Pastoral Support
Everybody has a role in the ministry. Witnessing and serving the people is a way of life for the Jones & Stoll families. They have been building loving relationships with the indigenous people of the region their entire lives. They frequently hike into the mountains to find new families and groups in the rugged mountains. They will witness to them, which is a slow process because of the mistrust that has been part of the mountain culture for decades. The Jones family came to Costa Rica in the 1950’s to learn the language and to live and work among them. Over the past 50 years, they have built a close relationship and trust that would be impossible for a visiting mission team to create. Now the Jones family has grown to include four (4) generations, and Joel Stoll married into the family and has been a blessing in many ways. They all travel into the mountains to teach and share the Gospel message, sometimes as a group, but often alone or with one of their children.
| Ministry Need: | Prayer for the Gospel, Safety (snakes & travel) |
Shelter & Temporary Housing
Daily life for our mission brothers and sisters is a continuous pouring out of love, compassion, and support. When visiting them, it is not uncommon to go to bed at night and wake up to find half a dozen Cabécar sleeping around the house. They open up their homes and witness to them in all that they do.
When there are medical emergencies, they drop everything to get them to the hospital in the nearest city, which takes hours on poor roads in rugged terrain. When there are are long-term illnesses, they allow them to stay in temporary housing on the property. Over the years, they have build several shelters for transient people as they travel in and out of the mountains. They have been blessed with several acres that are used to farm coffee, which allows them the space to build family shelters to meet these needs. The farm also provides an opportunity to provide work opportunities for some Cabécar who have trouble finding regular jobs.
| Project Lead: | Joel Stoll (Construction Lead), All |
| Supported by: | Rebekah Stoll, Mark Jones, Andrew Jones |
| Project Needs: | Building supplies for family shelters. $2,000 per shelter provides building materials, electrical and plumbing. |
Safety & Infrastructure
Over the years many people have been injured or died travelling in the rough terrain. One of the greatest hazards is river crossings. Since it is a tropic rain forest, there are times when the water gets very deep and rapid. The indigenous people are very resourceful and have created log crossings and vine bridges, which can be functional, but not particularly safe.
Joel Stoll, trained in construction, has taken a keen interest in making improvements to the infrastructure for river crossings. He started by assisting David Jones and others on some larger projects in the region, and has lead some projects of his own. He has worked to organize workers and resources to build and maintain cable crossings (zip-lines not for tourists) and foot bridges.
Some of the projects get funding from government and other groups, but they are just for the materials. They team is still responsible for some of the materials, food and equipment, travel expenses, and their time. It is a lot of hard work, but in the end, knowing that some lives may be saved is worth the investment.
| Project Leader: | Joel Stoll & Others |
| Supported By: | David Jones, Andrew & Levi Jones, & Others |
| Project Needs: | Prayer and any financial help |
