Vision Trip 2026 Recap

In April 2026, twelve encompassKids supporters traveled to South Africa to see firsthand how your kindness and generosity are helping rebuild lives, strengthen families, and create opportunities for children and youth to flourish.

Six came from Holland, Michigan, and six from Cincinnati for Vision Trip 2026. Together, they stepped into the communities, schools, and homes where your kindness is helping children and families build stronger, brighter futures.

You may know the words Jesus spoke to two of His first disciples: “Come, and you will see.”

SEE PICTURES OF THE VISION TRIP HERE

Throughout the trip, there was so much to see—lives changing, families growing stronger, and moments the travelers wished they could have brought home to you.

One of their first stops was Soweto, a community whose young people rose against apartheid in 1976. Today, through the faithful support of friends like you, a new generation is rising in a different way: toward identity, character, and faith in Christ.

There, the travelers spent several days with encompassKids’ partner Courage Youth, sitting with Life Coaches and meeting Learners. These Learners are young people like Wiseman. You may remember his story… Wiseman fled Mozambique as a teenager and escaped the mines. Today, through Courage Youth and the support of friends like you, he is a leader at his school and growing in his walk with Christ.

Story after story like his showed the travelers how a ministry that began as HIV prevention in a single school has grown into whole-person formation reaching schools across Soweto.

As one traveler reflected: “For anyone who wonders, ‘Where is my money going?’ this is one place where I can say with complete confidence that every single dollar helps…. The Courage Youth leaders are so dedicated. They love what they are doing, and it was amazing to witness.”

The journey continued to Botshabelo, where the travelers visited encompassKids’ partner Setshabelo Family & Child Services.

There, they saw another powerful expression of what your kindness is making possible. The ministry began in the early 2000s as a daycare for children orphaned by AIDS. Today, because of friends like you, SFCS walks alongside children and families through adoption, foster care, family preservation, and support for survivors of abuse.

The travelers heard about one mother who had been fined because her four children were not attending school. But the reason was painfully simple: she could not afford the uniforms they were required to wear.

It was one small glimpse into the complicated challenges families face… and the many practical ways SFCS steps in to help.

The travelers also visited the Safe House, opened in 2023, where mothers and children in danger can find safety, shelter, and care. It is part of the work SFCS now carries out across 35 communities in the Free State.

Just as meaningful as everything they witnessed was the fellowship they shared along the way. 

As encompassKids board member and trip leader Zeke Swift reflected, the group “gelled” from the moment the Holland and Cincinnati travelers met in Atlanta. Those friendships deepened through long hours in the vans, shared meals, and daily study and reflection.

The experience also changed the way travelers saw their own lives back home: “You come home so thankful. It was life-changing to see their joy and happiness, even in such difficult circumstances. The little things that used to bother me don’t seem to matter anymore.”

Because of your kindness and support, the work they witnessed continues every day. Children are finding families. Young people are discovering hope and purpose. Mothers are finding safety. And communities are growing stronger. 

Thank you for being part of this life-changing work, 

~ Andrew