Site: Chaco

Location of site: The Amazon rainforest

Primary Contact Person: Marcia Vaquero

Site Description: Small jungle town on the road to Lago Agrio. Normally 6 hours by bus from Quito depending on road conditions. We work with Marcia, who is a youth leader at a Covenant church in Chaco. Usually youth type events occur, construction and a bit of jungle hiking for fun.

Ministry Description: Options for ministry here are abundant. Marcia likes to take teams to smaller surrounding villages. We have gone into other small churches, schools, communities. Marcia wants to explore a home for mentally handicapped children. VBS, construction, sports style ministry, church services – pretty much everything is possible. Large groups work great here. There are sometimes basketball events on Saturday nights, and youth group occurs regularly. The numbers of people vary, but on a good night the youth group can reach up to 20.

Ministry Prep: The youth group in Chaco is into playing with guy/girl relationships. Games could be played pairing up guys and girls. Have fun, but know these are just games. Work clothes should be worn, as the jungle can be very muddy. Teams should be ready to run an entire church service – a message, testimonies, songs, dramas, the works.

Out of Quito Sites: There is one hostel in Chaco, and it is great. No hot water usually, but at $5 a night, it is a great deal. Food is all at Restaurant Irina in town at $2 a meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner. The bill can be paid at half up front, and half at the end, with a tip also. These are the prices you would pay, however if you come down on a mission trip with Quito Quest your expenses would be covered.