The following report is a summary of the most important events that occurred at the
VQC Mission in Tuis, Costa Rica this past year.
The year 2007 has been a wonderful time full of challenges, miracles and prosperity. Actually, at the VQC Mission we’ve been proclaiming this year as: “The year of blessings from the Lord”. We celebrated the 5th anniversary of the Mission this past August, and after 5 years, we feel that the Lord has revealed to us many important truths from His word, and has given us the opportunity to change many lives here in Turrialba.
Chirripo Indigenous Reserve
At the beginning of this year we once again visited the Chirripo Indigenous reserve, and for this trip we took for the first time a whole American family: the Smith’s, a wonderful family from Minnesota who came to study Spanish with us and to serve this community, we also took Michelle and Colin Bryce from Regina, Canada, and our kind Program Coordinator April Binnie from Toronto, together with other Costa Rican volunteers from Tuis. The experience was magnificent! We celebrated communion for the first time with our indigenous family, and worshiped the Lord together. We also took donations of clothing and food and worked with the children through games and crafts.
Several more visits throughout the year to the indigenous reserve have strengthened our relationship and project planning with this wonderful group of people. For the past few years, we have been called to serve this community: the Cabecar group. We visit the area called Sinoly, and develop educational projects with them. We focus on learning their culture and language so we can help and relate with them better.
To get there, we ride in a 4X4 car for 2 hours, and then walk in the jungle for 5 more hours. This past July we started a project by building a house that can be used as a model for future construction. This house is to be built with materials that will withstand the conditions of Chirripo. Also, the house will have a different configuration so that they won’t inhale the smoke from cooking the wood inside the house. Plus, it will have a floor that will protect them from animals and infections. Building the house has been really difficult and challenging. Taking the construction materials there is hard work. Close to 30 indigenous people helped us and it still took around 2 weeks to get all the lumber and metal roofing there. Because of the difficult access in the mountains, we are still in the process of building the house. We still don’t have all the materials to finish it, and we will probably have to get the rest of the lumber within the mountain to complete the walls, but we need the tools to do that as well.
This past week (Nov.15-17, 2007) we were going to visit them again and had planned to leave early on Thursday morning. However, the weather had been so terrible earlier with torrential rain for several days that it had caused one of their chiefs to come out of the reserve to warn us not to go because the Chirripo river had washed away the zip line that we would need to get to their place/reserve and also that the rain had washed out the trails. This chief crossed the river swimming and almost lost his life. He was very brave and told us how he had lost his horse in the fast current of the river too. He thought the horse had drowned but further down the river he saw that his horse was there alive. That shows how powerful this river actually was.
May God help them to fix the trails and the zip line so that we can go back there soon. It was our intention this time to take 20 metal boards to build the roof of their church, and had planned to go visit another community an hour out further because they wanted us to go and share the gospel. Plus we were hoping to build more on the ‘model’ house and take food and clothing to their community. We will maintain this plan and hopefully make it there in a few weeks.
Other Mission news happened this past March, as the Smith Family decided to purchase a house in Tuis and remodel it for both school and Mission purposes. They bought the house that belonged to Viky and Adolfo in th La Selva neighborhood. Currently, we rent this house to our Christian Immersion Spanish Academy (CISA) students or mission visitors during their stay. This house is most ideal for families and plus a good percentage of this rent goes to the Mission fund. Don Mecho and Doña Macha maintain the house when it is rented, and they receive financial help from this too.
A miracle
On another note, on February 16th, something happened that allowed us to totally see the hand of God: we received a call that Friday night and it was Marcos Barboza, Gatica’s husband, telling us that their son Jimmy had been in a terrible motorcycle accident. We got to the hospital in Turrialba, just as they were about to transfer him to a bigger hospital in San Jose. Just before he left, I got a chance to see him, and immediately my heart started beating fast because of the shock. He looked completely dead and I really didn’t think there was any hope. Gatica had gone outside of the hospital, had fallen on her knees and cried out to God like I had never seen a person do before. My first thought was to pray for God to give them all strength because I really believed he wasn’t going to make it. He had hit his head and body very badly. Jimmy had been an alcoholic for a long time, and had even tried many times to return to Christ, but his addiction at that point was very strong. That day he got out of a bar after drinking for hours and on his way home he drove straight onto oncoming traffic and got hit by a car. The next day Gatica and Marcos came back from the hospital in San Jose, and told us that Jimmy was in intensive care and in a coma. I asked Gatica how she felt and I will never forget her answer: “My God will raise him from the dead, if He did it before, He will do it again”.
