Quiocho News
March - May 2021
|
|
YAY!!! We are home!
On Friday, March 26, 2021 we made it home.
Our stay in the USA was extended a extra couple of months past our original scheduled return date for both Gracie and I to try and receive one of the COVID vaccines.
Our Board of Directors, knowing that in returning to Costa Rica we would be subject to Costa Rica's government and "Social Medicine." (Meaning, we would not have a choice in vaccinations and they would become mandatory at some point.) We all agreed it would be best if Gracie and I got vaccinated in the USA.
Costa Rica has been using Pfizer, Astro Zeneca and is now buying the Sputnik V. But the vaccinations are going very slowly compared to the USA. And even now CR is getting a record setting increase of COVID cases and there are no more hospital beds to treat the people.
Praise the Lord, He made a way! Thanks to timely notifications, responses and for our friend and Board member, Bruce Williams doing a lot of groundwork, Gracie and I were able to receive the Moderna COVID vaccine in Houston, Texas before returning to Costa Rica.
Please take time to pray with us for God to intervene in this time of world crisis due to COVID.
Please enjoy the rest of our newsletter and pray with us as we serve the people in Rio Frio and Beyond.
Blessings
Ted & Gracie Quiocho
|
|
We were very blessed to see some of you while we were in the USA and doubly blessed with the family time we had. We had a lot more time in Houston with our daughters, grandson and Ted’s parents and sister and to meet with some of our longtime friends. It was great also to spend time with Gracie’s parents in North Carolina and with her sister and family in Alabama in November and December.
We have not had this much quality time with our families since before we became missionaries sixteen years ago. We call it our unplanned furlough, because only God could have orchestrated what happened from the time, we left Costa Rica to our return.
Our time in the States afforded us the ability to help our families with many things like repairs to houses, purchasing cars, being part of family celebrations for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year and Birthdays. Gracie was able to do some relaxing sewing activities by making masks and bags to give away. We were blessed to be in Houston for our daughters and family during the great freeze of Texas 2021. We are also thankful that we could visit some of our supporting churches.
|
|
The latter part of March, It snowed in Houston |
|
This was the start of a three day freeze with no electricity. We were so glad to be there to be with our daughter and family at that time. |
|
Chickie's dog Riley stepped out looked around and turned around and went back into her bed wrapped in her blanket. |
|
We arrived in Costa Rica on Sunday, March 21, 2021. We were greeted at the airport by our friends David and Sharon who had been car sitting our car since we left Costa Rica. Gracie and I then took a few days away of R&R. We planned a few days off, on our own time, before heading home because we had been on the road and staying with others for the last 4 1/2 months and we knew once we got to Rio Frio, our time would be filled re-connecting with all the families.
As you can imagine when we arrived home, we hit the ground running. The day we arrived, we had barely time to unload the suitcases from our car, when we were invited to have lunch with Alejandro and Yendry. We have not stopped since.
We have been re-connecting with families in Rio Frio. We along with Angie, and other members of our church, are making our schedule to put the church facilities back into working order and to have all COVID protocols in place as dictated by the CR government before we re-open. Pray with us as we move towards that endeavor.
|
|
Gracie, cleaning up the garden for re-planting |
|
|
Ted & Eval one of the young men from our church, re-installing the wiring for the sound, lights and video systems at church. |
|
The Girls cleaning up the church after Ted and Eval made a big mess. |
|
|
Prayer please - As of this update Costa Rica has again gone into lock downs and driving restrictions because COVID cases have exceeded last year’s infection rates, so our church meetings have been put on hold yet again.
As far as church activities, we will continue meeting the families separately in their homes or here on the missions grounds. Gracie has started a Zoom Bible Study with seven women (four of whom do not attend our church). Ted is also meeting with some men who are missionaries from the next town over as a ministry support and accountability group.
As we rebuild relationships we have been doing a lot of meals with families.
One Sunday, Ted and Alejandro decided to give the ladies a break and cooked lunch.
|
|
The ladies enjoying their break from cooking |
|
The men cooking the beef and vegetable soup over a wood fire. |
|
|
Tati came over to make cajetas a dessert made from fresh coconut and dark brown sugar |
|
The final product put onto a banana leaf. The cajetas were very yummy. |
|
Once a month, during Gracie’s online Bible Study, Ted goes to help Alejandro "take care" of his girls by getting them out of the house while Yendry joins the online Bible Study. They have a "secret club" basically it’s to go eat food from the street vendors. (Ceviche, Shish Kabobs, and sometimes Ice Cream) |
|
Ale and Ted had country style ribs |
|
The girls had kabobs with boiled casava and banana |
|
We did not return home in time to plan and get the church ready to re-open for Easter. For Easter we watched an Easter service online and then we went to spend the rest of Easter Sunday with missionary friends and their families in the next town over. Gracie sat down with the kids and did the resurrection story using Easter resurrection eggs. We had a wonderful time of fellowship, food and encouraging discussions with one another. |
|
Gracie going through the Easter eggs from Focus on the Family. |
|
The kids did very well explaining what each item stood for. |
|
|
|
The Guapiles Church, which we have talked about before, and whom we have served together with for many years has lost a wonderful God-fearing man.
