Monday, August 8, 2016

Costa Rica mission trip 2016 (part 2 of 2)

We are home! It was an incredible 9 weeks and we had a great team. God cared for our students and staff. He sustained us all through His Word and community.

Our team got to study the Word for an hour every day this summer. Then, the students and staff met to discuss what they were learning. We call this quiet time and discipleship-group time. It's awesome. God grew and changed a lot of hearts during this time. The students also memorized a lot of scripture. It was difficult for some of them, but the Bible tells us to hide the Word in our heart. This was just a part of each day on our mission trip.

Our key verse for the summer is 2 Corinthians 4:5 "for we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake".

We love our job, and doing this every summer. Yes, it's hard. Yes, it's exhausting. But we love it. We love being with our team. Royal Servants helps make disciples who make disciples. We have the privilege of being a part of that!

Here is the last part of our trip in pictures....

Jake going for it

Playing games with students at a school in Santiago

Alice on a special outing to get 
ice cream with Mama and Dada

Dancing at a school in Santiago

Sara and Alice at a school in Cervantes

Building relationships in a classroom

Eating at the church in Cachi

Hello students!

Performing for a school in Cervantes

Friendly students

Building relationships by playing games 
in the classroom

Hola!

Grace, Lindsey, Laura

Alice, Lindsey, Mitch before 
leaving Cachi

Our wonderful hosts:
Pastor Alfonso and Grace

Before leaving for debriefing

The youth group came to see us go!

We started with debriefing after arriving in Jaco

Mitch's first time at the ocean

Sara, Mitch, Louise

Twin backpacks: Jonah and Kaylee

Dada, Mitch and Alice right before we headed
to the airport

Headed up to zipline!

Here we go!

Group photo before zipling

Love these people! Senior staff and nannies

Rainer and Sam Piper

The staff talks about the summer and
 their vision soccer ball

Ice cream with D-groups

Father Daughter date

Group photo outside national park

Sloths!!

Monkeys!

Madison and Ethan talking about Jesus

Praying before a Futsol game

Anna and Nikkie sharing the gospel

Kendall, Jordan and Jonah share in San Jose

Family and nanny lunch out in San Jose

Andrew and Lindsey at the market in 
San Jose with the wood worker

One last performance in church

Rainer preaching in Cachi

2:00 am at the airport in San Jose

Goodbyes are hard... Jonah and Alice



Monday, July 18, 2016

First two weeks in Costa

Wow! We have been having an amazing time on our mission trip in Costa Rica. We have seen the Lord do some amazing things in the hearts of our students, staff and in the Ticos we meet everyday. We have had great opportunities to share the gospel, worship with others, read the Word, grow close with each other and experience Costa Rica. Here are our past two week in pictures:

Headed to the airport

Layover in San Salvador

Ready for church in Cachi

Jake, Kaylee, Jon, Madison, Jordan, Devin

Our team in Cartago

Ethan, Jonah, Alice, Mitch, Louise

Our guys soccer team with our opponents

Our girls team prays before playing

Madison shares her testimony after the game

Ben, Kaylee and Haley share with a family

A photo in a photo at the local waterfall

The guys loved climbing the waterfall

Family photo

Youth group at the BBQ on the mountain

Alice giving a balloon animal away to a girl

Tea and cookies at a church in La Suiza

Ensley teaching the team

Kaylee working hard on finances

Lindsey cooking with the guys

Rainer with the team going UP

Jordan shares the gospel with a man in Cartago

The team meets to discuss the day and what
they are learning in God's Word

Listening to a local coffee farmer share
about his family's crops

After the game

Andrew's D-group meeting

Lindsey teaching on Love Languages

Alice with her backpack ready to get on the buses

Mia, Ethan, Caroline and Andrew 
enjoying a rare visit to McDonalds

Puppets perform in a park in San Jose

After mom and dad gave it a try, Alice got to put 
on some skates... and wants her own now!

Sam tells some guys about Jesus

Mia tries to get out in front

The team in Orosi

Nikkie and Caroline share in Paraiso

Rainer leads the team to a Futsol game

Eric shares his testimony after the game

Our hosts and local pastor Alfonso and Grace

Our 5 discipleship groups

On the bus headed to ministry

On the balcony at our 'home' = the church in Cachi

Praying for Tres Rios

Alice and Rainer love the ice cream

Mitch and Lindsey cross the bridge to Orosi

A group stops on the bridge

Puppets perform to a crowd

Tiana leads the prayer

Hiking in the coffee farm

We love our senior staff Kaila, Ensley, Kaylee

The team hikes down

Sharing a meal at the church

Youth group last Sunday

Our team at old church ruins

Before church

Life Transformation Groups meet

Getting up the energy with the Cha Cha Slide

Anna has one of the 'twin' puppets


Ben during the 'laughing' song

Our performances of puppets, dance and drama
help bring a crowd and have themes that
open conversations about the gospel