Costa Rica Mission Trip 2024

Our mission team will be heading to San Jose, Costa Rica Jan. 15-22!  They will be working with Christ for the City International in the suburb of Tirrases.  Our Crossroads team members:  Rod & Deb Veldhuizen, Bart & Lois Adrian, BJ & Shannon Shipp, and Pastor Neil & Becky Magnuson.  They will be ministering to the people of Tirasses by teaching the women to sew, leading a VBS for the area children, hosting seminars for area families, and going on prayer walks through the neighborhood to share Christ.  Please keep our team in your prayers!


Follow us here and on our church Facebook page, Crossroads of Custer.

January 15th:

The team was up bright and early, braving the cold in Rapid City.  Flights were smooth with only a bit of a delay leaving Dallas.  After arriving in Tirrases, San Jose they spent the evening getting to know the staff of Christ For The City International that they will be working with:  Enrique, Kattia, and Grettel.  They were also joined by Chuck and Helena from Massachusetts, who are joining the mission team this week.  

  • Rapid City, ready to fly out

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  • Loading up in San Jose

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  • Supper

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  • Orientation and learning about Christ For the city international in Costa Rica

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January 16th: 

Today the team painted the common room at the Christ For The City International center in Tirrases.  This is the center that the team will be using the rest of the week to lead a Bible school for the area children, help with the women's sewing class, and lead presentations about anxiety/depression and parenting.  Today gave the team time to build relationships with each other and prepare for the ministries they are participating in this week.

  • Painting

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  • Painting

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  • Helena preparing lunch

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  • Afternoon coffee break

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January 17th:

The team went on their first prayer walk this morning and had a little tour of Tirrases.  Tirrases used to be the landfill for San Jose, but has since been reclaimed.  It is now a poorer suburb of the city.  On the walk the team was able to meet some of the widows that Enrique prays for and were able to pray with some of the locals in the area.  

Area children came for the first day of Vacation Bible School at the center later in the morning.  After lunch, Lois led a presentation of dealing with depression for area adults.  Both events provided great opportunities to meet some of the locals and build relationships. 

  • The 2024 Costa Rica Team

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  • Morning Prayer walk

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  • Chuck and Helena teaching at VBS

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  • Lois leading presentation with Enrique translating

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January 18th:

It was another busy day in Tirrases for our team!  They walked through a neighborhood and prayed with families and handed out reading literature (tracts, devotionals, etc).  A few of the kids that we prayed with came to VBS and there were 37 children total!  After lunch, Bart and Enrique held a session on parenting.  Parents of babies through teenagers attended and had many questions.  

  • Morning prayer walk

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  • VBS Lesson

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  • Craft time

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  • Bart leading Parenting class

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January 19th:

After the morning prayer walk, the team came back to the center with a group full of kids waiting at the gate and ready to get started!  Each day the kids had more and more fun, as did the team.  The afternoon was full of activity for adults.  Deb taught the ladies' sewing class how to make Japanese Knot Bags.  The ladies that attend the classes are learning to make items that they can sell to earn extra for their families.  While the ladies were sewing, the English Conversation class was meeting.  This is a class made up of adults who want to practice their English.  Most of them are classmates who are taking English at the local trade school.  Learning English is a must to qualify for better jobs.  The team finished the evening by treating some of the Christ For the City International staff to dinner.

  • VBS

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  • Sewing Class

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  • English Conversation class

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  • Dinner with CFTCI staff

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January 20th:

Every Saturday morning at the center in Tirrases they cook pancakes for the kids for breakfast, play games, and have a Bible lesson.  The team was able to work the last day of VBS into this routine.  The afternoon was filled with youth group.  This is a community youth group and a few of the area youth pastors bring their students in an effort to build community between the churches in Tirrases.  Pastor Neil taught while Andres translated.  There was a hot dog supper after.  

It is important for the center to provide breakfast for the younger kids and supper for the youth.  Many families in Tirrases are poor and this provides the kids of the area with a meal for the day.

  • Making pancakes

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  • Breakfast

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  • Youth game

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  • Pastor Neil teaching

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January 21st:

Sunday morning was church at The Rock Church in San Jose.  Pastor Chuck from the team preached.  After church was shopping and sightseeing in downtown San Jose.  The day was finished with a nice dinner at RAM LUNA, just outside San Jose.  It was up a mountain and had a beautiful view of the city!  This was the last debrief of the week with Enrique and Kattia.

  • Pastor Chuck preaching

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  • Pastor Alex and Vanessa and kids:  Josh and Alexa

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  • Shopping and Sightseeing

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  • Special supper

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Epilogue:

Our Crossroads family was very generous in their support of the mission team and the work going on in Tirrases!  The remaining funds donated helped buy school supplies for the children on Tirrases (their school year starts in February), a mixer, and a stainless steal table for a baking class.  


The Christ For The City International centers try to provide classes that help the men and women of the area gain skills to better their future: sewing class, English class, wood shop, baking class.  The center at Tirasses has not been able to have a baking class due to the lack of the mixer and table.  CFTCI purchased the table and mixer a few days after our team returned home, and the Tirrases center has already had its first baking class!

  • Back to school supplies

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  • Mixer

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  • Table

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  • Baking class

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