Highlights of Our Trip

Maria -- I loved how the kids were very willing to teach me how to skateboard even though I had no idea where to start. ● The relationships I made with the kids were amazing. I loved how they just wanted to be with you, and they wanted you to pay attention to them and I was more than willing to do that. I am very thankful that I still get to keep in touch with some of the kids and keep up with how they are doing.  ● Bible Studies every night were very encouraging to me because as we were teaching other kids lessons we got to grow closer to god through the team and other supporting us in our faith.

Sarah G. -- The connections with the kids.  ●  Seeing and being apart of the different ways God worked.  ●   How our team bonded and became more like a family.

Elizabeth Autio -- Getting to bond with the entire team and reconnect with those who went last year.  ● Painting the woman's house who was celebrating her birthday the day we painted.  ● Just playing with the kids and loving on them. 


Stephanie--We got to learn how to disciple someone.  ●  The smiles on the kids faces when they saw us.   ●  Seeing the beauty in every part of Gods creation!

Kelly--Sharing the gospel in the park.  ●  Being able to communicate with the kids even though my Spanish was worse than last year (especially the day I was painting and all the kids came up to me wanting to learn some words in English).   ●  Getting the chance to have discipleship with the team. 

Mrs. Reilly--The unity of the team and their hard work (ignoring various distractions and hot weather). ●  Visiting and seeing the ministries of previous coworkers on the field.  ●   Enjoying the Bible studies and watching students take principles learned back to their lives in the states with them.   ●  Seeing Tara grow in her own outreach and in her Spanish.

A Review of Days: From CMH to HOU to SJO and to the Salleys

Sunday in church at Tilaran

A service of praise and worship in Spanish, a few of us sharing testimonies --Kelly and Elizabeth, with translations by Miss Clements and Mrs. Reilly-- and LaMar sharing a challenging message on the spiritual warfare around us and how we can protect ourselves by watching the intake on our ears, eyes, and mouth.

A very special part of this trip has been the evening sessions after our busy work days are finished. We meet as a group and share in team Bible study, started even before we left.  Beyond that, LaMar Salley, our team host also shares Bible studies or team activities to help us develop our courage to step out of our comfort zone, our compassion for others, and our desires and determination to disciple others as Christ originally commanded.  We have been pushed to carry what we learn here back to our worlds in Ohio (family, neighbors, church, school) so that God's offer of salvation and abundant life in Christ continue forward and multiply.
  

2 Timothy 2:2

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

Matthew 28:18-20

¹⁸And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

 ¹⁹Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

 ²⁰Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.


P.S. After church in Tilaran, we drove about 30-40 minutes to Cañas (considerably hotter climate there) and began another VBS program with Pastor Manuel.

Update from Saturday

We are alive and well in Tilaran, Costa Rica. Yesterday we spent the day with two VBS programs (in two different towns, Tilaran and San Luis), and today we will repeat the same. Part of the start-up of both programs was walking the streets and asking the children to come, door-to-door. The weather is warmer out here in Guanacaste, so we have pink faces, many of us. But we are also are warmed by the love we see in the pastors for their flocks and by the opportunities we get to speak and/or share smiles with children of all ages.

MEET OUR TEAM MEMBERS: the last, Miss Camille Clements and Mrs. Tia Reilly

All team member biographies can be found on our Meet the Team Members page
Camille Clements

Our fearless leader, Camille Clements, comes from a family of teachers and felt the Lord calling her to teach even as a young person.  She has been teaching at Xenia Christian for fourteen years.  She has been going on ministry trips with Dayton Christian Schools since 2001--but only as a co-leader, never the leader. Last year, the opportunity presented itself through a co-worker to set up a trip to Costa Rica. She had spent several years there as a missionary and she put Miss Clements in contact with the Salley family, and the Costa Rica Ministry trip came in to being.

Miss Clements recalls, “I became the trip leader through a series of events that only the Lord could have orchestrated. I am generally a behind the scenes kind of person who enjoys serving and supporting, but the Lord wanted to grow and stretch me, which he has done by putting  me in charge of this trip. I am so glad that God chose to use me to help young people experience missions.”

                                   

Having always had a heart for missions, before working with Dayton Christian School System (DCSS), Miss Clements served as a missionary for two years in Barcelona, Spain, teaching pre-kindergarten in an international school.  Later, with DCSS, she traveled to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where DCSS partners with Logos Christian School to work in orphanages ministering to the children. Later in Baja California, Mexico, she worked through DCSS partnering with Global Recordings to share the gospel in native languages.  Other ministry trips included Santander, Spain, for Athletes in Action’s spring campaign, Iquitos, Peru, serving with ABWE running vacation Bible school ministries.

