Global Sports Mission Initiative: DBU Women's Soccer and Volleyball Serve in Costa Rica

DBU students are provided various opportunities to travel around the world during their time on University Hill. DBU offers short-term educational trips, service-focused mission trips, and long-term global studies opportunities. Student-athletes have a unique opportunity as each team travels on a mission trip at least once every four years, which means every student-athlete will travel and serve with their teammates during their time as a student at DBU. These trips are formative experiences for the athletes as they are an opportunity to grow closer to the Lord, each other, and their coaches.

During spring break, the women's soccer and volleyball teams traveled to Costa Rica. They paired up to serve local schools in Guanacaste and Portegolpe and ran sports clinics for the students. The athletes enjoyed spending time with the children and sharing God's love. The DBU team was moved when the principal of one of the schools said no Americans had visited their school in over 21 years. The school was overwhelmed by the kindness of the DBU athletes. Assistant Athletic Trainer of Sports Medicine Courtney Pinson said, "Seeing the kids cry after we had only spent a few hours with them was eye-opening for everyone. Their gratitude for the mural the athletes painted was incredibly moving, as it brought so much visible joy to the students and faculty."

Throughout the trip, the soccer and volleyball athletes grew closer to each other, and by the end of the trip, it was hard to tell who was on each team due to the friendship shared between all the girls. During this trip, the Lord worked in both the locals and the DBU athletes. Courtney Pinson expressed, "I personally witnessed some girls get spiritually 'unstuck.' I saw them give God away, and I saw many seeds planted and watered." The primary religion in Costa Rica is Catholicism, and the DBU team had many quality conversations with the Costa Rica Soccer team about faith, culture, upbringing, and life. They attended DBU's night of worship and were encouraged by the athlete's genuine love for Christ. DBU quickly formed a friendship with the CRS team, and they felt like members of the DBU Family by the end of the trip.

"The Lord's faithfulness followed us in all aspects during our impactful trip to Costa Rica this past spring break. While I left with so many amazing experiences, our relationships with the kids at Escuela Antonio Jose de Sucre will forever be cherished. We were blessed to share God's love with them through murals, soccer, volleyball, and community as our group returned with refreshed spirits and postures of gratitude. I'm still in awe of the many ways the Lord moved, and He alone deserves all the glory! " — Sophia Schrock, DBU Women's Soccer student-athlete.

The athletes appreciated the opportunity to remove themselves from American culture and experience a brand-new place and people. It was eye-opening to see how the Costa Rican culture appreciated small gestures, how much they valued community, and how little they needed to be content in life. "I could see a shift in many of our athlete's perspectives by the end of the trip," Courtney continued.

This trip allowed the student-athletes to share the Gospel in a way they never had before. Each morning, they spent time in solitude with God, communed in small-group discussions, prayed, confessed, and repented. Relationships among the athletes deepened significantly throughout the trip.

When reflecting on God's work throughout the trip, DBU Volleyball player Daylee Doggett shared, "The Lord showed me how simple it can be to share the Gospel with others, with or without a language barrier. My most memorable experience was having a conversation with two fifth-grade girls where I taught them how to pray to the Lord and read the Bible."

At the end of the trip, the DBU team circled up with all the Costa Rican team leaders and prayed for them and their families. "I saw the global church in action. People of different colors, backgrounds, and walks of life, coming together with one mission: love God and love others" — Courtney Pinson.

Additionally, during the trip, the DBU team enjoyed the local nature and activities in Costa Rica. The teams enjoyed playing matches against local teams in San Jose, ziplining, white water rafting, and spending time at the beautiful beaches in Playa Flamingo.

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Interested in learning more about DBU's travel opportunities? Visit the Global Studies website.