CENTRAL ACTS – October 2026

“I will never go on a mission trip, never, never. No, I’m not leaving the United States of America.”

This was the proclamation Dolores Jones shared with her late husband, Dr. Joseph A. Jones, Sr., when he asked her if she wanted to accompany him on his first mission trip to Nigeria. She kept her word that year with every intention of keeping it in the future. However, it wasn’t even a year later when her husband asked the same question – this time asking if she could preach. Dolores replied stating that while she may be tempted to accompany him, she didn’t feel qualified to speak. He insisted she pray about it. She agreed. And, after taking the matter to God, Dolores agreed to speak.

In Kenya, the hesitant Dolores was scheduled to preach every day at one of the local sites. It was uncomfortable. Not only was she speaking outside of her element, but she was also asked to give the appeal – a task she had never done before. When she brought her concern to her husband, he had a solution. Sitting down, he quickly wrote an appeal out for her asking her to simply read it. “So I read it,” she exclaimed, “and I was shocked to see all these people coming up, 145 people came up just at my site to be baptized.”

When Dolores witnessed what God did through her – a reluctant evangelist with a borrowed appeal – her mentality toward overseas mission shifted. “It just threw me,” she reflected, “And I said, ‘Wow, Lord, you really did want to use me. If I put an effort into it, maybe you’ll even use me more.’”

From that moment on, Dolores was hooked on mission work. She and her husband were asked to speak in many churches and communities worldwide and to bring volunteers and supplies along with them. Everywhere God called them, they would willingly and joyfully go. “It’s an addiction. That’s what it is,” she shared, “It’s a spiritual addiction—that you have to go. And you feel the urgency to go. And the desire to go. And God always opens the way to go.”

Then, calamity fell upon Dolores and her family. Dolores’s husband passed away. Subsequently, Dolores vowed that she would never go on a mission trip again. She was not interested in going alone.

After some time passed, a friend called Dolores asking why she hadn’t signed up to go on their next trip. She explained to him what had happened and how that had impacted her decision. “But did you pray about it?” the friend insisted.

“Of course not, no,” Dolores admitted, “Because I knew if I prayed, maybe the Lord will tell me, I need to go.”

And that’s just what happened. Again, Dolores felt the call to go despite her discomfort. She trusted that urge to do what God was calling her to do. In an answer to her prayers, nine other people who Dolores invited accompanied her on the trip. Since that time, Dolores has gone on many more mission trips with friends and family, and she has watched God continue to use her in powerful, unexpected ways.

Now, when opportunities arise to travel overseas to spread the gospel, Dolores doesn’t hesitate. It is her policy to always say yes to God, and she has seen Him find ways for her to go even when it seemed impossible.

Currently, Dolores serves in the Gift Planning Ministries Department of the Central California Conference, and she continues to brighten everyone’s day with her smile, her energy, and her love. While she enjoys her daily work, she is frequently invited to travel overseas to preach the gospel and to offer aid to struggling communities. On the cusp of her 82 nd birthday, Dolores recently returned from a three-week trip to Zimbabwe. Her joy upon her return is surpassed only by her love for Jesus and how He continues to bless her.

Dolores’s advice is to say yes to God no matter the circumstance. “It’s really amazing how God carries his work,” Dolores shares, “When he asks you to do something, he opens doors and provides for it to be done.”

■ By Kisa de Bruin

It was 1985 when Matthew Garcia, a freshman business major at Pacific Union College at the time, was asked to join the security department at Soquel Camp Meeting. Now, in 2026, Matthew continues returning year after year to work with his team. When asked what keeps him coming back, he replied, “We treat it like a family, and it is our mission field.”

Lieutenant Matthew Garcia, who currently serves in the Napa Valley police department, understands that a visible security presence goes a long way toward deterring potential dangers at a large gathering. As a co-leader of Soquel Security, he takes the safety of all attendees very seriously, continually increasing efforts to ensure all areas are secure. All team members are licensed to work security in the state of California. Through their peaceful and consistent presence, their rapid response to emergencies, and their assistance in difficult situations, they have been able to do their part to make camp meeting safe and welcoming for everyone.

Matthew’s passion for first-responder services began early in his college experience. He recalls standing on a lawn on the college grounds with a faculty member one day when a World War II-style siren sounded nearby. Moments later, he saw a firetruck rush by him with three firefighters hanging off the back, coats blowing in the breeze. Struck by the sight, he asked who these men were. The faculty member explained that they were volunteer firefighters who had signed up to provide immediate aid at the scene of an emergency whenever the siren sounded in the city of. Angwin, CA. Hearing the word “volunteer,” Matthew realized he could fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a firefighter while pursuing his degrees in business. Shortly after, Matthew signed up to become a volunteer member of Angwin’s Fire Department. His experiences with the fire department, and eventually ambulance services, ultimately impacted the trajectory of his career.

Over the years the security department at Soquel Camp Meeting has seen a lot of change, and through it all they developed a working environment that has grown into a family that takes time to celebrate each other. On the Wednesday before camp meeting last year, the security team gathered to commend each other for the years of service many personnel have given to camp meeting. Many have been serving for several years. Matthew shared that as their team expands, their family expands, and it is a privilege to share in the daily joys and sorrows of each other’s lives.

Though safety is the primary goal, Matthew and his team have always prioritized treating people with the love and grace of Christ in all circumstances. There was an incident one year where Matthew recalls being a part of a group that had to deal with a teenager who was causing trouble in the camp. Eight years after the incident took place, a man approached members of the security team asking if they remembered him. In their conversation, they soon found out that the individual speaking with them was the teenager they had addressed eight years prior. He shared with them that the way they treated him and handled his behavior as a teenager made such an impression on him that it prompted him to choose to become a minister. He thanked them for the way they impacted his life and shared that he had recently attended Andrews University and was working as a minister in the field.

For eight years, the team had no idea that they had such an affect on a young person’s life. Yet, as members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, they had always felt a strong call to create a missional mindset so that every encounter they have leads others a little closer to Jesus.

The Soquel Security team is marked by their consistent presence and their quiet commitment to representing Christ to the people they minister to throughout their experiences at Soquel Camp Meeting. Their unique ministry often sits on the periphery. However, over the years they have made lasting impacts on the people they have connected with.

■ By Kisa de Bruin