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Articles
Costa Rica by Kayley Kennell
Congregational Life
- Birth: Kristin Broughton
- Wakeboardin'
Summer Camps
Freedom
for the Prodigals:
Poem by Meghan Schaefer
A Glimpse into the Shultz's Peruvian-Style Vacation
by the Shultz family
Spiritual
Growth in Prison by Donna Wyatt |
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Costa
Rica
June 14th-it was a
lovely, peaceful Sunday morning,
and Powhatan Mennonite
Church's morning service was just beginning,
but there was something
terribly wrong.... 11 youth and 3 adults were missing!
What is the significance
of this fact?
These 14 individuals
were being united as a group in the Central American country
of Costa Rica for a
10-day mission trip in which God showed Himself strong and amazing!
The
team stopped for a group picture during a lovely walk through a nearby
coffee plantation
on
their last morning in Costa Rica
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The Team
Amy Duncan, Stephanie Pruett, Jeremy White,
Rick Benson,
Michael Iazzi, Meghan and Leah Schaefer,
Kayley Kennell,
Mary Elizabeth Featherston, Dawn Landis and
Tommy Dove.
Team Leaders
Steve Graber, Paul Brenneman and Kathy
Featherston. |
Costa Rica ... !Pura
Vida!
Some team
members share about their experiences in Costa Rica!
| Dawn Landis: During
our outreach, we had a Sunday church service with the Ticos (Costa Ricans)
in their church. At one point in the service, a group of Ticos sang
several songs for us in Spanish. I couldn't understand any words,
but since we were told to do what they did, I clapped along with
them. As I was clapping, it struck me how I could worship God with
these people simply by clapping along. I guess I was feeling the
unity of God with these people, even though we had miles of differences
between us! So, I clapped and worshiped God with them...it was an
awesome thing to experience. |
Kayley Kennell & Dawn Landis |
| Leah
Schaefer:
What started out as a simple
graduation gift grew into a mission trip that will not soon be
forgotten. Do you know what happens when a church raises over
$18,000 and puts a group of 11 youth and 3 adults on an airplane
headed for Costa Rica? Well, I'll you: This group experienced
God in a whole new way as well as in a different culture. This past
June a group of us young people led by Steve Graber boarded a plane
and made our way to Costa Rica to the Pura Vida Mission Base. There,
we were led in worship and training sessions to prepare us for the
work that we would be doing on our outreach. |
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Our group traveled 4 hours
from the base for outreach and there we met and fellowshipped with a small
group of believers. Our work project was to fix up their church and
to have VBS (Vacation Bible School) with the kids. But for us it
went beyond that. We not only built physically but we also built
relationships with he "Ticos". Whether it was by
worshipping with them or playing football with the kids, or even eating a
meal with hem or praying for them. But I think I can speak for
everyone in saying that it was a sad time the day we left. But we
knew that even though we would probably never see these people again that
we had left them with God's love and blessing. We really saw God working
in us and through us during this trip. And even though we went to serve
and bless the people I think that we ourselves felt just as served and
blessed as they were.
| Kayley
Kennell: The mission
trip to Costa Rica was incredible! So many amazing things
happened, and God worked among us! One of my favorite parts was
getting to use my Spanish. Talking with Pastor Orlando, the pastor of the
Mennonite Church that we worked with, was such an amazing
experience! I am so thankful to the Lord for speaking to us and
bring all of us together as a team. Also, thank to each person who prayed
for and supported us, because it definitely made a difference! |
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| Tommy Dove:
Costa Rica was well worth
the trip, the money it cost, and the time it took preparing. I would
encourage anyone that wanted to go on a mission trip that Costa Rica is
definitely worth it and I would definitely go back myself if given the
chance. One thing that kept my focus on God while we were there was that I
had decided on the flight over that since we were being sent as disciples
for Christ that we should not have an "lows" and that if there
was a low, then something was wrong in myself, because God never said that
being a disciple for him was meant to be easy. |
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The team enjoyed an impromptu mudslide with the
Tico children on the first day of Bible School.
More pics from
Costa Rica
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Kathy & Mary Elizabeth
Featherston |
A delicious meal of gallopinto
(beans and rice), vegetables, fried plantains, and porkchops!
It is served on a banana leaf!
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