Costa Rica, Central America
By H. Louie Mignott
ANOTHER year has dawned upon our work in this part of the great harvest-field. I was not able to do much during the past year; yet I am truly thankful to my Heavenly Father for the little that I was able to accomplish through his help. There has been an addition of forty-two souls to the fold of the Master during the past year. Of this number twenty-six have been baptized. The outlook is still good. There are more calls than I can attend to. There is an unseen power that is working on the minds of the people, which is making them anxious to hear something about Jehovah's message for this time. Even among the Protestant ministers there has been a kindlier feeling toward us. I have been sending Liberty to nearly all of them. One is now reading Life and Health, which he asked me to exchange for his monthly church paper. Another, to whom I have been sending tracts, writes me a kindly note. Since my return from the session of the West Caribbean Conference, I have been traveling around and holding a few meetings. I held two meetings at Jimenez; at the close of the last, two men signified their desire to walk in the way of the Lord. I also visited Luacimo, the place in which we were holding meetings last March when we were compelled to leave to prepare lumber for the erection of our church building at Pacuarito. We can rejoice that one at this place has begun to obey the Lord. The people were all glad to see me, and are anxious to know when I will return to hold another series of meetings. I have been visiting and holding Bible studies with them. They are very willing to listen to the Word of God. One woman, as I entered her house, handed me her Bible, and asked me to give her some light on the second chapter of Joel. I was glad of the opportunity. She became very much interested. I find other openings for Bible work. More could have been accomplished here, but I have to labor under great disadvantages. If I had a tent in which the people could assemble to listen to the message for this time, there would be greater accessions to the truth. We can not hold meetings in the open air, owing to the inclement weather. Large rooms are not obtainable here, either. We are laying plans to buy a tent, and we are very confident that there will be an abundant harvest of souls in this field from such an effort. We need more workers here to help gather the harvest. The other Protestant organizations have quite a corps of laborers. There are eleven Protestant ministers, and a small army of helpers here. They have churches in all parts of the country, and by this means they are able to hold their own. We need help. The Spaniards here need to hear the message. Among them there is only one laborer. There are some twenty-five thousand West Indians, scattered all over the hundreds of farms. They must also hear the truth of God. “Brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you.”