Ecuador

SHORT-TERM MISSION TRIP

Key Information

  • Ecuador is a beautiful country with majestic mountains, lush rainforests, and stunning waterfalls. You can expect to get to know Ecuadorians in both jungle and mountain villages where the legacy of Jim Elliot and others lives on in the hearts of these people who have experienced and committed to the Gospel.

  • October 28 – November 9 2025

  • Cost per person - TBD

  • Age Requirement: 13-65 years old*

    *Must be able to hike short distances

    Group Size: 10-15 people

  • One Collective (El Refugio)

    This is the same organization that the LIFT Program has partnered with for over 10 years and where we send LIFT students every year on their mission trip!

  • There will be several Zoom meetings with Rick Borman (our missionary host) for team orientation and planning outreaches.

    Recommended reading:  “Through Gates of Splendor” by Elisabeth Elliot

  • El Refugio is raising money for their John Deer tractor and some home improvements for Ron Borman’s jungle house base. Contact Tim Trezise to inquire about how to support these ministry needs.

    Click on the button in the "Mission Experience" section to email Tim.

What to Expect

  • Monet Goode

    FOUNDER

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • Emmett Marsh

    DESIGN DIRECTOR

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • Eleanor Parks

    SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

The Mission Experience

Ministry opportunities include:

  1. Traveling to villages to play games with villagers and share your story

  2. Helping with work projects like painting church exteriors

  3. We will visit unreached people groups in several villages to get to know them, hear their stories, and learn about their culture.   We will also look for opportunities to share our stories and faith, plant seeds of hope and life, and pray for them.

  4. Playing games with Cofan villagers

  5. Service Opportunities at El Refugio, such as remodeling and interior work on some staff housing units.

MEET YOUR TEAM LEADER

Tim Trezise

Tim is close friends with Rick Borman, founder of El Refugio.  Throughout the past 15 years, the Trezises have taken the LIFT students on many short-term mission trips to serve with Rick, and have also done some personal tourism and mountaineering in Ecuador. 

Rick Borman will take our team to a very remote jungle village, where you can participate and experience the legacy of his father, who was the first to bring the great news of Jesus Christ to the Cofan people during the same time that his friends, Jim Elliot and Nate Saint, were attempting to bring the gospel to the Waorani tribe. 

Come travel through the majestic and beautiful land of the Andes mountains and Amazon rainforest, share the love of Jesus, receive the warm hospitality of the Ecuadorian, Cofan, and Quichua people, and of course, eat some delicious empanadas and tropical fruits.

Memorable Moments

  • “I remember standing at the Cofan village gravesite where Rick and Ron Borman’s parents were buried and seeing on their gravesite, ‘Well done my good and faithful servant.’ That was a powerful moment for us.”

    — Marcos C.

  • “Our ‘shoeless’ morning spent with God on top of a hill with amazing views of the Andes mountains left me humbled that the God that created these mountains would spend time with me.”

    — Rich A.

  • “Hearing the villagers sing hymns that Rick Borman’s parents translated into the Cofan language was so impactful because I was witnessing the fruit of their lives and how God is praised in every tongue.”

    — John G.