COSTA RICA !
JULY 8-16, 2026

Trip Dates: July 8-16, 2026

BROAD DETAILS
July 8: Travel to Costa Rica
We will meet at Petros by 3:30am. Yep, am.
We will spend the night in the hotel this night.

July 9-12: Kid's Camp
We will leave about 1pm for camp.
Scroll on down for a more detailed schedule.
We will be back to the same hotel for the 12th and for the remainder of the trip. Scroll down for housing assignments. 

July 13: Full team work at the school

July 14-15: Rest and excursion time

July 16: Travel back to the good ole U.S.A.

The camp we will be staying doesn't have an official website but you can check out the location here. Please note that the schedule could change some. There will be WIFI at the camp. Cell service may depend on your carrier.

Thursday, July 9
Depart around 1pm
Afternoon: Unpack/Setup/Free Time
4pm: Snack Time/Backpack Distribution
5pm: Shirt Painting
6pm: Dinner
7:15pm: Worship Time (All Together)
9pm: Head to Room
10pm: Lights Out

Friday, July 10
8:30am: Breakfast
9:30am: Group Devotion with 1 song, devotional and prayer time
10am: Group Track Time
Younger Ones - VBS
Older Ones - Sports Camp
12:30 - Lunch
After Lunch: Free Time
3:30: Snacks (Cookie Decorating)
6pm: Dinner
7:15pm: Worship Time (All Together)
8:30pm: Camp Fire with S’mores
9pm: Head to Room
10pm: Lights Out

Saturday, July 11
8:30am: Breakfast
9:30am: Group Devotion with 1 song, devotional and prayer time
10am: Group Track Time
Younger Ones - VBS
Older Ones - Sports Camp
12:30 - Lunch
After Lunch: Free Time
2:30pm: Some Sort of Group Game followed by Snacks
6pm: Dinner
7:15pm: Worship Time (All Together)
8:30pm: Glow Party
9pm: Head to Room
10pm: Lights Out

Sunday, July 12
8:30am: Breakfast
9:30am: Packing, Final Words and Devotional

Meal Prep Team: Jennifer Baker, Kathy Branch, Julie Davis, Ana Lagos, and Aimee Perry
We are going to have some great authentic food at camp. Our meal prep team will keep us fueled and provide some snacks for us as well.

The younger children will attend VBS for about 2 hours from 10am to noon on Friday and Saturday.

Team Leaders: Susan Graham and Patsy Lee
Team Members: Kenny Branch, Allison Goodenough, Trent Hall, Jameson Johnsey, Bailey McWhorter, Drew Secor, Jonathan Swiney, Jude Swiney, Kim Thweatt

During the two hours there will be music, Bible stories, crafts, recreation and snacks.  A more detailed plan is in the works. Stay tuned.
Friday, July 10
TBA

Saturday, July 11
TBA

The older children will attend a Sports Camp for about 2 hours from 10am to noon on Friday and Saturday.

Team Leaders: Allan Perry and Mark Walker
Team Members: Isaac Baker, Addison Clark, Charlee Goodenough, Reese Edwards, Spencer Goodenough, Peyton Pack, River Richard, Lizzy Thomas

Friday, July 10
The two hours will include a group building activity, group devotion, and focus on football.

Saturday, July 11
The two hours will include a group building activity, group devotion, and focus on a variation of kickball called 3 ball which involves a football, a frisbee, and a kickball. .

Team Members: Noah Baker, Dondi Lee, Kevin Pyron, Brian Richard, Michael Warren, Jeff Wills

The construction team that will stay in San Jose the whole time.

The school has a new principle this year. They have switched the library with the special needs building we built last year.

Our proposed project this year is to turn the building we built last year into a library. We will wire it for electricity with lights and plugs. We will then renovate the building with bookshelves, flooring and more.

Our full groups work will include landscaping, cleaning, organizing and whatever they need us to do.

To help find supplies, here is a luggage inventory of supplies.

ONE
Twin sheets for kids at camp

TWO
Twin sheets for the kids at camp

THREE
Backpack Tags
Backpacks
Mini Flashlights
Pens

FOUR
VBS SUPPLIES
Craft Sticks
Dice
Glue Dots
Glue Sticks
Googly Eyes
Magnetic Blocks
Markers (Permanent)
Nail Polish
Paintbrushes
Pipe Cleaners
Scissors
VBS Illumination Kit
Yarn String

FIVE
VBS REC
Cones
Parachute
Pepper Pong
Playground Balls
Popdarts

SIX
SPORTS CAMP SUPPLIES
Bases
Cones
Footballs
Frisbee
Soccer Ball (LED)
Turtlebox Ranger (smaller)

This will be updated as we pack our supplies

Suites Cristina 
While we’re staying in San Jose, this is the facility where we’ll be staying. It’s a very nice place with hot water, a breakfast buffet to start our day, and a pool to relax in after returning from our daily activities. Check it out at the link above!

Here is a rough draft of the rooming so we can estimate how many rooms we will need so Carlos can budget correctly.

