Ecuador Missions Adventure

Day 1

Your group will take a flight into Quito, Ecuador, where your Joshua Expeditions guide will meet you at the airport. You will then transfer by bus to your mission home and have a time of orientation and group devotions before retiring for the night.

Days 2-5

Throughout this week you will have opportunities to work with many different people from the Quito area. You may be able to offer Vacation Bible School to Quito residents or you could find yourself working in a center for homeless children, often ranging in age from newborn to 13 years. Many of these children have been orphaned or abandoned, and a significant percentage has special needs. Your ministry may include serving meals, folding clothes, or offering sports camps to these very special children, There could be opportunity to work with a local church on a continuing construction project or help with cleanup tasks and painting efforts in the community. These opportunities will allow you to interact with Quito residents and display your faith through your work.

Each afternoon the group will head to a local mission site like an orphanage or maybe the city dump, which hundreds of Ecuadorians call home and where you will be able to share the love of Christ as you interact with the inhabitants of this area. There will be more opportunities to play games, make crafts and share the Gospel with community residents, and sports camps could be useful in your ministry to the children. Your evangelistic efforts will provide much-needed hope, and you will be equally blessed by the friendships you make over these four days. Each evening will close back at your mission base with a devotional time to reflect on the relationships you build during the week.

Day 6

On this day your group will have the chance to explore the city of Quito and all it has to offer. How would you like to stand on the line that divides the world and then jump from one hemisphere to another? Your group will visit Mitad del Mundo, the Middle of the World monument, as well as Colonial Downtown Quito and the local market before closing the day with dinner and devotions.

Day 7

This morning your group will travel by bus to Otavalo, where the beauty is found in its people: the Otavalo Indians and their marketplace. The drive will take you through Andean passes and valleys to the town of Otavalo, located two hours north of Quito. You will travel over the equator and past such gems as the snow-covered Cayambe Volcano and Lake San Pablo. Otavalo's people are famed worldwide for their traditional Andean music as well as their fine handmade textiles, and the market virtually fills the town, overflowing from the central town square. You will see woolen goods, tapestries, jewelry, ponchos, unique handmade clothing, and Panama hats (which all come from Ecuador). The motto here is: the more you buy, the lower the price! Your tour of Ecuador will conclude with devotions at your hotel.

Day 8

Your group will depart for the airport and your flight home after a life-changing experience in Ecuador.