Day 1

Fly 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.

Day 2

Throughout this week you will have opportunities to work with the children of Quito through Vacation Bible School and activities designed to share the love of Christ. Each afternoon the group will head to the Quito city dump, which hundreds of Ecuadorians call home. You will find unique opportunities to display your faith as you interact with the inhabitants of this area.

Day 3

Your ministry will continue this morning with the people in and around Quito. You may 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 work at the center may include serving meals, folding clothes, or simply playing with these very special children! In the afternoon you will return to the site of Quito’s city dump to continue your evangelistic efforts to the homeless before closing the evening with a time of shared devotion.

Day 4

Today you might be able to work with a local church on a continuing construction project or help with cleanup tasks and painting efforts. These opportunities will allow you to interact with the members of the community and display your faith through your work. You may also have an opportunity to hold VBS or a sports camp for local children. Sports camps will also be useful in your ministry to the children living in the city dump. Your afternoon will give you ample opportunities to deepen the relationships you build over these few days.

Day 5

On this final day of ministry to the locals in Quito, you may find yourself working in the homeless shelter, assisting with meal service or maybe helping in the warehouse. At the Quito city dump there will be more opportunities to play games, make crafts and share the Gospel with the people who call the area home. Your evening will close with group devotions and a time to reflect on the relationships you build during the week.

Day 6

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

Day 7

Today you will travel by bus to Otavalo, where the beauty is found in its people: the Otavalo Indians and their market. The drive will take you through Andean passes and valleys to the town of Otavalo, 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 final evening in Ecuador will conclude with devotions at the hotel.

Day 8

After this eye-opening experience in Ecuador the group will fly home!