Timothy & Elizabeth Jones
Timothy, grew up in the Chirripó or Duchi mountains. At a young age he knew that serving the indigenous people was what he was called to do. By living among the community, learning the language, trekking to places most of their own people wouldn’t travel, these mountains became his home and the people his family. Elizabeth, who is from these mountains, has a heart for her people. She knows the depths in which her culture suffers due to animistic beliefs.
Their blended family represents two cultures coming together to serve the LORD.
Other languages pass through their home, yet Cabécar and English are what they speak.
Some days they are sitting next to our open cooking fire; other days in their kitchen with the gas stove.
One day they’ll have homemade pizza and the next sweet banana mash or wild game.
Bible Translation
The translation is an integral part to the life of the church. It’s born out of theological needs of the church. The Cabécar church provides the testing ground for the translation.
FAQ
The New Testament was translated and in 2014 was published. Genesis through Ruth have been translated and small printings are done regularly. There are draft versions of some Psalms and Proverbs, the book of Malachi, Ecclesiastes, and 1st & 2nd Chronicles. We are currently revising 1st & 2nd Samuel and drafting Isaiah.
The Hebrew text is the primary text used for the Old Testament translation. Cabécar translators use Spanish translations for further reference.
Five translators. These vary in skillset. Some are for drafting, some for beta testing. Some excel in grammar, others in interpretation and biblical languages.
Yes. We work 8 to 5 and they receive a salary.
Our translators are based in different regions. To work they have to leave their families and farms. The office in Estrella allows some of them to go home on the weekends.
The hunger of the indigenous Church for the Scriptures is what drives the translation.
Caring for those in need
To loose the chains of injustice,
to set the oppressed free, to share your food with the hungry,
to provide the poor wanderer with shelter. Is. 58
There should be a distinction between the Cabécar church as a movement and the church we have at the main center. We have meetings every Wednesday where the New Testament is studied. Sundays we study the Old Testament books that have been translated.
These studies are especially directed to those staying in the shelter. This is often the only place they will hear of the Word taught this way. It’s also a place for open questions and discussions. People often come in need of prayer and encouragement.
As an integral part of our daily ministry we run a shelter for Cabécar travelers or families in need. Most of these families have medical emergencies, upcoming childbirths, or serious, long-term illness in the family. They need a place to live or camp close to the local clinic which connects them with the national health system. These families need somewhere to live within range of their villages 6 to 8 hours’ hiking distance away.
Bananas (green & ripe) and firewood are two things people need while staying in the shelter. The land we have is used to provide for these things for them during their stay with us. Elizabeth plants corn, beans, and other seasonal crops. Having pigs, chickens, sheep, horses, and cows is not only out of need to provide for our family but also for those in the shelter. As those from the shelter labor in community, we have the opportunity to disciple.
The children among these families are in need of basic education. So we provide a hybrid school program in their language. For these children, our main focus is teaching them to read and comprehend text. If they are enrolled in a school, their education is in Spanish which puts these children at a disadvantage.
Mentoring and Discipling
Teaching them to do everything I have commanded you. Matt 28.
There are many young believers who are desperate to understand the Scriptures. They are looking for direction in their lives. Out of this need we started native language biblical education. People from around the mountains come in for several days each month. We are currently going through Luke.
These studies are led by Timothy along with proficient students of the Scriptures–guys that are a part of church leadership or the translation work.
Elizabeth organizes the meals and logistics while actively recruiting new students.
We believe in hard work. We believe in leading through working together. The families staying in the shelter help with keeping up banana fields and clearing land for corn and bean fields. Raising animals is common practice for sustainability. This also provides a sense of dignity to those in the shelter. The animals raised are butchered with help from the families in the shelter. This reinforces community in service to one another.
There is no mentoring “program” or “method” which can compare to simply sitting by the cooking fire in someone’s home having a conversation. In the culture we serve, the kitchen, or more importantly the cooking fire in the kitchen, is the most intimate part of the family life. To be invited to sit by it, enjoy a coffee, and savor a sweet roasted banana is a privilege. Here is where discipling happens in a very real and raw fashion
Once or twice a year we host a week where families and individuals can come in to celebrate community through Scripture study and prayer. This is hosted at our center near the coast. Staying, eating, playing, and sharing together unites us as a church.
Several years ago we received a phone call from a public hospital, asking if we would take in a young woman whose family seemed as if they had forgotten her. This family comes from a difficult region where darkness and injustice reign. After two years living here with our community while receiving treatment, Evelyn and her extended family were told that she was untreatable and were advised to find the most peaceful place for her to die. The family requested to remain here during this time. Over these two years she has come to faith in Jesus and spends her time reading the Bible in her language. She recently got baptized before the church. It has been several months since she was taken off treatment, yet every day her complexion looks brighter. She has energy to care for her son and there is a general sense of peace in her.
As we look around, Evelyn’s story of grace seems to repeat itself in others.