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In 1985, Mark Hull boarded a plane for the Philippines with just a one-year contract to teach English in a refugee camp. He expected it to be a meaningful experience. He did not expect it would change the trajectory of his life.
At the time, Mark was teaching and coaching in Wisconsin with a clear path ahead in sports and academics.
But years earlier, a pastor had said something that kept resurfacing: the burden of proof lies on you to show that God is not calling you to a mission field. It tugged at him, stirring a growing conviction to serve overseas.
When World Relief contacted him, he said yes. Years later, he would describe that season as a “Kairos moment” — a decisive turning point that changed everything.
Mark first served in a refugee camp three hours outside Manila as a teacher for children ages 5 to 12. Six months later, he moved into administration.
When funding shifted from the United Nations to the U.S. State Department, he unexpectedly found himself serving as the officer in charge and working closely with embassy officials.
Reflecting on that time, he said, “I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” adding that the experience was humbling, stretching and exciting.
Over time, Mark witnessed political unrest, shifting contracts and thousands of refugees preparing for resettlement — seeing both brokenness and resilience up close.
“Before I went, I didn’t know how to zoom out,” Mark says. “I didn’t know how to see the world beyond my own experience. World Relief helped me see the beauty, complexity and brokenness of the world.”
The work was demanding. Days were filled with teaching in intense heat, preparing materials from scratch and working alongside refugee churches. Still, Mark saw the importance of joy and play, especially for children who had experienced displacement.
‘Play is hardwired into the human being,” he said.
A Global Vision That Never Left
Mark also met his wife, Marcel, in the Philippines. Their shared experience shaped not only their relationship but their understanding of the world.
When the camps closed and the couple returned to the United States in 1987, they assumed they would eventually go back overseas. Instead, they settled in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Mark joined Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), a path that stretched into decades. Still, the global orientation never left.
Over time, their home became a crossroads of nations. International students and refugees filled their dinner table. Hundreds passed through — some briefly, others for years. Hospitality became not a project, but a way of life
“I’m now the displaced person in my own home,” he joked, having lost his workspace to make room for others.
Through FCA and the founding of an international training institute, Mark has continued traveling, now to more than 70 different countries.
Though decades have passed, World Relief has never been far from his heart. He stayed connected with staff and friends from his time in the Philippines. And when his local church recently engaged with World Relief’s work in refugee resettlement, the decision felt deeply personal.
“Hearing the name World Relief again wasn’t just a memory,” he said. “It’s woven into the fabric of who we are.”
Returning—This Time as a Volunteer
Now, Mark has come full circle. After once serving overseas under contract, he remains involved with World Relief, most recently as a volunteer through his local church.
That Kairos moment in 1985 set him on a lifelong journey of curiosity, risk-taking and hospitality — a global vision that still shapes how he lives, gives and serves today.
“It created curiosity,” he said. “And the willingness to take risks. It’s okay to look foolish. That’s the worst it will be.”
For Mark, World Relief was not simply a season of work. It marked the beginning of a transformed life — one that continues to open doors, welcome strangers and invest in the flourishing of others.
Last year, World Relief Wisconsin recruited nearly 180 volunteers and mobilized over a dozen new churches to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Explore the many volunteer opportunities in the Chippewa Valley and the Fox Valley and learn how you can make an impact, too.
Natalie Johnson is an Advancement portfolio support officer, specializing in storytelling and communications and marketing strategy. Prior to joining World Relief as a communications coordinator for Wisconsin in July 2024, she spent three decades in higher education communications in New Mexico and Wisconsin. She is an active lay minister at her church in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and a member of the Order of the Daughters of the King.