And He did; a day after that Jimmy woke up out of the coma! The doctors had predicted that he was going to lose his memory partially or totally, and indeed he was still struggling to recognize his family even 3 weeks after coming out of the coma. A month after that he came back to Turrialba’s hospital, and we went to see him. He did not even recognize me, which was very hard for me. We all got together in prayer and asked God that if He was able to raise him from death, He could also give him his memory back. In a miraculous way, even for the doctors, his mind has totally recovered! But the most impressive thing is that Jimmy has totally given his live to the Lord, given up alcohol, and has started a whole new life together with his family, and serving at the Mission. God is faithful!!
Our Future Mission Center
Most of you probably know by now about our plans to build the mission center. Last year we were able to purchase a piece of property through our beloved friends, Herb and Beverly Liberman from the US. We want to build a mission house on this property that measures 31,500 m2. The facility will serve as the home for fifteen indigenous handicapped residents, providing them with a very comfortable and nurturing home. VQC currently serves the needs of seven residents. Additional services provided by the mission center will include the following:
• A reunion center to hold Sunday and special worship services and meetings for the people living in and around Tuis.
• A center to facilitate the investigation and research of the of the indigenous Cabecar culture, which will hopefully lead to new strategies to help the Cabecar community.
• A central place for people from other nations to come and serve our community doing volunteer work both with the Cabecar and people of Tuis.
• The headquarters for the Christian Immersion Spanish Academy (CISA), which will provide Spanish language training.
I definitely believe that this building will transform our community for His Glory, and therefore, we have had a lot of opposition, or maybe that is the way it is in Costa Rica, but getting all the building permits has been an extremely lengthy process which hasn’t yet been finished.
In the beginning of this past October when we were missing only one signature from the Municipality, the engineer had suddenly determined that an environmental study was needed to assess how our building could affect flora and fauna in our area. This requirement could delay the beginning of the construction for another 6 months. Right now our architects are negotiating about the possibility of finding a shorter way to do this, and this coming Monday they will have a meeting to discuss these issues.
In August we were visited by a delegation from the Presidency of Costa Rica, Mariangela Ortiz, who works for our President Oscar Arias. She was here in order to become familiar about this wonderful project. She is analyzing different ways that the government can help us, and at least she is now aware of the need for building this facility.
Please be praying for this issue so that we can start this project soon. Pray especially for my patience and faith on this matter. Sometimes I feel that I want to quit, but then I think back about our indigenous people who are in so much need, and I remember that this project will relieve much of their pain. In the middle of my distress last week while walking in the mountains, the Lord showed me a vision: I saw the opening of this building and most of our friends from all over were there. So, I know I will see you there, someday! Even as of now, you are formally welcome to join us for that special day! I don’t know the date right now, but my Father knows, and He will tell us soon.
Our VQC Congregation
After 4 years of having our worship meeting in the little yellow house, it got to a point that we could not fit there anymore. The choices for renting a bigger place were very limited, so in October 2006 we stepped out in faith and asked the public primary school right in front of the Mission to use their hall for our meetings – even knowing that we were previously told ‘no’ because their education system is Catholic and rarely allows a religious activity to take place that is not Catholic in their buildings. After a week of waiting, to our surprise, they answered ‘yes’ and we have been celebrating our worship services there ever since. And now since meeting at the school, attendance has doubled, and still continues to grow.
The year 2007 has also been a fulfilling year for studying the Bible. In February we started a Bible study that met every Saturday and our people began knowing more and more about the things of the Spirit. Currently, we are leading a class using the book “A Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren, and from there are learning ways to transform our little community for Christ. We believe Tuis will be an example of revival and a fountain for other nations to come and enjoy the presence of God with us.
Another beautiful day occurred this past Easter Sunday, as Daniel and I had the privilege of baptizing more than 15adults and children in the river found on the new Mission property. We also had the blessing to baptize 2 of our indigenous residents. One person being Victorino, (wheel-chair bound). He was carried into the river and given the chance to experience a wonderful life giving moment through the power of the Spirit. We are looking forward to having many more water baptisms in the future.
