As we travel home today, each student is writing up their final thoughts on the trip. Please read them! Thank you so much to all of the donors for investing in our trip and in our kids - we truly couldn’t have done this without you. I think your investment in their lives is going to pay dividends in the future! Thank you so much to all of you who prayed for us on this trip - there were so many amazing things that happened (negative covid tests, connecting with YWAM, power and water coming back on, Korah feeling better, and more). We believe in the power of prayer and know that this trip was covered in it. Thank you to all of the students on our trip - you guys served your best all week and made it so enjoyable for us as chaperones! Thank you to God for being faithful and providing and comforting and being worthy of praise at all time and in all places.
Brenden - At the beginning of this trip I was second guessing myself and saying I did not want to come on this trip. I ended up being wrong. I really enjoyed everything we did. I am known to be a picky eater and I had to step out of the comfort zone and try many things such as octopus and the food from their culture. I was surprised how everyone in Costa Rica treated each other like family and welcomed us in. I really enjoyed playing sports with the kids and meeting them all, even though I could not speak a single thing of Spanish. Our guide RONNY was the best person. He was extremely humble with everything he had and opened my eyes to things I would have never done. I am extremely thankful that I ended up coming on this trip with all my amazing classmates and making memories with all of them. I would not have asked for a better missions trip to go on!!!!!
Grant - I had a lot of fun on this trip. It was very cool to work with the kids and bond with them through sports, even though we did not speak the same language. I liked hanging out with everyone and getting to know people better. The culture also left an impact on me, the people were much more friendly and everyone treated each other like family. It was also eye opening seeing how little some people have and it helped me realize how blessed I am.
Dylan - Overall, I had so much fun on this trip. The most important part was how we impacted the kids and how they are going to remember this for the rest of the their lives. Another important part is the impact we made on the church community. It was so cool to help out 4 different churches and help them build. Playing sports with the kids also changed my life, seeing how much the kids loved to play with us has a special place in my heart. So thankful I got to go on this mission trip to help serve others.
Jose - I am really glad I came on this trip. It was fun to get the new experience in this new country. The food was delicious, the people were amazing, I loved helping the kids and seeing our team interact. I will really miss getting to speak Spanish everyday with the people. Getting to know the team better was pretty cool as well. Ronny was an amazing person as well.
Hannah - Costa Rica changed me. I grew spiritually, relationally, and personally. It was amazing to see another culture worshipping the same God that I worship. I loved going to the Costa Rican church and serving at other churches. My relationships with our team members and chaperones grew so much over this experience. The bus rides, meals, and hot seats created memories that I will never forget. Playing sports with the kids was my favorite part of this trip. Sharing my love of sports with kids and seeing their excitement to play was an absolute joy. I have never been to another country, so experiencing a new culture and language was life changing for me. I was humbled to see the challenges that they face and their lifestyle made me look at my life in a new and more grateful way. Overall, I am so incredibly thankful for this experience.
Andre - I wasn’t so sure about this trip before we left. I was concerned about covid restrictions, and I prayed to the Lord that his will be done whether it was in AZ or CR. I have enjoyed this trip a lot this year. I have grown much closer to the Lord in this trip, and my faith has been challenged in many ways. I have always wanted to go on an engage trip through the school, and this year was my first one. I want to thank the chaperones for making this all possible. I want to thank my parents for funding, and helping to get ready for this trip. My favorite thing was to see all the ways that God touched peoples’ hearts through sports, service, devotion, and worship. I enjoyed seeing how this varied in different cultures. This trip will be one I don’t forget for the memories I made, and the spiritual growth it gave me.
Carolyn - I knew that if I went on an Engage trip at Valley, I wanted to go to Costa Rica. Having had Señora Harrison as my Spanish teacher for two years, I knew that I wanted to go to the same place that made her who she is today. The first thing I noticed about Costa Rica was the beauty; the diversity of the plant and animal life was astounding. Moreover, on this trip I learned that the way I live life is not the only way that life can be lived (Does that make sense?). In other words, I was thankful to see another country and observe the differences between our habits, traditions, and culture. I also learned that God is not American (I know that sounds kinda weird), but seriously, the God I worship and serve is the same God that people of every ethnicity, language, and culture worship as well. I loved speaking in Spanish with the kids, serving several churches, trying new foods, and connecting with others through a language that we can all speak: sports. God is doing amazing things all over the world and I am so glad that I was able witness Him building His kingdom.
