Matthew & Elvia Tinney

Matt and Elvia Tinney live and serve in the coastal farming community of Santa María, just south of the new municipality and rapidly growing city of San Quintín in Baja California Norte, Mexico. Santa Maria is home to many families who work in the surrounding agricultural fields and fishing trade. Life here is marked by resilience, hospitality, and a deep sense of community—making it a joy and privilege for Matt and Elvia to call it home.

Originally from San Diego, California, Matt and Elvia have long-standing ties to the region. Elvia first visited Santa María over 45 years ago, translating for medical teams. Today, she uses her experience as an ER nurse at Sharp Coronado Hospital to care for her neighbors with compassion and skill. Matt brings over 30 years of experience in the IT industry, where he worked in outside technical consultative sales. Together, they now offer relational presence, practical help, and biblical encouragement to those around them.

Their ministry focuses on loving their neighbors through discipleship, mentoring, and mercy ministries. They serve a diverse population of indigenous migrant workers from Oaxaca, Veracruz, Sinaloa, Guatemala, and Haiti—many of whom speak only their native languages. This cultural richness brings both challenges and gospel opportunities as they build trust and share Christ’s love.

Matt and Elvia partner with several nearby churches and their leaders—working together in discipleship, mercy ministry, and outreach—while praying for unity and gospel renewal throughout the region. Their mercy ministry efforts—such as providing after-school support (future), visiting families in need, or coming alongside the sick—are always done in relationship with the local church, so that physical care flows naturally from the spiritual heart of the community. Their home sits on a dusty road next to the local preschool and elementary school, providing natural opportunities to serve students, parents, and teachers. Many children return home to empty houses while parents work long hours in the fields, so Matt and Elvia are exploring ways to offer after-school support and care.

Looking ahead, their prayer is not only to support existing churches, but to till the soil for a future church plant—one that is Bible saturated, gospel-centered, rooted in the culture of the community, and led by local believers. Their desire is to see disciples of Jesus formed who will multiply, making more disciples throughout the valley. 

They invite you to pray with them—that God would use their lives in Santa María to exalt the name of Jesus, strengthen the local church, plant a new church, and bring gospel transformation to the San Quintín Valley.