The Launch 61 is Ad Lib Music’s
GAP Year program in Costa Rica!
You graduated, but did you launch?
Can you launch? You must! And we can help.
To launch well, you need a good foundation—a launch pad, as it were.
We are passionate about launching worshipers—leaders who are “a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor,” as Isaiah 61 declares. Meet The Launch 61.
It’s a Gap Year program like no other. Have you been looking for a Christ-centered Gap Year program in Costa Rica that focuses on the heart and skill of worship leading? That’s The Launch 61.
You’ll be working with and serving established ministries, learning more about your gifting, and how to work alongside others. Keep reading to see all you’ll learn as you develop the leader in you!
As part of this 36-week program for 18 to 25-year-olds, you’ll challenge your body and spirit on a 16-day professionally guided, 175-mile hike from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. It’ll be Pura Vida!
Is this for me?
Do you want to learn:
How to be an effective worship leader
How to make music in a worship band
How to think like a true musician
How to be a leader
How to serve in another culture
How to win at money
How to work with children
How to do your own laundry
How to do basic maintenance, including plumbing, electric, and carpentry
How to shop for groceries
How to speak better Spanish
How to make decisions
And most of all, how to fall in love with Jesus more and more!
We are Dave and Heather Helmuth, long-term missionaries to Costa Rica and leaders of Ad Lib Music and The Launch 61. Our family of eight is based at 5000 feet in the mountains of Costa Rica, only 30 minutes from the international airport and the capital of San Jose. Find your home away from home as you launch into the future, build a firm foundation, and have the time of your life!
Register!
Registration for the 2025-2026 Gap Year is open until July 31, 2025
2025-26 Dates
The LAUNCH 61 runs from September 8 through June 12, with a month-long break over Christmas. During this time, students can return home, explore Costa Rica, or travel abroad.
First Semester (14 weeks)
September 8 - December 12
(BREAK from December 13 - January 10)
Second Semester (22 weeks)
January 11 - June 12
Cost
All-inclusive
(except for flights, health insurance, spending cash)
$15,500
An
Epic
Challenge!
As part of our experience, we’ll go on a 16-day, 175-mile hike from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, called El Camino de Costa Rica!
