Every
year the XCHS/LCA Costa Rica ministry team brings another collection of servant
hearts ready to share with others what they have learned in their walk with
God. In the upcoming blogposts, we will
introduce to you the mosaic of hearts and souls enthusiastic to work together
on this March mission.
Sophomore Clint Brads joins our team for the first time this year. Clint’s
desire to serve others and spread the gospel in the Lord’s name spurred him on
to apply for the trip. As he states, “We are called to make disciples and this
is an opportunity to do just that. I am
also hoping that through serving others I will learn more about myself and
about God.” Clint also had heard much about the trip from his sister Murrin who
had gone several years and claimed it to be “an amazing experience.”
Other mission trips which Clint has attended
primarily include Joni and Friends family retreats. Seven times he has participated
in this week-long camp experience where peopled affected by disabilities come
with their families. The families get to relax and have fun while those serving
help to care for those with disabilities. “Serving at this camp,” Clint states,
“has taught me how to put others in front of myself and look to their interests
first.”
On this trip to Costa Rica, Clint looks forward to
playing with and getting to know the kids in Costa Rica. He looks to build relationships.
Furthermore, he looks forward to experiencing a foreign culture for the first
time. Also, he shares, “I am excited to go and see how the Lord works through
our team.”
Clint’s hobbies include reading all types of books—but
fiction is his favorite. He plays the cello, the string bass, the bass guitar,
and he loves to sing. He also enjoys
playing soccer and basketball—and generally all sports. He has played for several school teams. If he were a superhero, Clint would like to
have the power of teleportation. That way he could take food, water, and medical
supplies to third-world countries. “I would try to spread the gospel to those I
helped,” he adds.
To encourage others, Clint reminds that each person
is unique and created in God’s image. No matter what other people think, he
shares, God loves each of us and thinks we are worth dying for. He also
encourages each individual “to stand up for what is right even when no one else
will.”
Our team is excited this year to have a mother join
the chaperone crew. Denise Griffith, parent to Rachel, will come along in order to use
her medical training as a physician. “Using my medical training to help others in another
country is exciting,” she shares. “I work with underserved here in the United
States, but I know the needs and resources will be different in Costa Rica. And
of course the opportunity to go with my daughter is wonderful!” She also looks forward to using her medical
skills while also sharing Christ’s message of love and salvation.
When in college, Denise took her first missions trip inner-city
New York City, and “it was eye opening.”
At the time, she had no idea that working with the underserved was in
her future, but even so, “it was so valuable to see first-hand their struggles
and their faith.”
Denise’s hobbies include playing the piano, reading,
walking for exercise, and spending time with her family. As her husband is the pastor of a church,
being a pastor’s wife occupies much of her life and ministry as well.
When asked what super power she would prefer if she
were a superhero, Denise replied, “Does being able to cry with others in their
joy and pain count? Just kidding, but my family likes to tease me about it. Prayer is my superpower and I use it
often throughout the day for my family, friends, and patients. It makes all the
difference!” She reminds all of us that
God is good. “No matter what happens,”
she states, “He carries you through it and draws you nearer to Him.”
One of our juniors on the team and another first-timer,
Tabitha Moser became
interested in the trip after hearing from others what an amazing experience
short-term mission trips can be (specifically the Costa Rica trip). She looks forward to having the opportunity
to share God's love with others.
In
that our team works a lot with children’s Bible clubs, Tabby looks forward to
teaching younger kids God. Our trip this year also includes medical outreach,
and she wants to work in the medical clinics as well.
Basically, Tabby looks forward to working and
doing everything with the team.
Tabby’s
hobbies include sports—particularly, she enjoys soccer, basketball, and
softball. At Legacy Christian Academy,
she has participated in several sports teams over the years. “And if I'm not
busy with school or sports,” she shares, “I enjoy reading and hanging out with
my friends.”
If
she were a superhero, Tabitha would like be known for super strength so that she
could save people from crashes, falling buildings, or rock slides.
In
real life, she would encourage others by telling them that in order to accomplish
your goals and dreams, “keep working. With God, anything is possible.”
Senior
Garrett
Rowland has
always wanted to participate in missions work, and yet not had the chance to do
so before. So when the opportunity to minister in Costa Rica presented itself,
he could not wait to go. “I love the
idea of going to Costa Rica—the culture is amazing and I am so excited.”
Garret looks forward to working with his fellow students to share
the gospel. He also is “excited to be thrown into a different environment and
have [his] comfort zone extended.”
After graduation from LCA this year, Garrett plans to attend
either Wright State University or Grove City College after graduation. Garret’s hobbies include “messing” with
computers and utilizing technology (his favorite!). Furthermore, when asked what super power he
would like to have if he were a superhero, he would like to have the ability to
hack anything he needed to.
