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Writer's pictureTS Ashley Milne

David Alwyn Jones - Chile




DAVID ALWYN JONES November 25, 1932 - August 20, 2013

HORIZONS missionary magazine was first launched in Sept-Oct 1969 by a number of missionary-minded brethren in the Vancouver area, among whom were Bill Funston, the editor at the time and our brother Leslie Jones, father of our brother David Alwyn Jones.

David was a faithful supporter, encourager and contributor to HORIZONS. He wrote an article for the very first issue in September 1969 and continued every year since then, (forty-four years) with reports of the work of the Lord in the land of Chile, right up until the last issue, in the Spring of this year, where he wrote expressing appreciation for those who were upholding him in prayer and said, "We thank God for enabling us to reach this milestone."

He will be greatly missed both at home and abroad. We extend our deep condolences to the family.

T.S.A.M.

David Alwyn Jones passed into the presence of his Lord in Langley, B.C., on August 20, 2013, after a battle with cancer. He was born in Winnipeg to parents David L. & Mary Jones and moved to Vancouver when he was fifteen. He worked in the Canadian National Telegraph office before becoming an Air Traffic Controller at Vancouver International Airport.

He was married to Evelyn Lowry in 1954 and in 1959 obeyed the call of God to missionary service with the Brethren Assemblies in Chile where they both served faithfully for many years. A man of prayer, David impacted many thousands of lives with his preaching of the Gospel and teaching of the Scriptures, publicly in local churches, tent meetings and plazas, on daily radio broadcasts, for fifty years, and in more recent years with his on-line meditations.

Evelyn passed away in 2009 and David later married Margaret Ronald, a fellow missionary to Chile, and continued to serve together until coming back to Canada in June, 2013, due to his health.

David became part of a missionary prayer time in the home of Bill Funston. If no missionary was visiting the city at the time, people were asked to research and report on a country. David was asked to report on Chile and the seed for full-time work began to sprout. Later, William McBride, a missionary to Chile, visited Vancouver and, in conversations with David, the call was strengthened. They prayed for some indication from God as they had now purchased a home and their first daughter was soon to be born. They made their desire known more widely and arranged to go. To pay for the boat fare to Chile, they would first have to sell the house and would feel confirmed if the house sold. If it did not sell by the end of August, they would take it off the market and wait. On August 30th the house sold so they obeyed the different indicators God had given and left home, loved ones, and job security. With their one-year old Kathy in tow, they arrived November 14th, 1959 at the port of Valparaiso, Chile.

His impact on the work, over fifty-four years has been transformational. He sat under the tutelage of pioneers like Bill McBride and Eliecer Parada as he mastered Spanish and Chilean culture. Gospel meetings were held, people were saved, new works planted, assemblies began, resources created, and national full-time workers were discipled and commended.

David and Evelyn went on to have three more children, all born in Chile. Initially settling in Talca, he worked intensively in summer tent campaigns and saw an assembly formed in Curico. They later moved to San Felipe where he helped to develop the San Felipe and Santa Maria assemblies.

He was an innovator, developing a daily radio broadcast that ran for fifty years and for many years was national. During the past decade his sphere of influence widened by actively using social media to impact people with daily meditations, going to thousands of subscribers worldwide, as well as a Sunday School Lesson resources website - all in Spanish and English.

In June 1973, due to limited educational opportunities in Chile and the importance of education for their teenage children, David and Evelyn temporarily relocated back to Vancouver. His passion for the work of the Lord never wavered so when he was not commuting to Chile, he was very active in ministry in Newfoundland, Washington, and Greater Vancouver, including championing the Gospel booth at the Pacific National Exhibition.

When their children graduated from high school, both David and Evelyn returned to Chile full-time and continued serving and sacrificing as their family grew, back in Canada, with marriages and then grandchildren. A man of prayer, David impacted many thousands

of lives with Gospel preaching and teaching of the Scriptures, which he loved to do. As time passed, he became an elder father figure, investing and developing young men, as well as leaders and assemblies relying on his words of advice, teaching, and spiritual wisdom. He was an anchor for many because of his interest and passion for building into their lives.

In January 2009, Evelyn was taken suddenly in a car accident that resulted in a time of testing for the family. He believed he was spared because his work was not complete. In May 2010, David married Margaret Ronald, a fellow missionary, and together continued to serve, even during his battle with cancer. Despite his aggressive cancer and pain, he lived out and shared his Christian faith with doctors and hospital staff. Chile was his home and they adopted him as one of their own and he them. Desiring to keep serving until the Lord returned or took him home, the concept of "retirement" was never in his vocabulary. There was too much work still to be done. A Chilean brother posted, "Many congregations mourn his absence, starting with the saints of San Felipe and Santa Maria. The current generation of believers is putting into practice what they have learned from him and, with the help of the Lord, we are prepared to fill the void this great man of God is leaving."

He frequently commented that one of his deepest joys was that his four children were all saved and, along with their spouses, active in local churches. Right to the end he was actively praying the same for all his grandchildren. He was an anchor for many people because of his interest in and passion for building into their lives. He will be remembered as a generous and discerning man of God who served with boundless energy and a smile on his face, along with a forgiving spirit and a strong ability to love.


Summer 2013

Written by The Jones Family - Chile



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