Tico means Costa Rican. We love it here. As we dive into culture and have conversation with locals, we are learning what it looks like to love and serve this culture well. From VBS to painting a community center to Olympic games with neighborhood kids, this team has been BUSY. Yesterday we went out into San Jose to get a little bit out of our comfort zone. We evangelized to the locals, sharing the name of Jesus.  “We started out timid and ended the day with a new confidence.” Emma Williams  Here’s a little glimpse into our time here so far:    ...

I wrote these thoughts in my journal and wanted to share them with you… God is Pura Vida, Jesus is Pura Vida, missions is Pura Vida and most importantly, family and brothers and sisters in Christ is Pura Vida. Pura Vida means “pure life”. To me, it means so much more. Although this is a beautiful way to say, “I wish you well,” I look at this phrase with so much more meaning than that. I find myself diving deep into culture. I’m sharing space, meals and conversation with locals and get to hear their hearts, their passion for life. I see their hearts desire...

We arrived in Costa Rica late yesterday afternoon and were greeted with open doors and open arms. There were a lot of shouts and celebrations on the bus as we pulled into our mission site for the next 10 days. Here’s just one story of how we’re already seeing the faithfulness of the Father: I love buildings with a lot of colors and things like that. I appreciate art and colorful things make me happy. There’s a place back home with a lot of colorful buildings, kind of run down- it’s just really fun to look at, it’s different. As we drove through San Jose I saw a...

The Costa Rica team has arrived in country and will be settling in this evening. 

Costa Rica is an adventurer’s paradise, known for its stunning beaches and beautiful rainforests. Outside of the tourist destinations, however, are large pockets of poverty and brokenness…and we want to send a team of individuals ages 14-18 to remind the people of Costa Rica of the unchanging love of Jesus! We will partner with an organization in the capital, San Jose, which focuses on raising up a generation of students and young adults for Christ.  Whether it’s VBS or sports, you’ll share the love of Christ in a child’s favorite language: FUN! From...

We are sitting in a cafe today watching the rain come down.  It’s the first time it’s really rained since we’ve been here. Everyone is have a great time and learning lots.We have spent time visiting families, putting on a VBS, lots of time playing with neighborhood children and have much more to look forward to next week. Emily says she has really enjoyed it here and says thanks very much for the lovely notes from her family that she found at just the right time James says his favorite thing is meeting new people everyday and, of course, the food. Victoria says what up...