Garrett puts his technological skills to use at school running the
sound board for chapel. And he also loves playing guitar.
Garrett reminds us that even when things get thrown at us that we
are not expecting, we need to “keep on keeping on, and persevere. God has a
plan for us, even when we don’t realize it.”
“I have developed a deep respect for the
team of LCA leaders and students that are a part of the Costa Rica trip and
want you to know they represent LCA extremely well,”
shares Brian Ray, our
veteran chaperon, the guys’ leader on the 2016 trip. Brian works as the Development
and Outreach for the Pregnancy Resource Clinic of Clark County. He has been
married to Shari for 32 years; Shari works at Cedarville University as Staff
Accountant. Brian and Shari have four children, and as of December, Brian also
has grandpa bragging rights as his daughter Krista and her husband Miles McGee welcomed
Ethan into the Ray clan. Brian’s other children include Meagan (a registrar and
ESL teacher in Indiana, Lindsey (married to Adam Brown and living in Florida),
and B.J. Ray, a videographer, also living in Florida.
As for his short-term plans in life, he plans
to purchase green coffee beans in Costa Rica.
And his long-range plans including roasting, sharing, and enjoying
aforementioned coffee.
Brian’s interest in this mission
trip with Legacy Christian Academy is a direct result of last year’s trip
experience with another school--Xenia Christian School. (Ha, ha, Brian. LOL and
all that.)
Here are Brian’s top memories and
attractions of Costa Rica:
- Friends met in Costa Rica (the Salley Family, Sam and Rebecca Vargas,
Luisca, Mau, Gabrielle, and more)
- Good times with LCA Students and staff (Matt, Luke, Tyler, Rachel,
Tia and Camille)
- The passion of the CR people for evangelism and opportunity which
is a positive influence on our LCA students
- The expected impact of the trip on LCA students (as it was on XCS
students in 2016 :)
- The people, the children, language, culture and incredible beauty
of Costa Rica
- The beaches (I won’t visit), the volcanoes (I might visit), and
the coffee (I’ll bring home).
Brian’s first mission trip was to
inner-city Cleveland, OH, when he was fifteen years old (like twenty years ago,
he says J).
A few years later he went to Del Ray Beach, FL, and a few years after that to
West Palm Beach, FL. Since those trips, it was not until last year that he
again explored short-term missions.
“People don’t care what you know
until they know you care,” Brian shares. “I’m thrilled for another opportunity
to participate in taking teenagers out of their comfort zone, equipping them to
serve others, and watching them exercise spiritually. These experiences usually
result in maturity as students express themselves and grow their understanding
of the world and relevance of their faith. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of
that? Today, I have the privilege of working in ministry and trace my passion
back to such experiences.”
On this particular trip, Brian
looks forward to watching our young people grow as they serve and overcome
challenges. He loves getting to know the students and interacting with and
encouraging them. He also looks to
reconnect with friends made in Costa Rica as well as to making new
friendships. As he mentions, even we
leaders as adults deepen our own walks with Christ. And there is always the unknown adventure,
the fresh fruit, the tastes, sounds, smells, and sights of Costa Rica. And, of course, the coffee!
Brian’s hobbies include anything
that constitutes a challenge. He enjoys home
improvement projects and despise paying for something I can learn to do myself. He also likes golf, fishing, and gardening.
When asked what super hero power he would like to have, Brian replied, “My
imagination of my ‘super hero power’ has grown from putting people at ease so
they transparently share their heart to combine with my uncanny ability to
communicate truth to be so influential, it causes them to desire and embrace
positive change in their life.” (Wow! That’s a power all right.)
Specifically—and on the very
real-life side of the matter, Brian goes on, “We have such different needs at
different times in our lives … I would hope to discerningly speak truth
according to they were ready to hear with grace and love. They might just need
someone to listen; in which case I would merely want to be a listener and let
them know that I cared.”
Another new sophomore on the team,
David
Rose, choose to
participate in this ministry trip in order to reach the people of Costa Rica for
Christ, and to make new friends. “I have always had a heart for missions,” he
shares, “and can’t wait to go back to Costa Rica.” David went years before on a mission trip to
Costa Rica. On that trip, he learned to
be more compassionate and loving to all people, especially to those less
fortunate than he.
On this particular trip, David
looks forward to see how God moves in people’s lives. He looks forward to
making new relationships with people he meets and to strengthen his relationships
with the people he already knows.
David’s interests include playing
tennis and hanging out with his friends.
If he were to have a super power, “it would have to be super speed,” he
shares.
David reminds the readers that we
are all created in God’s image. Each
person is “very special and awesome.”
❤️