Our US Visit
This year for the third time, Daniel and I had the blessing to visit the United States in September. The purpose of this trip was to see our supporters, tell them about the progress of our projects, minister in music at different churches and talk about in general what we do in order to fundraise for our projects. This year we arrived in Chicago and spent a wonderful time with Rick and Rose Law, they have been one of our main supporters and have helped us almost from the beginning of our Mission and love us. They gave us a breathtaking Chicago tour, and treated us like kings. We also ministered at their cell group at church, and had a lot of fun. Thank you Rick and Rosita for your love and help, you are great!
Then we flew to California and joined our US representatives and best friends the Liberman’s, for the rest of our time in the States. Beverly’s daughter Marissa got married in San Diego and they invited us. It was a great wedding and an American cultural experience for us. We also visited the Morris family; Bob, Maureen and their four children in Salinas. This was a highlight of our US trip. Maureen Morris invited many friends from their church to their beautiful house to meet us and to fellowship. We spoke about our Mission and had dinner together. The Morris’s house is full of life and excitement. The Morris’s studied Spanish with us during May and June. We had connected right away and quickly became one of our favorite people and best friends. They had also invested in Costa Rica by buying property in Tuis, and gave us the chance to live and enjoy their house in Tuis. So now we are able to use the old two story white house only for Mission and CISA school purposes. Bob and Maureen, thank you very much for your support, prayers and love. You have a special place in our hearts!
During the rest of our trip, we stayed with the Liberman’s and combined ministry, fundraising, Mission and CISA school work. We had the chance to minister in some churches in the Sonoma County, including Healdsburg Community Church, and First Baptist Church in Windsor, where we attended their Missions Conference. Thank you very much to the pastors that gave us the chance to minister in their congregations. I want to express my gratitude to the Liberman’s for all that they have given us and for the chance and opportunity to grow. Words can not express how much we love you!
April & Tony’s Wedding
We came back from the United States and got ready for an international wedding on October 12. Our CISA Program Coordinator, April Binnie from Toronto, Canada got married to our fitness trainer Tony Sanchez from CATIE Gym. April got a call to come and volunteer at our organization for a year, and it seems that God’s plans were for her to stay a little longer, and with company! I think God really blessed her with a wonderful Tico Christian man. April is the right-hand ‘man’ of our Spanish Academy and runs all the communication from Costa Rica with our students. April, we wish you all the best; we love you and share the joy of your heart.
Jeanette Freestad
In October we were also very glad to receive Jeanette Freestad back at our Mission. Jeanette is from Canada and has been helping us by visiting us several times over the last 3 years. At the Mission she runs an ESL program for locals. Right now she has several groups of adults and children that come at night, afternoons and Saturday mornings to learn or improve their English. Jeannette has been doing a great job; everybody loves her in Tuis and considers her a friend. Jeannette, your support, contributions and physical labour (many paint jobs!) have all been greatly appreciated over the years!
Christian Immersion Spanish Academy
I finally want to tell you about our Christian Spanish Academy. I believe that God has really blessed us with this program because we can teach our language and culture and give back to the community through providing jobs and community projects that are led by the students. The school has been working non- stop this year with work, ministry opportunities and receiving financial support to help maintain all of our other projects. This year we have met the greatest people through the school; individuals and families, who have all brought joy and diversity to our community. We feel proud to have a community that is safe enough to receive families even with little children. I think children are the most powerful instruments of evangelism. Beautiful Christian families have joined our school and Mission and have shared with us different ministries that are full of creativity and have impacted our community. When we received Gilles and Tammie Patenaude with their 5 children from Vancouver, Canada for 6 months in October 2005, we would never have imagined that God could actually use us to teach our culture and language to them and that a family could then transform a community. But they did, and after that our little Mission was not the same. In fact, when they left, the Mission was not so little anymore! Thank you Gilles and Tammie, God sent you here to sow a seed, to prepare the way for the Lord for many other North Americans to come and bless us with their presence and love.
