Liberty/Baylor Spring Break (Mar 2025) - Service Trip Recap
Dates: March 8 - 16, 2025
Location: Barva, Costa Rica
What a blessing to send another team to Barva, Costa Rica this March! We sent a second college Spring Break team with students from both Liberty and Baylor Universities. Our team had a very busy week working on painting one of the playgrounds at the Bible Home, helping in the school and care center, participating in camp activities, and a lot fun engaging in sports.
Read all about our Liberty/Baylor Spring Break trip below! ⬇️
Day 1
The week started with a travel day for the team! This team was headed from different locations so they each headed to their local airport, checked their bags in, and headed out to Miami! ✈️
Team members from Liberty University waited at the airport for team members from Baylor University, but due to weather delays there was a change of plans. 🧳
Thankfully, later that evening everyone landed safely and they all met up at the Roblealto Bible Home for a late night dinner and fellowship as they all settled in. The night was topped off with a fun time of laughter and joy as they were able to meet the Biola University team that had been there the previous week! 🙏🇨🇷
Day 2
The team went to El Museo de Los Niños and saw some amazing exhibits! They learned about dinosaurs, how to grocery shop on a budget, preparing for surgery, space, aeronautics, radio stations, and many other fun things! 🦕🛒🚀
Later that day, the team returned to our partner site and gathered for an HFK introduction. 💚
After a quick soccer match out on the field, the team had their Roblealto orientation. They ended the night with a team debrief. ⚽️🤝
Day 3
Today the team added Matias to our team, a local volunteer from Roblealto! The team got started on their first project of the week: painting the playground equipment at the Bible Home! 🎨
The team had their first of many daily coffee breaks where they tried a new juice: jugo de carambola (star fruit juice).🥤
During their lunch break, the team met the Roblealto PE and activities director. Afterward, they enjoyed a volleyball game with the kids. They played a game of HFK against Roblealto, and HFK won! 🏐 🏆
For dinner, the team split up into their respective Bible Home houses for the week to share a meal with the kids. 🍽️
The night ended with a testimony from one of the trip participants & a team evening reflection. 🙏
Day 4
Today our team served alongside a group from WinShape Camps for a fun day of games, face painting, and storytelling! 💚
Our team met with the sponsorship coordinator, where they learned about how sponsorship supports the mission of Roblealto. 🙏
Some of the sixth graders were having a fundraiser for their upcoming graduation, so the team supported by buying some delicious homemade empanadas.😋
Before lunch, the team learned how to play SpotIt, a picture recognition game that gives non-Spanish speakers a way to engage with the kids without a language barrier. After lunch, they split up into different classrooms to learn more about the school at the Hogar Bíblico (Bible Home).🃏🏫
Later in the day, they joined the kids for their elective classes of photography and dance - a highlight for both the kids and the team! 📸💃🏻
To end the day, they played volleyball and soccer before going back to the team house to sort the donations they would be delivering the following day! 🏐⚽️
Day 5
Today the team headed into town to the Niño Feliz children's center and joined the classrooms to help them with English lessons. 🏫
After lunch, the team spent time with the older students sharing about their college experience, their selected majors, and how God was a part of discerning these choices! In return, the team got to learn more about what the kids would like to be when they grow up and their current interests in school. To wrap up their time there, they played a quick game of soccer and drew on the sidewalks with chalk! 🙏⚽️
On their way back to the team house, they made a pit stop to POPS - a Costa Rican ice cream shop. With ice cream in hand, they walked around the “parque” (park) to explore. 🍦
Back at the Hogar Bíblico, they had dinner with their designated families. After a delicious dinner, they concluded the night with their nightly debrief, testimonies, and granadillas! 🍽
Day 6
The team started the day by joining WinShape Camps again for their half day of activities. Experiencing the joy of Roblealto through games and art was a wonderful experience, as they all united to support this community! 🇨🇷✨
After lunch, the team headed up to the cow farm with some of the children. They got to experience all that goes into raising cows and processing dairy products, along with a taste test of the freshly made ice cream! 🐄🍦
The team played soccer and volleyball with the kids before heading in for their final dinner with the kids. After dinner, they played games and danced! ⚽️🏐
As parting gifts, the kids blessed the team with sweet notes and art projects they had made. The team returned the gratitude with the cards they had made for their host moms and their houses. 💚
The team invited everyone to sign their HFK shirts as a way to commemorate all that they've done during the week. To end the day, the team heard some beautiful, God-honoring testimonies from two of the team members. 🙏
Day 7
Today showcased the amazing relationships that have developed through sharing God's love to the children and the families. The team joined the fourth graders for morning devotions, then focused on a painting project, taking a brief coffee break. They finished painting before lunch and faced the difficult farewell with the kids they've all grown to love this week. 🎨🫂
Then, the team got to spend time with the house moms and learned a lot about their stories and how God has called them to the beautiful work they are doing at the Hogar Bíblico. 🙏
The Roblealto PE instructor/activities coordinator, led a riverside excursion with tree climbing and waterfall plunging. He introduced the team to the Costa Rican fruit pitanga, which they enjoyed despite its unique aftertaste. They also experienced a brief Costa Rican rainstorm: warm with a strong downpour that caused a short power outage.🌧️
Afterwards, the team went to Casa Josefina for dinner with a few volunteers from Roblealto. The evening concluded with a heartfelt devotional and another testimony from one of our team members. 💚
Day 8
The team went to La Paz Waterfalls and enjoyed seeing the rescued animals and the butterfly sanctuary. The team's driver served as their tour guide giving them all kinds of fun facts about the place and the animals. They enjoyed a delicious lunch before leaving the park. 🇨🇷🦋
Then, they headed to downtown San Jose where they got to walk around El Mercado (The Market) to buy some souvenirs. They explored the city and saw El Teatro (The Theater) before heading back to the Hogar Bíblico. 🎭
Upon arrival, they enjoyed their last dinner as a team from Casa Josefina! They said their goodbyes to the Roblealto volunteers and had their final debrief as a team. As the night ended, the team packed and prepared for their departure back home. ✈️
March was a busy month with two back to back teams serving in Costa Rica! It was so exciting to have college teams serving our partners during their Spring Break. It is admirable that these students choose to spend their school break serving others.
Interested in serving with your college in the future? Contact us to learn more! 🌎✈️
