Mark’s Story…in his own words: “I was privileged to grow up in a pastor’s home under the godly leadership and counsel of Christian parents. It was through the wooing of the Holy Spirit that at the age of 12, coming home from Vacation Bible School, that God pricked my heart allowing me to see my need for him as a result of seeing the horribleness of my own sin. Upon arriving home from VBS I approached my father concerning my need and desire to give Jesus my life. My father then began to explain once again the beauty of Jesus and what He did for me through his death, burial, and resurrection. I then knelt by my father’s bedside and poured out my heart asking Jesus to take my life and make me His. It was in that moment when God Himself gave me the faith to believe in Him and restore my life to what He desires it to be which is a living billboard displaying Him to the world around me. When it comes to influencers toward missions, my wife, her parents, who are career missionaries, and the various mission trips I have led and participated in as a youth pastor for 11 years have been the major influencers toward my call into missionary service. God has used these special people and events to soften and burden my heart for people and the globe. This burden has deepened throughout my years as a youth pastor creating a thirst longing to be satisfied. It's a thirst to make God known throughout the globe by being a living billboard that puts Him on display.”

Andrea’s Story…in her own words: “Growing up in a Christian home as an MK, I was always surrounded by the Bible, church, serving God, etc. At the age of 9, I realized I had never personally made a salvation decision of my own. I pulled my older sister out of church, and she read to me from John 1:12. That night I believed on Jesus to be my Savior. I was baptized at the age of 11 while on furlough in 1982. However, the following 6 years I was plagued with doubts about my salvation. I did not have daily Bible study (even though I knew I should) and my daily walk with Christ was at best nominal. At the age of 15, in January of 1986, after more feelings of doubt about my salvation, I sat on another pew while my father was preaching deciding whether or not I was saved in the past. In that moment I was calling out to God to save me. I knew I needed Him to do it, because of Jesus’ work on the cross, and that I wanted to live my life for Him! From that point on my walk with Jesus really became personal. My Bible study began and I grew so much! As a junior in high school I believed God wanted me in full time ministry in some capacity, and as a result He led me to Cedarville University to prepare me for future ministry. I have always had a desire for the mission field, and have seen how God has used the past 10 years in youth ministry to prepare me for full-time missions. So, when my husband felt God's call on his life for missions I was ready to follow sensing the same burden as he.”

Mark and Andrea’s Story: Andrea and Mark met while members of the Cedarville University singing team called the Swordbearers. We traveled throughout the 1991-1992 school year and summer using that time to build our friendship which would grow into engagement and lead to marriage. Andrea graduated from Cedarville in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Mark graduated from Cedarville in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in Bible Comprehensive Studies with an emphasis in Christian Education & Youth.

The Jones’ Family Story: The Joneses consist of Mark, Andrea, and two boys, Grant (age 5) and Luke (age 3). Their family ministry passion is to Drop the Rock and Raise the Flag ‘declaring His glory among the nations’ (Psalm 96:3), specifically to the nation of Ireland.