COSTA RICA Capital: San Jose Location: Central America Population: 4 Million Language: Spanish Refugees: Over 600,000 Nicaraguans Avg. Income: $2,640 Economy: Decline between 1979 - 88. 20% still live in deep poverty. Official Religion: Catholicism Population of Evangelical Christians: 13.8%

CHALLENGES: 1. Evangelical church growth came to a halt in the late 1980s leading to years of little progress and numerous Evangelicals without church fellowship or discipleship. 2. Denomination rivalry 3. The moral failure of evangelical leaders 4. Immorality, alcoholism, and spiritist practice Operation World’s daily prayer journal highlights one of Costa Rica’s great needs as “improved leadership training.” Their prayer is for “a new generation of godly, effective leaders for the churches that will commend the gospel.”