My Summer With a Mission
By Cheryl Bradford, FSM President
My goal was to not be a part of every mission trip this summer, giving the next generation of leaders the opportunity to lead. So I spent about five weeks at the mission and served with three teams. I headed back home as another team arrived, a few weeks before the last mission trip of the summer.
I was sad to not be a part of those last two trips, but was really bummed when I learned who was on the team! I hate for people to have so much fun without me, ha! But I stayed strong at home and did not buy a plane ticket back to Costa Rica. The rising leaders did a great job of sending me daily messages and updates, while making the week’s happenings sound a little less exciting so I wasn’t too jealous.
In all honesty, it warms my heart to see and hear others love the mission as much as I do.
I could go on about how wonderful each team was and the impact they had on our community and each other. But I would rather share an excerpt from a post-trip email from one of the team’s leaders. His words sum up the importance of focusing on discipleship and growing relationships while serving.
As I reflect, there were so many relational experiences with the community, staff, and our team that I cannot quite put into words what it meant to me personally. It brought so much joy for me to see this happening across our team. I am honestly still digesting and understanding it all.
Having been on this trip last year, I was expecting a similar experience. While we did some programs with the youth that were like last year's trip, the small group setting with the adults on multiple nights was really moving. I loved that when we arrived, only a handful of folks were confident or volunteering to share their testimonies. By the end of the week, almost everyone shared their testimonies whether planned or unplanned, in the moment, as these small group discussions transpired.
The icing on the cake was having the opportunity to spend the week with a visiting missionary family. I was also able to spend time with my sponsor child, which was a heartwarming experience.
It has been an amazing summer… and we have one more mission team to Costa Rica in October. Spoiler alert, I WILL be there!
Want to join me? To learn more about our teams or be a part of one in 2026, send us an email! We would love to connect.
