2015 Team Bios Continued

Eighteen-year-old Taylor Meade is a senior at Xenia Christian High School and plans on studying graphic design and business in the future. As an avid volleyball player, she also hopes to coach volleyball one day.

This year marks Taylor's second ministry trip to Costa Rica. When she went last year, that was primarily in response to her older sister having gone previously. Taylor's own experience was life changing and provided growth personally and spiritually. This growth and these trips assist her in realizing God's plan for her life more fully, all to his glory. She has also taken ministry trips to work in Atlanta, Georgia. Another of her future goals, according to interviewer Nicole, is to be involved in serving communities near and far.

Taylor's interests include art and painting, cheer leading, volleyball, soccer, and basketball.  She has played for Xenia High School ten years in basketball and ten years in soccer.  She also plays beach volleyball, club volleyball, volleyball on her church team, and has been team captain for two years of the seven that she has played for Xenia Christian. In cheer, Taylor has participated three years, finishing this senior year as captain.

Beside sports, Taylor also involves herself as Vice President for the school's chapter of the National Honor Society. For church she is involved with the youth group and services at Xenia Nazarene. Her favorite food is salad and anything from Chipotle. Her family consists of Mom, Dad, and older sister and younger brother, and their dog Chloe, a mix of golden retriever, boxer, and bulldog.

When Nicole asked Taylor what type of cereal she would be if she were a cereal, Taylor replied, "Coco Puffs." If she were to have a super power, Taylor shared that she would like to be able to read minds; after compiling thoughts and knowledge from brilliant minds, like Bill Gates, she would be the smartest person in the world. (Sounds like she already is.)

Another of our veteran team members, Lauren Mitchell, is an 18-year-old senior at Xenia Christian. This is Lauren's second trip to Costa Rica. Lauren attends Grace Crossing Church, Beavercreek, OH.  Lauren's hobbies include volleyball, cheer leading, art, playing piano, and sports in general.  At Xenia Christian High School, Lauren is secretary for the school's chapter of the National Honor Society. At XCHS, Lauren has played volleyball for six years at Xenia Christian and has been on the cheer leading team for six years.

Lauren's favorite foods include peanut butter and ice cream. (I wonder how she feels about peanut butter flavored ice cream?) Her family includes Mom and Dad, an older brother and a younger brother.

During her interview, when Bridgett asked her what super power she would like to have, Lauren responded that she would want to be able to freeze time so that she could stop time and stay longer at places in life. If she were to be a cereal, she told Bridgett, she would be Fruit Loops because they are colorful and fun.

In the future, Lauren plans on attending college to possibly study nursing or art.  She would also like to incorporate into her future more trips to Costa Rica.

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 High School for eighteen years. Before that, she spent two years as a missionary in Barcelona, Spain teaching at an international school. She has been going on ministry trips to various Spanish-speaking countries with Dayton Christian Schools since 2001.

In 2010, the opportunity presented itself to her and another trip leader to set up a new missions venue. Another co-worker, who had spent several years working in Costa Rica as a missionary, connected Miss Clements with the Salley family who serve as church planters in that Central American country. The Costa Rica Ministry trip came into being. At that time, Miss Clements was only planning on playing a support role, as a co-leader, but God had other plans. 

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 always amazed that God continues to choose to use me and give me the opportunity to take part in overseas ministry. It is both humbling and exciting to be able to take young people on ministry trips and to see how God works in and through them to change lives and to draw people to himself.”

Beyond teaching and using the Spanish language, Miss Clements also enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and participating in half marathons. If she were to have a super power, she would like to be able to transcend the limits of time and space.

Tia Reilly is a fifth-year teacher at Xenia Christian High School. In 2009, Tia moved back to Ohio with her family after serving overseas with the mission agency ABWE.  They first worked in Paraguay, South America, and then most recently, in Costa Rica for four years.  The opportunity to return to the ministry, culture, and language of “home” is 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.

Having lived there, Costa Rica is a special destination for a mission trip. 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.  

Married to Kevin Reilly, the couple has four children and two grandchildren. Tia’s other interests include reading and writing, piano and choir ministries, photography, and mindfulness. If she were to have a super power, she would like the ability to feel warm no matter where she lived or what the season.

2015 Testimonial Bios

After her ministry trip last year to Costa Rica and Nicaragua, junior Bridgett Clough knew that she wanted to repeat the experience. "The kids are fun, and it is a good experience to help my groth in Christ.  I'm furthering the kingdom for God," she shared with Taylor Meade who interviewed her.  Bridgett is a junior at Xenia Christian High School and is sixteen years old.  She enjoys volleyball and knitting, and at school participates on the volleyball and tennis teams.  At her church, Bellbrook United Methodist Church, Bridgett is involved in the youth ministry and has helped with summer VBS programs and with the children's ministries on Sundays.  With her church, she attended a missions trip to minister in Chicago as well.

Bridgett's favorite foods include any and all fruits--"mostly everything," she states. She has one sibling--a brother Duncan who is in sixth grade; and the family has one pet, a dog, Sophie.

