University Christian Outreach & Servants of the Word Trip to Costa Rica
At the beginning of March, five of our brothers took fourteen students from UCO chapters in Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Pittsburgh on a week-long trip to Costa Rica. They were hosted by the Arbol De Vida Community along with our local S/W brothers from Costa Rica. This is the third trip in four years but the first time we take it to Costa Rica and the purpose is simple: to spend time with these men in a service and mission settings in order to foster vision for radical discipleship.
Arriving to San José
The trip started out with a jammed packed weekend of activity with the local UCO and local Sword of the Spirit Community Árbol De Vida along with multiple day trips to the city of San José and the neighboring mountains. We arrived on a Friday afternoon just in time to settle in, have dinner, and join the local UCO (Cristianos En Marcha) for their first prayer meeting of the semester. On Saturday morning we toured downtown San José (Chepe), the capital, followed by lunch at a local restaurant. Sunday included Church services and a day hike out to “La Cruz de Alajuelita”, one of many beautiful mountains in the country.
…the purpose is simple: to spend time with these men in a service and mission settings in order to foster vision for radical discipleship.
Hogar Calasanz
A key element of the trip were three service projects the brothers were involved in: the first one was working at Hogar Calasanz, an orphanage for boys aged 11-18 years old. This involved cleaning, painting, and improving exteriors of several of the buildings on campus. Beyond the physical work and efforts, both staff and youth, pointed out that the most significant contribution our team made was simply interacting with the boys during the lunch hours and Friday’s testimony session. In spite of limited Spanish among our students (and English among the boys), they were able to connect with each other. Emails are still coming in with “thank-yous” for the time.
Emails are still coming in with “thank-yous” for the time
Barva Volcano
The second project involved helping out at a natural park, in part to defray the cost of entry. Our brothers had to carry heavy beams to the Lagoon at the top which were going to get used for building of a panorama platform. It was definitely a day for character building with heavy work hauling the metal up passed 9,500ft to the crater.
Cristianos En Marcha
Finally, the whole team helped out in multiple “Christianos en Marcha” prayer meetings, the local university outreach. Several UCO men shared their testimonies, led ice breakers, and gave a talk. This chapter has large number of student leaders committed to their mission community, which gave our UCO men vision for what a flourishing student outreach can look like and how they can get more fully involved in the mission work at home. They also participated in a prayer meeting of Arbol de Vida, the local Sword of the Spirit community. Between that and many of them staying with community families, they also experienced Sword of the Spirit life in another country and culture.
Between that and many of them staying with community families, they also experienced Sword of the Spirit life in another country and culture.
Hungry, Daring, Loyal, and Yoked
The program was interspersed with spiritual input on the 4 traits of the UCO man which are: Hungry, Daring, Loyal, and Yoked. These traits are about taking responsibility of one’s life as a man of God, being willing to step into the fray of a difficult mission, alongside a band of brothers and sisters, while being yoked to Christ who calls us into relationship with Himself.
One said that he was able to give his life once again to the Lord in a new way
The feedback by the students has been overwhelmingly positive. Some have spoken of how they experienced the Lord touch their lives through the prayer meetings and others how they appreciated the daily prayer times. One said that he was able to give his life once again to the Lord in a new way. Others still spoke about how it has helped them take steps in their vocational discernment and are considering becoming affiliates with the Servants of the Word. One of the brothers, as he was paying the second installment of the fee, expressed that nothing could pay for this experience and he could not wait for the next trip.
Thank you for your prayers and support in making these trips possible!
God bless,
The Brothers
