The days leading up to summer mark a time for most high school students to prepare for two months of relaxation and fun; however, for senior Caleb Herring, the break held a different promise. This past summer Herring went to San Jose, Costa Rica, for a chance to mix service and adventure.

The driving force behind his participation in trips like this comes from the community of the Church of the Resurrection, where he has been an active member for about five years.

“All of my friends were going, so it was cool just to go with them anyway — you’re doing it for a good cause,” Herring said. “There were a couple kids I didn’t know on the trip, but the work brought us all together.”

Herring’s enthusiasm for service isn’t exactly unique to this year.

“I’ve only ever been on one mission trip, and I went to Alabama and built houses,” Herring said. “I got to put it down for service hours.”

Even with the fun of a new destination, there was work to be done for the group. The program hadpreviously visited San Jose but hadn’t been able to finish the entire project. With the goal of this visit to help the local community by building churches and providing childcare, they worked long days to complete the plan.

“We were going to spend around eight hours a day on the worksite,” Herring said. “We built the church, and we were building rooms for the church for Sunday school. Next year we will have to go back and do the same.”

The days of labor are not only beneficial to the local community, but it also has an impact on the participants in the program.

“It brings a bigger morale boost to everyone,” he said. “It brings everyone together especially with church being a community and San Jose being such an amazing place.”

By trading in the typical summer of relaxation for a mission trip to Costa Rica, Herring created a new meaning for his summer.

“It was my first time out of the country,” Herring said. “It makes you feel like you have a purpose.”