Youth World Staff
Juan Carlos and Courtney Cevallos
El Refugio
Talk about an intercultural family… Courtney was born in New Jersey-USA , while Juan Carlos was born in Quito-Ecuador. Each one grew in our own worlds and met while finishing school at Columbia International University, South Carolina-USA. Courtney majored in Family and Church Education and Bible with a minor in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (key for communicating with Juan Carlos); while Juan Carlos majored in Youth Ministries and Bible with an emphasis in Outdoor Leadership. We got married in 2004 and soon after that we experienced life to its fullest serving at a camp in Costa Rica where Marli Ana was born in early 2005. Eighteen months later, in 2006 Lili Grace was born in Ecuador where we currently serve. So now we have an Ecuadorian dad, a North American mom, a Costa Rican older daughter and an Ecuadorian-North American-looking younger daughter. Immigration paperwork is fun anywhere we go. Today, Juan Carlos serves as full-time staff at El Refugio, training Ecuadorians to use the tool of adventure, outdoor leadership and high level rope techniques to reach the today’s youth, while Courtney serves as a soccer coach for the City of Quito. Even though this is Juan Carlos (and Lili’s) home country, God has made Quito a home for all four of us. We believe in today’s youth and we want to reach them with the unique tool of experiential, outdoor, sport, education.
Youth World
• Casilla 17-17-691 • Quito, Ecuador
• South America
tel +593 2 2255-254 • info@youthworld.org.ec