Barva, Costa Rica (Jul 2025) - Service Trip Recap
Dates: July 26 - August 3, 2025
Location: Barva, Costa Rica
Our first-ever Reality SF service trip had an incredible experience in Costa Rica, where they partnered with Roblealto to serve the local community. They worked hard building a new library for the school and spent meaningful time with the children and staff. From service projects to shared laughter and cultural experiences, the team built lasting memories and deep connections in this beautiful country.
Read all about our most recent team to Costa Rica below! ⬇️
Pre-Trip
The team was mostly coming from a church in San Francisco - Reality SF. That allowed the team to have their pre-trip meeting in person, pack donations together, and be prayed over at church!
Day 1
The team arrived in Costa Rica from a variety of different states and countries (including California, Texas, & the Dominican Republic)! ✈️💫
After settling in, the team traversed through different terrains to walk up the local river for a fun local adventure! ✨
After lunch, they sorted 18 bags of donations and prepared to use and distribute them throughout the week. 🎒🙌
They had a team orientation, played games, gathered tightly around a table for dinner, and did the evening debrief. The Team Captains also implemented “Affirmation Mailboxes” - a personalized mailbox where others can drop notes and affirmations throughout the week! 💝
Everyone was grateful to be there and expectant for the Holy Spirit to move during the week! 🙏💙
🎤 Quote of the day:
“Twister? I already played Twister on the river!”
Day 2
It was a tourist day! The group took a bus to La Paz Waterfalls and Gardens, which also includes an animal sanctuary, so the team got to experience a lot of nature and wildlife. 🌿🦋
Afterward, they enjoyed a delicious buffet lunch and then drove to downtown San José to explore. 🍽️
They walked around, had ice cream, and bought some souvenirs at the artisan market. 🍦✨
A special moment: the team’s Roblealto host gifted a team member a Costa Rica jersey to celebrate Father’s Day in the Dominican Republic. 🇨🇷🇩🇴
The rest of the evening was spent in the team house, chatting, eating, and resting before the upcoming service week began. 🙌
🎤 Quote of the Day:
“It comes with a story, you know.”
Day 3
The group began their service project! All hands were on deck to help convert a former greenhouse into the school's new library. Some hidden talents were even discovered! 🔨📚
At lunch, they met another group from a church in St. Louis, Missouri, who was also serving during the week. 🫶
After work was wrapped up for the day, the team competed in a futsal game or played a variety of other games. ⚽️🥅
For dinner, the team split into the different houses to spend time with the kids, which turned out to be many people's high of the day! 🏡🍽️
🎤 Quote of the day:
"It's like I'm spreading cream cheese on the wall!"
Day 4
Back to work this day, as the team applied a second coat of primer followed by plaster to finalize the wall base. 🖌️🙌
They also received an orientation to Roblealto and its 93-year-old history. 🇨🇷
In the afternoon, the team supported the kids with homework and bilingual activity books, thanks to Listos Learning! 📚📖
Next, the team led fun outdoor activities for all the families at the Bible Home. Afterward, they hosted a bingo and pizza night, where lots of prizes were given out. 🍕🏆
The team even got to celebrate the Team Captains’ Wedding Anniversary! 💕
The evening ended with emotional reflections from the team. 💙
🎤 Quote of the day:
“I learned a new phrase today: Boots on the floor.”
Day 5
The team has been encouraged as they’ve seen the fruit of their labor and made significant progress on the service project! 🔨🙌
They also felt blessed and inspired by the women’s time with the house moms, during which they learned about what brought them there, what their day-to-day looks like, and how God’s love is poured out to and through them. 🙏💙
They had time to play sports with the kids, which brought great joy to both the children and the team members! ⚽️🏐🏑
🎤 Quote of the day:
“There were some heartbreaking moments, but it also revealed something beautiful, because in the breaking there is also an expanding.”
Day 6
The team is starting to feel sad as the trip nears its end! 🇨🇷
The morning began with a beautiful worship session, prayer, and devotional led by the on-site pastor. 🙏
Afterward, they focused on making as much progress as possible on the library construction project. It was rewarding to see how far they had come already! 🔨📚
In the afternoon, they spent time playing outside with the kids, followed by dinner and bonding time with their respective houses. 🫶🏠
At night, the team held their daily reflection and “hot seat” session (a Q&A with one person), then wrote thank-you letters to hand out before they left. 📝💙
🎤 Quote of the day:
“You all will now carry this torch at your church in San Francisco.”
Day 7
This was the team’s last day working on the library! Thanks to the group’s incredible teamwork, the project moved forward far more than expected. They ended the workday with a prayer over the library. 🙏📚
They also distributed physical donations to the houses, school, office, and day care centers. 🎁
All week, the staff had been looking forward to the Roblealto vs. HFK mejenga (soccer game) - which HFK ended up winning! ⚽️
The evening concluded with an emotional final dinner at the houses. 🏡
Many shared that it was a blessing to spend time with the kids - and it was even more meaningful to hear that the kids loved spending time with the team. ❤️
🎤 Quote of the day:
“4:58 mile?! I go to the bathroom longer than that!”
Day 8
The last day was such an amazing day! 🇨🇷
The team started the day with two hours of playtime with the kids. They had them rotate through HFK-run stations featuring capture the flag, soccer, dance, hockey, baseball, and water balloons. The kids had a blast and voted the water balloon station as their favorite! The team also had their own water balloon toss competition! 🎈🕺🏻✨
Next, they went on an adventure to a local zip-lining experience, which was a first for many! They also enjoyed a delicious lunch at a local restaurant. 😋💙
The group returned to host a board game night with the kids and say their sad goodbyes. The kids were grateful for the time spent with them this week and for an active, fun Saturday! 🧩🫶
🎤 Quote of the week:
“Out of all the volunteer teams we have received in the last 15 years I’ve been here, the Here for Kids teams are always the best with the service projects and running activities with the kids. The kids have so much fun with you guys!”
Trip Testimonial Video
Check out this Trip Testimonial video from Jackson!
Reel Recap Video
Our team had an incredible time partnering with Roblealto during this recent trip to Costa Rica! This group worked hard alongside their amazing staff to help build a library for the local school — a space that will inspire learning and growth for years to come. It was an honor to serve this beautiful community and be a part of something so meaningful.
A heartfelt 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!
