From delivering babies to training teachers, the Stahls’ ministry in South America has left a lasting impact on the communities they once lived and worked in.
Ferdinand and Ana Stahl had restless hearts.
They had built a successful health center in Ohio in the United States, but they believed God was calling them to a place where they were needed more.
So in 1909, they sold what they owned and traveled at their own expense to South America.
Soon they were high in the Andes of southern Peru, among the Aymara and Quechua people near Lake Titicaca.
Life there was harsh. Poverty was widespread, and many were suspicious of outsiders.
The Stahls began their ministry with service. They treated the sick, performed minor surgeries, and taught hygiene and sanitation. Ana worked especially among women and children, building friendships that strengthened the mission.
When Ana became critically ill with typhoid and wasn’t expected to survive, local believers nursed her back to health. She returned to her work with renewed determination.
Together, the Stahls established schools and trained indigenous teachers. Mission stations multiplied across the highlands, and within a few years, thousands had joined the church, and dozens of missionary schools were operating in the region.
But the Stahls didn’t remain in one place.
They moved deeper into the jungles of central Peru and later along the Amazon River, continuing their work in health, education, and faith.
Ana delivered babies, mentored young missionaries, and was affectionately known as “Mama.”
By the time poor health forced the couple to leave the mission field, they had laid a foundation that would endure long after their departure.
Where there had once been suspicion, there were now congregations. Schools were operating across the highlands, and indigenous leaders were carrying the work forward. Decades of service had changed the landscape of faith in southern Peru.
The Stahls came as strangers to the highlands, driven by restless hearts and an unseen call. They left behind something far greater than buildings or institutions—a living faith rooted in service, carried forward by the very people they had come to serve.
To read more inspiring stories of mission history, visit encyclopedia.adventist.org.
