Bio

Mark's family was first exposed to the Gospel when he was 12 years old, and his father was the first to accept Christ.

A few months later, while reading the Bible that his dad gave him, Mark came across John 3:16. He realized his need of a personal Savior and asked Christ into his heart.

After his freshman year of college, the Lord called him to preach, and he surrendered to foreign missions. The Lord later used an African missionary and a Cameroonian student to direct him toward the field of Cameroon.

Rachel was born into a Christian home, and she learned about God and His love at a very early age. While still very young, she made a profession of faith. Years later, not recalling the details of this profession, she began to have doubts. After months of struggle, Rachel placed her faith in Christ alone for salvation. Shortly after, she dedicated her life to the Lord's service. The Lord used missionary stories and biographies to burden her heart for missions. When Rachel was a freshman in college, the Lord used an article to direct her heart toward Cameroon.

When Mark and Rachel met, they realized that the Lord had placed the same burden on their hearts. They were married in 1992 and visited Cameroon, Africa, for four months in 1997. The visit confirmed their call to this field. For the next few years, while raising support and waiting for the Lord's timing to depart for the field, they stayed busy serving in various ministries. After much labor and preparation, they arrived in March of 2007. The Barillas are grateful to the Lord to be settled on the field of Cameroon. The Barilla's have three children, Joshua, Emily, and Kelsey.

To view Mark and Rachel Barilla's photo gallery, click the picture below.