day.”
We are indeed grateful to the Lord for providing yet another wonderful day of distributing the precious Words of Life.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Costa Rica
LETTER #7
“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008. Today all eleven of us took the remaining 6,000 Spanish tracts from the first order and 6,000 English tracts (which we brought from the US), and we traveled northward over the mountains by van to the Caribbean port city of Limon [lee-MOAN], where there is a large number of English-speaking people of Jamaican heritage.
The mountain passes are constantly cloudy, rainy, and cool, and the vegetation along the highway is a thick jungle. We stopped for about a half hour in a town called Guapiles [WAH-pe-les] on the other side of the mountain range and handed out a few thousand Spanish tracts there.
We then continued to Limon, dropped off teams at various locations in the downtown area, and picked them up two hours later. The streets and the many bars and restaurants were fairly busy, and acceptance of the tracts was excellent (over 90%). We gave out the rest of the Spanish tracts and most of the English tracts during our visit.
A street vendor selling coconuts from a pushcart offered to accompany our group leader and another male member into one of the toughest, crime-ridden barrios on the outskirts of town called Cienequita [see-ene-KEE-ta]. It is a large neighborhood of rundown buildings and shacks with many barking dogs and the pungent smell of marijuana smoke in the air; but the people there were very receptive to the tracts and extremely thankful for the Bibles and other materials they received. May God have mercy on those poor people who have so little worldly comforts, but who now have the Words of Eternal Life in their possession.
Although our 3.5-hour return trip took us over the mountains in the dark and through a dense fog which made visibility almost impossible at times, God had provided a very knowledgeable and skillful driver for our trip on that busy and dangerous highway .
The printer met us at the hotel upon our return with the second order of 25,000 Spanish tracts, and we praise and thank the Lord for an interesting, successful, and safe trip. We pray that God will apply the True Gospel message of salvation to the hearts of the people of Guapiles and Limon according to His perfect will
“Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.” (Ephesians 6:23-24)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Costa Rica
LETTER #8
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Thursday, February 14, 2008. The same team of four that went to the men’s prison last Tuesday visited a large women’s prison this afternoon and submitted the following report:
“We were overjoyed as we exited the La Reforma prison and reflected on how God provided for the True Gospel of salvation to reach the male inmates there; and we decided to stop by the women’s prison, which was about an hour away, to see if we could sharing God’s Word with the inmates there as well.
“The Director of that prison had left before we arrived, and we were told to fax them a letter in Spanish explaining the purpose of our visit and listing the passport information of our team members. In order to do that, we stopped at an Internet cafe and asked if someone could prepare the letter because no one in our group knew enough Spanish to do it.
“The staff there said they did not know enough English to do the translation, but a young lady standing behind us told us in perfect English that she was a Christian and would help us write the letter. She then proceeded to type up a detailed letter in Spanish and insisted on paying for the use of the computer. We faxed that letter from our hotel to the prison the next morning (Wednesday) and immediately got approval to visit on Thursday. We are constantly amazed at how God works things out for us on these trips.
“When we arrived at the prison complex today, the visiting hours were just ending, and we were allowed to share our tracts with many of the inmates’ family members. Several guards then escorted us to each cell block where we gave tracts and other materials directly to the inmates and staff members. The women inmates ranged in age from teenagers to the elderly; and, sadly, there were several young women with babies and toddlers in a separate wing.
“Everyone graciously accepted our materials, and we distributed about 3,000 tracts, 150 Bibles, and scores of booklets. The prison Director thanked us and said the Word of God was a wonderful gift. To that we say, ‘Amen and praise be to God.’”
Another team of four worked in Carpio, which is one of the largest barrios in San Jose. It is sandwiched between two gated communities populated by affluent retired North American and European citizens and wealthy Costa Rican nationals.
When the team arrived at that location, their driver told them that the neighborhood is a very dangerous place, and they explained that they trusted God for their protection. They immediately encountered a large group of people visiting a medical clinic, and their distribution efforts started with very positive results.
