GO Week: Costa Rica
By Samantha DePriest
High school GO Week aligns with the mission of Trinity Christian School in making disciples and sharing the gospel. Mission teams made up of all of TCS students in grades nine through twelve travel far and wide the week after Christmas break to make an impact on those in need and share the love of Christ. In January, several mission teams set out to serve as the hands and feet to communities that need it most. One of our mission teams made up of twenty-two students and three chaperones traveled south to Costa Rica. Costa Rica is located in Central America, connecting North and South America, and borders Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south.
TCS High School Guidance Counselor Mr. Brian Fourman helped lead the Costa Rica mission team and shared, “About 20 minutes outside of San Jose, Costa Rica is an area known as Pavas. This residential area is mostly immigrants from neighboring countries who have moved to Costa Rica looking for the chance of a better life. With little money or resources to their name, they settle in this impoverished area near the city’s main garbage dump and use whatever they can salvage to construct living quarters for themselves. To look at it, you would not consider their dwellings to be much of a home. “
He went on to share., “This environment of extreme poverty is what 22 students and 3 chaperones ministered in during GO Week. The goal of the trip was to build two houses in two and a half days, one for a family of three and the other for a family of seven. Both had been identified by a local church working with a local contractor as families in severe need of housing."
Students helping paint the walls of a home.
“The houses were very simple in construction, consisting only of a living room/kitchen area and two bedrooms. Again, to those in our culture, it would be considered very basic. But to these families, it was as if they’d been handed the keys to a castle. They were so thankful and filled with joy to be given the keys to their new home. We were humbled to serve them in this way.“
“But more important than the home, we were able to show God’s love through our actions and our generous giving. The people in this village do not think anyone cares about them and that they are all alone in this world. We were able to show them that they have not been forgotten and that ultimately God does love them. This is what we are all called to do - to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. Thanks to all the students who traveled and to those who supported the Costa Rica team. You were all amazing!”
Reflections from students on the mission team:
Senior Jonah Conaway plays football and lacrosse and has committed to play lacrosse at LaGrange College in the fall shared, “Last year I tried to go on the trip to Costa Rica, but it didn’t end up working out. As soon as GO Week trips opened up this year I jumped on the opportunity to finally get to go. Going into the trip I knew what to expect agenda wise, but I never would have known what to expect spiritually. The ability to go into a new environment, into a place where nothing is promised, and change the lives of an entire family was wild. While we were there we were able to build a three room house in which a family of 7 was able to live. We also blessed them with beds, household appliances, groceries, and more. It was really moving to see how amazed this family was, and how thankful they were of a group of teenage foreigners. It was very inspiring to me to see how impactful I can be to others in just a few days.”
Wil RInkenberger and Elly Dallas were all smiles while painting the walls of the home they helped build.
High school sophomore Elly Dallas is involved in TCS Sports Medicine, Theatre, plays Flag football and Track and Field, and serves on the Worship Team, Student council, Beta Club, and FCA. Elly shared, “Our trip to Costa Rica was an experience I will NEVER forget. I didn't think I would be able to go on a trip this year but by the grace of God a way was provided and I'm so glad He did because he worked and moved in my life more than I could ever imagine. My heart for this trip was to minister to the children and the Lord absolutely knew my heart and blessed that desire. As soon as I met the children of the family we were working with, the young daughter, Angie, came and hugged me and held my hand tightly and just never wanted to let go. By the end of the week Angie and I were inseparable. I will never forget how much spending the week with that beautiful little girl meant to me. She was absolutely radiant in her joy and that inspired me so greatly. I'm so incredibly grateful for this trip, the people I met, and the work of God in my heart in Costa Rica.”
Junior Olivia Freeman runs cross country and track & field for TCS, and serves with FCA, Beta club, and NHS shared, “Everything about our trip to Costa Rica was so beautiful to me. God moved in ways that I couldn’t have seen coming. At one point during the trip, I felt like I hadn’t done enough because I wasn’t building and working on our family’s home the way some others in my group had been. One night we were all talking though, and I realized that everybody’s gifts were actively being used in different ways. Some worked the entire day on painting, some worked on building, some carried supplies from one point to another, and I found myself spending time playing and interacting with some of the kids from around the area. Even though I wasn’t hammering dozens of nails or installing windows, I got to show and receive so much love and kindness through each interaction I had with my new friends. I just can’t get over the way God used all of our individual and special talents to create such a blessing in Costa Rica.”
TCS student Ale Larin shares a hug with a child from the village the team served in.
