What does it look like to be the hands and feet of Jesus? 20 Upper School students and 3 chaperones recently stepped out of their comfort zone as they served in Costa Rica.
From May 31 to June 7, Shane Krotz, Upper School Assistant Principal, led the group on their mission trip in Costa Rica. With a group of 20 students, Frank Darden and Megan Allen, both Upper School Math Teachers, helped lead the trip.
The group had the opportunity to work on service projects in Sonafluca. For the first time, the group worked with a public school, where they held VBS for 2 days for children in Pre K- 6th grade. The school did a great job being prepared for their arrival, which allowed more time for serving. In years past, students reached 150 local kids, but this year that number doubled! Our students taught the story of Jonah through crafts, story time, and games.
“What I enjoyed most about the trip was going to help work on the church in La Fortuna. Although it was a lot of manual labor, I really had a great time digging ditches and laying concrete because it was for the benefit of a church,” explains Virginia Bickel, a student on the trip. “Yeah I was sore for about three days, but it was a great experience getting to help out with friends from Legacy, and friends that are still in Costa Rica.”
When the group wasn't working with the children, they were working with their hands. The school wanted a patio to serve meals to the children in the community who don't get to eat. By hand, the group made and poured concrete to make it possible for the school to give back to the community. Once they were done there, the team made their way over to ASCATE, a community center for elderly with Alzheimer's. The group spent the day sharing who God is, and they ended the day with bingo and dancing.
When asked what was the coolest part of the trip, Shane thought of the only freshman who went. “I was really proud of Bradyn Tuite taking on a leadership role,” shares Shane. ” She jumped right in and started helping in whatever way she possibly could. It was really amazing to see her like that.”