Palmira, Colombia (Sep 2026) - Service Trip Recap
Dates: Sep 5-13, 2026
Location: Palmira, Colombia
Our team returned from an incredible 8-day trip to Colombia, where they served alongside Cosdecol, a Christian sports ministry in Medellín. Through soccer, basketball, prayer, and community projects, they built meaningful relationships with local kids, coaches, and staff while sharing their faith and experiencing Colombian culture. 🇨🇴⚽️
Read all about our most recent team to Colombia below! ⬇️
Day 1
The trip kicked off with a full day of travel! Team members arrived from across the U.S. - including the East Coast, West Coast - as well as from Bogotá, Medellín, and even Amsterdam. After meeting at the airport, the group took a team bus to Palmira, where they were introduced to the partner organization and toured their home for the week. ✈️🏠
The afternoon was spent relaxing and building connections through team activities. The day wrapped up with a delicious pollo asado dinner shared with partners, followed by a group reflection. Excitement was high for the week of service ahead of them! 🇨🇴✨
Day 2
The team started the morning by attending a local church that partners with Cosdecol! ⛪️
After returning to the club, the team heard from the founder of Cosdecol, who shared about the ministry’s early history and the heart behind its mission. 🙏
After lunch, the group headed to Comuna 13, a historic and artistic part of the city. They enjoyed a guided tour and even got to try mangobiche, a mango and passion fruit popsicle! 😋
When they returned to the club, the team ate dinner, sorted donations, and held their first team debrief! 🩵
Day 3
The team spent the morning and afternoon with the Cosdecol coaches! They joined the coaches’ weekly meeting, which included worship, a devotional shared by one of the visiting team members, and prayer. 🙏
It was a meaningful time for the entire team. Not only did everyone get to pray together, but they also had the opportunity to ask one another questions about their lives and begin building deeper relationships with the coaches.
After the meeting, the group enjoyed a snack of pan con queso y huevos (bread with cheese and egg) before spending the rest of the afternoon playing soccer with the coaches! ⚽️
After lunch, the team sorted through donations and heard more of Cosdecol’s story from its founder.
That evening, the guys visited the first neighborhood, Girasol, where they played soccer with kids ages 7–12. The group participated in a tournament that ended with about 30 penalty kicks! 😅
Meanwhile, the girls stayed at the club and joined the women’s All-Star team for practice!
The day ended with a team debrief, and spending time with the coaches in the morning and the players in the evening was unanimously voted the highlight of the day! 🩵✨
Day 4
Some team members woke up early to visit a panadería down the street from Cosdecol, where they grabbed coffee and pastries for a small snack before breakfast!
After enjoying a delicious breakfast of empanadas and fruit, along with juices and coffee, the team toured Seminario Bíblico de Colombia, the seminary where Cosdecol first began.
The group then headed back to the club for lunch before traveling to a neighborhood called Andalucía to join a Cosdecol basketball practice. 🏀
Afterward, the team ate dinner at the Cosdecol church, located just half a block away, and enjoyed a tour of the building.
The evening continued with about 80 kids, ages U8–U12, for soccer practice and scrimmages! ⚽️
The team loved the kids’ energy and enthusiasm and had so much fun playing alongside them. During both sports sessions, one of the visiting team members shared a devotional and a bit of his personal testimony, with the hope of encouraging and inspiring those listening. 🙏
The team wrapped up this sweet day with ice cream and a group debrief. There were plenty of laughs, and it was clear that relationships were continuing to deepen. 🤍
Day 5
The team officially reached the halfway point of the trip! It was the earliest morning yet, with breakfast at 6:30 a.m. and departure at 7 a.m.
The group first took a bus to the metro station, rode the train for about 10 minutes, and then hopped on a gondola as far up the mountain as it would take them. From there, they walked another 20 minutes through a neighborhood along the mountainside before finally reaching Manantiales, approximately 6,000 feet above sea level! 🚠⛰️
After a quick rest break at a small cafeteria, the team learned about Cosdecol’s work in the area and met people dedicating their time and talents to these efforts.
