Barva, Costa Rica (Mar 2026) - Service Trip Recap
Dates: March 14-22, 2026
Location: Barva, Costa Rica
This was the third trip to Costa Rica with Liberty University & Friends, where the team partnered with Roblealto to serve the kids and community at the Bible Home. They painted the entire school and spent time building real connections with the children and staff. The week was full of laughter, meaningful moments, and new cultural experiences that made it truly memorable.
Take a look at our latest team’s trip to Costa Rica below! ⬇️
Day 1
What a travel day! The team started their day split between North Carolina and California, enjoying some airport coffee and/or matcha before boarding a few bumpy connecting flights. ✈️
They all met up in San Jose, headed through customs, and collected their many bags of donations. 🧳
The team loaded up into the van and arrived at the Bible Home in time for dinner from a local restaurant. They gathered as a full team, joined by Daisy, our Global Ambassador. They finally got some rest before their excursion the next day! 🙏
Day 2
The team loaded up bright and early at 6am to head out on their excursion for the week! The kids would not be back at the Bible home until the next day, so they took this time to begin team bonding before the busy week ahead. 🙌
They had about a 2.5 hour drive to Puenta Leona, where they would be for the day. They had breakfast at the resort restaurant and a couple of them got coffee as well! They enjoyed lots of yummy food before heading out to catch the shuttle to Playa Blanca. 🏝️
They spent half the day there in the water, laying by the beach, and relaxing together. They then headed back on the shuttle for lunch and were greeted by some unexpected guests, monkeys! 🐒
After lunch, they went to Playa Mantas where some got in the water and others relaxed by the pool. They wrapped up the day with Pops ice cream - an HFK tradition - and made the long drive back, chatting and resting along the way. 🍦💙
Day 3
They started the day with breakfast at home and a devotional as a team. Then they headed out for a Bible home tour led by Daisy, ourGlobal Ambassador. Afterward, they had a quick coffee break with agua de cas and watermelon. ☕️💙
Then they began their service project for the week: painting the school (it hadn’t been painted in 9 years!). They gathered their supplies and got to work (shoutout to the last group for sanding the walls for them!). They took a lunch break with some Chinese-inspired food, then had their HFK orientation led by our communications director, Kaylea, where they learned about our partner sites. 🎨🫶
They headed back to work and made great progress! After wrapping up for the day, they spent time with the kids. They split into two groups - some went to the guitar workshop while others played volleyball. They watched a beautiful sunset, then the kids invited them to have dinner at their houses. 🎶🏐
They ended the night with their daily debrief. 🤍
Day 4
They started off the day with breakfast and a devo at the team house! Then they headed down to continue their service project; painting the school, with a pit stop to see the vacas! 🎨🐄
They took a coffee break and their wonderful host gave them a presentation on what Roblealto is and more information on the Bible Home. Afterwards, they sorted through so many donations that they were so grateful for! 🫶
They headed down to eat lunch and went back to the school to continue their project after that. They then headed to their home to take a small break before prepping for the evening. They welcomed the kids into the activity center and hosted a small game/worship night. 🎶🙏
They wrapped up the night with dinner from a local restaurant at the house! 🩵
Day 5
This day started a little extra early so they could make the cookies for their time with the moms later in the day. They had breakfast and their morning devos before finishing sorting the donations.
As the moms came in, they got to ‘shop’ for clothes for themselves and the kids in their houses, which was so sweet to see their intentionality for these kiddos. They then got to hear the stories of each mom and how God brought each one to Roblealto. 🩵
After cleaning up, they sorted out school supplies for each teacher at the school. They passed those out after yet another delicious lunch in the cafeteria. They then went back to painting and got the whole front of the school finished! 🍽️🎨
The team then split between two houses to help with homework. They also got to help with the volleyball workshop with the boys from the school before their game in town the next day! 🏐
The team went to the houses for dinner for a sweet time of games, drawing, and coloring. They topped it all off with some ice cream during debrief! Such an amazing day from the amazing God we serve! 🙏
Day 6
The team started off the morning with such a beautiful time of worship, prayer, and meditation with the staff and moms from the Bible Home. They then grabbed all of their painting supplies and got started on the work for the day before the first coffee break. 🙏🎨
They then got a lot of work done before and after having such a delicious lunch of carne mechada with rice and beans, along with agua de frutas! They got to talk with a couple of the teachers too before the rain hit, and they cleaned up before heading to a delicious coffee break of arroz con leche. ☔️🍽️
They got to help with the English workshop before a little free time with the kids, playing a soccer game and some songs on the ukulele, while also getting some work done. 📝
They ended the night by enjoying dinner with the team at our Global Ambassador Daisy’s apartment while debriefing, and afterward took time to appreciate the sky after the rain cleared up. Thanks to God for the beauty and the blessing of the day! 🩵
Day 7
They started the morning bright and early to take a final picture with the whole crew before one of their team captains, Becca, had to leave. Afterwards, they headed inside and began cooking breakfast: eggs, bacon, and waffles. They had their morning devotional with Becca joining them through FaceTime. 🫶
Their group headed off to paint, as it was their last day on their service project. Some of their team went to a school program about the Batalla de Santa Rosa, which was very interesting. They had a coffee break and enjoyed some delicious cantaloupe and watermelon. They continued working as hard as they could to get as much done as possible before lunch. They had a delicious meal of chicken, vegetables, plantains, rice, and beans. 🎨🍽️
Afterwards, they headed back for their final round of work. They worked extremely hard and thankfully finished the entire school. They took a late coffee break and got everything cleaned up. 💫
Later, they had some free time with the kids, playing volleyball, running around, and swinging. They had their last dinner at the children’s homes for the week. They ended the night by making bracelets for some of the children from the Bible Home. Finally, they debriefed about their amazing day. They could not believe how fast time had flown that week, but they were so grateful for the opportunity to serve. 🤍🙏🏼✨
Day 8
What a full and unforgettable week it had been! 🤍
They started their day with a meaningful devotional and breakfast together, setting the tone for everything ahead. From there, they enjoyed a beautiful river walk with the kids, followed by free time at the plaza and the activity center, where the video game setup was definitely a highlight. ✨
With the weather on their side, they had lunch outside and then got everything ready for an exciting field day with the kids. The afternoon was filled with laughter and energy as they rotated through four fun stations: water balloons, volleyball, human knot/basketball, and flip the cone/soccer. 🙌🏐⚽️
Later, they had a special time of free play where they delivered letters and bracelets to their mamis from the houses they had been having dinner at. Something small but meaningful - reminders of the gratitude they had for each house. They also took time to write thank-you letters to those who had supported them throughout the week. 💙
As the day came to a close, they soaked in a beautiful sunset, shared their final dinner, and gathered for their regular debrief along with their final HFK debrief.
It had been an amazing week, truly full of joy, connection, and unforgettable moments. They could not believe it was over! 🫶🇨🇷
Our team had a great time partnering with Roblealto on this recent trip to Costa Rica! Together with their staff, the group helped paint a local school, creating a brighter space for students to learn and grow. It was an honor to serve this wonderful community.
Thank you to our amazing team members, donors, and supporters who made this trip possible! 🎨✨ Be sure to explore recaps from all our recent trips here!