Junior Ale Larin shared, “Going into this trip I had no idea what to expect, but I'm so grateful for everything I was able to do, and take away from it. Being able to provide something so big as a house to a family was absolutely amazing. As well as connecting with the family we were building the house for, made it that much more special to really get to know who we were working alongside to do this.Not only getting close to the family, but all the other people in the area were so incredibly kind. I was able to really connect and build relationships with the little kids in the area, so much so that it made saying goodbye hard. Seeing the kids completely changed my perspective on being grateful when I saw how happy and content they were with just a soccer ball, and what they had. I’ll never forget the memories made or the people in Costa Rica. It taught me that happiness can come from what you allow it to come from, and you can be completely content with what you have been given.”
Paulina Hamilton Larin shared, “Being a chaperone on this trip with such an amazing group was the perfect way to start the new year! What a blessing it was to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a way that was so impactful! I had been on missions trips before but never on one where I was able to so tangibly feel the love of God being poured out. What a great experience it was to work alongside the family we were building for and I’m so thankful God allowed us the opportunity to meet and interact with them. I loved being able to translate and use my Spanish skills to help our team and the local team working with us! It was also such a joy to see our young students share the love of Christ even though most did not speak their language.They were amazing! Being able to interact and pray for the families we were serving (in their native tongue) was by far the most emotional experience I had on the trip. Here I was thinking we were going to bless some people! Turns out they blessed me more than they will ever know. Thank you Trinity for allowing me the privilege and honor to be a part of such an amazing opportunity!“
Junior Avery Lucchesi plays Varsity softball and golf and is a part of the very first Aviation Academy Class at TCS. She also plays travel softball and has been flying planes for 3 years and hopes to get her private license before graduating in May of 2025. Avery shared, “Costa Rica was very impactful to me. The key ceremony really got to me when we presented the keys to the house to the family. We created a strong bond with the family members and presenting them the house in realization of our work done was very emotional. It was a wave of emotions ranging from being super happy that I got to provide for them to being so sad that we had to leave, not giving them more. Going on the catamaran was also a fun experience because we all got to bond, hangout, and listen to music while relaxing and debriefing about the hard work we put in all week.”
Senior Anna Grace Strealy plays lacrosse and flag football and runs cross country, serves in Beta club and Student Council, and Discipleship 201 shared, “Having the opportunity to go give two families not a house, but a home was incredible. Although I spoke no Spanish and they spoke no English, the language barrier did not stop the spread and love of God. I will never forget the families that I met and as much as we gave to them, I took more from the family - a life changing experience. After coming back from this trip, I have learned to emulate their contentment, joy, and generosity.”
Junior CJ West plays lacrosse, is in the Aviation program, and enjoys cars shared, “The whole trip was a very unique special experience. It meant a lot to wake up, eat breakfast, and get on the bus with fellow students in another country. On this trip, there was no pressure, everyone was here for the mission. This made the trip much more enjoyable, everyone got along so easily. While building the houses I met and became friends with one of the builders, Jonathan. He was 17 years old. Jonathan spoke a respectable amount of english. I'm pretty sure he didn’t know my name so he would just call me boss, which was a brief humorous break when working on the house. Jonathan knew funny sayings in English like, “see you later alligator”. Which led to me teaching him how to pronounce “After while crocodile.” On the second day of building we started to play music and sing, alot. Jonathan loves Drake, Bruno Mars, Rihanna, and Michael Jackson. After every hard day of work, most everyone would meet up at the pool, until it closed at 9, and after that we would head to the hotel lobby to play uno until curfew. Another one of my favorite memories was filming the trip. The final day was like a movie, a beautiful catamaran cruise to a private island, monkeys, banana boating, kayaking, and fishing”.
Junior Aidan Whitaker plays baseball and serves on both NHS and Beta club at TCS shared “This trip is definitely going to be one that I will remember for the rest of my life. I will look back on this trip in 50 years and remember everything I did while in Costa Rica. I never thought that building houses would be so enjoyable. There was never a moment during the building where I was bored and regretting that I was there. The entire time spent building the house felt unreal, I was in a third world country doing the work of God for the less fortunate. All of the workers were kind and helpful, and were patient every time I sent a nail flying across or spilled the paint all over the floor. Every person we met down there was so kind to us. The local church went out of their way to feed us three days in a row. Even though everybody down there didn't have much, they were thankful for what they did have. Small items meant the world to people, things people take for granted in the U.S. went a long way to anybody who received it. Overall the entire experience was able to open my eyes to what seemed like a whole new world outside of my comfort zone.”