Mr. Guido Arce went to be with our Lord on April 8, 2021, just a few days after his 61st Birthday. Don Guido as we called him was the first Elder and the right-hand man to Pastor Oscar at the Guapiles church. Don Guido was the first person to greet us when we first visited the Guapiles church in 2008. He sang on the worship team, helped with planning and leading the Guapiles church. He will be greatly missed. We do rejoice that he is no longer in pain from the cancer that took his earthly body and that He is in the presence of God rejoicing and praising with our Savior.
In the Picture Pastor Oscar is on the left and Don Guido on the right.
|
|
|
|
The first stories we heard about when we arrived home were how the drug violence has increased due to the number of drug cartels in the area and how, many people have been killed because of the cartels. Two of those murdered wer cousins of one of the young men that was attending our youth group and the brother of another young man in our youth group. This saddens us deeply to see how living in a small town we can be so closely affected by so much tragedy.
Also as we're sure it is happening in other parts of the world, because of “COVID," one of the churches in Finca 2 has closed permanently.
|
|
Several potable water projects have started, to provide clean water for the communities of Rio Frio that have been without potable water now for many years (including our community). One of those projects is in Finca 1, 2, 3. These projects are now providing work for some of the men in our community and should provide steady work over the next year.
While we were away, there were several road improvements made from Finca 2 to the roads leading to one of the more rural high schools and to connect more of Rio Frio communities together.
We are happy to see improvements to infrastructure and we receive this as hope for the physical well-being of the people in Rio Frio and a sign of hope for things to come. Along with this physical renewal happening in the community, we are hoping to have a spiritually renewal as well, as we continue to reach people with the Gospel.
|
|
God's Graciousness and Timing |
|
Some God News… Gracie and I were up at three o’clock one morning, neither of us could sleep because we were restless about what our missions would look like in the coming months and years. So, we prayed… long story short…
We had been discussing and praying about some things we wanted to do in ministry and one of them was to start Theological training for Church leaders and doing the training at our church.
We had been asked to do this a few years ago, but we did not have the facilities and Ted did not believe he was ready at that time. Last year Ted was able to go to Panama with a group that does this teaching in Latin America and he was able to teach some of the lessons.
The story continues with God’s perfect timing and responding to prayers. A few days ago we were notified by an anonymous organization that they were giving us a small but so encouraging grant to help start equipping Church leaders with theological, biblical, and pastoral education in Rio Frio. Praise the Lord!
The God thing is, we had not sent out any requests or applied for any grants to help with us starting up the church leadership training. We did speak to a representative of the organization who told us we had to apply for grants later in the year for grants given out in 2022. Little did we know that this representative after hearing our desire to do this training, had it in their heart to submit our mission for a special one time grant, which we were granted!
As we continue to seek the Lord’s will for our mission it is very gracious of our Lord to confirm that we are in His will.
|
|
We often get news from other missionaries and missions agencies. One piece of news we received was that Reach Global the Missions arm of the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) was offering a Building Bridges with English course. We were excited about this intensive but extremely timely course offering and signed up. We were accepted and we begin this four week course on May 19th.
We, especially Gracie have been helping many students with their English homework. We have also had a lot of adults ask us about how they can learn English. Gracie is even teaching English to a local missionary.
Scripture says that everything happens in Gods perfect timing and this is proof once again of Gods sovereignty in our minstry.
We have been teaching English as a ministry outreach but using internet tools to do it. This Building Bridges with English Course will be another tool to help equip us with more knowledge and confidence to use English as an outreach in our community.
P.S. please keep us in your prayers as we've also offered a ZOOM read through the Bible to help the locals who have had a little more English speaking ability, like English Teachers, to practice their English with native English speakers while going through the Bible.
|
|
On April first we celebrated our intern Angie’s 24th birthday. This birthday marks the same number of years 12 she had when we first met. She has been with us since we started our Kids Klub in April of 2009. It has been a true blessing for us to be involved in her life and watch her grow into a wonderful young woman of God.
Since we left in November 2020 for our trip, Angie has been investing into the life of a ten-year-old girl named Julie. Julie comes from a family that left Nicaragua four years ago and has been trying so hard to make ends meet and establish a new and hopeful life here in Costa Rica. Julie is the second youngest of a family of 7, the oldest brother is 30 something and her youngest sister is 4. Julie is a sweet and very enduring little girl with so much potential and we see her bringing so much joy into our lives.
