As I’m writing this, it’s Thursday night and I’ve been back in the States for a few days. It all feels like a blur. The trip was incredible and I can’t wait to tell you about it over the next few posts.
From June 11-20, 2011, I served as the Project Leader for a group of 69 participants and group leaders in Costa Rica. This was actually my coached trip, which means I’m now a certified project leader for the Short Term Missions Program. I didn’t lead this trip alone, however. Along with my coach, Connie Rock, there were two guys on the Team Staff: Cesar Gonzalez and Christopher Adams. I was so thankful for all of them. We were a good team and it was so great serving with them!
The team we led was from Christ Community Church in Omaha, Nebraska. I had an awesome surprise at the airport, when one of the students let out a yell and ran up to hug Connie and I. Her name was Christina and she was on the Ambassador DR team that we sent last year! It was so great to see her again!
My job during the week was to represent AIM and to handle all logistical details for the team. With a group of 70 staying in three different locations, that’s a lot of details! Sometimes it felt like a giant puzzle, but it was a lot of fun. Every morning the different groups went out and did school ministry. After lunch, they prayer walked throughout the communities. In the late afternoons, we met as one giant group at our host church, El Eden. Many of the evenings were spent preparing for ministry, attending church services, and ministry in Bible studies and a rehabilitation center.
** pictures of the team in ministry, and a picture of me with Esther, our translator and a good friend.**
On Saturday, the group took an off day and rode out to an active volcano two hours away. It was so cool to such a different and wild beauty. Picturing Mordor and Lord of the Rings, it didn’t really look like that. I didn’t see any lava. Apparently that was on the other side of a ridge we weren’t allowed to cross. But it was really cool to see something so different. My shoes still have ashes on them, which is pretty fun. And the best part was making relationships with the teens in the group. They were so cool… laughing with them, worshiping with them, and serving in missions with them was an incredible honor. I have rarely seen a team as unified as them–and they were 70 people!
Thank you so much for praying! It was an amazing trip. I truly enjoyed the group, loved Costa Rica, and loved being able to minister overseas again. There’s something so life-giving about that. Thank you for praying and supporting me!
Stay tuned tomorrow for more stories from the trip!
**pics of me by Connie Rock.**
