ViewPoint continues the rich legacy of CBH English broadcasting—a legacy spanning more than sixty years—with a new expanded on-air team. Each week it is heard on radio stations and the Internet, literally around the globe. We are in touch with listeners everyday via e-mail and phone. A twenty-four-hour line in North America answers calls from our ViewPoint audience.  A phone bank in London receives calls from our listeners in Europe and the Caribbean. Every day, the conversation, the sowing, the giving hope, and the reaping continues.

What could be better than a few days of peaceful renewal in the North Carolina mountains at the peak of the fall color change? Add to that picture the company of some of the finest folks you will ever want to meet. Then mix in CBH host Jim Lyon, Sandi Patty Peslis, along with husband Don, Sandi’s parents Ron and Carolyn Patty, and CBH cohosts Kimberly Majeski and Obadiah Smith. Well, what a time it will be!

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 up 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.”

04-25-08

Today is our final day in Las Vueltas. Yesterday, we made good progress on the wall and were able to get the outside of the church painted. The electrician showed up very late and was unable to finished installing the lights, so today he returned to finish the job. Our goal today was to finish the wall with enough time to get cleaned up for church in the evening, and to finish painting the inside of the church building.

The Church of God in the town of Tuqurique began meeting in a horse pasture. Each Sunday they would meet under a temporary roof set up in the pasture and learn about the love of God. People from the surrounding villages would walk to take part in the services; however, when the rainy season came, it was difficult for the people from the surrounding villages to attend. The rains usually came in the afternoon, so going to church in the morning meant that they would have to make the return trip home in the rain. For this reason and because of the distance, the people of Las Vueltas began meeting in homes. Eventually, the home meetings grew into a full-fledged congregation with their own church building. Now the church has reached the point where they have a vision for the new church at the new site. Pastor Noily Hernández wants to reach out to the community through this new facility. She even has a dream of having a football field (soccer to us gringos) next to the property so that the children from the community can play ball near the church.

4-23-08

Costa Rica is bordered on the north by Nicaragua and the south by Panama. This beautiful country covers 19,650 square miles and is divided into eighty-one counties. Nearly one-third of the country is protected in national reserves, and Costa Rica’s 3.9 million people are concentrated in the Central Highlands, where the city of San José rests. In this small land area, there are fifty-one distinct climates, which enables farmers to grow most anything. Heading out of San José to the southeast is the village of Las Vueltas.