Mark Rediscovered Connection, Community, and a New Hope in Christ
“Together, we make Christ real to those who don’t yet know the power of his love.”
This is how Joni Eareckson Tada has summed up the work of Joni and Friends. We see it unfold at Retreats & Getaways every year. And it’s especially poignant at our Warrior Getaways, where Jesus leads Veterans from the nightmare of post-traumatic stress into the healing journey of post-traumatic growth.
Just look at what happened when Mark, a United States Marine Corps Veteran, encountered Christ in a whole new way…
A Young Marine on a Dangerous Path
Mark enlisted in the Marines at 17 years old, stepping into boot camp just ten days after graduating high school. The following year, he deployed to Fallujah, Iraq, as a tank driver on an M1A1 Abrams battle tank, running multiple missions a day.
Though protected inside the tank, Mark wasn’t immune to the violence of war. His tank hit multiple explosive devices, but in the thick of combat, there was no time to process the dangers that surrounded him. His training had equipped him to focus on survival, mission objectives, and protecting his unit. The trauma was real, just hidden, compartmentalized, and locked away.
Coming Home to a Nightmare
When Mark returned to civilian life, he found that he was no longer the same person as before his deployment. Everyday interactions unlocked haunting memories and flashbacks for him and nightmares ravaged his sleep. While on the outside he appeared unharmed, internally he began to unravel.
In desperation, Mark turned to drugs. What started as an escape hatch from his torment soon turned into full-blown addiction. He became dependent on cocaine and amphetamines, eventually resorting to IV drug use. Mark lost his job and began selling drugs to sustain his addiction.
But Mark’s destructive lifestyle caught up with him when a seemingly routine traffic stop by the Los Angeles Police Department turned out to be a well-planned joint task force sting operation, and Mark’s car was loaded down with drugs.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you…” Ezekiel 36:26
What followed was a brutal cycle—court hearings, rehabs, PTSD symptoms, relapse, repeat… Not to mention the overwhelming and looming threat of a life sentence in federal prison. But in time, Mark made a different choice, leaning on Jesus Christ to get clean. That’s when he came to a Wild Ops Getaway, which, like our Warrior Getaway, serves Veterans, but is designed specifically for combat Veterans (as opposed to entire families).
At our Wild Ops Getaway, Mark rediscovered what his soul was longing for: connection, community, and a new hope in Christ.
As he listened to the stories of other Veterans and bravely shared his own, God moved powerfully in his heart. Mark’s faith was reignited.
Overflowing with Hope
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope…”
Romans 15:13
Today, Mark serves as a licensed clinical mental health and addictions counselor, going into county jails to minister to inmates walking the same dark path he once knew. Knowing firsthand what it means to overflow with hope, he shares the joy and peace of Christ with others.
Right now, countless children and adults living with disability remain hopeless without Jesus. But your support can change that. You can be the vessel God uses to reach a weary Veteran, a struggling caregiver, or a child with a disability who just needs to know they’re not alone.
Support Joni and Friends
Your gift today will make Christ real to the people in desperate need of hope!
