Our Personal Testimony

   I first want to preface this by saying that Sherry and I have developed the company so that if anything were to happen to either or both of us, the company would continue right on.  We are blessed to have truly exceptional and professional people in the positions of authority in the company who know their work well, know our values, and can carry on without us.

   I would also like to make very clear that none of the following is to imply any credit to either of us.

   Also, neither Sherry nor I ever want to impose our thinking or beliefs on anyone.

   That is why for example, neither we nor anyone from our company ever make sales calls or try to convince anyone to have us grow trees.  We simply make the information available and allow each person to make their own decisions and on their own timing.

   It is with that same spirit that we write the following.

   In late October of last year, 2007, I scheduled an outpatient procedure to repair a hernia that I had been ignoring for at least 20 years.

   Sherry and I met with Dr. Fainzilber, an excellent surgeon here in Costa Rica who had been highly recommended to us.  He scheduled the outpatient procedure and requested some routine pre-procedure blood tests.

   The following day we learned that the pre-procedure tests showed that my hemoglobin level was low and Dr. Fainzilber needed to determine why before he would proceed with the repair.  He scheduled an ultrasound and colonoscopy and then a CAT scan.

   Both scans showed an apparent tumor in my intestinal area and numerous lesions, including in my liver.

   The colonoscopy and biopsies showed that the tumor was cancerous and needed to be removed immediately.  He scheduled surgery for the following day, November 6.

   Sherry immediately called her sister, Robyn, who with her husband Jim live in Alpharetta, Georgia.  Robyn and Jim are very involved Christians and belong to a wonderful church, the World Harvest Church in Alpharetta.  Sherry and I dearly love World Harvest Church and attend whenever we are in that area of the U.S., and also obviously visit Robyn and Jim.

   Robyn flew to Costa Rica to be with us, as did my older son, Josh.  Jake, my younger son, came up to San José from the farm.

   The following morning Dr. Fainzilber removed the tumor and some other areas that had been affected.  It all went beautifully.  When I woke up he told me that I had Stage IV colon cancer that had metastasized extensively, including into my liver and lymph system, with many other cancerous lesions on my peritoneal wall, on my bladder, the outside of my pancreas and other areas.

   I asked him if he had removed the affected area of my liver where the scans showed the cancer and he said no, that it would have only been palliative, meaning it would not have helped anything.

   He told Sherry privately that my statistics were not good.

   It was all very interesting, fascinating actually.  Neither Sherry nor I were at all worried.  We never believed anything other than I would be healed, in God’s own way and in His own perfect timing. 

   Our belief from the very beginning was purely in faith, and not what we saw or heard, no matter what.

   Faith is indeed a wonderful gift from God.

   Two weeks after the surgery we flew to Georgia to go to World Harvest Church to ask for their prayers, and obviously also to see Robyn and Jim.  Robyn had come down to Costa Rica during the surgery but had returned home to her family and work a few days later.

   Pastors Mirek and Linda Hufton, the pastors of World Harvest Church, came to Robyn and Jim’s home after church on Sunday.  We asked, and they answered, how Pastor Mirek had been healed of terminal cancer not too many years earlier.  They explained the Biblical scriptures that lay out so clearly how and why we can be healed. 

   Afterward Pastors Mirek and Linda laid hands on me and prayed wonderful, powerful prayers for my healing.

   Jim and Robyn did the same a few days later.

   During Jim’s powerful prayer, my mother and father, who had passed away years ago, appeared with a large group of people behind them.  I could tell that the people behind them were family members who had passed away but could not see their faces.

   My mother and father were standing in front with Jesus between them, all holding hands and looking on and approving.  They came so close that I could almost touch them!  It was an absolutely indescribable experience!

   Later that evening, Sherry told Robyn and Jim about what I had experienced and they both noted that the Bible refers to the group or cloud of family who have gone on before.

   Pastors Mirek and Linda and the whole church continued to pray for my complete healing.

   They also, along with Robyn and Jim, gave us a number of excellent books about Biblical healing, which Sherry and I began to read with great joy.

   Our belief was that God would choose how to heal my cancer and it was therefore not up to us to choose how He would do it or to eliminate means, so when Sherry and I returned to Costa Rica, we made an appointment with an oncologist.

