04-27-08

Today is Sunday, the day of the Costa Rican Church of God Festival that is going to be held at Maranatha de Rodeo a beautiful park in the mountains just outside of San José. Of the nine Church of God congregations in Costa Rica, all but one was present at the festival. This festival is the equivalent of our North American Convention.

We got this morning and had breakfast before we boarded the bus to go to the park for the festival. Once there we were made to feel right at home. A band was set up on a basketball court, and on the small hill surrounding the court were the names of each of the churches that would be present and also a sign that said “USA.” That’s us. We are so honored to be able to participate in this great event of the church. It began with the band leading us in wonderful time of praise and worship. It was especially exciting to be able to sing along in English on the song “Lord, I Give You My Heart.”

It was a special time. Harry and Julia Nachtigall were surprised when they were honored for their years of service to the Church of God in Costa Rica. The speaker for the service was also from the United States, Carlos Sanchez, a pastor in Chicago who is a native of the Dominican Republic. He spoke about his personal testimony, how he was delivered from a life of sin and how God is using him to work in the city of Chicago. At the conclusion of the service, he invited anyone who wished to have prayer to come forward; nearly all of the approximately five hundred people came down from the hillside to the basketball court. Some came for personal prayer and others to be prayed for as a group, but there was no doubt that the Holy Spirit was moving people to change their lives or recommit their lives to Christ.

Following the service, there was an additional service of baptism at the nearby swimming pool; ten to fifteen people were baptized, all from the church in Desamparado (this is actually where we are staying. It is a suburb of San José where the Sellers Center is located.). What a wonderful opportunity for us to witness firsthand how the church in Costa Rica is changing lives with the hope of Jesus Christ.

After the baptismal service, there was a great time of fellowship together as we ate lunch on the grounds. Everyone brought their own food for lunch, and we all fellowshiped together. On the basketball court was a game of basketball; Kirk and Logan took part and had a wonderful time playing with the Costa Rican young people. Over the little hill, other young people played football (soccer). Just after 2:00 PM our group gathered up our things and headed back to the Sellers Center to rest for the afternoon.

In the evening, we gathered again at Harry and Julia’s house for dinner again. Last night, so many people loved her cooking that we asked if we might experience Julia’s fine Costa Rican cuisine once more before we leave, so tonight was our chance. Julia has been touted as the best cook in Costa Rica. Although most of those high recommendations have come from Harry and other close friends, we tend to concur. It is absolutely delicious. Prior to dinner, Harry played his trumpet for us and Carlos sang along. It was a very fun time.

As I have reflected on the last several days, I have noticed that I have used the word wonderful many times. I have decided that it is not possible to describe our experience in words. Wonderful does not begin to express the experience we have had, but I can’t put my finger on a word that can describe it. It has truly been the most incredible gift from God that we could have dreamed of having.

Logan E. Ritchhart
CBH Media Specialist