The Mission Trip That Didn't End at the Airport

If you want to encounter God, Mt. Bethel Church’s high schoolers would encourage you to meet Him where He is. 

"It was probably the closest I've ever felt to God," said Maddox Stelts (16), who traveled with seven other students, their parents, and church staff to serve alongside Mt. Bethel's missions partners in Costa Rica earlier this summer. 

"The way God works is so specific and intentional," added Anna Katherine "AK" Bailey (17). "Every single person on this mission trip needed something from this experience, and God met each of us there." 

Before the trip, AK knew she needed greater accountability in her walk with Christ. On the second night in Costa Rica, she invited the other students to join her for Bible study. 

"I'd been inconsistent about reading my Bible," she said. "I remember telling my best friend Katelyn before we went on this trip that I needed to 'lock in.' We didn't really know anyone else going on the trip, so I thought, 'What if we totally make it weird and invite everybody?' There's no better place to meet than in God's Word." 

Many of the students barely knew each other when they boarded the plane. 

"Looking back on that first day, it's so funny because no one really talked to each other yet," Maddox laughed. "We didn't know each other." 

Dylan Davis (16) had only recently started attending Mt. Bethel Students before signing up for the trip. Still, when AK suggested a Bible study after a long Sunday of worship and exploring the community, Dylan didn't hesitate. 

"I knew I couldn't share Him with others if I didn't know Him myself," she said. 

That became the theme of the evening as the students began reading  John 15. 

"We read John 15," AK explained, "which talks about Jesus being the vine and us being the branches. Apart from Him we can do nothing." 

What they expected to be a short Bible study quickly became hours of honest conversation. 

"It was insane!" Maddox recalled. "We stayed up until like twelve in the morning. I don't think we knew it was that late because we were all just talking and having deep conversations." 

By the end of the night, something had shifted. Students who had arrived as acquaintances were becoming brothers and sisters united by Christ. That shared pursuit of Jesus would shape the rest of the week. 

"It was a good icebreaker because we all had Jesus in common," AK said. 

Learning to Abide Before Serving 

The next two days were filled with ministry. The team helped renovate a local church, cleaned out a drainage ditch, installed piping, and hosted a Vacation Bible School for local children. Though they returned exhausted each evening, several students continued gathering to study Scripture together. 

Looking back, AK, Dylan, and Maddox believe those evenings of seeking God together prepared their hearts for what He would do next. 

While serving at the church, the team met a man named Cedric, who shared how he came to know Christ. 

"He told us he used to be illiterate," AK recalled. "One day, he found a Bible in the garbage, picked it up and said, 'Okay, God, if You are real and You want me to read this book, make a way for me to learn to read.' And then things started happening; doors started opening in his life. He ended up being able to learn how to read.” 

"You could tell how excited he was to share his story with us," AK said. "I think about how I've grown up around the gospel. But if no one had ever sat me down and told me the Good News, I wouldn't know Jesus." 

The conversation reminded her why sharing Christ matters. 

"If you actually believe what you say you believe, you'll go tell people regardless of how you feel about it, because at the end of the day, it's life or death." 

Then Cedric shared that he had recently been diagnosed with cancer. Although he didn't know what the future held, he remained confident that God is good. 

Gaylyn Kelly, Mt. Bethel's Lead Pastor of Discipleship and Missions, invited the team to gather around Cedric and pray. 

"We huddled up and put our hands on him," Maddox said. "It felt so deep and so raw. It's like you could feel God's presence with us there. I almost felt like His two hands were on my shoulders. I don't typically cry during prayers, but I was bawling." 

"I think everyone had this sustenance," AK reflected. "We weren't praying the same way we've always prayed. It was like we realized God's power and we realized God's authority. I think everyone in that circle believed a little bit more than they had before. You could feel the Holy Spirit's presence. This wasn't a 'maybe He'll do it' prayer; it was very much a 'God, You can and You will.'" 

As more people joined the prayer and someone quietly played "Goodness of God" in the background, the moment became unforgettable. 

"It was the most amazing moment of my life," Maddox said. 

A Mission Trip That Continues at Home 

That encounter became a turning point. Throughout the rest of the trip, the students continued worshiping, sharing testimonies with Costa Rican teenagers, serving children at the Wesley House and Methodist Children's Home in San José, and gathering each night to worship and study God's Word together. 

"We kind of had our own worship night at the Wesley House," Maddox said. "Emmy played her guitar, Katelyn would sing, and we were all just enjoying the moment, worshiping together." 

"It was really cool because we did it because we wanted to; we weren’t forced," Dylan added. 

These moments of praising, seeking, and encountering the Lord together brought these students even deeper into friendship. When the day came for the team to return home to the United States, they found they were reluctant to part ways with each other. 

“We were so sad to say goodbye even though were going to see each other at church two days later for Sunday services,” Maddox laughed as he recalled returning home.  

AK has noticed how the friendships built on this trip have changed the dynamic of Mt. Bethel’s high school ministry, observing that before the trip boys and girls used to sit on opposite sides of the room. Now they sit together, intermingled because she and the others who went to Costa Rica encourage everyone to sit together. 

Maddox said the experience has changed how he lives. “I’ve been reading my Bible and praying every night since returning. Like, I’m not living for myself anymore, I’m living for the Lord.” 

The friendships they built have continued as well. The group now meets monthly for Bible study at AK’s workplace, and she hopes those gatherings will become opportunities to share Christ with others — including her boss. 

"My boss is an atheist," she admitted. "I thought we should bring our Bible study there as a way to hopefully share God's truth with him." 

For Dylan, the trip confirmed something even bigger. 

"I've always had a heart for helping people, but I didn't know that was from God. I just thought that was what I liked to do," she said. "But now I know it's what God wants me to do with the rest of my life, and I'm ready." 

She's already committed to serving with Project82, Mt. Bethel's missions partner in Kenya, on the church's 2027 short-term mission team. 

"In Costa Rica, we saw a lot of people who already knew God," Dylan said. "But there are even more who don't know Him there, here at home, and across the world. This trip inspired me to be more bold in sharing my faith." 

AK believes that's exactly what happens when believers faithfully seek the Lord.