rachelkemper - Arriving in Costa Rica (pt. 1)

I just got back from my first international mission trip.

It was a lot shorter than I thought and expected my first international trip to look like, but God was on the move none the less.

I left Orlando March 11 to meet with my friend Sammie in Chicago. We had an early flight Saturday morning to head towards Costa Rica. We were first going to meet the 8 other ladies, which included our amazing leader, Melissa. All 10 of us signed up to serve in Costa Rica with Beauty for Ashes (B4A). At our Miami layover, Sammie and I met another teammate.

The 3 of us were the last to arrive in Costa Rica, but the team waited for us.

All 10 of us hopped in a van and pulled up to our host house. We got to settle in, get to know each other a little, have dinner, and hear a little of the ministry we would be partnering with in Costa Rica, called “Casa Transforma.”

B4A focuses on bringing healing, especially to women, by taking time to hear what God says about them individually. Each women gets to draw (or write) what God is saying and has an opportunity to share.

“Casa Transforma” was started by the founder Vanessa who realized that the women in poor communities needed more than just food to get out of the situations they were in. So Vanessa developed programs to renew their minds, support them, and provide them with classes for developmental and life skills. The women would learn to sew and cook, reduce stress, and develop/ stay in community.

One of my teammates made a video to tell of her and our experiences in Costa Rica. https://youtu.be/yC6T4jDIZu0