August 11, 2026
Asbury Women's Basketball Team Recap Mission Trips to Costa Rica and Colombia
WILMORE, Ky. --- This past summer part of the Asbury women's basketball team traveled to Costa Rica and Colombia to serve with head coach Chad Mayes and Roblealto.
Hear what student-athletes Ma'Kiya West, Grace Hanlon, and Isabella Mayes had to write about their experiences in mission!
Ma'Kiya West | Women's Basketball Senior | Exercise Science Major
In Costa Rica, we partnered with Roblealto, serving children and teens who have faced many challenges. Despite their hardships, they welcomed us with joy and kindness, making the experience incredibly meaningful. Steeping out of our comfort zone and immersing ourselves in their community was a meaningful experience.
Our goal was to leave the community better than we found it while showing God's love through service. We restored a house for children and their biological families, repaired fences, cleaned gutters, and completed landscaping projects. We also spent time playing games, sharing meals, and building relationships with the kids. It was a privilege to serve and be a small part of their lives.
Grace Hanlon | Women's Basketball Junior | Sport Communication Major
Going to Costa Rica was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. At first, I was nervous because I do not speak a lot of Spanish and I wanted to be able to interact with the kids we worked with. I quickly learned how much our actions speak. Watching the kids play with each other and us, I realized that regardless if we can actually speak to each other, we can still impact those around us by treating them with kindness, respect, and a smile goes a long way.
While we were there, we worked on a house named Casa de Esperanza, meaning House of Hope. We painted the inside and outside of the home, cleaned the whole house, built multiple bunk beds, and made sure the furniture was freshly stained for the kids who were going to live there after we left. We also spent dinner time at different houses where we got to spend intentional time with the kids, the moms, and played games until bedtime.
The biggest takeaway from this trip is that Christ truly is the "universal language." These kids showed me the love of Christ by the overflowing joy they had just being with each other and spending time with us and that joy is not based on circumstances, but based on what Christ did for us on the cross. It was an amazing trip and I have learned so much about myself, Christ, and how to love others well. It was an amazing opportunity and I hope to go back one day!
Isabella Mayes | Women's Basketball Junior | Psychology Major
Our trip to Colombia was very special. We were able to work with so many children from the ages of five to eighteen. We worked with a few different teams, and some we were lucky enough to have a second camp with. I loved being able to reconnect with the children we had already spent time with. During these camps, we worked on different basketball skills. It was so awesome for me to watch all these children have such a passion for the sport that I've loved since I was a small child.
My Spanish is pretty good, but certainly not perfect and even through a language gap, we were able to connect with these children through our common love of basketball. The Lord showed up in so many ways this week and bridging that gap was a big one. As Zach or Bryce shared, the curiosity about God in these children's faces is something only the Holy Spirit could have stirred among them. Even if they did not ask questions, I could see them pondering what was being shared. It was such an awesome opportunity for me to travel somewhere new and experience God in a new but familiar way.
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