Step Into the Work

Inside the 2026 Chile Vision Trip


The 2026 SportQuest Vision Trip to Santiago, Chile brought together a team with a clear purpose. Nine team members from Betenbough Homes in Texas joined SportQuest leaders, Kent and Dona Wright, alongside Mynor and Rachel Mendez. Together, they stepped into a week focused on serving, learning, and supporting the work trusted local partners lead.



From the first day, the team did not operate as a separate group. They integrated into the rhythm of ministry already active in Santiago.


Serving Alongside Faithful Local Leadership

In Santiago, José and Gislaine Eyzaguirre lead steady, relational ministry through both the local church and the school community. José pastors Iglesia Bautista Recoleta and serves as chaplain at Colegio Echaurren, a K–12 school where he engages students daily. Many of these students come from broken family environments and face realities shaped by trauma, abuse, poverty, and normalized violence. Their openness, engagement, and willingness to connect with the team carried significant weight. What developed throughout the week reflected more than participation. It showed trust forming in a place where people do not give trust easily.


The team entered that work ready to support it.


Each morning, they stepped onto the school grounds and coached students through sports like American football, volleyball, and ultimate frisbee. These activities went beyond instruction. They created a setting where trust formed quickly. Students engaged, asked questions, and opened conversations about faith and purpose. 


Connection, not performance, defined what stood out.


Students who began the week hesitant grew more confident. Relationships formed across language barriers. Team members met students where they were, often at eye level, building trust through consistency and care. These moments created space for meaningful conversations that carried beyond the field.


Work That Reflects Care for the Community

Each afternoon, the team moved to Iglesia Bautista Recoleta. There, they worked alongside church members to restore and care for the physical space.


They painted walls, repaired areas of the property, restored garden space, and improved the environment where the church gathers each week. The team brought effort, coordination, and shared ownership to the work. It also created natural opportunities for connection between the team and the local church.


As the week progressed, the visible change in the space reflected the team’s investment. More importantly, it strengthened relationships that will carry forward long after the trip.


A Clear Reminder of What Matters

Throughout the week, one theme became clear.


Winning looks different in Kingdom work.


The team saw this in the way students responded, in the consistency of local leadership, and in the quiet moments where faith became personal. The team planted seeds. Conversations carried weight. Both the team and the community grew through the partnership. 


One student’s simple statement captured it well: “God protects.” That truth captured what the team experienced throughout the week. God worked through presence, consistency, and care. 


Growth Within the Team

This experience shaped the team as much as the community they served.


Team members stepped into leadership in real time. They led drills, shared their faith, and engaged in conversations that required clarity and humility. They navigated language barriers and learned to communicate through actions as much as words. 


The week of serving led to meaningful growth.


One team member shared that she believes God placed her on the Vision Trip with purpose. During a devotional at the church, she stepped forward and shared her testimony publicly for the first time. As a wife, mother, and grandmother, she spoke honestly about her story of pain and disappointment. The relationships she built with the team and the openness she saw in the students gave her the courage to speak.


She shared that her story continues, and that she will return home to invest in young women in her community who need strong, steady examples of faith.


Many returned home with greater confidence in how God can use them in everyday settings. They also gained a deeper understanding of what faithful, long-term ministry requires.


More Than a Week

From the outside, a Vision Trip may appear short-term from the outside. On the ground, it tells a different story.


This week in Santiago revealed the strength of long-term partnership. José and Gislaine continue this work every day. The local church continues to serve its community. The students who engaged this week will carry those conversations forward.


The team’s role was to step into that ongoing work, strengthen it, and return home with a clearer understanding of how God is moving.


Moving Forward

This trip strengthened more than a single community. It equipped leaders. It deepened conviction. It reinforced the value of consistent, relational ministry.


As SportQuest continues to build partnerships in places like Chile, the focus remains clear. Invest in people. Strengthen local leadership. Create environments where faith becomes real and active.


This is how Kingdom impact multiplies. Through faithful, ongoing work that multiplies over time.


Take the Next Step

Organizations do not need to build something from scratch to engage in meaningful global impact.


SportQuest Vision Trips create a clear pathway for teams to step into established, trusted partnerships like the work in Santiago. Your team can serve alongside local leaders, invest in real relationships, and return home with a deeper understanding of how faith becomes active in everyday life.


If your organization is exploring how to engage your people in hands-on mission, we invite you to start the conversation.


Learn more about hosting or joining a SportQuest Vision Trip contact Jacob at jacob.susud@sportquest.org.

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Serving Side by Side

August 12, 2026
The 2026 Panama Vision Trip Fifteen Betenbough team members, representing five families, traveled to Panama City for a week that brought them into classrooms, onto athletic fields, and alongside local churches and families. Led by SportQuest leaders Jacob Susud and Becky Bowden, the team served alongside local leaders Cesar and Irela Rodriguez and Kike and Zuleyka Catalan. These families have spent years investing in students, athletes, schools, and churches throughout Panama City. The Betenbough team joined that ongoing work. Much of the week placed team members directly with young people. They visited elementary schools and high schools, shared Bible lessons and personal testimonies, led games, and talked with students about faith. Some students stayed after the lessons to continue conversations and spend more time with the team. Sports provided another point of connection. Team members joined local volleyball and soccer programs, helped with practices, encouraged athletes, and shared their testimonies. They also partnered with a local church for a community festival, spending time with children and families through games, activities, and conversations about the Gospel. Parents and children served side by side throughout the week, sharing their faith and working together in a culture different from their own. One moment brought the experience within the team into clear focus. During the trip, a Betenbough team member publicly declared their faith through baptism. The team celebrated together as someone who had traveled to Panama to serve took a significant step in their own faith. Throughout the week, Cesar and Irela Rodriguez and Kike and Zuleyka Catalan connected the team with the people and ministries they serve throughout Panama City. When the Betenbough families returned home, these local leaders continued the work they had invited the team to join. Take the Next Step SportQuest Vision Trips connect organizations and families with trusted local Partners around the world. Teams join ministry already underway, serve alongside local leaders, and build relationships across cultures. To learn more about hosting or joining a SportQuest Vision Trip, contact Jacob Susud at jacob.susud@sportquest.org .

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