Faith&Friends
BEYOND BORDERS
“Put Us Where You Need Us” Our Salvation Army mission trip to Costa Rica was an experience that will stay with us forever.
A
by Kirstin Dolby
s the youth ministry director for The Salvation Army’s Comox Valley Ministries in British Columbia for the past four years, I've always been an advocate of mission trips. They were a part of my upbringing, and I've wanted the youth I work with to venture beyond their own borders, too, to experience other cultures and have them reflect on their faith in relation to that.
This sparked the idea for our church to launch a mission trip of our own, so I started getting the paperwork in motion. Our young team decided on Costa Rica. It took two years of planning and fundraising, but eight of us—four adults and four youth—headed by Captain Michelle Elsasser, finally arrived in Costa Rica in early March, just before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Present at the Creation The mission team poses by the finished play area. Seated, from left, Isaias Dolby, Kirstin Dolby, Captain Michelle Elsasser, Eric Lucas, Avery Daugherty and Janna Elsasser. Standing, from left, Kevin Daugherty and Brandi Lucas
8 • OCTOBER 2020 I faithandfriends.ca
