An Organic and Bio Mission

The VQC Mission has gone through different stages. We have always asked God what does He want us to do. And In fact he always tells us in many ways what is next. Around a month ago I got a little depressed feeling that our mission was one more regular church or institution full of rituals or just one more organization. I was so disappointed that I wanted to cancel our services on Sunday while I was waiting for His voice to speak to us.

That same weekend we received a call from one of our best pastor friends from San Jose, he wanted to visited us with his son and another pastor Tracy from Arkansas, they arrived that Sunday February 4th, It was actually Daniel birthday, of course we asked them to minister our congregation and they did. Pastor Jose from san Jose was translating for Pastor Tracy from US. Their word and spirit was direct to my heart. Next Monday Pastor Jose sat down with me and told me about his experience in his recent trip to Africa and Europe, he said that sitting down on a train, the Lord asked him to go to England. He then went and found about very peculiar church, what they called “Organic Church”. As soon as I heard the term I was completely inspired by his words. He mentioned that sitting at our mission service he felt we were running an organic institution.

After that, I have been praying and having different meeting with all the people that work for us at VQC Mission (www.vqcmission.com) and at Christian Immersion Spanish Academy (www.cisacostarica.com) and telling all of them about changing our whole organization to become organic.

But what is organic?

Well, the good thing is that we don’t necessarily need to know exactly what it is. That is the main reason why it is so special. I don’t know all about it, but together with God I am discovering step by step what it is about it.

A week after talking to our pastor friend, I received a call from a lady that recently started coming to our services on Sunday, she is not from the area but from san Jose like us, but she is living and working with her husband in Tuis. I answered the phone and said “hello what can I do for you?”, she replied and said: “no, the question is what can I do for you?”. I was shocked. She said I want to serve God at your mission, tell me what should I do. Very interesting.

In most churches probably a 20% of the whole congregation does something for the institution, but what about the other 80%. So then, to me an organic mission should be a place in which 80% are functional, and 20% are learning to become functional.

Up to now I think that the main characteristics of an organic mission are the following:

No artificial Ingredients

XXI century began with the concept of organic, most of the products we now consume could be organic, and it means that not artificial fertilizer or any other elements were added to our product but natural stuff.
Taking this concept we can define an organic institution as a creative organization enriched by the ideas and projects born in the heart of its members.
There can be thousands of good ideas from other organizations, however, definitely the ideas that come from our members show a real desire fro the organization to prosper because the organization is themselves.

Later I am going to write more about this, give me time, and develop the following.

• A more expensive product
• A healthier product
• Organic requires more work
• God loves life
• Life all through the bible
• A BIO Mission
• Becoming organic

Talk to you later.

Our History

Voz Que Clama was born in the hearts of Hector Soto and Daniel Montoya in the summer of 2002. These two dedicated young men from San José were then on an extended trip to Canada. This journey had taken them to Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto at different points along the way. While in Canada, they settled in Ottawa, where they ministered to many youth and a number of congregations in music,Bible teaching, prayer, and prophecy. Hector and Daniel had come to Canada in obedience to God’s leading as a step of faith in their spiritual development.
.As they neared the end of their eight-month visit to Canada, they fasted and prayed about what God would have them do on their return to Costa Rica. Within a week of their return to Costa Rica on Aug. 13, 2002, they were searching for a house to rent in the area of Platanillo, Tuis, La Suiza. After seeing many unsuitable houses, they stopped in the evening to look at a large, older house for sale in Tuis. Returning the next day, it seemed suitable, although it needed much cosmetic work.
Encouraged by a friend and a sense that it was right, the two missionaries decided they would offer to buy the house. When they shared this decision by email with their Canadian friends, one of them replied that it was the Lord’s leading and the house was theirs. They made a down payment of 20% and decided to trust God. By Aug. 22 they had moved in.
Two days later, a lady stopped at the house to inquire who they were and to welcome them to the area. They shared that they had come to share God’s love with the community. The lady began to cry, and they had a prayer time together with a strong sense of God’s presence. They decided to have an open prayer meeting two days after this.
To their astonishment, on the evening of this meeting, 40 people came, invited by their first visitor. Many were skeptical, and some questioned their motives and demanded to see references and credentials. Hector explained that they did not represent a church, but had simply come to share God’s love and hope in Jesus. He shared a message on God’s forgiveness, and people’s hearts began to open and break.
On Sept. 21, 2002, at the height of the rainy season, after several days of heavy rain, the Tuis River rose very high and overflowed its banks. Daniel and Hector returned that evening to find the house flooded with several inches of water on the ground floor. Daniel was powerfully moved by the Holy Spirit to walk through the house and all over the property prophesying against the rain and claiming the property as the Lord’s, not to be damaged or overpowered by anything hostile. When he came back into the house, the rain had stopped, and he told Hector that the rain would cease for three days, and the Lord would let them dry out and repair all the damage. The next day was sunny and warm, as were the two following! The river has not again overflowed onto their property.
A friend from Canada, who had called a week before, had told him she was going to try to organize support for them. Hector had assumed this would take months before they would see actual financial help arrive. Instead, here it was. All the next payments were received the same way, as various people from Canada contributed to pay for the mission house each month. In addition, because the previous owner had not disclosed the danger from the river, they were able to negotiate a reduction of 20% in the agreed upon price for the house. By the grace of God, the house was fully paid for by December 1, 2002.
Around this time, they realized they also needed another, more suitable place to hold meetings. The house next door was being rented by a family. A week before these neighbors were going to move out, the missionaries found out that the house would be available for rent. However, like the mission house, it would need a lot of cleaning up and some fixing to be suitable.
Meanwhile, a group of 17 youth and adults from two of the Ottawa-area churches where Daniel and Hector had ministered had decided to come to Costa Rica for two weeks in March 2003. They wanted to work at the mission to support the ministry. The timing was perfect, and during their visit they cleaned, painted, and fixed, as well as holding special activities in the community. During their time there the group formed many friendships and left a lasting impression. Several people accepted Christ as Lord and Savior during this time.
By the beginning of 2003, Daniel and Hector counted more than 70 people, adults and children, mostly new believers, who were attending the mission meetings regularly. On April 20 they decided to hold a baptism in the Tuis River, which flows behind the house, and 27 were baptized! In fact, since its inception, Voz Que Clama has received a succession of visitors who have come both to work and visit with Hector and Daniel. Many contribute as they can to the mission work. Others come to experience spiritual refreshment and renewal by simply being in the environment and observing what God is doing.