Updates from October 24 – November 1, 2026 Trip
The team’s journey began with a long flight to Miami and then on to Chile. After missing a connection, Cedric (age 8) and his family stayed an extra day in a Miami hotel before continuing. Once in Chile, an Uber brought them to Casa Esperanza (House of Hope). On the way, Cedric, his brother, and their dad saw the Andes for the first time—giant mountains with snow-covered peaks.
At the House of Hope, Cedric quickly improved at foosball and became one of the strongest players. He taught Lucas, a Spanish-speaking boy, how to play and spent lots of time playing games with other children who spoke only Spanish. One evening he sang to God and learned that God wants people to treat their neighbors fairly and with love, just like the Good Samaritan. The next day he played with the guard dogs Kaiser and Nala, enjoyed more foosball, and helped Lilo cut foam insulation and install it on the ceiling of the new education building while standing on the high scaffolding. After lunch it began hailing. The dogs were outside as usual; Kaiser slipped out of the fence but returned just in time before the hard hail arrived. Loud thunder made Cedric’s ears hurt.
In the second half of the first week the team visited Colegio Lautraru, a school in La Pintana that serves children and young adults with special needs. Lilli, a graduate of the House of Hope, works there as a teaching assistant, giving the group a special chance to see another way Casa Esperanza is impacting lives. They toured five vocational workshops for students ages 16–26 who have language impairments and intellectual disabilities. The workshops teach practical skills in woodworking, leather crafting and heat-transfer printing, sewing, culinary arts, and making molded products such as candles and plastic crafts. These programs help prepare the students for life after school by teaching them a trade, building useful skills, and giving them meaningful work.
Cedric especially wanted to buy one of the paw-print candles after Mario (the team’s translator, driver, and buddy for the week, who is also courting one of the girls) pointed out that it looked like a wolf’s paw. Normally the school sets up sales tables in the courtyard, but heavy rain was forecast so the tables were not put out. The group went back through the school to ask if they could still purchase some of the students’ work and were glad to support what the young people were learning and creating.
Tía Judy and the Harris family bought a new 75-inch television for the living room. Getting it home turned into quite an adventure: four people, one escalator, one very small elevator, a tiny car with a roof rack, two ropes (one of which kept splitting), a sheet of plastic, and a lot of prayer. Once the TV was safely installed, the girls had fun setting it up and exploring its features—including a built-in AI that speaks with an accent and the ability to control the set with voice commands. The girls also noticed several things around the house that needed attention, and David repaired a number of hinges and drawers.
David and the boys gave a Boy Scouts presentation for the whole group. Two other Scouts joined in: Kerry, a former U.S. Boy Scout, and Gloria, who had been a Scout in Colombia.
Work continued on the insulation in the new Education Building. In her usual fearless style, Lilo finished the last of the ceiling insulation while balancing on her tiptoes at the top of the scaffolding, using a scrap of wood to nudge the pieces into place. Cedric and Alastar each decorated an insulation tile with a Bible verse they remembered, and those tiles were installed in the ceiling. By the end of Friday, all of the insulation and the framing for both the garage door and the exterior door had been completed.
On Friday, Kit, the Harris family, and Estefanía’s family took the metro to the National Zoo of Chile in Santiago. The children found new stuffed animals to bring home. The group rode the cable car to the top of San Cristóbal Hill and returned by funicular. The beautiful views from the summit were a clear reminder of the God of Wonder. That evening after dinner, Valentina (Esmerelda) shared her painful and beautiful testimony.
On Saturday, children from a nearby orphanage visited Casa Esperanza. They were welcomed with games, candy, chili, fudge, and plenty of fun. Activities included blowing up and launching balloon rockets (and getting dizzy in the process), arts and crafts, games of “Keepy Uppy” (thank you, Bluey!), volleyball, and basketball, followed by a shared meal and prayer.
During the week, maintenance was also performed on the girls’ computers that had been installed on a previous trip two years earlier. One, and possibly two, additional computers were brought back into working order for the girls.
Saturday evening the team joined in a celebration of sixteen wonderful years of Casa Esperanza. The festivities included a delicious cuatro leches cake topped with meringue—a joyful opportunity to give thanks for all that God has done through this ministry and the many lives that have been touched.
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
(Compiled from updates from Sarah… “Thank you, Sarah!”)
Photos and videos from the second half of the week
Want to go Next Time?
We are going to Chile next Spring. Join Us!