We are encouraged that Angie has made such an intentional effort in investing in little Julie as we’ve been investing in her all these years, you could say it’s like “paying it forward”.
|
|
Our first meal at home with Angie and Julie |
|
Celebrating Angie's Birthday |
|
|
|
|
|
The two ladies are gasping and then laughing, Angie is about to cry because, Ted faked cracking an egg on Angies head. (A tradition we don't do anymore). He caught everyone by surprise. He used a crumply piece of plastic to simulate an egg cracking on her head. |
|
Although Mothers Day is celebrated on August 15th here in Costa Rica, we still did a Mother’s day outing for Gracie on Sunday May 9th. The girls through Ted bought her a Rose Bush since Gracie loves gardening. Ted then, with our adopted son Alejandro took Gracie to lunch and ice cream. |
|
|
|
Gracie with her Mother's Day Rose plant |
|
Gracie with our adopted son Alejandro |
|
Relationship, Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Restoration |
|
In this short life story, I would like to talk about Relationship, Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Restoration as it happened to a couple of women in our church.
Before I get into the rest of the story, let me share with you the differences between forgiveness and reconciliation.,
Forgiveness is releasing an offender from condemnation, but it does not require opening the door to relationship with that person.
It only takes one person to forgive.
Reconciliation, is the process by which trust is restored and a relationship is repaired.
It takes two people to reconcile.
On with the story… Yendry and Angie two very close friends for several years, to the point that Angie spent several nights a week in Yendry’s home with her family. The relationship was healthy and going well. They did many things together, cooking, cleaning, going to the river, attending and volunteering in church activities. Angie even helped Yendry’s daughters with their homework. Both of them were serving as leaders in our church, helping with children’s ministry and with maintaining the church building.
One day something happened (the details of that, are not my focus). What is important however, is how these two women acted towards each other after the incident.
After the incident, Angie stopped going over to Yendry’s house and started to hang out with other people including coming to visit Gracie and I more often than she used to. She started to take back the things she had left at Yendry’s house (clothes, personal items, etc…). She even started to complain that some of the things she had left at the house were being used and not being taken care of properly. Angie would start talking to us about what was happening with Yendry and how Yendry had changed for the worse.
Yendry on the other hand, started to step away from not only Angie, but from us and some other friends as well. She did not want to talk to any of us or “hang out” anymore. When we would go by the house to see Alejandro and the family, Yendry had a sour look about her and an awful attitude.
At the very least both Yendry and Angie acted civilized to each other when they saw each other or had to work together when working at the church.
These attitudes of indifference and bitterness went on for months. One day Gracie talked to Angie about her attitude towards Yendry. While Angie said she had forgiven Yendry for what happened, (not to Yendry personally), she still had an attitude towards Yendry.
A few more months went by, Gracie and I went to the USA. When we returned from the USA, Gracie had, had enough and sat down with each of them separately at first. They talked things out and praise God it worked. A few days later Gracie brought them both together as scripture calls us to do and the three of them had a heart-to-heart talk like old times. The initial conversation lasted hours, but the result of their talk was, Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Restoration and a renewed Relationship. All of this is now evident to us since we are all spending more time together in fellowship again.
What we have learned from this experience is that friendships without forgiveness and reconciliation are difficult to navigate. Until we experience forgiveness and reconciliation, restoration will not happen and the ugly cycle will continue. These two ladies are Gracie’s best friends here in CR and their broken relationship was impacting us deeply, often feeling like how can we had to keep them together? In the end, it was God who would do it all. We are thankful for our 10+years of having them in our lives and we pray for many more years!
|
|
If you missed last months news...We have a website!
|
|
We march forward in the power of God Almighty and we pray for those we have been serving and whom we will continue to serve with the love of our Lord! We look forward to meeting new people as the Lord places them in our lives and we are at peace knowing that God is in control and He will not abandon His servants.
Praise - we made it home and we are doing well
Pray - as we reconfigure how we do missions in this continued time of COVID.
Praise - for Zoom online Bible Studies, and a renewal of Spirit as we are able to join together with others and study God's word.
Pray - continued prayer for Gracie's health.
Praise - The Chemotherapy she takes weekly is working for her Rheumatoid Arthritis. The side affects take a day for her to recover, so Mondays we try to lay low.
Pray - for our community, while some short term jobs have given some of men work there are still many without consistent work.
Pray - as we plan the reconfiguration of the missions house to have more classrooms and meeting areas. Pray for teams to be able to come and help with this.
Pray - for God's timing in re-opening our local church
Pray - for the timing to start Church leadership training
Pray - for the course we are taking Building Bridges with English
Praise - God continues to reveal the direction He wants us to take in Ministry.
|
|
Gifts by mail or any official communication to One Another Missions, Please use the following address
One Another Missions
c/o Beth Gowen
2008 Lubbock St
Houston, Tx. 77007
You can also send gifts through Paypal, you will be required to have a Paypal Account.
ACH Transfers:
Feel free contact us anytime through
FaceTime, WhatsApp, Messenger or email
we would be blessed to hear from you!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
