Our Costa Rica missions team is on the ground, and Day 1 has already been a testament to God’s faithfulness. It was a long but joyful day of travel: every student showed up on time for our 4:00 AM departure to the Miami airport. After a fun layover in San Salvador, we finally touched down in Costa Rica.
From there we made our way to our home for the week in Monte Oración, “Prayer Mount,” and settled into our mountainside villas. In the evening the team gathered for a meeting and practiced our Evangelism Explosion (EE) training in preparation for the days ahead.
Setting Our Minds on Things Above
We closed the day with a short devotion on Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” That call opened the door for many of our students to share their testimonies of how they came to know Christ. One in particular, from Jack Scott, moved the whole team:
I’ve grown up at Coral Ridge all my life, going to church and being in that environment. But I never felt like I had a relationship with Christ. It was on the Barbados missions trip that my life completely changed. My perspective changed, seeing how blessed we are and how much we have in the United States. My faith in Jesus became so strong, and my relationship with God grew exponentially. Evangelizing, helping others in need, and shining our light around Barbados really was awesome. Ever since the missions trip, I’ve been much less stressed, more fulfilled, and all around carry myself so much better after growing my relationship with Jesus.
— Jack Scott, student
Word and Deed
The heart of this trip is faith put into action, and one of the most powerful moments came at a senior living facility that had been devastated by a tornado in June. By the grace of God, not a single resident was hurt, but the facility itself was wrecked. Our students stepped in to help with debris cleanup and to share the Gospel through EE visits with the residents.
It was an epic time of both word and deed, students working with their hands to clear the wreckage and then pausing to pray together in the middle of it all. True faith in action.
Please keep our team in your prayers as the week continues. We can’t wait to share more of what God is doing.