San Isidro was incredible once again, and I am SO thankful I went back! God worked in incredible ways.
Differences:
We went to a new location called Guarari this year. We spent three days in this location. Another group leader, Hailey, and I both ran the crafts station for this location. This was a fun opportunity to use the little bits of Spanish that I know, and get to know the kids that came.
We visited Volcan Poas this year, which is a volcano about an hour and a half drive from our campus.
We traveled to the volcano with some Ticos (natives of Costa Rica). It was a joy bonding with them while visiting this sight!
VBS: A student named Fiona and I were really looking forward to teaching English in the school there, but teaching was not part of the schedule this year. Both of us learned incredible lessons and enjoyed our time at the VBS. Working crafts may not have been the most exciting station, but for some reason, I've always enjoyed crafts. I just connect with the children when they are drawing, folding paper, gluing and sharing their pictures. I love coming up with activities for the children to do. During the day when we told a story about sheep, we glued cotton balls to paper. What a simple craft, but so fun for everyone! Together our team sang songs, danced, told stories, translated puppet shows, played ninja (and other games :p), and created crafts. What a great effort, and for several days!
La Isla
Cultura Vertical: Pictured- Jean Carlo and Aaron.
Jean Carlo and Aaron have known me since last year. They were very patient with me when I didn't know Spanish that well last time....and they were very patient with me this year when I didn't know that much Spanish. :p They have been awesome friends no matter how outgoing I am. I've spoken to them more, and it really helps that Aaron is crazy/hilarious (as you can see) and Jean Carlo is very expressive with his facial expressions. Haha, they have been wonderful. The whole youth group is full of personality.
Discipleship Training: As a part of being with Sonlife for two weeks, we had discipleship training every day. At first we had no idea what to expect, we weren't sure why "Discipleship Training" was on the schedule over and over. By the end of the trip, many of the students were saying that a lot of what they got out of the trip personally came from this training. It was not just a Bible study, it wasn't just a sermon. Discipleship training was all about mature, godly Christians sharing their stories and taking turns reading through and sharing about their knowledge of the life of Christ. We were able to see Jesus's life in a light we hadn't seen it before. We read through the Bible together, and then with the guidance of each teacher, we were able to grow in our relationship with the Lord. The youth group is unique in this way; the leaders commit to discipling the students long term and meeting with them for accountability. This is so incredible, and truly works to draw people into the Love of Christ.
The Team: Xtreme Impact has been a part of my life since I was a sophomore in high school. Each year is so different. When I think about the different teams I've been on, it amazes me how many different people I've met. This team has been awesome in that they all got along SO well. We were all calling each other family by the end of the trip. There wasn't a single person that I didn't feel comfortable talking to and getting to know. I already knew Patrick and Sydney from last year, and it was great being a team with them again. My other close friends, James, Sabrina, and Kyle were such funny, enjoyable people. I will never forget them. Sabrina sang, James taught us something different every day, and Kyle brought humor into situations that needed it. Together they were quite the amazing friends. I truly appreciated them, as well as many others on the team. There were 28 other members, and it would take several paragraphs to tell you about them all; but to say the least, God hand-picked this team, and I am SO glad to have been a part of it. The students and leaders alike worked together in a way that was inspiring and loving. Thank you to every single member of the team. You ALL made it possible to have such a wonderful trip to Costa Rica!
My small group: Leah Cowan, Dominique Lopiccolo, and Mason Cox
Kyle, Sabrina and James
The whole group at Liberty training camp.
Lessons Learned: God taught me the power of prayer more than anything. The entire team was praying during the trip, and anyone could see the difference it made in our ministry and in our lives. Whenever my patience or calm was being tested I just prayed and God showed me a lot of grace. Our individual team members had a lot going on before, during and after the trip, but seeing them rely on God for their strength was encouraging to those around them, and they inspired many.
Thank you to everyone who supported me and prayed. God worked in so many ways during the trip, and it was a blessing to be a part of Xtreme Impact's mission once again.
Blessings,
Hannah
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