Over spring break this year, church members from the Ohana and Gladstone Park Churches traveled to Zapaton, Costa Rica to build a new church, provide medical services, put on a vacation Bible school for kids, conduct an evangelistic series, and hand out backpacks and boots to the indigenous residents of the area.

Six months prior to the trip, Ohana church members began packing 1,500 backpacks filled with school supplies, toiletries, teddy bears, and gospel literature. They rented a container and shipped the contents to Costa Rica. They were also able to provide 120 pairs of boots for the rural communities that are situated in the middle of the rain forest.

Once on the ground in Costa Rica, the team partnered with “Boots for Jesus” which runs an outreach ministry to the rural areas of Costa Rica. On the final Sabbath of the trip the combined teams served over 1,200 meals, and passed out boots and backpacks to those in attendance, some of whom had walked hours or even days to attend. Most of the population has no knowledge of the Christian concept of God whatsoever. Students on the trip from Walla Walla University, Portland Adventist Academy, Rivergate Adventist Elementary, Hood View Adventist School, and other local schools assisted in all aspects of the mission including providing music for the evangelistic programs.

PAA student Hannah Franzke commented that what impressed her was “how little the people have and how grateful they were to receive the backpacks.”