Over winter break, four Center Grove seniors flew to Costa Rica on a mission trip to build a house for a family in need. Here’s a peek into their trip, their project, and what life long lessons they learned from it.
Senior Kylie Lakes
Senior Kylie Lakes got the idea to organize the trip, going with the organization Youth With A Mission San Jose. Lakes’ goal in inviting her friends was to introduce them to mission trips and to create lifelong bonds of friendship with one another.
Give a run down of your trip. Where did you go? Who did you go with? Why did you go?
“Over Christmas break, we went to Jaco, Costa Rica to build a home for a family. Our group consisted of my friends from school and soccer. We had girls from CG, Zionsville, Cathedral and Bloomington South. I wanted to go on this trip because I want my friends to get to experience a mission trip, since they have been so important and life changing to me.”
What gave you the idea to organize your own mission trip?
“I got the idea the summer before junior year. I heard about a boy in Texas planning his own mission trip and bringing all of his friends with him. After hearing about that, I felt that God was calling me to do the same with my friends.”
How did you go about organizing the trip?
“I started organizing the trip in the beginning of my junior year. I started by inviting all of my friends on the trip. When we finalized who was going, we started the fundraising process. We needed to raise a total of $80,000 to cover all of the costs. My strategy for raising money was by calling business owners and asking them for $5,000 each. Together, with God’s help, we managed to raise all of the money and a little extra.”
What was the trip like overall? What did you do? How did you help the community?
“The trip was overall AMAZING! It could not have gone any better. While we were there, we helped the community by providing a family with a proper house. The house that the family had been living in had serious problems with the roof causing their beds and things to get wet most nights. We were able to build them a house in two days.”
How did the trip affect you mentally, physically, etc.
“The trip gave me so much joy because I loved getting to see my friends thrive during the build. They all did so amazingly, and our group became so close by the end of the trip. I was really encouraged after the trip because of all we were able to accomplish!”
Senior Haley Smith
Senior Haley Smith was invited on the trip by Kylie. They met when they were just seven years old through club soccer and have been best friends ever since.
Can you describe the community or people you worked with in Costa Rica?
“The people were genuinely the most kind and welcoming people I have ever met. These people don’t have a lot, so it amazed and inspired me how much they still gave to everyone else. It was sad to leave because I know that they are now family to us.”
What were some cultural differences that stood out to you during your time in Costa Rica?
“Costa Rica had a lot of different foods that were so cool to try. They had rice like nowhere else in the US. It was cool to see all the hills and the mountains and the different colored sand at the beaches. It was also cool to try and interact with the locals even though they spoke Spanish. I tried to learn as much as I could not having Spanish in high school.”
Did you have any interactions with locals that left a lasting impact on you?
“There was a moment when a bunch of the girls I was with as well as the kids from Costa Rica, at the site, were all playing soccer, and it was amazing because I realized how much you can truly connect with someone even with very few words.”
How did the people you served respond to the help you provided?
“They were completely overjoyed and incredibly emotional. They let us know countless times how appreciative they were because they had never received anything like this. They helped us build the house because they wanted to make sure they did everything they possibly could to help.”
What skills or insights did you gain during your time in Costa Rica that you use now?
“Everyone helps everyone. There was not a single person on the build that was lazy or didn’t contribute. Even with the language barrier, everybody knew what everyone needed because they were all so engaged. I have tried to incorporate that in my life as much as I can.”
Senior Keeley Blackwell
Keeley and Kylie met sophomore year in study hall. They both work at the café at Mt. Pleasant Christian Church.
What made you want to go on this trip?
It sounded like a really fun trip in general, but Kylie has also talked to me about the joy of mission trips since the day that we became friends. Being able to see the impact that they had made in her life caused my interest to spike.
What was your overall favorite part of the trip?
My favorite part of the trip was honestly spending time with all the people at the build site. We got to meet a bunch of new people like the missionaries who build homes for a living, but also people from the local community who wanted to help.
Besides building houses what other activities did you do with the community?
We took the family on a shopping trip, where we were able to provide them with groceries, school supplies and little gifts to fill their new home. While being on the build site, we were also able to interact with the different missionaries through conversations and even playing games with some of the kids.
What overall impact did the trip have on you?
Seeing how the family we built for was living caused me to reconsider all of the things that I am constantly taking for granted and showed me that there is so much more out in the world then the small stressors I have from day to day.
What did you learn about the locals and their way of life?
As soon as we got off of the plane, the words Pura Vida were written and said pretty much everywhere we went, and that’s exactly how every local lived. They were all extremely laid back and stress free about pretty much everything they did. It was completely different from how our normal fast paced life is here at home.
Senior Ellen Zapp
Ellen and Kylie met in 6th grade and have been best friends since. Ellen had never been on a mission trip before, so Kylie said she thought it would be a great experience for them both.
Why did you decide to go on the trip?
I decided to go because I thought it would be a cool once-in-a-lifetime experience to go and spread God’s love and do it with some of my friends! Kylie and I had talked about her idea of bringing friends on a mission trip in study hall a lot last year, and when it actually became something that could be done, I decided that I needed to go.
Did this trip change your perspective on anything? How?
Of course. We are very blessed with the life we have here in the US and with the resources we have grown up with access to. Seeing firsthand how much the families in Costa Rica struggle, and being able to support them and give them a stable place to live was one of the best experiences of my life and really put things in perspective for me.
What was it like building houses? How did it make you feel?
It was really fun. I loved how everyone came together and had fun while building. There were so many smiles and laughs, so it didn’t even feel dreadful in any way. It was so much fun, and by day two I looked forward to going back and finishing the house. I loved how many people came together to build and work toward the goal of giving the family a new home.
What was your overall favorite part of the trip?
I had two. I loved when the family received the keys to the house after we built it and when we visited the waterfall. The key ceremony was so beautiful and having the opportunity to watch the family walk into their new home is an experience I’ll never forget. As for the waterfall, it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, and I would do anything to go back and see it again.
How did the team work together during the mission trip? What was the dynamic like?
We were all working together and doing what needed to be done. Everyone was having fun and working hard. We all wanted to spread the love of God and have fun in the process and that’s exactly what happened and how it felt.
