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Over the winter break, Troll athletes didn鈥檛 just spend time with family and relax–members of the track and field and women鈥檚 volleyball teams went on a service trip to Costa Rica, where they partnered with Going the Distance Adventure Ministries in serving a local community in hurricane relief efforts and sharing the gospel.

鈥淲orking with the church people and attending the church services showed me how amazing our God is,鈥� said Alex Clark 鈥�17. 鈥淎lthough we speak a different language we still serve the same God and can feel their passion for Christ.

Upon arriving in Costa Rica for the one-week trip, the group of 43 saw first-hand the devastation left when Hurricane Otto swept through the country in late November. The team members dedicated themselves to helping those affected by the hurricane, as well as ministering to the community in other ways. They teamed up with a local church and worked to repair homes; paint soccer goal posts, fencing, benches, and dugouts; sorted thousands of pieces of donated clothing; and distributed medicine, clothing, toys, and food.

The teams also interacted with the local residents through a carnival where they performed Bible story skits, played games with the children, and served coffee and snacks. They also hosted a community-wide sports night that involved a variety of games such as volleyball, soccer, kickball, and frisbee.

Every morning started with devotions centered on a theme of 鈥淧lanting Seeds鈥�. Evenings included praise and worship, sharing highlights and testimonies, as well as an Impact Point message. 鈥淚t was inspiring to see how much the church people loved the Lord and were devoted to their faith even after the destruction by the hurricane,鈥� reflected Rachel Verhage 鈥�17. 鈥淚 was impacted by how warmly they welcomed us with open arms and prayed and worshipped with us who were strangers.鈥