There is some petty theft in Ecuador. However, we limit what we are carrying around to our water bottles, sweaters, a small bit of cash, etc. We do not bring passports or large amounts of cash, etc. around with us. If team members do bring any cash or cell phones with them while we are touring downtown, we advise them to keep it in a bag in front of them unless they need to take it out.

Yes, we will require each team member’s measles, mumps, and rubella shots to be up to date. Each member must also have their Hepatitis A/B vaccines (most receive this in grade 7) and their Tetanus vaccine. We also recommend you take altitude sickness prevention medication while on the trip to prevent sickness due to the high altitude we will be at in Quito. We will remind teammates of this requirement well before travel.

Yes! We will be running a kids' camp for a few days, a youth camp for a few days, and a women's service project.

The trip to Ecuador is approx. 10.5 hours including an approx. 2.5 hour layover.

The trip will cost approximately $3,000, but this will be confirmed in August. A $200 deposit will be due in August. The flight funds of $1,000 are due by the end of October. The remaining balance will be due 30 days prior to the trip.

Most definitely! Once we have confirmed the team, we will be sending out lots of information, including fundraising information. Once the $200 deposit is made, each teammate will receive information on how to setup their fundraising page.

US currency is used in Ecuador. The costs of the trip will already be changed into US currency. However, if you would like to bring spending money for gifts at the market, please ensure you bring the cash in US currency as we will not be stopping anywhere to exchange.

For the majority of the trip, the group will be staying in a safe hostel. We will also be staying in cabins within a resort area for a couple of nights.

Restrooms will be similar to the ones in Canada, however one rule in Quito is that toilet paper must be put in the garbage NOT in the toilet. Quito’s waste pipes are quite old and small, and it cannot handle even toilet paper.

Spanish. We will be doing some Spanish lessons to prepare the team with some basic phrases. Santiago Erazo, Samantha Erazo, and Mark Brown (who are fluent in Spanish) will be translating during the trip.

Get up and make some breakfast, get on the bus and head over to Carmen Bajo, help prepare food for the feeding program and setup for the kid’s program, run the children’s program/camp, serve lunch, eat a late lunch, do a couple of home visits, get back on the bus and head over to the equator, enjoy the tour at the equator, head out for dinner, return to the hostel, have debrief, sleep time!

We will be renting a tour bus with a driver to drive us around for the duration of our trip.

A packing list will be provided for the team in advance. Stay tuned.

We will be gone for 12 days (including travel) sometime between July 15 th and August 1 st . This will be confirmed when we buy our tickets at the end of October.

Grace Community Church has been sending teams to Ecuador for the past 16 years. Samantha Erazo has been on every team, first as a teen and has led the past few teams. Her husband Santiago Erazo is Grace and Fabian’s son (our partners in Ecuador) and spent all of his life in Ecuador. Other members of the team, Mark and Sandy Brown, Kylee Gault, and Cole Pilkey, have been to Ecuador and would love to chat about their experiences.

100%! We will be having team training meetings, team building, fundraiser planning, fundraisers, and program planning all before the trip! We will get to know each other a lot and build a strong friendship!

Yes, electrical outlets are the same as in Canada, and we will be in locations with running water. We will be drinking LOTS of filtered water (not tap water).

There will be wifi at the hostel. We will be sending a daily group update to all parents with comments from each teen. If parent’s need to connect with their teen or vice versa, they can connect with Kylee or Samantha. We want to disconnect as much as possible during this trip.

No, Canadian citizens do not require a Visa to enter Ecuador or any country we may enter for our layover. However, you MUST have an up-to-date passport. Your passport must be valid until AT LEAST February 2026 or later (6 MONTHS or more) from our possible return date of August 1st in order to leave Canada.