Housing for July 8 (Overnight)
Housing for Return to San Jose

Delta Airlines Home Page 

Heading to Costa Rica
Delta Flight Number: 1937
Departure from ATL at 10am on July 8
Arrival in San Jose at 12pm
Here is the seating for our departing flight that was sent to Mark. If you change your seat, please let Mark know so we can update this list.

Dondi Lee - 30E
Patsy Lee - 30F

Aimee Perry - 31A
Allan Perry - 31B
Jeff Wills - 31D
Kevin Pyron - 31E
Jonathan Swiney - 31F

Brian Richard - 32A
Jude Swiney - 32B

Mark Walker - 33A
Isaac Baker - 33B
Bailey McWhorter - 33C
Kenny Branch - 33D
Kathy Branch -33E
Susan Graham - 33F

Julie Davis - 34A
Kim Thweatt - 34B
Jennifer Baker -34C
Reese Edwards - 34D
River Richard - 34E
Charlee Goodenough - 34F

Allison Goodenough - 35A
Spencer Goodenough - 35B

Trent Hall - 36A
Drew Secor - 36B
Lizzy Thomas - 36C
Addison Clark - 36E
Jameson Johnsey - 36F

Michael Warren - 37D
Noah Baker - 37E
Peyton Pack - 37F

Back to the USA
Delta Flight Number: 1756
Departure from San Jose at 1:25pm on July 16
Arrival in ATL at 7:35pm

Here is the seating for our return flight that was sent to Mark. If you change your seat, please let Mark know so we can update this list.

Trent Hall - 25E
Drew Secor - 25F

Dondi Lee - 30E
Patsy Lee - 30F

Aimee Perry - 31A
Allan Perry - 31B
Jeff Wills - 31D
Kevin Pyron - 31E
Jonathan Swiney - 31F

Brian Richard - 32A
Jude Swiney - 32B

Mark Walker - 33A
Isaac Baker - 33B
Bailey McWhorter - 33C
Kathy Branch - 33D
Kenny Branch - 33E
Susan Graham - 33F

Julie Davis - 34A
Kim Thweatt -34B
Jennifer Baker - 34C
Reese Edwards - 34D
River Richard - 34E
Charlee Goodenough - 34F

Allison Goodenough - 35A
Spencer Goodenough - 35B

Addison Clark - 40A
Jameson Johnsey - 40B
Lizzy Thomas - 40C

Michael Warren - 41D
Noah Baker - 41E
Peyton Pack - 41F

UPDATED JUNE 20
General Needs for Everyone
+Passport
+ You’ll need a paper copy of the Bible
+ Your personal meds and prescriptions.
+ Your 2 trip shirts
+ Whatever it takes to get you ready.
+ Bag trackers are nice. Apple AirTag or Tile or other.
+ Hand sanitizer
+ Some kind of bag for the Walmart run. You have to buy bags in Costa Rica if you need one.
+ Water Bottle Container (Hydration is key. Bring as large as you would like)
+ You may want to bring a small clip on fan for your bed and extension cord. We will have American style electrical outlets. No need for power adapters.
+ Hats and sunscreen. The sun is different in Costa Rica.
+ We are in Costa Rica during rainy season so bring some sort of rain jacket.
+ When you stay in your room in San Jose, the room will have a refrigerator.

Project Needs
(Everyone will be doing some sort of project on Monday)
+ Painting and construction clothes
 + Closed toe shoes. Tennis shoes will be fine.
+ Gloves for landscaping. Things are pretty prickly there!
+ We'll add things here as we finalize our projects.

Clothing
+ We have learned that it's pretty necessary to plan for 2 sets of clothes per day.
+ Climate is hot but not as humid as Pell City.  Plan accordingly.
+ Shorts and t-shirts are fine.
+ Swimwear for the hotel pool and the excursion day.

Kids Camp
If you are going to the kids camp, you will need some additional items.
+ Twin sheets and maybe a blanket. The bunkhouses are bunkbeds with mattresses. You may want to consider a zippered mattress cover. The camp appears clean but you never know. The mattresses are plastic so you could wipe them down if you'd like.
* Special Note: Because of our elevation, during this time of the year the temperatures can be in the 50s at night. The cabins are not heated or air-conditioned so plan accordingly.
+ Pillow
+ Towels
+ Extension cords for charging devices.
+ Tennis shoes for VBS and Sports Camps
+ A small portable fan maybe. There is no air conditioning at the camp. Temperatures during the days this time of year is usually in the 70's.
+ We are going to have a Glow Party the last night. If you have anything black light responsive, bring it on!

Money Needs:
Please use a credit card or have money in 20 dollar bills or below. Most places won't take bills larger than a 20. For your financial safety, NO DEBIT CARDS once we leave Atlanta.
-- MEALS: Most of your meals are paid for. You will need money for airport meals and possibly your meal on our excursion day. There may be opportunities to grab local snacks too.

-- SHOPPING: We will stop for souvenirs and other items at some point during the trip. You can shop at the airport but it cost considerably more.

-- Checked luggage fee is $45 each way for your personal checked bag. You will need to pay for this with a debit/credit card. NO CASH IS ACCEPTED.