Beyond teaching and using the Spanish language, Miss Clements also enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and participating in half marathons.

“When the Lord calls you to do something,” states Miss Clements, “trust that He knows what is best for you, and do it. Also trust that He will equip you to do whatever he calls you to do. I have found that he has called me to things that I would not naturally choose to do because in my weakness He is proved strong.”   

Tara Reilly, Camille Clements, Tia Reilly

Tia Reilly

The mother of one of the team members, our final teacher-leader on our Costa Rica missions trip was Tia Reilly.  A second-year teacher at Xenia Christian High School, Tia has recently moved back with her family from serving overseas with the mission agency ABWE.  They first worked in Paraguay, South America, and then most recently, in Costa Rica for four years.  This opportunity to return to the ministry, culture, and language of “home” was also an opportunity to encourage young people in their current spiritual walk as well as a chance to share with them what life and ministry looks like outside of the United States.

While Costa Rica was an obvious choice for Tia, her goal has also been exactly that—getting to know the young people of the school where she teaches and encourage them in current and future ministries. 

Tia has also participated in missions trips to Chile, South America.  Retired Cedarville University professor Dr. Bev Monroe leads trips to English-speaking seminaries and Christian schools around the world in order to organize and digitally catalog their institute libraries.  Tia has worked on three such projects with Dr. Monroe’s team.

Married to Kevin Reilly, the couple has four children and one grandchild.  The youngest, Tara, is also on this team trip.  Tia’s other interests include reading and writing, piano and choir ministries, photography, and mindfulness.

MEET OUR TEAM MEMBERS (last of the student interviews)

 PREVIOUS INTERVIEWS moved to  Meet our team members. 

Sam Franklin 

A senior at Xenia Christian High School, Sam Franklin looks forward to studying pharmacy at Cedarville University next year.  This is Sam’s first trip to Costa Rica, and he has put a lot of heart into learning words and sentences in Spanish (even though he is currently studying French in high school).       

Last year he enjoyed a missions trip to Guatemala, and when looking at J-Term options this year, Sam wanted to continue spreading the Good News.  Miss Clements approached him about the possibility of going to Costa Rica, and after speaking with his parents and with God, the trip sounded just right to him.

In his previous trip to Guatemala in 2010, the Holy Spirit used a simple skit he was in to lead several people to salvation.  Wherever the team traveled, a stage “showed up” for us.  “The trip,” Sam says, “made me understand how other people live, and how a disaster affects people.”  He also learned to trust church leaders more.

This year, Sam has again participated in the evangelistic drama mime that the team has performed at parks and schools. He has also passed out tracts and learned a lot of new words, tastes, and culture.

Sam enjoys playing the violin both in high school string ensembles and in his church orchestra.  He hopes to continue with music, and particularly at Cedarville University.

He reminds us that, no matter the circumstances, we need to praise God.

We went to school today!

All is well. Today we went to Sojourn Academy--a Christian school for mks and other children daycare through 12th grade. We ran the opening exercises and Mr. Harr shared a devotional. Most of the kids painted the lunch area (an outside picnic area), and Stephanie, Kelly, and Maria helped the 5th grade teacher with grading and presenting in class.

At the end of the day, the gym teacher invited the kids to a game of volleyball with the tico students, and each group won a game a piece. 

Later, supper and then our evening meeting followed by cookies and a game of Banana Grams.

MEET OUR TEAM MEMBERS

Sarah Marie Graver

Sarah Graver is a senior planning to pursue communications with an emphasis in advertising at Lee University.  Sarah’s interest in short-term missions began with God laying it on her heart as a passion to serve others while doing something she really enjoys.  “It is an opportunity,” she says, “that I have been given and something that I would like to continue doing.”

Another of the 2011 Costa Rica trip veterans, Sarah says that that experience was one of the best she has ever had.  “God really taught me a lot, and I wanted to go back a second time to build off those relationships made.”  Both that ministry trip and another to Arizona have really changed her life, she shares, and have given her an enthusiasm for missions.

Sarah plays soccer and throws shot and discus for track. She hopes (better said, she “plans”) on breaking the school record for shot-put this year as she trains by participating in weight lifting.

She reminds us all that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

Corey Meade

Corey Meade is a senior at Xenia Christian and plans on studying occupational therapy in college.  While she has been on other ministry trips, this is Corey’s first time to fly to and work in a foreign country.  “I have always had a heart for missions,” she says, “and …I wanted to experience a more extreme side of missions.  Costa Rica has always been a destination I have dreamed of visiting, and the added bonus that I get to serve others while I am there makes it even better.”

