Trusting the Lord Together
This article reflects on a recent Costa Rica Bible School, highlighting decades of faith, fellowship, and the enduring joy of gathering around God’s Word.
Read Time: 3 minutes
As I left home to make my way to the airport, leaving for Costa Rica to participate in their yearly Bible School, I thought about the many times I had done this before. This year marks 40 years since I first met the original members of the Costa Rica Ecclesia in Santa Barbara, and had the blessing of working with them to help them come to a full knowledge of the truth of the Scriptures. The Word of God took hold quickly in Santa Barbara, a small town in the province of Heredia, Costa Rica, and Santa Barbara soon became the location of the second Costa Rican ecclesia, the first being the ecclesia in San Jose. (The two ecclesias continued for a while, and eventually combined, leaving just the Santa Barbara Ecclesia.)
This year, the Bible School would be mostly Costa Ricans, with a few from outside the country. In total, approximately 60 participants attended, including baptized members and young people. There were about eight of us from outside the country: five Costa Ricans who now live in the US and were visiting, a sister and her grandson from Ecuador, and myself. The theme chosen for the Bible School was Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV), “Trust in the LORD with all your heart,” a very timely topic in today’s world, where trust is often placed in everything but God.
Most years, a campground is rented where most of us stay. However, this year, it was decided to use a meeting place called Rancho La Fiesta, which has facilities for day use, but no sleeping quarters. Rancho La Fiesta is situated very close to Santa Barbara, where most of the members reside, making it convenient to drive back to their homes in the evening to sleep. This arrangement also helped to keep the cost of the Bible School down, making it easier for families to attend.
On Thursday evening, there was an introductory activity at the ecclesial hall to welcome us all to the weekend. During this event, Brother Juan Diego Vargas gave a talk on the weekend’s theme and had us break into groups to answer questions he had prepared. These questions helped orient everyone and prepare us for the upcoming Bible School. Afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious supper of tamales, a tradition at this time of year in Costa Rica and other Latin American countries.
This year, I was asked to do the five main classes and the exhortation, and so I decided to base four classes on one of each of the four phrases from Proverbs 3:5-6, with one additional class as a conclusion to the weekend. There were two main classes on Friday and Saturday each. There was also a brothers’ class and a sisters’ class on Saturday afternoon given by members of the ecclesia. On Sunday, we had the exhortation and the final main class. There were also many planned activities, such as a team Bible trivia competition and team games, all of which were fun and a great way to enjoy time together. There was also plenty of time for fellowship and recreation built into the schedule. The meals were catered and served buffet-style, and were very tasty. The Costa Rican brothers and sisters took turns serving the food, a nice way to involve everyone. On Saturday evening, the young people put on a very clever skit before we went out to enjoy a bonfire and have snacks and hot chocolate. On Sunday afternoon, the children performed a series of skits in which they acted out a Bible story, and we had to guess what the story was. They all did a great job! We finished the day out with a choral presentation, followed by prizes for the young ones.
As mentioned, there were several visitors from other countries, including a sister from Ecuador and her grandson, a family of three originally from Costa Rica but now living in North Carolina, and a dear sister and her daughter who were in Costa Rica when the Santa Barbara Ecclesia began, but who have lived in the United States for about 20 years. It was wonderful to share time with all these visitors, as well as with all the beloved brothers and sisters I have known for so many years. We also had the opportunity to again hear the story of how the ecclesia began in Santa Barbara. Brother Francisco Ramirez, one of the original brothers from the area, is a wonderful storyteller, and we always enjoy his account of the amazing beginnings of the Santa Barbara Ecclesia. It is always a great reminder of how God reaches those who are searching and finds a way to reveal the truth to them.
As always, all was well planned and there were many working to make the weekend an uplifting spiritual experience. We all left the Bible School spiritually refreshed.
The Costa Rica Ecclesia maintains a presence on Facebook and YouTube, where they preach and post talks and information. If you are interested, you may search “Iglesia Cristadelfiana Costa Rica” on either of those platforms.
Dave Collister,
CBMA Link to Costa Rica