The toughest part of the trip can be the traveling itself. We strive to keep everyone together through the process. We move as a group and watch out for each other. Here are some considerations for traveling.

+ Smile! Our attitude will take us a long way! Get smart with a TSA agent can be dreadful for you!
+ 360 degree rolling luggage will be your friend!
+ Neck pillow (optional but nice)
+ Passport! Figure out a way to keep your  passport, money, and personal items safe.  A waist belt, fanny pack, backpack etc  will work.
+ Bring a portable battery for phones and don’t forget your charging cords. Planes have places to plug in your devices but they are usually USB not USB-C.
+ Backpack for all your carry around stuff during the day and at Kids Camp and work projects.
+ Please pack bigger bottles of lotions, shampoos, etc in your checked luggage. You may want to put these items in a ziplock bag to keep them from leaking during the pressures of the flight.
+ Entertainment panels on the plane use headphone jacks not lightning connectors.
+ You can access the planes WIFI through the Delta app.
+ Put copies of your passport in each bag.
+ Shoes that work well for flight. Which means, easy off and on as we go through TSA.
+ Notify your bank credit/debit card of your travel plans. They will lock you up if you don’t! Don't use debit cards in Costa Rica. Credit cards only.
+ Check with your cellphone provider about international calls and texting.

About Your Luggage
Delta Baggage and Fee Information
-- Each passenger flying with DELTA can bring 1 carry-on bag and 1 personal item free of charge (such as a purse, laptop bag or item of similar size that will fit underneath the seat in front of  you).  If you plan to bring roll-aboard luggage or a large bag to store in the overhead bin, you can find size information below.

-- Carry-on luggage. Check the size of your carryon. Individual length, width and height  measurements may not exceed 22” x 14” x 9”  Don’t overpack. They won’t fit in the  overhead. It’s a good idea to  put a couple of changes of clothes in your backpack or carry-on.

-- Checked luggage cannot be over 50 pounds. Baggage size must not exceed 62 inches (158 cm) when you total LENGTH + WIDTH + HEIGHT. (Don’t get too overwhelmed by this. If you have bought a suitcase in the last 10 years, you should be good.)

--  You will have to put your carry on liquids in quart bag according to the 3.1.1. rule.
TSA 311 Rule

 -- Checked luggage fee is $45 each way. You will need to pay for this with a debit/credit card. NO CASH IS ACCEPTED.

Extra Luggage
We will pack our Kids Camp and work supplies into extra bags. Some of you will be assigned a bag to  check at the airport. The trip budget will pay for our supply bags.

You will have to go through Customs in Costa Rica by yourself. It is a just a desk where you present your passport and you MUST provide an address of where you will be staying. Copy this and put it somewhere you can retrieve.

Suites Cristina
Calle Luisa, Sabana Norte,
San José, Costa Rica

Exactly how many people are on this bus!! :)

The excursions are optional. We’ve decided to stay around San José at the end of the trip, since the beach excursion significantly increased the overall cost. Below are some excursion options for you to consider. You’re always welcome to simply rest and relax at Suites Cristina if you prefer! You will receive a signup form mid-March so we can finalize your choice.

Tuesday, July 14 - Chocolate Making and Tasting at a Local Factory in San José: $58 
Click HERE to check it out.

Tuesday, July 14 - Zip Line, Rappel, Hiking La Carpintera Tour in San Jose: $52
Click HERE to check it out.

Wednesday, July 15 - Tortuga Island Full Day Tour from San José with Lunch: $115
Click HERE to check it out.

Here is the listing of those who have signed up.
Excursion Choices

Chocolate Making and Tasting (Limit of 8)
Julie Davis
Aimee Perry
Jonathan Swiney
Jude Swiney
Kim Thweatt

Zip Lining/Repelling (Limit of 15)
Isaac Baker
Noah Baker
Addison Clark
Reese Edwards
Allison Goodenough
Charlee Goodenough
Spencer Goodenough
Susan Graham
Jameson Johnsey
Patsy Lee
Bailey McWhorter
Peyton Pack
Allan Perry
River Richard
Michael Warren

Tortuga Island Full Day Tour 
(Can accommodate our entire group)
Isaac Baker
Jennifer Baker
Noah Baker
Kathy Branch
Kenny Branch
Addison Clark
Julie Davis
Reese Edwards
Allison Goodenough
Charlee Goodenough
Spencer Goodenough
Susan Graham
Trent Hall
Jameson Johnsey
Dondi Lee
Patsy Lee
Bailey McWhorter
Peyton Pack
Aimee Perry
Allan Perry
Brian Richard
River Richard
Kevin Pyron
Drew Secor
Jonathan Swiney
Jude Swiney
Elizabeth Thomas
Kim Thweatt
Mark Walker
Michael Warren

There are several social media sites you can access to see the media from the Costa Rica Trip.

Children's Development Institute: This organization tutors children and we will be having them for the afternoon VBS
CDI Instagram 

Carlos and Ana work with college students in a ministry call Hangout. They feed them on Wednesdays, have Bible studies at the university and in their home.
Hangout Ministries Instagram 

May we leave ready and return amazed!