Life-giving Education in Costa Rica
COSTA RICA has long been called the “Switzerland of the Americas.” Perhaps this is due to its beautiful verdant mountains. It has also been a land of peace. In fact, the army was abolished in 1948, and this country has often been praised for its peaceful way of settling both internal and external problems.
Since 1948 academic education has been emphasized here, and thus Costa Rica enjoys one of the highest literacy rates in Latin America. Of course, knowledge of God’s Word, the Bible, is even more important. (John 17:3) There are over 5,000 individuals in this country who are very interested in imparting this superior knowledge to their neighbors. These Bible educators are Jehovah’s Witnesses, and their teaching work has reached almost every part of this land.
Bordered by Panama on the south, Nicaragua on the north, the waters of the Pacific Ocean on the west and the Caribbean Sea on the east, this Central American republic is divided north and south by a mountainous backbone. To the east and west of these cool highlands and plateaus lie humid, tropical lowlands, the Pacific and the Atlantic coastal plains. But to become better acquainted with Costa Rica and its people, let us accompany a traveling Christian elder (a district overseer) and his wife to four assemblies of Jehovah’s Witnesses in different parts of this land.
VIRGIN JUNGLES ON THE ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN
The first assembly is at Puerto Limón, some 162 kilometers (100 miles) from San José, Costa Rica’s capital. Our friends thought we would enjoy the scenic ride on the narrow-gauge railway, instead of a trip on the much faster bus. They were right. Breathtaking mountain scenery on the left is offset by the white waters of a river rushing through its gorge hundreds of feet below us on the right. We swallow hard as the veteran train winds along this stretch of track on a narrow ledge only some three meters (10 feet) wide.
As we descend, the cool, forested mountains soon give way to rolling hills. Now, as if a giant hand has rolled out a green carpet for miles on end, before us extends the dense jungle of the Atlantic coastal plain. Randomly placed in the dark foliage are light-green spots, actually banana plantations. In many of these, there are thriving congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
We are told: “Life on these banana plantations is often likened to that in the old North American ‘wild west.’ . . . As an example, I recall a man who lived on a plantation on the Pacific coastal plain. He was well known in the area as a brawler, and drank to the point of consuming only pure alcohol. An elder in the local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses moved in next door and began to show interest in him . . . In order to find some questions that his Witness neighbor would not be able to answer, he began reading the Bible. Soon, however, it was he who was answering questions during the home Bible study that his neighbor conducted with him.” Today, the man serves as a ministerial servant and regular pioneer, a full-time Kingdom proclaimer. In these areas, Jehovah’s Witnesses are known for their clean living, honesty and close-knit family life.
Soon we are right down into the humid, shady jungle plain, making frequent stops at small towns. Finally, we reach Puerto Limón. A Witness from Germany and his Panamanian wife are serving here in the circuit work, and he tells us:
“Puerto Limón was built on the site where Columbus is said to have landed on his fourth and last voyage. The majority of the population has descended from Jamaican islanders who immigrated before the turn of the century to work as free laborers on the railroad then being constructed and on the developing banana plantations. The striking feature of the Kingdom work in Costa Rica is its early start, as compared with most Latin-American countries. As far back as 1904, Jehovah’s servants were busy teaching peaceful Bible truths to the English-speaking inhabitants of the Atlantic coast, some congregations having been established before 1914. The teaching work in the rest of the country had its roots here . . . Although most of the people now speak Spanish, three English-language congregations continue to care for the large number of the people in the area that feel more at home speaking English.”
The following day we participate in the teaching activity from door to door and find the people in general to be very friendly and ready to discuss the Bible. Notable is the interest shown by youths.
Among some 800 assembly delegates are Zenón and his cousin Jesús. Although they worked full time, they regularly traveled for hours by motorcycle to care for the spiritual needs of a group of interested persons in Puertoviejo. Now, Zenón and Jesús have arranged their affairs so as to participate in the spiritual teaching work full time as special pioneers and are assigned to that small river port.
All too soon we must depart. We head back up to the central plateau, noted for its cooler climate, looming volcanoes and abundant coffee groves. The next circuit assembly is to be held in San José, the capital.
ON THE CENTRAL PLATEAU
The central plateau is home for most of the country’s 2,000,000 people. Located here are the four largest cities and more than half of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Costa Rica. We find the attractive, recently remodeled branch office of the Watch Tower Society near the heart of San José. The demand for Bibles and Bible literature required the expanding of the original building constructed in 1955. Why, in just the last 10 years, the branch office shipped the congregations more than 63,000 Bibles and 163,000 copies of the Bible aid The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life! This amounts to about one Bible for every 30 persons in the country and a Truth book for one individual in 12.
