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Matt and Lisa Befus
Heredia, Costa Rica
Matt and Lisa have spent most of their lives in school. They studied as missionary kids in Costa Rica and Colombia respectively, spent ten years in the US for college and teaching experience, and since 1998 have served as teachers and administrators at La Palabra de Vida school in Costa Rica.
Following their graduation from Wheaton College, Matt and Lisa taught in the same local public high school and deepened relationships with students through their church’s youth group. While Matt was pursuing a Master’s in educational leadership, they felt called to serve students in the setting of international education. Since moving to Costa Rica with their daughter, Lindsey, three more daughters have joined their family: Lynnea, Katrina, and Natalia.
La Palabra de Vida (LPDV), a Christian bilingual preschool through high school for Spanish speaking students, seeks to evangelize and disciple students while offering excellent academic preparation. Most of the 350 students enroll in LPDV because their parents want affordable private education that emphasizes English and “positive values.” Although their roles and responsibilities have varied over the years, Matt and Lisa’s underlying goals have remained the same: to help LPDV students learn how to develop a relationship with God through the study of His word and His creation, and to demonstrate how to live out that relationship in all areas of their lives.
Matt and Lisa haven’t been bored in years. Matt trains science teachers and teaches high school biology and physics. He oversees the development of the school campus and coordinates community service projects and construction work teams. Lisa helps US teachers adjust to the Costa Rican educational environment, provides curricular support to English and science teachers, and oversees the school's library. She also coordinates interaction between academic work teams and LPDV students and leads a group of high school students to the US every other year. Matt and Lisa both serve in advisory roles to the school’s directors and administrative board.