Previous ministry trips include work in coastal Carolina to help rebuild a family’s home.  She shares that “It impacted me a lot. It was a very awesome feeling to know how we were impacting someone’s life for the better.”

Corey’s other interests include helping people (which she loves) and sports.  She hopes to find a way to use sports for God’s glory. She encourages to always trust God and never forget who they are. 

Work Day #2

Our second work day kept us busy straight from 8 this morning to 11 tonight (including driving to sites). We worked first in the town Futuro where we were divided into three groups.  THe guys rebuilt the front wall (plywood) of a small home. Another group painted the front patio area and gate of a home, and the last group painted two front rooms of a widow's home. Made of cement blocks, the rooms which will be bedrooms were Christmas presents to two of the five children living there.

After our work there (well, the guys had to stay longer on their task), we went on to the "finca" to have our second day of Bible school with neighborhood children. Games, songs, lessons, and crafts--all in Spanish, of course.

Then we had "casado" for supper--your choice of fish, beef, or chicken with rice and black beans and arracache and plantains--before returning to finishing our painting job from yesterday.

Everyone came home quite tired, a bit scented and stained with oil paint and paint thinner, but very content and with a sense of accomplishment.

First work day in Costa Rica

What a full day!


In the morning we painted a home that a Christian children's home (for kids whose parents cannot take care of them) has bought to house their over-18 kids who can no longer stay at the children's home. We’ll be finishing that tomorrow night.


This group of students is impressive. They work hard and don’t complain (at least not where the teachers hear it). They also take the initiative to serve. They are conscientious of the culture and the people here.  Miss Clements calls them "Team Awesome."

The children's home supplied us with lunch. Rice and a stew-like topping, with cabbage salad on the side. Then we went over to a “finca” (in this case, like an outdoor recreation park with pool and soccer field and covered patio for having "asados." There we helped with a VBS for about 50 kids from two neighborhoods. It was well organized and our students jumped in with whatever Spanish they knew, and with gobs of love and hugs and smiles.

We had supper at the Hamburger Factory (but some of us had ribs or beef steak). The portions were so large, many of us had to share.

Back at the Salley's (our hosts), we had our team meeting, devotions, and praise. Great focus on our purpose as Sojourners in this world.

MEET OUR TEAM MEMBERS

Sarah Young

A senior at Xenia Christian, Sarah would like to continue learning Spanish after high school.  She hopes to go to Argentina this summer and perhaps stay for a year or two, perhaps even attend college there.  

Sarah’s interest in learning more about missions spurred her to take this short-term missions trip.  She states, “I believe that God has called me to missions, but I do not yet know exactly what that will look like in my life. Through this short term trip and others like it, I hope to find out more about missions.”  She also looks forward to God showing her specifically what He wants her to do and how to serve Him through missions.

To begin that education in missions, Sarah believes that God picked Costa Rica for her, and He has made everything work out for her to go on this ministry trip.  Sarah expects that God will use her in Costa Rica not only in the lives of those to whom the team ministers, but also that He will work in her own life, showing her how to glorify Him with the way she lives.

While  this is Sarah’s first “overseas” missions trip, she has embarked on other missions trips to various states in the US with her family, primarily working on construction or cooking for others. 

Other interests of Sarah include crafts, reading, walking outside, talking with my friends, and baking.

Stephen Panosian

Another of the teacher-leaders, Steve Panosian currently attends Cedarville University as a freshman nursing student, with a minor in Spanish.  He would like to be a nurse practitioner, and hopefully use that in long term medical missions.

A 2011 XCHS graduate, Stephen is also one of the veteran team members. “Last year,” he shares, “I loved the opportunity to serve God in another country. The people of Latin America are a pleasure to be around, and I had the opportunity to use my Spanish.” This positive experience inspired his return as a leader on this year’s trip.

Moreover, Stephen states, “I went to Costa Rica last year as a student. It helped me see a calling to missions later in life, and I significantly grew my relationship with Christ by developing my devotion to Him.”   Stephen appreciates the people of Costa Rica, and he even hopes to serve there one day in the future.

Stephen also enjoys soccer. A lot. Beyond the age for high school or club soccer, he is involved in indoor soccer, college intramurals, and works as the assistant coach of Xenia Christian’s soccer team.

“God knows what's best for you, and He has a plan for your life.  So whatever is going on in your life—however troubling or comforting, big or small—trust in God, He has your best in mind.

