(shout-out to the campus side of the team)

Allison – Allison invested so much on this trip. It was so cool to see her connect to the team and help create a team vibe that oozed with peace and friendship. She is an excellent listener, which makes for powerful ministry to students who almost always feel unseen and unheard (that's life-changing!). This trip was drastically better because God led her to come on it. I am so, so proud of her.

Darianne – That’s my homegroup! Darianne made so many big steps for this trip before we even started ministering. She stepped way out of her comfort zone and took big risks in faith. She had the chance to operate in her giftings and be stretched in new ways. This trip was drastically better because God led her to come on it. I am so, so proud of her.

Haley – From the jump, Haley helped Katie and I with anything and everything that needed help. She helped pull a group of people from all over the church together into a real team. Anything that needed done, I knew she’d be willing to do, and anything she did, I knew would be done well. This trip was drastically better because God led her to come on it. I am so, so proud of her.

Hugo – Hugo brought a vivacity and playfulness to this team that helped us get through a lot of the stressful things happening around us. He engaged immediately and energetically with every person we encountered and everyone we ministered to was blessed by him. This trip was drastically better because God led him to come on it. I am so, so proud of him.

Josiah – We didn’t have many men come on this trip, but the ones that did were of the highest quality. Josiah did an amazing job of investing in the team, responding well to challenges and humbly, but confidently going hard in the ministry work we were doing. This trip was drastically better because God led him to come on it. I am so, so proud of him.

Katie – The amount and quality of work that Katie did helping me lead this team is indescribable. She put in hours of prep work and, after full days of ministry and leading her side of the team, would stay up late to process and plan how to do it better the next day. This trip was drastically better because God led her to come on it and help lead it. I am so, so proud of her.

Kiara – It’s easy to overlook or take for granted the work that Staff do. But Kiara did such an amazing job on this trip, she ministered to our new friends here and to our team with a lot of grace and a sacrificial spirit…not to mention just straight-up ministry skill. This trip was drastically better because God led her to come on it. I am so, so proud of her.

Maria – Puro Party! But that’s not actually true, Maria brought a ton of energy and fun and needed playfulness, but she also brought a lot of depth and honesty about faith and humility in ministry. She walked that balance of fun and serious with an amazing amount of maturity. This trip was drastically better because God led her to come on it. I am so, so proud of her.

Matthew – Matthew brought a humility and curiosity and willingness to serve into this trip that just leaves me in shock. He asked great questions and didn’t shy away from engaging across language barriers, he encouraged everyone around him and worked super hard. This trip was drastically better because God led him to come on it. I am so, so proud of him.

MJ – MJ sees people that might be easy to miss. Her consistency and flexibility during this trip were a huge blessing to me. I didn't see her while they were on campus, but I know she took steps outside her comfort zone and that God worked through her here to change lives. This trip was drastically better because God led her to come on it. I am so, so proud of her.

Petra – Petra's faithfulness and her encouraging spirit during this trip give me so much joy. Her ministry to the members of this team was crucial to its health in hard moments. The interactions I had with her always left me feeling refreshed and ready to keep fighting. Her willingness to step out in faith in ministering to the tico students will bear long-lasting fruit. This trip was drastically better because God led her to come on it. I am so, so proud of her.

Sara – Sara brought so much joy to everyone on our team. She smiled and laughed and taught us about sharks and just loved everyone really well. As we hit changes and bumps and nothing went according to plan, she rolled with the punches and was flexible like nobody’s business. This trip was drastically better because God led her to come on it. I am so, so proud of her.

Taylor – I think Taylor made more friends on this trip than I have total. She poured out into the people we met and got to know them, even when it would have been easier or more comfortable to just hang out with friends from her homegroup (there were a lot of them). This trip was drastically better because God led her to come on it. I am so, so proud of her.

If there is any part of you that feels like the repetition of the last lines makes them any less genuine, get it out of here. I genuinely mean that for each person on this team. I didn't get to work as closely with the campus side of our team, but each one of them has amazed me and I really am so proud of them. I don't know how to express it beyond words, which may feel hollow to some, but it's true. I am unspeakably grateful for getting to be on this team.