One of the fundamental elements that we use in our ministry is adventure. We create environments in customized retreats that challenge participants to grow and learn through experiences that contain risk and challenge.
Our ultimate goal is for people to experience the abundant life in Christ. We dialogue with our participants about drawing life from the source. We strive to help them position themselves for vitality, live life together in relationships and community, pursue missional living, and ultimately bear fruit that will last.
Those who come to El Refugio are not spectators. They are pushed to engage fully and reflect on what they’re going through and are challenged to apply what they are learning to their daily lives, drawing more deeply from the source: their Creator.
The majority of the participants that come to El Refugio throughout the year are Ecuadorians who take part in our retreats. Groups contact us, we ask questions to understand the dynamics of the group and understand what their goals are. We then design a program for that specific group, taking into consideration who they are, how long they’re staying, and what activities will best accomplish their goals.
The progression of most retreats we create starts with team-building games, ice-breakers, and mixers. We test the team with a few challenging activities and then move on to our low ropes course. Continually taking time to reflect on their experiences throughout the day, from our low ropes course challenges we often move on to the high ropes course. In addition to our ropes courses, we have an outdoor rock climbing wall, a zipline, and other individual events that involve leaping or dropping from significant heights. These are all designed and used in combination to enhance the impacting experience of the participant.
We have observed that when you get people in a setting outside of their comfort zone, challenge them, and then help them to process the experience, amazing growth takes place. We hope to see leaders leading better, relationships with Christ deepened, churches renewed, and outdoor adventure ministry multiplied throughout Latin America.