We note that the people here on the central plateau are quite cosmopolitan, yet interested in the Bible and especially in matters affecting the family. Although the family unit is faring somewhat better in Costa Rica than in many other parts of the world, people here are worried. Drugs, alcoholism and immorality have weakened the traditionally strong Latin-American family ties. So, as we go from house to house, it is not unusual for a busy housewife, on hearing that the Bible deals with family life, to dry her hands and invite us inside the home.
In a small town some 10 kilometers (6 miles) from San José, there were no witnesses of Jehovah. A number of parents there sought family guidance from the Catholic Church, but all in vain. Impressed by certain Watch Tower publications (including the Truth book) that directed them to the Bible, all agreed that they would use our literature to study the Scriptures and would apply the things learned. Then they would simply ask Jehovah’s Witnesses to let them join as a congregation. They began calling themselves “Jehovah’s worshipers.” However, false ideas and practices began creeping in, such as naming 12 apostles—women as well as men. After a time, the branch office arranged for a Bible study with one family and good progress was made. Later, the remaining members of the group also asked that a study be conducted with them. On arriving for the first study, a missionary found 17 people waiting, all with Bible in hand and Truth books opened. Soon, individual family studies were arranged in place of one large meeting, and progress became more rapid. In time, special pioneers and an elder and his wife from the United States moved into the town. Today, a healthy congregation of 71 publishers and two regular pioneers zealously carry on the spiritual teaching work there. All of these were among the 2,000 present at the circuit assembly in San José, and some had parts on the program.
Time passes quickly and the district overseer tells us to pack light clothing once again. Our third and fourth assemblies will be on the warm Pacific coastal plain.
SPIRITUAL GROWTH ON THE PACIFIC COASTAL PLAIN
Our comfortable bus whisks us over a modern highway past sugarcane fields. Although the climate is quite warm on the Pacific coastal plain, here one finds no tropical jungles. The land is drier and there is less rainfall here. Soon we find ourselves in Costa Rica’s principal port and resort area, Puntarenas.
On hand to greet us is another traveling elder. He tells us that Kingdom proclaimers in this area make every effort to reach all who might be interested in learning about the Kingdom. This includes the famous prison isle of San Lucas. The Puntarenas Congregation regularly carries on Bible teaching work there.
Some years ago, two young inmates on San Lucas—one a convicted thief and the other serving a long sentence for murder—took their stand as Christians beside those who had patiently helped them. One of these men states: “Imagine the impression made on the other convicts when whole boatloads of brothers came just to visit me and another interested inmate. Of course, they talked about the Bible to other convicts and the guards; but afterward they would spend a lot of time building us up and just being with us. How those visits fortified us! After all the visitors would leave, my companion and I would try to teach inmates and guards alike as we had seen the brothers doing this. Years later, we found that two of the guards with whom we had sown the first Kingdom seeds had become Jehovah’s Witnesses too. Due to my conduct, my sentence became shorter and shorter and I was freed after just three and a half years.” Both of these young men continued to make good progress outside prison, were baptized and are serving Jehovah faithfully.
After enjoying the assembly at Puntarenas, we head north toward the Nicaraguan border. We will attend a circuit assembly in Guanacaste Province, with its large haciendas (ranches) and cattle estates. Vaqueros (cowboys) are in evidence, and the people, as a rule, are quite generous and hospitable. Often while witnessing from house to house the brothers are asked to sit down and enjoy some pinolillo, a cold drink made of ground corn. Many of these humble country folk have never had the chance to learn to read and write. But more widespread is Bible illiteracy, and Jehovah’s Witnesses are working hard here to help people in both ways.
Our trip to this assembly has taken us to a small town in the foothills of Miravalles volcano. Three hours of bumps and dust in a four-wheel-drive vehicle pale by comparison with the efforts made by many of our brothers to get to this gathering. One couple made a two-day journey by horseback. Others walked 12 miles (19 kilometers) or more to catch a bus. Some sold a calf or a pig in order to have money for the fare. However, the 300 persons present found the program to be well worth the effort made to attend the assembly.
We enjoyed hearing about three young fleshly brothers whose parents are not Jehovah’s Witnesses. However, the boys took the truth seriously, to the point of being baptized. Then, rather than increasing their material holdings by stocking with cattle a farm that they had received, they sold it and used the money to support themselves in the full-time teaching work. Now, as special pioneers, Abner, Ezer and Eliud are happily helping to establish congregations of God’s people in isolated parts of the country.
We certainly consider our four-week trip with the traveling overseer to have been very rewarding. It has helped us to appreciate the virgin rain forest, the high, mist-shrouded volcanoes, the green banana plantations and the dry yellow grass of large haciendas. Especially have we enjoyed becoming better acquainted with the peaceful people of Costa Rica, this land of many contrasts. Also, we have benefited from our association with Jehovah’s Christian witnesses. They are participating in the most important teaching work on earth today. Those who respond to it favorably are being “taught by Jehovah,” and their peace will be abundant.—Isa. 54:13.