   The oncologist told us that he could likely control the cancer but that the cancer could not be cured.  In the conversation we mentioned that our pastors and church were praying for my healing.  His response was “that will help too,” but there was no life in his words.

   In contrast, it had been clear from the very beginning that Dr. Fainzilber truly believes that God is the source of all healing and that he, Dr. Fainzilber as the doctor, is only an instrument of God.  Dr. Fainzilber even quoted one or two healing passages from the Old Testament.  We learned from another doctor that Dr. Fainzilber is very serious about his Judaism and is studying to become a rabbi.

   When we discussed with Dr. Fainzilber that we weren't thrilled with the first oncologist, he referred us to a wonderful oncologist who also believes in God, Dra. Gonzalez. 

   It was clear the first time we met with Dra. Gonzalez that she was completely joyful and clearly full of God.  She recommended chemotherapy every three weeks for six months.  We started on December 11.

   As often can happen with surgery and chemotherapy, an apparent thrombosis developed early in January and Dr. Fainzilber ordered an ultrasound scan to confirm it.  On January 8 we went for the ultrasound.  You can’t imagine the big smiles on Dr. Fainzilber’s and Dra. Gonzalez’s faces as they reviewed the ultrasound report.  Very much to their great surprise, the lesions in my liver had inexplicably begun to shrink dramatically.  One was only about half the size that it had been just 8 weeks earlier.

   Sherry and I continued to read the books we had been given and thank God for His miraculous healing.

   Then one night in the first week of March, in the middle of the night a voice which could only have been God spoke very clearly and said only one sentence “Remember to use well this gift you have been given.”

   The following Monday I was to learn of His wonderful gift.

   Dra. Gonzalez had previously scheduled a follow-up CAT scan and ultrasound to determine if the doses or mix of the chemotherapy would need to be adjusted.

   The follow-up scans were on March 10, only 2 months after the prior scan and only a few days after receiving “Remember to use well this gift you have been given.” 

   The specialists who did the March follow-up scans had also done the previous scans and had the prior scans in hand, so they knew exactly what they were looking for.

   Their wonderful report began “Desaparecieron las lesiones” – “The lesions have disappeared.”  The scans showed that there were no lesions in my liver, none on my bladder, none on my pancreas, none on my peritoneal wall.  None, anywhere!

   Dra. Gonzalez was thrilled with the wonderful news.  I asked if we could stop the chemotherapy and she replied no, that we had to complete the series.

   Dr. Fainzilber had tears in his eyes as he read the beautiful report.  Sherry and I did too, tears of gratitude to God for His wonderful gift.

   God is indeed absolutely wonderful!!

   To go from Stage IV, “statistics not good” to being lesion free in four short months is truly a magnificent gift from God!

   Sherry and I immediately planned a trip to the States to attend Easter service at the World Harvest Church and personally thank Pastor Mirek, Pastor Linda, and the whole church for their wonderful prayers, and to thank God for His miraculous healing.

Sherry, Steve and Robyn
after the Easter service

   When we told Dra. Gonzalez we would be traveling to the States, she asked if we would have a PET scan while there, just to make sure. 

   PET, or positron emission tomography, is one of the very few diagnostic tools that was not yet available here in Costa Rica.  (There is one scheduled to be here soon.)

   PET is a newer more sophisticated scan that by detecting metabolic activity anywhere in the body can show the presence of cancer cells, which metabolize at a greater rate than normal cells, even if there are no lesions present. 

   We did the PET scan and it too showed that I am clean.  The PET found no cancer cells, anywhere, and also confirmed that there are no lesions, anyplace. 

   The last of the chemotherapy was June 3 and by July I was back to 100%, maybe 110%.  All is, and has been, absolutely wonderful.

   God is indeed wonderful!!!

   This time and this experience have been the most joyous of our lives as we have gotten even closer to God and experienced first-hand His wonderful healing.

   Sherry and I thank Him every day for His wonderful blessings!

   We are both completely committed to use well this wonderful, wonderful gift He has given us!

                                                    Steve and Sherry Brunner