Some short-term mission trips leave participants on a spiritual high. Others bring refinement.
Taylor head football coach Aaron Mingo described the team’s trip to Costa Rica as the latter.
During the final week of January, 54 players, seven coaches and one alum traveled to San José partnered with High Performance Sports, an organization which hosts sports teams to combine athletic competition with community service.
HPS paired Taylor with the Costa Rica Football League Sharks for a practice. Junior quarterback Jake Halderman said he and his teammates had the opportunity to shift perspective for the Sharks. The Trojans contrasted the belief that football is solely a game of “big guys with an opportunity to hit somebody.”
They taught the game as an act of glorifying worship to God.
“They were so receptive and open to it,” Halderman said. “It was really cool.”
The Trojans also conducted their own practice in a city park, along with hosting a football camp for all ages.
Aside from the sport itself, football was seen as a source of hope through the team’s service in local schools, orphanages and senior citizen homes. They cared for widows by delivering groceries. They connected with impoverished children and teenagers with special needs.
Mingo experienced a service day he never wanted to forget, remembering a moment with several players in a nursery.
“I’m watching these fierce, awesome warriors laying down next to these one-year-olds and two-year-olds they don’t know, but they’re just rubbing their backs until they fall asleep,” Mingo said, tears welling in his eyes. “Just seeing these guys, in their prime, spend time with these little babies and helping them fall asleep not knowing how to do it, but just willing to. It was a cool deal to experience that with them.”
The occurrence reminded Mingo of Jesus’ frequent reference to little children and their faith. To him, it was an embodiment of the care Jesus provides for those deemed “weaker.”
Heaviness intensified as the Trojans worked with an organization that rescued children from trafficking.
The players were not allowed to initiate physical touch, such as hugging, with the children. Freshman tight end Demo Griggs said this initially made him and several others nervous, especially with the language barrier. How could they communicate without touch or words while showing the love and respect they wanted to give?
“I was just praying, God, please, please lead me to the right person,” Griggs said. “And he answered that prayer in the best way possible. He didn’t lead me to that person. He led that person right to me.”
A little girl ran up to Griggs, grabbed his arm and began playing soccer with him. As they were playing, he remembered feeling a moment of anger and disgust for parts of childhood many had lost.
Halderman said he experienced heartbreak as he held another little girl’s hand, thinking about the awful things that had been done to her.
“It was really hard to brace your heart.” Halderman said. “But also, we’re able to put a smile on their face and give them some hope and show them the joy of the Lord for a little while. I think the vast majority of the team would say the same thing.”
Experiencing what hardship looks like in another country shifted perspectives.
“When you go to an impoverished place, it put things into perspective for the guys.” Halderman said. “The things that seem hard for us don’t come close in comparison.”
Mingo agreed, saying bad practice days and playing time complaints pale in comparison to the need in San José.
The players seemed to progress from hesitancy to confidence throughout the week. Mingo said this matured and toughened his men, hopefully setting them free from feeling sorry for themselves.
With heavy perspective change and a greater hope in the gospel, the Trojans used their off-season for refinement, physically and spiritually.
