10 IMPACT MAGAZINE • JULY 2014 Mission Trip Destination: Costa Rica While I have traveled with many groups from Guerin Catholic, I will never forget the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica for the first-ever Spring Break Immersion Mission Trip to Costa Rica. With a handful of my peers and two Guerin Catholic staff members, we were able to experience being the hands of Christ and the importance of taking opportunities to develop new friendships with the people we met. After many hours on the flight, the service company picked us up and gave us a tour of the area. They spoke with us about the history, culture and traditions of the people of this beautiful country. We also got to know our guides for the week, asking questions about their experiences in the country and what brought them to serve the wonderful people of Costa Rica. We concluded our first day reflecting in our journals about our expectations for the week. I simply challenged myself to be open to the trip and let God use me to minister to the people in the community. The next morning we packed up and traveled to the central mountains to the town of Turrialba. When we first arrived, we were introduced to our host families who we were staying with at the end of each evening. Even though my “tico” family spoke little English, they helped me improve my Spanish, taught me about the neighborhood and treated me like one of their family. I will always remember their gentle patience and care. During the day we spent most of our time refurbishing the local Catholic Church in the nearby town of Sito de Mata. While we did have physical work to complete during the day, our guides encouraged us to spend time with the local people. Many times people would approach us, and we would stop “working” and listen to their individual stories. I was amazed by how friendly and open everyone was to our group. Each evening we experienced a piece of local culture including cooking and dancing lessons. I felt we were part of a special community. At the end of the week we had to say our goodbyes. On the bus trip to our hotel, we all compared stories of our week of work. A common thread from the group was the relationships everyone formed during the week. I was amazed by how taking a little time to slow down and listen to someone gave me a sense of community. I learned that joy can be achieved through simple tasks and appreciation of things and people in my life. I will always remember the people of Costa Rica. The opportunity to learn and serve a community will help me appreciate how blessed I am and be open to serving others because through service I experience what it is to answer God’s call to serve with love. – Holtz Ludlam, 2014 Alum
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