The group then headed to the soccer field, introduced themselves, and listened to a devotional shared by one of the visiting team members. 🩵
Everyone split into four groups. Two groups scrimmaged on the 6v6 soccer field while the other two participated in activities outside the field with team members, including jump rope, bubbles, and Velcro ball games. The groups then rotated so everyone could participate! ⚽️🫧
For lunch, the team enjoyed arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) in the cafeteria with the coaches. The meal had been prepared and packed by Cosdecol’s wonderful chef. 🍽️
After lunch, the team got to work painting the brickwork around the inside of the soccer field. Many team members especially enjoyed this project because they could see an immediate transformation. Later, the kids thanked the group and shared that they liked the blue color! The team hopes this project will bless many people for years to come. 🎨
The group made its way back to Cosdecol during the evening rush hour, which provided another valuable cultural experience. After returning to the club, everyone gathered for the evening debrief. Another great day of serving, learning, and connecting! 🙏
Day 6
The team took a break from its regular schedule for an excursion day!
They left the soccer club around 9 a.m. and drove two hours to Guatapé, a town known for its massive rock, El Peñol, and the beautiful views from the top.
The team climbed more than 700 stairs to take in the vibrant colors of the islands, mountains, and reservoirs below. ⛰️
After making their way back down, the group enjoyed lunch and went on a two-hour boat ride. Some team members even jumped into the water and spent about 20 minutes swimming!
The day continued with ice cream and a walk around town before the team returned to Cosdecol for dinner and the daily team debrief. 🌊🍦
One of the highlights was hearing so many personal testimonies shared on the bus throughout the day. The team was grateful for the time together and excited to return to serving for the final service day the following morning! 🫶
Day 7
The team started its earliest morning yet, with breakfast at 6 a.m.! The meal included eggs, arepa (a Colombian corn cake), pineapple, mango, juice, and coffee. A little later, the group visited another neighborhood and spent more than an hour scrimmaging with the local players! 🍍☕️
Some team members also joined in other games on the sidelines and helped a few girls with their school projects by answering questions in recorded interviews. 📹
The team wrapped up its time in the neighborhood with a devotional shared by one of the visiting team members before heading to Cosdecol’s brownie factory!
Cosdecol makes and sells brownies to help fund its soccer ministry, covering approximately 40% of the ministry’s costs. The team toured the factory, and everyone received a brownie to enjoy! 😋
After returning to the club for lunch, the group enjoyed some rest time before heading to its second neighborhood of the day, about 10 minutes away. There, one team member shared a devotional while another led the soccer warm-up. Then it was time to scrimmage!
After returning to Cosdecol, the team watched, cheered on, and played side games with the younger kids who were training at the club. ⚽️🫶
The evening ended with dinner, team time, a game of Spot It!, and a group debrief. The team also took time to write thank-you letters to the Cosdecol staff to express appreciation for their hospitality and all they had shared throughout the week. 📝
Day 8
Sadly, the team reached its final day at the Cosdecol club. ⚽️
The morning began with breakfast and more incredible stories about God’s work through Cosdecol, bringing the history and heart of the ministry to life. The group then enjoyed one final tour of the facility, including the gym and one of the three classrooms, before heading to a local shopping mall.
Back at the club, team members wrote affirmations to encourage one another and ended the day with a farewell dinner alongside the Cosdecol staff. 🫶
It was a special opportunity for the visiting team to share encouragement with the staff and hear them express their gratitude for the visit and the memories created with the team and the kids throughout the week.
The team even got to take home its very own Cosdecol jerseys as a reminder of the experience! 🙏💙
To close out the trip, everyone gathered for a final team reflection and heard a devotional from a Cosdecol staff member.
With full hearts and memories to last a lifetime, the team headed to bed before an early-morning wake-up call to make its way to the airport. 🤍
What an incredible week of faith, fellowship, service, and soccer! 🇨🇴⚽️
We are very grateful for HFK’s expansion to serve in Colombia and are thankful for this team! We are excited for the continued collaboration with our local partners!
Thank you to all our team participants, donors, and supporters. Make sure to check out recaps from all our trips here.
