Mark made his first trip to Honduras in 1999 and his life was altered forever. The next few years, while working as the Youth Minister at the Homewood Church of Christ, he was given an opportunity to begin leading trips with fellow board member Tim Hines. In 2004-2007, Mark and his wife, Lori, were able to spend 3-4 months a year serving alongside all the various mission teams as TORCH grew from a few weeks each year to a full summer of service in Honduras. In 2008, the Connell’s moved to begin living and working in Tegucigalpa, Honduras as full time servants and continue until this day. Mark’s pride and joy are his 5 grandchildren, of which 4 have been on multiple trips to serve alongside Pops and Lola.