SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - Kai Lamar wanted nothing more than to serve God and help others, so his family had no reservations about him traveling from the U.S. to Costa Rica to take part in a religious mission there.
"It was an opportunity to show his love for the Lord and to do what he thought he was called to do," his mother, Shari Lamar, said in a telephone interview Friday. "So we supported him wholeheartedly."
But the lives of her son and two of his high school classmates were cut short when they were swept out to sea while taking a beach break during their stay. On Friday, a Costa Rican coast guard patrol recovered Kai Lamar's body in waters off Bejuco beach on the Pacific coast, said Jesus Escalona, Red Cross assistant director of operations.
The bodies of the other two students, Caity Jones and James Smith, were found earlier this week.
A strong undertow pulled the three away from shore Wednesday afternoon, according to a statement from their school, Patriot Preparatory Academy in Columbus, Ohio. They were among eight juniors and seniors on a trip not sponsored by the school.
Escalona said the body was found in roughly the same area where Smith's body was recovered a day earlier. He said the body fit Lamar's description and rescuers called off the search.
The bodies were taken to a morgue where relatives or U.S. Embassy officials can claim them. The U.S. Embassy has declined to comment, citing privacy restrictions.
Wednesday, the day before they were to return to Ohio, was a free day, and students were given a choice of whether they wanted to ride horses near a waterfall or go to the beach, the brother of one of the students told an Ohio television station.
"Unfortunately, it was just a fatal mistake," Smith's brother Nick Smith told WCMH-TV in Columbus.
He said the trip was the first mission for his brother and that he had worked to raise every penny needed to pay for the trip.
"That kid was more driven to do things for God than I've seen anybody at his age ever. ... He was doing things and so committed that honestly, in 16 years, he finished everything he needed to do in this life," Smith told the station.
A message seeking comment was left by The Associated Press on Friday at a phone listing for Smith's parents.
Shari Lamar said that while her family was saddened by her son's death, they found some comfort in knowing he had fulfilled a wish inspired by his strong Christian faith.
"He and his friends had the time of their life doing the work," she said. "It just brought them great joy. They were phenomenal kids. ... It's sad, but we just trust God."
Lamar said she had no regrets about allowing her son to make the trip.
"We wouldn't have done anything differently, because it was something that he wanted to do," she said.
The three students swept away, all juniors, were described as active in school and the community, well-liked and good students.
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