- This trip means the world to me and I look forward to it every year. Every year I love watching the kids grow in their faith and experience a new culture. This year was different, as we got to do more service projects than before. This is something that I enjoy and loved watching the kids work. They showed great work ethic and joy each day we served. Ronny is a great friend who I look forward to seeing each trip. He is truly a blessing to us each
and every year.
Keira - I am so glad I got to be a part of this trip and that I got to witness God’s hand move throughout our group and the many people we met in Costa Rica. Although I have already been to Costa Rica, this trip helped me open my eyes even more to a different culture and to experience a life completely different than my own. I loved trying different foods and experiencing lifestyles and values that we don’t typically see in the United States. I have such a big heart for children and I loved serving the kids and being able to use my Spanish skills to connect with them. This trip and all the people on it will always have a special place in my heart and I know I have been impacted spiritually and mentally during my time in Costa Rica. I loved being a part of this group and building God’s kingdom in another country!
Cooper - I just loved getting to immerse myself in an entirely different culture than my own. I loved the connections that I was able to form with kids especially through sports, even when there was a language barrier. The people of this country are some of the kindest and most helpful that I have ever had the pleasure of encountering. I am thankful for being able to see that being a servant of God can be done in so many different ways, whether it be helping a church or teaching kids. I will especially miss my friend RONNY.
Señora Harrison - It is very hard for me to put into words what this experience means and continues to mean to me. This is a place that gave me a sense of identity and family and it continues to do so whenever I come back with students, family and friends. The highlight of this particular trip was seeing the love and dedication to encourage and build up the communities that need the most. Costa Rica is a very small country with many many needs, however, the warmth of the people and their love for God is what most impresses me. I love the way the people worship, how they enjoy life even when they do not have much, how they smile in the midst of little, and how much they give back even when not having very much themselves. I love this country and its people and I pray that our students have embraced the warmth and love of the people of Costa Rica. One of my most treasured experience is watching the way the Holy Spirit works within our students who are visiting this culture and country for the first or second time. I love hearing about the experiences that help transform their perspective and view of God in a deeper way. This is something that will never get old. I am in awe of the dedication and love that our leader Kelly Clausen continues to give and pour into the lives of these young men and women. To God be all the glory.
- This trip was truly something to remember! With my brother going two times I definitely knew the outline of the trip, but I could have never imagined to the extent this trip impacted me. This sounds cliché but it really showed me some of the things I have here that a lot of other people don’t have. It was also so amazing to see how much the people in Costa Rica just enjoyed the simplicity of life. For me it’s always just go, go, go, so to just see that was life changing alone. It also just meant so much to me to be able to connect to kids through doing something I really love. I’ve always wanted to show the love of God to the world through my ability to play sports so it was really something special for me. Now aside from the actual activities of the missions trip, I really loved just getting to know the people going through all of this with me. Doing something like this just creates a special bond so I really hope that we all stick with the friendships we made on this trip.
Korah - I’ve been on a few mission trips before, but this trip to Costa Rica I felt God work in my life like never before. The opportunity to travel with students my age really connected and engaged me in the trip. Although we had a lot of fun, it was clear that God was present in everything we did. Listening to our debriefs at the end of the day was always incredible because I could relate to the different ways God was working in my fellow classmates’ lives. The biggest takeaway for me, was that God shows us His Glory in all of His creation. Whether it was the beautiful country we were in, the joy we saw in the children, or the absolute faith that other Christians in Costa Rica have for Jesus, God’s glory was there the entire trip. I appreciate everything that the leaders and members of this trip did to make this a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I can’t wait to see what other doors God opens for me to go and serve Him.
Kalei - I am so thankful that I got to be a part of this trip. I loved being with a new group of people. I felt like i grew a ton this week. I am usually a very nervous person when it comes to traveling and the unknown, so I was very nervous to go and fly to another country without my parents. I am very proud of myself for going. I went on this trip with lots of fear of the unknown but God protected me and showed me that I did not need to fear. I felt very safe with all the chaperones and kids. This is a once in a life time trip and I will always remember how much I grew as a person during this time.
