By Logan Ritchhart

On Monday, April 21, fourteen people from across the United States converged on Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, where we continued our trip on to San José, Costa Rica. This group of people met and bonded instantly. This, the first trip coordinated as part of the new Eye on the World Program at Church of God Ministries, is headed ultimately for the village of Las Vueltas in the heart of Costa Rica. Once there, the group will assist in the construction of the Church of God congregation’s new church building.

The group consists of Kirk Bookout (group leader) and Logan Ritchhart from Church of God Ministries; Susan Hardman from Dayton Ohio; Brenda Snedden, senior pastor from Oil City, Pennsylvania; Rudy Fair, of Oil City, Pennsylvania; Doug Weston of Oil City Pennsylvania; Ted and Andrea Bell of Cleveland, Ohio; Kinnie Cosper-McClinton of Odessa, Texas; Bob Kiser of Odessa, Texas; Richard and Jabet Freeman of Hacienda Heights, California; Kathy Knox of Muncie Indiana; and Carlos Sanchez of Chicago, Illinois.

We arrived safely and on time at the airport in San José, where we were met by our gracious hosts Harry Nachtigall and Giancarlo Laitano. We loaded our luggage, and we were whisked away to the Sellers Center here in Costa Rica, which will be our home for the next several days, except for when we are working on the church in Las Vueltas. Although it was dark when we arrived, we immediately felt at home as we passed several American fast-food places on the way to the Sellers Center.

Having arrived safely and without incident, we settled into our beds about midnight and drifted off to a much-needed sleep.

04-22-08

Our day began early as we prepared for a busy day of sightseeing. We left the Sellers Center at about seven o’clock in the morning and headed out for our first stop, Volcano Poas, a volcano just outside of San José. We were told that it is very difficult to actually get to the volcano on a day when you can actually see the bottom. In fact, it is not uncommon to not even be able to see the railing that surrounds the lookout area atop the volcano. Susan Hardman was the first to reach the volcano, the rest of the group close behind. Once there, she turned and stated that we had missed it. The crater was covered in fog and clouds. But almost as if on cue, the clouds began to dissipate, revealing a beautiful crater containing what once was an active pit of molten lava. Water covered the bottom, and the smell of sulfur filled the air. It was such a beautiful sight, and it was made available to us personally. All of the other people at the crater benefited from God’s wonderful gift to us as well. Many of the group continued on to visit a breathtaking lake about a thirty-minute walk from the crater. What a wonderful opportunity to experience Gods incredible creation. Many people told us that Costa Rica was truly a beautiful place, but words cannot begin to express the beauty that we were blessed to see and experience.

From there we retreated to the city of Grecia, where we had lunch in a park just across the street from a beautiful Catholic church constructed of metal. The church was fabricated in Belgium, disassembled and shipped to Costa Rica, and then reassembled in Grecia. The pieces of the church were brought to Greica from the coast in ox carts. On the return trip, the carts were filled with coffee, one of the main exports of Costa Rica. In this way the church was transported and coffee was exported.

As we ate our lunch, a young boy named Benjamin sat next to Harry and began talking to him. He attended special education classes at the nearby Simon Bolivar school, a block or two away, and he looked hungry, so Harry prepared a sandwich and a drink and gave the boy something to eat. He was overjoyed with the generous gift. When he saw his picture on the back of Logan’s camera, his face lit up and he exclaimed a hearty thank you!

Once back in the bus, we continued on our journey to find some shopping places in the nearby town of Sarchi. We shopped until we dropped, and then it was back on the bus to visit one more site before heading back to the Sellers Center. We stopped in the town square in Sarchi that displayed the largest ox cart in Costa Rica. What a sight. It was nearly fifteen feet tall and twenty-five to thirty feet long, handpainted by many local artisans who make their living by doing this exact style of painting on ox carts that are sold to tourists.

Exhausted, we retreated to the Sellers Center to rest before dinner and turning in for the night. The next few days will find us in the village of Las Vueltas. While there, we will stay in the homes of church members and work on the new church building. This first day in Costa Rica has been truly wonderful. Having this day to get our bearings and see a little bit of the country helps us appreciate where we are and the beauty of the country, but we recognize that the true beauty of Costa Rica is yet to be seen. That will come when we visit the people of Las Vueltas.

Be sure to check back for more updates. God Bless, and please keep our group in your prayers.