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“The only thing that is constant is change.” – Heraclitus

If you have ever been on a short-term mission trip, you know that flexibility is a key component to being an effective team member. Beth Tatum, who serves in Costa Rica, shares one short-term team’s adaptability in the face of crisis, and how God used their attitudes for His glory.

I tell every short-term team that serves with us that the phrase they will hear most is, “There has been a change.” Most of the time change is not an issue because we have plans B, C, and D.

However, while hosting a team of high schoolers from College Station, Texas, we could never have anticipated the change in plans that happened.

We woke up Sunday morning and began getting ready for church. I watched curiously as church members began removing the plastic chairs from the sanctuary and rolling up the floor mats. Just then, I received word that an earthquake had occurred during the night. We hadn’t felt the quake, but it had caused a dam to break that flooded Puerto Viejo and the nearby villages.

The road to San Jose was cut off, so the Red Cross could not reach us to provide food or supplies. The church was the largest building in the area, so it became the rescue center. Over the next few hours, people from the surrounding communities poured into the church by ambulances and trucks.

More than 250 families arrived with what they could carry from their homes in small grocery bags. Many people were barefoot, and some were still in their pajamas. Families had been split up, so mothers and children were trying to find their loved ones once they reached the church.

Immediately—our team got to work. We set up one room of the church into an area for pregnant mothers and babies. Some team members entertained children with games, face painting, and music in a different room. Others spent time with children who were frightened, and quietly colored with them and gave them attention.

We took a head count of all of the people and helped them find their lost family members. Other team members started cooking what food we had and served everyone a hot meal. When the Red Cross team arrived, they were amazed that we had a complete head count and everyone had eaten.

Although there was no way to prepare for such a disaster, this young team adapted beautifully and served God’s people with love in a time of crisis.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” – Matthew 25:35-36 (NIV)