As we sat around the table, I reflected on how special it is to be able to “break bread” with some of my favorite people in the world. Being able to share this meal in Windsor, Colorado, with Kimberly and our three youngest children was a special treat. As they dished out food to a group of hungry Indian, Kenyan and Rwandan kids, their joy was evident too. Then, of course, there was the pleasure of seeing our friends, Mike and Christa, and their fantastic team, including Sylvia, one of our staff members serving alongside them this year.
This meal was super special because we were also joined by Paige Steele. Paige is one more shining example of God leading the right person, to the right position at the right time—for His glory and our good!
More than a year ago, Paige was working in Boston, Massachusetts, as a healthcare Information Technology contractor when she listened to a podcast from Red Rocks Church in Denver, Colorado, a church she had previously attended.
She was encouraged by Pastor Shawn Johnson’s message about the woman at the well, in John chapter four, and how he had been touched by an experience during his recent trip to Hope Haven Rwanda. God used that message to stir up feelings that Paige had been wrestling with for years.
Many centuries earlier, during a significant speech that the prophet Samuel delivered, he reminded the Israelites to remain true to their heritage: “But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you” (1 Samuel 12:24).
Paige was reared in a Christian home in Iowa and her maternal grandmother was especially influential in her spiritual growth and interest. According to Paige, “In the past, even though I was excelling by society’s standards, I struggled with career fulfillment…I want to be His disciple first and foremost.” It wasn’t long before she reached out to Hope Haven to see what it would look like to volunteer in Rwanda.
Following two volunteer assignments in Rwanda, Paige was hooked! “I really trust that God’s plans for me are better than anything I could fathom and that he’ll always take care of me whether it’s financially, physically, emotionally, whatever. Matthew 6:25-34 and Matthew 6:19-20 have been life verses for me in adulthood,” she reflects.
“I realized that I was being called to something greater and the more I sought Him, the more discontent I felt in my current job. When the opportunity arose to come on board full time for Hope Haven Rwanda, it was a no-brainer.”
Not only did she fall in love with the kids, and experience the fulfillment of service to others, Paige recognized that God has been preparing her for this adventure for quite some time: “In hindsight, I can see that there were events and people that God used to lead me to Hope Haven, and that it took time, but now it’s really quite cool to look back on and now go “ah-ha,” that was all part of His master plan.”
God eventually led Paige to join our team as a full-time Project Manager. She now oversees our intern program and is managing all aspects of our relational investment program, The Kugaba Initiative.
Paige continues, “I’m so honored that He chose me for this position. Because God brought me here, I trust Him even more, and I’m fired up to watch the rest of His plans unfold and get to be part of it in such a cool and ‘perfect-for-me’ way.”
Today, you can find Paige “serving with all of her heart.” She engages with our Rwandan staff, students and families, invests in deep relationships with our interns and builds bridges of hope between Americans and Rwandans. For Paige, it is a dream job that allows her to flesh out the scriptural principles that she has embraced—storing up treasure in Heaven and working for eternal impact!