2007 Christian Immersion Spanish Academy in Costa Rica

I 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 students and supporters!


Hector Soto

Christian Immersion Spanish Experiences www.cisacostarica.com

Basic Immersion Experience
Designed for people at any level of Spanish who want to learn or enhance their comprehension in Spanish and want to participate in a cultural exchange. They will experience full immersion by doing Homestay with a Costa Rican family within a small community. Students can also choose to diversify their experience by sharing their abilities and personal giftings through our Missions/Community Service component (Optional). The plan is adaptable for teenagers, adults, and seniors.

It includes:

15 hours of Spanish instruction per week, 3 hours per day
7 nights Homestay (includes breakfast, dinner and laundry)
2 hours per week ‘Tico Food Experience’ (cooking class)
1 hour per week ‘Conversation Workshop’
1 hour of Internet per day
3 hour Turrialba city tour
Materials & Certificate


Options:

Participate in various tours offered by the school (prices vary by tour)
If students are interested in doing Mission/Community service, an Orientation will be provided (Reference letter required)


Basic Immersion Intensive Experience
Designed for people at any level of Spanish who want a more concentrated and intensive learning schedule in order to maximize their learning experience. They will experience full immersion by doing Homestay with a Costa Rican family within a small community and participate in a culture exchange. Ideal for people with a limited time-frame, and high learning acquisition goals.

It includes:

21 hours of Spanish instruction per week
7 nights Homestay (includes breakfast, dinner and laundry)
2 hours per week ‘Tico Food Experience’ (cooking class)
1 hour per week ‘Conversation Workshop’
1 hour of Internet per day
3 hour Turrialba city tour
Materials & Certificate


Options:

Participate in various tours offered by the school (prices vary by tour)


Christian Immersion Experience
Designed for people with Christian convictions who are looking to learn and enhance their abilities in Spanish within a non-denominational Christian environment. This specialized Experience is one-of-a-kind as we integrate learning tools such as, specific bible studies, music, videos, movies, Christian literature, Internet, and special projects. Students will experience full immersion by doing Homestay with a Costa Rican family within a small community. Ideal for pastors, leaders, ministers, bible college students, people with a mission’s heart, teachers, university/college students, and for people who want to learn Spanish in order to serve in a Latino community.

It includes:

20 hours of Spanish instruction, activities and projects per week with a Christian focus
7 nights Homestay (includes breakfast, dinner and laundry)
2 hours per week ‘Tico Food Experience’ (cooking class)
1 hour per week ‘Conversation Workshop’
1 hour of Internet per day
3 hour Turrialba city tour
Materials & Certificate


Options:

Participate in various tours offered by the school (prices vary by tour)
If students are interested in doing Mission/Community service, an Orientation will be provided (Reference letter required)



Family Immersion Experience
Designed for families of three or more people who would like to experience a cultural exchange while learning Spanish. Elements from the Basic Experience are combined and adapted to accommodate the different needs of the members of the family. Children (4-12 years) will receive Spanish instruction at the school for their specific level. Children under 4 years can receive childcare services at the school while their parents are participating in the activities. The prices have been adjusted to suit a family budget.

It includes:

15 hours of Spanish instruction per week, 3 hours per day
2 hours per week ‘Tico Food Experience’ (cooking class)
1 hour per week ‘Conversation Workshop’
1 hour of Internet per day
3 hour Turrialba city tour
Materials & Certificate


Family accommodation options:

The CISA House (available only to families and/or groups)
Homestay Fee (priced individually):


Options:

Participate in various tours offered by the school (prices vary by tour)
If families are interested in doing Mission/Community service, an Orientation will be provided (Reference letter required for family)


Chirripo Indigenous Mountain Experience
Designed for people who are looking for an experience full of action. This Experience is a combination of activities during a limited time-frame (around 10 days) and specific dates of the year. The high point of the activities revolves around the extreme hike through the Chirripo mountain to interact with the indigenous from the Cabecar group. Those who participate in this experience need to be in good physical condition. The participants need to have an open-mind and a strong desire to learn about other cultures while facing challenging goals. Ideal for groups, athletes, youth groups, missionaries, ‘extreme’ families, and adventure seekers.

The Experience can include the following activities:

· 3 day visit to the indigenous reserve in Chirripo (4.5 hrs hike)
· Endurance training (prep for hike)
· Orientation regarding the indigenous culture
· Survival Spanish lessons
· Various extreme tours

2007 Chirripo Mountain Visits

April 11-13
July 26-28
October 18-20
December 13-15
(Dates subject to changes)

If students are interested in this Experience they should contact the school and provide us with a time-frame they are interested in. The school will propose a possible itinerary for the student during the time-frame requested and create a budget based on the amount of people attending.



Mission /Community Service Experience
Designed for the individual who wants to acquire and improve his or her Spanish skills and use them while serving others. This Experience is for people with a servant’s heart and that have the desire to share his or her abilities and knowledge with the community through projects and programs together with the Voz Que Clama Mission (www.vqcmission.com).



The Individually Designed Missions/Community Service Experience is for students to encounter a cultural experience based on serving and learning. The schedule is designed based on the giftings/interests of the student. Students will experience full immersion by doing Homestay with a Costa Rican family within a small community.

After doing a phone interview we will propose a schedule according to the time, dates and students budget. The purpose of the phone interview is to determine where the student can best and most effectively serve in the activities of the Mission.
We really see the value of designing this Experience on an individual basis and feel strongly that both the students and the Mission will gain from the personal focus.

We also recommend that students participating in this program enroll in a minimum of 2 weeks of Spanish lessons. This is so that the student is able to learn about the Costa Rican culture, re-enforce any previous knowledge of Spanish and allows the student time to adjust, acclimatize and orientate themselves within the community. There is of course the option of taking more classes (past the 2 week minimum) to compliment their serving time.

Students interested in this program should contact CISA and/or our US office and provide their phone number, best time to call and where they live (in order to determine time zone).

The school will propose a possible itinerary for the student during the time-frame requested and create a budget based on the amount of people attending.

Note: Reference letter required

Christian Immersion Spanish Academy

Location
CISA is located in Tuis de Turrialba in the province of Cartago, Costa Rica, Central America. It is two hours south-east from the capital, San Jose.

Tuis is a small rural town of 3,000 people surrounded by a tropical and mountainous landscape.

Tuis has an excellent bus transportation (clean and safe) with hourly service.

The majority of the people work in coffee and sugarcane farms, while others commute to Cartago and San Jose for work. The families of Tuis are generous and hospitable and always make students feel welcome. Tuis is a safe, family-oriented community.

About 25 minutes from Tuis is the city of Turrialba which is the closest major city. It is in a beautiful valley with approximately 70,000 people. It contains all the basic necessities such as; banks, a hospital, Internet Cafes, supermarkets, restaurants, a post office, gas stations, a modern bus station which offers hourly service to San Jose and the Carribean, pharmacies, private clinics, dentists, lawyers, clothing & shoe stores, tourist shops, cafes, photo developers, stationery stores, hotels, coffee and sugarcane processing plants.

Turrialba is home to two public universities and CATIE (An institute for graduate students specializing in agricultural research).

The main attractions on Turrialba are: Turrialba Volcano, Guayabo National Monument, Botanical Reserves, canyoning, hiking, and world famous river rafting.