If she were to have a super power, Bridgett would want to fly! She needs to get to places more quickly. If she were to be a cereal, she thinks it would have to be Honey Bunches of Oats with extra clusters because clusters are the best part.

Seriously, in her future Bridgett looks to work with special charity causes and organizations.

The one new member on the Costa Rica team this year is junior Nicole Terrell.  While this is Nicole's first trip to Costa Rica, she has taken several others: twice with her church, Southgate Baptist, she has traveled to the Dominican Republic, as well as to seven different states for other mission work.

Nicole's interests include art, reading, horseback riding. At school, she participates in soccer, cheerleading, drama and musicals, and band. At church, Nicole helps with the children's ministry, and she also plays in the church band and sings in the youth group's praise team.
Nicole's family consists of her parents and three sisters, a cat, three toads, and a dog. Her favorite food is anything with cherries. If she were to have a super power, she would like to have the power to be a mermaid so that she could breathe and see under water. And if she were a cereal, it would have to be Captain Crunch.


Her reasons for coming along on the trip stems from the previous experiences and the desire to consistently be involved in missions. She believes that the Lord will have her work in the future as an oral surgeon with medical missions teams.

Our long-term veteran, Rachel Graver, is a senior at Xenia Christian this year and has participated in the Costa Rica and Nicaragua trips the previous two years. A valuable team player, Rachel shared that she desired to go again in that it is her last opportunity in high school to do so; her previous trips have been so special that she feels that she “belongs to Costa Rica.” She loves the country and she loves the kids!

Rachel attends Dayton Avenue Baptist Church. Her favorite food is strawberries and/or tacos. Her hobbies include soccer, art, fishing, and sports in general. She has been part of XCHS’s soccer team for all of her high school career. In the future, Rachel plans to attend Mount Vernon University where she hopes to play soccer and study graphic design. She hopes that the Lord will have in store for her many more missions trips in the future as well.

If she were to have a superpower, Rachel would want the power of transportation so she could travel instantly and disappear whenever she liked. If she were a cereal, she would be Fruity Pebbles, she told Lauren, who interviewed her.

Our 2015 Team starts to Group up!

  

Finishing up VBSs in Tilaran and Tronodora

Our last half of the trip zoomed by us . . . via buses, semis, tricycle taxis, oxen, sloths, iguanas, and so on.  So many new sights, sounds, and smiles.

Day 8: In Tronodora and Tileran, we divided into two groups in order to conquer two areas of painting--the administrative area of a school and the outside walls of a church.  Breakfast was provided by the church people and how we enjoyed it--rice and beans, papaya and coffee.

Our painters perform spectacularly.  We didn't even practice before we arrived, but we have several art students in the bunch, and they are excellent edgers.

After painting, we enjoyed helping Pastor Manuel run his VBS based upon building smart, Biblical character qualities.  Pastor Manuel does an excellent job presenting the gospel.

After the VBS, we mingled in with the youth who came for a youth activity. Part of the crowd seemed quite resistant, but the Lord plants seeds, and our kids were used by him through games, conversations, and camaraderie.

Day 9 kept us in the same location with similar programs.  In the morning we hosted the  VBS in Tileran, and the afternoon, we helped with Pastor Manuel again with VBS and then with the youth.  Such great energy filled the church during both activities. Praise the Lord for what he can do through friendships and fun, and especially through his word. We particularly enjoyed sharing the gospel through the mime, through special music, and then with Katy sharing her testimony.

Day 6: Managua

Today we enjoyed a tour of Managua after our VBS work (VBS pictures in next post). We culminated the day with another celebration for Haakon. That man can eat a whole fish--eyes and all!

Day 4 -- Traveling to Nicaragua (Tipitapa)

Today, we traveled to Nicaragua -- a 15-hour trip, including a 3-hour "layover" at the border, and a fun-filled visit to Pizza Hut in Rivas, Nicaragua.

Day Three -- Atenas, Costa Rica

Our third day took us to a church and a school in Atenas, in the mountains of Costa Rica. The team was split into two groups, and throughout the day we painted some outside walls at the church and both indoor and outdoor spaces at a local, public school. We enjoyed fellowship with each other, the a few local pastors--Jeremy and Mauricio, another missions team from Masters Academy in Florida, and a scorpion in the bathroom of one of the girls. Very exciting day!

Day 2: The Island of Chira -- getting there, ministering on, being stranded on, and being rescued

On January 7, the team traveled to the Isla de Chira in Nicoya Bay. The ride over took about 40 minutes, but because the water was rough, we could not dock at the port. We disembarked in a mangrove swamp and hiked up to the main road--even through someone's back yard. Our team ran a Bible school day for about 45 kids in a church. The team members sang, played games, helped with crafts. Most importantly, they connected with kids. Words learned in class became real life conversations, and where words could not be found, hugs and smiles and ready hands to hold worked to bridge language barriers. Returning to our boat brought another adventure. We walked to a pick-up point at the edge of the island, and where was our boat? Out about 400 yards or so, just drifting. We enjoyed a time of exploring the end of the island, a brief team meeting, and lots of nature before being rescued by a small boat that towed the larger one to us. The little boat (sorry for my lack of boating jargon) pulled us all the way back to the mainland, which this time took about an hour and a half.

