As our high school and college students prepare for their Mission Immersion to Costa Rica this June, we are reminded that meaningful mission work is never done alone. While a team may be the ones who travel, serve, and build relationships on the ground, they are supported by an entire community that walks alongside them in prayer, encouragement, and love.
One of the most impactful ways our congregation has offered support in years past is through our Prayer Partner ministry. This tradition provides a meaningful opportunity for both participants and church members to connect in a deeply personal way during our time away.
Each member of the mission team is paired with a Prayer Partner from our church family. Prayer Partners commit to praying for their participant each day of the trip, writing a short note for each day in advance and giving a small care package. These daily letters are given to participants to read throughout the week while in Costa Rica.
Time and again, students and leaders share how powerful it is to open those notes at the end of a long day, to be reminded that someone back home is praying for them by name and walking with them in spirit. Likewise, many Prayer Partners have found that this commitment deepens their connection not only to the participant, but to the mission itself.
I invite you to prayerfully consider volunteering to serve as a Prayer Partner for one of our team members. Together, we can be the hands and feet of Christ in Costa Rica, not only through those who go, but through those who pray.
Please register on Realm Connect using this link: tinyurl.com/CostaRicaPrayerPartner
—Mary Carol Anderson, Minister of Youth & College