During the month of May we received the Jessen Family; Kelly, Jenny and their 3 children. They were here for 8 weeks and brought their amazing “SportReach” ministry to our community. They shared the gospel through sports and had gathered many kids to play and to hear the good news. One moment that I’d like to share that happened is very special: They used a colorful soccer ball to share the gospel, each color stood for a Christian principle, such as the red colour means the sacrifice of Christ for us. When the Jessen’s went back to the US, they left the soccer balls with different children. One day, I went walking and saw a kid sitting with a friend and holding the ball and the kid was showing the colors to his friend and talking about the meaning for each of them. I think the Jessen’s opened a door for more people from Tuis to get to heaven. Thank you Kelly and Jenny. And thanks to many other families that have caused a great impact in our lives, the Coits, the Durkins, the Morris, the Summers and the Simmons.
At the end of October we received another great family: the Summer’s - Bo, Kipplyn, and their beautiful 6 children, they are going to be with us for 6 months. They are living at Barrio 70 and are already creating an impact in the neighborhood. I think we will all have a very lively Christmas with them this year! Please pray that they will learn the language soon to maximize their experience and to complement their ministry opportunities.
I could write for hours about the amazing ways we have been blessed by each and every one of our students and visitors. I would like all of them to know that they will not be forgotten and that even if they have left, a part of their heart is still here with us.
Three months ago CISA started a program designed for teenagers. The idea is that they study Spanish with us, continue their High School studies Online, and attend High School at CATIE University part time. Right now we have 2 teenagers with us taking this program: Allison Weimar (17) from Colorado and Kheersan Simmons (14) from the Bahamas. It is fantastic to see them growing, learning Spanish, being much more independent, helping the community and getting closer to God. Please recommend this program to your friends, and ask us for the information about it. I think it is great.
We have decided that as of the beginning of next year, the school will give a percentage of the students’ tuition to help pay for the future construction of our Mission center.
We trust that the coming 2008 year will be full of Gods blessings and plans for our lives. Our vision is growing and we hope to continue to keep you posted about all that happens here.
Many Blessings and Love to all our friends and supporters!
Hector Soto
Voz Que Clama Mission
Costa Rica
Non Profit 501©3 tax exempt organization
www.vqcmission.com
Here is our Christmas 2007 Wish List:
(Please remember that VQC Mission is a legal non-profit in the US and that your financial donations are tax deductible). Also if you know that someone is visiting Costa Rica you could send an old suitcase with some of the different things that we need. Thank you for being so generous.
• To cover the end of year expenses & Christmas expenses, the mission is in need of a budget of $2,500 US.
• The total budget of our Mission center is $150,000 US. We have been collecting donations for this purpose, and have raised more than $30,000 US, please continue giving so that when we begin construction we will already have all of the funds.
• For our trip to the indigenous reserve, we are always collecting clothing, rubber boots, blankets, sheets, and non-perishable food that we can take there. This is always an ongoing need.
• For our Annual Christmas Indigenous Party at Quetzal, we have a budget of around $500 US to feed around 75 children and their parents that will walk for 4 hours to be there. Any financial gift for this special day would be appreciated. We also need around 75 toys to gift them. The gifts are best wrapped and clearly labeled with ‘GENDER’ & ‘AGE-RANGE’.
• We are need of Christian and/or Spanish teaching materials, flash cards, books, posters, videos, music, etc.
• Craft materials and school supplies: paper, markers, white boards, whiteboard markers, notebooks, pencils, pens, furniture: tables, chairs, and bookshelf. A laptop that is in good shape or regular computers for an eventual Language Lab.
• Appliances and kitchen equipment for the Handicap Indigenous Residence: blender, pressure cooker, electric pan, raincoats, a microwave, a drier machine, a new washing machine, umbrellas, rubber boots, table clothes, towels, house cleaners and adult diapers. Furniture: a dinning set, 7 night tables, single bed frames and mattresses, cabinets. Tools: machetes, and a toolbox.
• Equipment for the congregation: chairs, Sound equipment: microphones, wires,
For Financial Donations:
In Costa Rica
Please make your donation payable to: Asociacion Cristiana Voz Que Clama
and send to the following address:
Voz Que Clama Mission
Apdo. 28-7150
Turrialba, Costa Rica
(506) 531-3061/(506) 822-6752
vqcmission@racsa.co.cr
In the United States
Please make your donation payable to: Mission Voz Que Clama
and send to the following address:
Beverly Liberman
990 Sunset Drive
Healdsburg, CA 95448
707-433-8234
Fax # 707-433-8244
bliberman4@comcast.net