MEET OUR TEAM MEMBERS

 PREVIOUS INTERVIEWS moved to  Meet our team members. 

TARA REILLY

Tara Reilly, a senior at Xenia Christian, plans to study at Sinclair Community College for a few years till God guides her beyond.

Tara will actually be returning “home” on this trip as she lived there as a young teen, helping her parents with ministry at a Christian school and church.  Part of our ministry work on this trip will take us all back to that school, Sojourn Academy.  Even though the “terrain” may be familiar, for Tara, this type of missions trip is a new opportunity for which she is very excited.

“I used to live overseas working with my parents to show Christ to others,” Tara says, “and it has opened my life to all different kinds of possibilities and experiences.”

Tara’s state-side interests include cheerleading, violin, and after-school choir.  Last fall she played on the soccer team, and this spring, she will participate in the musical, Singing in the Rain. 

Over the years, Tara relates, “I have had to overcome different difficulties with the help of God. These different experiences have helped me grow closer to Him. I would encourage others to know that God works through many different mediums and has His own time for his purposeful plans.” 

KELLY HIPPENMEYER

As a senior at Xenia Christian, Kelly Hippenmeyer, plans on majoring next year in fashion merchandising and minoring in journalism.  Kelly shares, “My dream job would be to work for a magazine like Vogue and to be able to write about fashion.”

Kelly believes that short term missions trips are a great way to learn more about how God can use someone to bring glory to his name. She states, “I believe he has specifically called me and all the members on the team together for a very specific purpose and that's what is so intriguing—the fact that God already picked out this team and knows what we are going to experience and what we all will learn.

“I want to know Him better every day and I think going on a trip like this provides an opportunity to focus in on how he wants me to change and grow to be more like him. I think it also provides an opportunity to learn how to serve others and put into practice the servant-like attitude that I should have all the time.”

Another of our team veterans, Kelly knew that if she were to go on a missions trip this year, she definitely wanted to return to Costa Rica.  “It's exciting to see what God is doing there, and I am eager to work with some of the same family in Christ that we made friendships with last year. Truly it's God that even called me to go to Costa Rica in the first place and He who has called me back.” 

Kelly’s first trip was an experience she will never forget. “God taught me a lot about having an unselfish perspective,” she shares. “There are people everywhere headed to hell because they don't know about the love that Christ offers to us. Mostly I feel like God wanted to break my heart for what breaks his and help me to change my perspective to be able to be more open with how he is and has been changing my life.” 

Other interests of Kelly include learning piano, hanging out with friends, playing volleyball, and discovering new music. She also enjoys baking brownies and cookies and even hot dogs.

“Remember that Christ is absolutely worth pursuing. Any other pursuit in life will lead to emptiness. I know a lot of times I look to other things to be a part of my joy. But when I focus on Christ being the only source of life, that is when I feel genuine joy.” 

Family Prayer Send-Off

Thank you to the Crafts for hosting this yummy get-together; and thank you, Miss Clements for leading the way forward. ....and to our families for praying us onward....

  Publish Post

MEET OUR TEAM MEMBERS

 PREVIOUS INTERVIEWS moved to  Meet our team members.

Jenna Craft

A senior in high school, Jenna Craft hopes to be a pediatrician or a pharmacist in her future.  In the fall, she will attend Grove City College and major in biology.

Through the gifts He has entrusted her with—compassion, persistence, and steadfastness—God has developed in Jenna a craving for mission work.  This will be her third mission trip, and in her words, she “has grown so much. Not only did I deepen my relationship with God, but I became more dependent on His provisions.”

Jenna chose Costa Rica because she knows some Spanish and wanted to experience another culture.  I have been to the Dominican Republic on a missions trip, and discovered that God was not calling me to return.  Basically this opportunity arose, and God told me to take it.  

Before traveling to the DR, Jenna had never been on her own.  She remembers, “I stayed by myself with a host family and I was a wreck, but then I remembered an important lesson.  I remembered that God will never leave us nor forsake us, and I took comfort in that.  I learned to rely on God no matter how big or small the issue. I have always known this in my mind to be true, but this was the first instance when I believed in my heart.  I have also been to Costa Rica before.  Last year I grew so much in my relationship with God, I learned not to be anxious and to rejoice even in the face of bitter trials.”

“If I could encourage someone today, I would give three nuggets of advice:  

1. "Trust God in ALL situations.
2. "Shine as a light for Christ, because someone is noticing, and you may have planted a seed.
3. "Go on a missions trip, because it is a life-changing experience that you should not pass by.”