They then formed two, 2-person teams and went door-to-door on muddy streets and hilly pathways amidst the many growling and barking dogs (practically every house has at least one dog for protection).
They also shared tracts with students at two elementary schools, and one store owner asked for some extra tracts to give to his customers. With God’s protection and guidance, they were able to give out many tracts, about 20 Bibles, and a few booklets in that barrio; and afterwards they finished distributing their tract load at a busy bus station in the central area of San Jose.
The third 3-person team worked in some other busy areas in the city with the usual good results; and overall we were able to distribute about half of the last batch of tracts today.
We had eight guests at the meeting this evening, four of whom came for the first time because they had read the tract and wanted to learn more about the True Gospel. We pray that God will do a mighty work of grace in the hearts of those who received tracts today, according to His good pleasure.
Thursday, February 14, 2008. The same team who went to Carpio yesterday visited another barrio called “Leon XIII” today. It is considered to be even more dangerous than Carpio, and several people warned them of the danger of being mugged or even murdered there. Nevertheless, they stepped out in faith and went in the strength of the Lord (Psalm 71:16). They provided the following report:
“Our taxi had dropped us off right in front of an elementary school, and after conversing with a school official, we were told to return at the end of the first session of the day at 10 a.m. We again paired up and worked at different ends of the barrio with no problems of any kind thanks to God’s divine presence and provision.
“We continued going door-to-door and down winding stairs, sometimes to the third and fourth levels from the street. The danger of the area was visible by the many security bars on the houses and the numerous dogs greeting us before we even got to the homes.
“However, the people very graciously received the tracts, Bibles and booklets and the acceptance rate was over 90 percent. One of the teams returned to the school when the parents had come to pick up their little ones, and we were able to present the families with the True Gospel, which undoubtedly they had received for the first time.
“We pray that God will open the hearts of many of those dear people with His life-changing Gospel. To God be the glory for another joyous day of Kingdom-building activity.”
Other teams took the remaining tracts out to various suburbs and central areas of the city to finish our distribution work. We have handed out over 130,000 Does God Love You? tracts, 590 Spanish Bibles, and numerous Family Radio teaching materials to the friendly and courteous people of Costa Rica.
By God’s grace and mercy, we were able to visit six of the seven provinces in Costa Rica during our visit here. Time did not permit us to go to the province of Guanacaste because it is the most remote and least accessible area of the country. It is known as the “Wild West” of Costa Rica because of its many cattle ranches and mountainous terrain.
Our group leader shared the following experience, which is a good example of how we see God’s hand upon our work on these trips:
“While I was purchasing additional Bibles for distribution in the men’s prison, I gave a tract to a man, and his wife, and his teenage daughter who were in the store looking at Bibles and contemplating buying a few copies. The man is a Bible teacher for a group of about 50 adults and children. He had a dire need for some Bibles, but they were quite expensive in that store without a volume discount. He also needed some teaching materials for his group and for sharing with others in his area.
“As it turned out, they had traveled all the way from Guanacaste to San Jose and planned to leave for home in a few hours. He and his wife were very interested as they read the tract, and he said that he understood its message. Then I invited them to come to our hotel to get a few Bibles, tracts, and Family Radio teaching materials. When they received those items at the hotel, the man and his wife wept and thanked God for answering their prayers.
“We do believe that God had brought that family to us at just the right time so that the True Gospel will reach into the remote areas of Guanacaste where we were not able to go; and as a result, the True Gospel of salvation will be proclaimed in all parts of this beautiful country. Thus, the Gospel tracts have been sent throughout the city of San Jose and its suburbs and to cities on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts during this trip. To God be the glory!”
Once again, we are grateful for God’s guidance and protection during our time in Costa Rica; and we also thank the listeners and supporters of Family Radio for their prayers and financial support that make these mission trips possible. We consider our being Ambassadors for Christ in this manner a great privilege and honor and highly recommend it to others.
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” (Ephesians 2:4 5)
In Christian love,
The Family Radio Mission Group in Costa Rica