Riley - This is the second time I’ve been out of the country for a missions trip. On this trip I felt that each day God impacted my life. From the start of the trip I did not know what to expect because I didn’t really have any close friends, but once we started to carry out our mission and started working together I became comfortable with the people around me. I want to say that my absolute favorite part of the trip was playing soccer barefoot in the street on the third day. I got to experience playing the sport I love in a new way with little kids who were so passionate about the game. Something that also stood out in that moment were the adults who watched us and just relaxed outside seeing us all enjoy each other. This is something that I will never forget. I would say that overall I liked spending my time more in the city of Limón. The people there were so welcoming and it was very close to the beach. Being able to meet Señora Harrison’s family was also a fun time. It was amazing to work with the little kids knowing that each of us inspired them to be a better player or pursue there sport. Costa Rica showed me what true community is all about and know a can take back some of that culture and share it.
- Before we left for this trip, I felt really anxious about the entire thing. I had never been out of the country and going on a missions trip wasn’t something I had ever imagined myself doing. I even felt like I was going to resign from going on the trip a couple of times. That changed when we went, though. I don’t think I have ever felt God’s presence more in my life than I have on this trip. This entire trip I was just in awe of how God utilized every single person, including me, and how He opened so many doors to allow us to impact the lives of the children in Costa Rica. I have always felt like I have a servant’s heart, and getting to be able to only serve others and not think about myself while making connections with the children we played sports with, and then be affirmed of that by Sra. Harrison made such a genuine impact in my life. I truly wouldn’t trade this experience for anything; meeting kids like Samantha, Alicia, and Sol, serving others, getting to help out wherever. I just feel so lucky that I got to impact the lives of the kids I met.
- This year has been a whirlwind. Through COVID restrictions changing the itinerary and what we would be able to do on this trip to having several students drop off the team mid-year, it left us as chaperones feeling exhausted before we even left. Truly a huge thanks goes out to the anonymous donor who invested in our team and our trip. Without them, I’m not sure if we would have had the faith to go this year. But because that one family was faithful it allowed us to be faithful, and I truly think it paid dividends in the lives of our kids and in the lives of people we encountered along the way. In hindsight, those changes we had to encounter and the thinning out of our team was the best thing that could have happened (duh, God always works things out for good). Because of the change in itinerary, we were able to serve with several churches in Limón and see what commitment the people there have to furthering the gospel and serving the people in their community. These were truly some of the best days of the whole trip! Because our team thinned out, it allowed our group to become very close as a team - I have never seen a team enjoy hanging out as a whole group so much. In the past it has always sort of broken into smaller groups. They asked good questions, laughed a lot, and made great memories together. We ended up with a group of kids who were really just willing to do whatever was asked of them without grumbling or complaining. They were there to serve and to love on others and that’s all we ask of them. Costa Rica is an incredibly special place to me and it was so special to be able to share it with our students and see them come to love the warmth and joy of the culture just as much as I do. I am so thankful to Ricardo from HPS for opening his home to us and I am so thankful to Ronny from HPS for the love and care he puts into planning our trip and pouring into our kids; our trip would not be the same without him. He is family and I’m glad our kids feel it too! I am so thankful to Bryan for being such a great male leader — he is someone I truly respect and I believe is a great role model for our guys. I am so incredibly thankful for Señora Harrison for just having the most beautiful heart for God, for never shying away from sharing the truth with us, and for opening up her home, city, and family to us even more on this trip. Overall, I am so thankful that God put this team together for this year. I feel like we were able to serve him and his people well this week. We were able to pour into the ministries that are already doing so much down there, and we were able to connect and build relationships through sports with so many kids and teens. This was a great trip and I hope our kids continue to hang out with one another and to come back and live out our theme “Love is..” as they continue this school year. If they do that, I think Valley will also be a different place. Pura Vida!
I loved reading every single word in these posts this past week. Thank you! Thanks for loving on these kids and being such good leaders. I am so appreciative of you! Praise God!
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