Day One: Trip to Charlotte, NC; San Jose and Atenas, Costa Rica

Parent Prayer Send-off (Jan 3)

             

Team Member Bios and Testimonies Part IV

Murrin Brads
A sophomore at Xenia Christian High School, Murrin Brads looks forward to one day studying occupational therapy and workin in special needs ministries.  She even hopes one day, with her own family, to adopt children and to be a stay-at-home-forever-mama for all of her children.

Murrin chose to participate in the missions trip because she is passionate about Jesus.  She shares, "I want to obey and honor him by making disciples. I want to show other people the HOPE and JOY of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.  Specifically, she chose the Costa Rica trip for several reasons--and first off because she loves speaking Spanish.  Having enjoyed these first two years of high school study, she has every intention of using her "limited but ever-growing skills" to communicate the message of Jesus' love.

Previous ministries opportunities have included serving at five Joni and Friends family retreats, a family camp ministry that serves families affected by disability.  These opportunities having had a huge impact on Murrin's life, she plans on having a job one day that enables her to work every day with people who have special needs.  Overall, ministering with Joni and Friends has shown Murrin how ALL people have value in Jesus' eyes. "It has helped me to see a person's heart before their body. It has helped me to see ABILITIES rather than disabilities in every single person," she states.

Other interests  of Murrin include playing soccer and participating in drama (including this year's musical). At home, she is a foster sister who loves playing and dancing with the three-year-old staying with the Brads.

Murrin reminds all of us that in Jesus there is hope -- a forever hope.


Janice Howarah  A junior at Xenia Christian, Janice Howarah, choose to go on the Costa Rica missions trip because she had heard of others who had gone on the trip, had loved it, and had fallen in love with all the kids.  Although she knows that she will not be able to talk and preach to every single person about Christ, she knows that she will be able to speak to many and really make a difference in those lives.

This being her first missions trip, Janice looks forward to meeting all the children and make them feel loved. She wants to be used of the Lord to make the kids feel cared for.

Janice's other interests include sports--particularly participating in soccer, basketball, and softball.She also enjoys spending her time with family and friends.

"If I could encourage someone else today," Janice shares, "I would tell them that every chance you get to go out and spend your time serving or just being with others, take that chance. In your later years you don't want to regret anything." Janice reminds us to make memories in life that can be shared with and that can inspire others. 

Evan Ramey  A 2013 graduate of Xenia Christian High School, Evan Ramey serves this year as one of our leaders. Having two previous ministry trip experiences as well as a summer internship with our host missionaries in Costa Rica, Evan brings with him valuable knowledge of both the countries we will visit as well as the dynamics needed for team success.   Evan currently studies nursing at Wright State University and hopes to use nursing in the future on short-term mission trips that focus on that service to others.  He has a special affinity for Costa Rica having had the three previous ministries in that country, and he has also worked with the Salleys in Nicaragua this past summer.  He particularly looks forward to ministering again with the people of the two Central American countries.

 

Beyond ministry, Evan also enjoys every type of sport. He has concentrated experience in high school soccer, but in the future, he hopes that he is able to connect with others through sports in general.

Evan reminds us all that God will make the struggles through which we pass worth the effort.  Do not give up on Him.

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 High School for sixteen years. Before that, she spent two years as a missionary in Barcelona, Spain teaching at an international school. She has been going on ministry trips to various Spanish-speaking countries with Dayton Christian Schools since 2001--but only as a co-leader, never the leader.

In 2010, the opportunity presented itself to her and another trip leader to set up a new missions venue. Another co-worker, who had spent several years working in Costa Rica as a missionary, connected Miss Clements with the Salley family who serve as church planters in that Central American country. The Costa Rica Ministry trip came into being. At that time, Miss Clements was only planning on playing a support role, as a co-leader, but God had other plans. 

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 always amazed that God continues to choose to use me and give me the opportunity to take part in overseas ministry. It is both humbling and exciting to be able to take young people on ministry trips and to see how God works in and through them to change lives and to draw people to himself.”

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.”

Tia Reilly The last of our four teacher-leaders in the group, Tia Reilly, is a fourth-year teacher at Xenia Christian High School. In 2009, Tia moved back to Ohio with her family after serving overseas with the mission agency ABWE.  They first worked in Paraguay, South America, and then most recently, in Costa Rica for four years.  The opportunity to return to the ministry, culture, and language of “home” is 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.

Having lived there, Costa Rica was an obvious choice for Tia last year when asked to go along as a teacher-leader. Being a part of the team enables her to get to know better 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 four such projects with Dr. Monroe’s team, and may travel with them to Croatia this coming summer.

Married to Kevin Reilly, who teaches history in the middle school, the couple has four children and one grandchild. (The youngest two—Cole and Tara—are also XCHS graduates.) Tia’s other interests include reading and writing, piano and choir ministries, photography, and mindfulness.