Ecuador is a beautiful and diverse country in the northwestern part of South America along the Andes Mountains. It is a democratic republic and a developing country dependent on its commodities such as petroleum and agricultural products. Spanish is the official language and is spoken by the majority of the population, though many indigenous languages are spoken as well.

Hacienda El Refugio is a 300 acre property in a country setting just north of Quito in the mountains. We are a training and retreat center which also functions as a camp and are uniquely positioned to reach the roughly 3 million people that live in Quito, 45 minutes away. Our mission is to facilitate a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ through nature and outdoor adventure. We offer a wide range of experiences, but always infuse outdoor adventure, rest and spiritual reflection, and purpose/direction into each of our customized experiences. Those experiences range from customized retreats to conferences, youth camps, internships, spiritual retreats, backpacking excursions, short term mission experiences, and community development.

As a Ministry Partner Site Host & Retreat Designer, you would use your abilities and experience to assist us in the following:

Position Title: Ministry Partner Site Host

• Develops a consistent relationship of support and care with one of our formal ministry sites, which would be one of the following:
• Calacalí - Working in conjunction with the local church & Education = Hope micro scholarship program 
• Oyacachi - Working with the local school, Church, and the Compassion feeding program
• El Chaco - Working in conjunction with the local Church in town
• Río Negro - Working in conjunction with the ministry of Casa Tao, focusing on helping young women coming out of vulnerable situations
• Rayocucho - Working in conjunction with a primary school in the town
• Cajabamba - Working in conjunction with Rescate Ecuador and the various indigenous communities surrounding the town
• Young Life Ecuador
• Care and Support of one of these ministry partners would consist of, but is not limited to:
• Regular visits of 1 to 3 days ranging from 4 - 8 times per year & potential stretches of up to 2 weeks spent in the community a few times per year
• On-going conversations in regards to effectiveness of our relationship and involvement of Short-Term Mission Groups, interns, staff, and others
• Inviting partners and their families to spend time at El Refugio, stepping away from their ministries to refresh and reflect
• Works in conjunction with the Community Development Team Lead to dialogue about needs and ways we can better serve and come alongside our ministry partners
• Acts as a catalyst in conjunction with community influencers to coordinate and implement initiatives in efforts to ensure that all have access to food, freedom, and forgiveness
• In seasons where we are hosting Short Term Mission teams, this individual would be encouraged to accompany teams to this particular ministry site, serving as a bridge when schedules and availability permits

Position Title: Retreat Designer & Host

General Description: The Retreat Designer & Host role is dedicated to guide and facilitate the process that groups go through as we design their customized retreat experience. This team member designs the experience, coordinates with the group leader(s), and executes the plan with each retreat group they lead. This requires consistent and proactive communication, care, and the end goal of facilitating a deeper relationship with Jesus through nature and outdoor adventure.

• Designs retreat experiences, ensuring that the design of the retreat is done in accordance with group goals and with the highest level of intentionality
• Facilitates groups while also also monitoring the quality and depth of the facilitation and ensuring that the facilitators are adequately prepared to execute the retreat experience in accordance with the design
• Acts as the ‘group host’ when assigned or volunteers
• Follows the rules and expectations of the ‘Pre, During, and Post’ process for El Refugio customized retreats
• Evaluates the retreat experiences, seeking out ways to evaluate the work of the hosts and facilitators and make improvements based on what is needed
• Develops programs including curriculum, methodologies, and people resources in conjunction with the Retreats Director
• Seeks out people resources (facilitators, interns, staff, etc.), based on program needs, design, and plans
• Looks for ways to evaluate the performance of our volunteer facilitators & interns with the objective to better what do and how we do it
• Creates resources to advance the development of our retreats, including but not limited to the following components: group reflections, activities, the training of volunteers and hosts, etc.
• Helps design new activities for use in conference settings, personalized retreats, solo retreats, etc.

*Please note: The Retreat Designer & Host role could have a focus in any one of the following three different areas—

1. Focuses on hosting and helping to design our ‘Adventure Retreats,’ which pertains more to team building, hiking, high ropes and low ropes through experiential education.
2. Focuses on hosting and helping design ‘Reflective/Spiritual Retreats,’ where individuals, couples, families, and smaller groups of friends would come for spiritual renewal, solo time, and facilitated reflection. 
3. Focuses on intern program involvement: discipling/mentoring interns (18 to 25 years old), potentially helping with teaching intern classes, coordinating or taking part in ‘student life’ type activities, etc.

Skills Needed: Willingness to learn Spanish and speak it comfortably; Communications, teaching, outdoor education, business, or comparable Bachelor’s degree preferred; Has a 'team player' attitude and works well with people of different ages, backgrounds, and cultures; and can effectively communicate and work with others.