Ten-year Reflection: Guest Writer: Janae Stevens

It was in the spring of 2012 while I was volunteering at my kids’ school that I looked at my close friend and told her I felt God was stirring something in my heart. There was something that was coming, and although I had no idea what that meant, I had begun looking into missions trips for my family. A few days later my friend told me about a trip to Ecuador that she and her husband had just started planning—a trip to meet up with old friends of theirs who were starting a mission in Ecuador. And so it was that 10 years ago we joined an amazing group of people on the Ecuador Vision Trip.

The city of Quito was a busy, chaotic place, and I was in awe of how many concrete buildings and houses were crammed into the hills and valleys, continuing on for as far as you could see. I fell in love with the ornate wooden doors and wondered about the lack of glass in so many windows. The people were dressed in brightly colored outfits, some wearing shawls, and many with the fedoras. Women worked with babies tied to their backs selling fruit piled high on tables, eggs carefully stacked, and raw chicken in buckets by the curb. It was beautiful, exciting, overwhelming, and sobering all at the same time.

We spent many days and traversed many miles on that first trip looking at different types of homes for children, from large-scale orphanages to after-school programs where children could fill their bellies and receive help with their homework. I loved meeting the children and trying to speak with them in my limited Spanish. They begged us to tell them the English version of their names and laughed heartily when we told them. Their bright smiling faces gave no indication of the hardships so many of them endured in the face of poverty. It made me think of 2 Corinthians 8:2 where Paul states, “They had suffered a great deal, but in their suffering, their joy was more than full.”

We traveled to the city of Cayambe with it’s stunning views and less hectic atmosphere, and it is there where we experienced first hand the difference each one of us can make in a child’s life. Sometimes we think the problems are too big or there are too many needs, but it was there that we realized even small amounts of effort grow into seemingly impossible opportunities. We saw the concrete frame of what would become the Santiago Partnership’s first medical clinic, and they treated us to warm lemongrass tea and a lively Ecuadorian concert in their church. We drove down the road to look at a property that had the potential to become the first children’s home. It was just a field but God had already planted the vision in the minds of those He had called. Well, maybe not my mind—I was still thinking it felt daunting!

When I look back at that first trip, I am amazed at the way God directed each and every step we took, the people we met, the plans set in motion, and, in the past 10 years, the many, many people who have helped take the Santiago Partnership from a dream to a reality. The first time I stood in front of the up and running children’s home, I had tears rolling down my face. It was incredible to see it in action, providing exactly what had been talked about and worked for in the countless hours of board meetings, planning committees, permits applied for, phone calls made, and so much more. To look a child in the eyes, to feel their little hand in yours, knowing they are in a safe place, getting the help that they need, it will literally take your breath away! It touches you deep in your soul in an indescribable way! God has used ordinary people to accomplish His extraordinary purposes in the past 10 years, and I look forward to what He has in store for the future of this amazing ministry!