Costa Rica - Our Team
What We Did | Our Team | The Natural Beauty
Part of the fun and blessing of a mission trip is seeing how the team comes together. Sometimes team creation can be messy, but most of the time it's amazing and, in our case, we gelled immediately. For our trip to Jaco, Costa Rica, we were expecting more families to show up, and honestly, we weren't sure what to think when we learned some families (with teenagers, which WE thought would have been perfect) had to back out of the trip. We ended up with 15 people comprised of three families and two leaders. God is Good. It ended up being the perfect group and we could focus on getting to know each other, serving each other, and serving together.
The team
I'm not going to post a photo of the team as I haven't asked for their permission, but I can share some characteristics about individuals that impacted our family.
Team Leaders
Keith
Keith has served with Adventures in Missions as a team lead for many years, but this was his first time leading in Costa Rica. When he isn't leading mission trips, he works as a corrections officer. He has led many mission trips around the world and ensured everything stayed on track. One of the more memorable experiences with him was on our last evening when we split the men and women up. Keith led us through a testimony period where all the men (including our boys) were able to share their testimony with each other.
Taylor
In the fall of 2021, Taylor spent a month in Jaco serving with Ocean's Edge. She was the co-leader and although this was her first trip as team leader, she demonstrated what a 19-year old woman on fire for Jesus is capable of. Seeing her love for the people of Costa Rica and her sensitivity for God's future plan for her was inspiring to us all.
Taylor taught us to be FAT (flexible, adaptable, teachable) and to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit because our day could always change.
Families
Three families came to Jaco for the trip. You know about our family but it's worth noting a few aspects about the other families.
- Our family - it was a joy to work alongside each other and see all 4 kids jump in and find ways to serve that was uniquely fitting. Despite ginormous cockroaches, widow-maker shower heaters, heat and humidity that makes Indiana seem DRY . . . hardly any complaints were heard! In fact, I believe we all truly enjoyed immersing ourselves in the sights, foods, language, people and experiences of another culture. I (Holly) want to say that I am truly proud of all 4 of our kids for handling the week with grace, humility, and servanthood!
- A family from California demonstrated the desire to show their only son (10 years old) how God works in other parts of the world. Both parents sacrificed time away from their careers as doctor and nurse to make the trip happen. It was a blessing to learn their story and see their heart for service (even when the toilets and showers didn't work).
- A family from Texas demonstrated the value of perseverance and togetherness. This family was a mom and three sons. We, as a team, had the opportunity to love on them and give mom time to herself. Anna did an excellent job keeping the young boys busy by playing games and enjoying the beach after work was done.
The power of team, the power of family
With a family mission trip, we had a chance to see how families work together and how teams work together. Without regard for denomination or theology (beyond a love for Jesus), we all learned, sacrificed, and served each other. What a cool picture of the church!
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After our time in Jaco was over we spent 4 more days traveling and were able to experience the natural beauty in Costa Rica.