Bolivar, Mo. — Traveling to Costa Rica over spring break with the CGC, Freshman Kristin Probst and Sophomore Alyssa Mann from the Women's XC/Track and Field team exhibited extraordinary endurance and servant leadership. While facing challenges, they continued to rely on the strength God provided them to serve and love others well.
 
Alongside their CGC team, Probst and Mann partnered with Young Life, a ministry reaching students in Costa Rica. During the week, the team persevered through intense manual labor to help build a retaining wall and lay gravel on a steep trail. Probst and Mann, both coming back from injury, exhibited an incredible work-ethic, never complaining when the task became difficult or strenuous. "God showed me that he gives me strength to do hard things," says Mann.
 
Each day the team, made up of students from Southwest Baptist University, Grand Canyon University, and Costa Rica, shared their testimonies with each other and spoke about how they had witnessed God working in their lives. Mann explains how hearing these stories reminded her that "God will qualify the called" and showed her "the importance of sharing your story with others."
 
One of the greatest difficulties the athletes overcame during the trip was an illness they contracted at the beginning of the week. They felt discouraged when they had to miss a day of work and lose time with the team. However, God remained with them through it all. "It was a blessing how quickly we recovered, and it gave us a greater sense of gratitude and perspective to be with these amazing people and to have to rely on God for our source of strength," says Probst.
 
When asked what lessons she learned from the trip, Probst replied, "One of the biggest impressions this trip had on me was the call to live a radical life of surrender and obedience to Christ. Our faith is not about us or only for us. We were saved, redeemed, and transformed to go out and share with others, to bring everyone we can into this family of believers. Our life as a follower of Christ should be marked by transformative service and denying of self — a life that may seem exhausting, a life of pouring out for others, but one that in the end is the most rewarding and fulfilling, of obedience to the Lord's will."
 
Participating in college athletics has helped equip Probst and Mann to live on mission in Bolivar and abroad. Probst shares, "Through my time as an athlete at SBU, I have continued to learn lessons of servanthood, steadfastness, endurance, and making the most of every opportunity. These important lessons have inspired me to live each day for the Lord. My community, teammates and coach have all poured into me spiritually and practically, helping me grow in my own walk with the Lord."
 
Just as Probst and Mann served the Lord overseas, they continue to live on mission here at SBU by exemplifying Christ to their peers and teammates. Mann says, "You don't need to be called to ministry or to be a missionary to serve. Everywhere you go is a mission field, and we are all called to serve Jesus in loving on others and sharing the gospel."