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 designed to serve, to learn, and to support the work already established through trusted local partners.
From the first day, the team did not operate as a separate group. They integrated into the rhythm of ministry already taking place 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 reflected trust forming in a place where trust is not easily given.
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 were not just activities. They created a setting where trust formed quickly. Students engaged, asked questions, and opened conversations about faith and purpose.
What stood out was not performance, but connection.
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 extended 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 work required effort, coordination, and shared ownership. 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 continue long after the trip ended.
A Clear Reminder of What Matters
Throughout the week, one theme remained 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. Seeds were planted. Conversations carried weight. Growth happened on both sides of the partnership.
One student’s simple statement captured it well: “God protects.” That truth reflected 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.
What began as a week of serving became a process of growth.
One team member shared that she believes her presence on this Vision Trip was part of God’s specific plan. 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 is not finished, 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 can look like a short-term effort. 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 grows. 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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