regional assembly also met in San Jose and pioneers returned to Puntarenas and Heredia while the assembly of Escazu was again elected. In April 1956 Alajuela was again listed as an active community (but not an assembly yet.) In 1958 Esmarilda Thompson de Vega pioneered into the rural lands near Guanacaste. In July 1960 the last convention for the regional assembly was again held in San Jose. In 1961 Costa Rican Baháʼís elected their own National Spiritual Assembly with its seat in Uruca. The convention was attended by Hand of the Cause Dhikru'llah Khadem. The elected assembly was composed of Esteban Canales, Richard Milkovich, Humberto Ulloa F., Theodore Cortazzi, Antonio Soto G., Jose Barquero, Edgard Gomez, Aaron Barnes, John Rutan. A number of pioneers came and went over the period into the 1960s and assembly statuses fluctuated - two assemblies were noted in 1963 in Escazu and San José. In 1963 the members of the National Assembly, and thus participated in the first election of the Universal House of Justice, were Jose Baltodano, Aaron J. Bames, Esteban Canales, Theodore Cortazzi, Jean Dobbs, Richard Mirkovich, John Rutan, Antonio Soto, and Fernando Soto. Modern community Since its inception the religion has had involvement in socio-economic development beginning by giving greater freedom to women, promulgating the promotion of female education as a priority concern, and that involvement was given practical expression by creating schools, agricultural coops, and clinics. The religion entered a new phase of activity when a message of the Universal House of Justice dated 20 October 1983 was released. Baháʼís were urged to seek out ways, compatible with the Baháʼí teachings, in which they could become involved in the social and economic development of the communities in which they lived. Worldwide in 1979 there were 129 officially recognized Baháʼí socio-economic development projects. By 1987, the number of officially recognized development projects had increased to 1482. Below you will find a number of internal and external projects Baháʼís in Costa Rica have entered into over the years. Meanwhile, there were developments in the religion in other ways too. In 1984-5 official and semi-official visits by distinguished visitors to the Baháʼí World Centre have increased and included the ambassador to Israel from Costa Rica at roughly the same time musicians from 14 countries met for an international conference for Baha'i musicians, including Charles Wolcott, which served as an exhibition of indigenous dance and