Mark Phillip Heil

Born: October 29, 1981 in OH and raised in Dallas, Texas; moved to Hawaii in 2003
Interests: Photography, Design, Travel, Sports, Music, Movies, Technology, Marketing, Business & Current Events
Activities: Surfing, Working Out, Hiking, Skiing, Mountain Biking, Basketball, Wii
Education: BS Marketing (Liberty Univ), MA Business Education (UOP), PhD Business Technology (NCU) in progress
Siblings: Younger sister and brother who live in Oregon
Parents: Manage youth camps in Oregon and teach
Coaching: Varsity Basketball and Volleyball
Teacher: Business and Computer Technology

Mark was raised in Dallas, Texas, on a camp by his parents, Ken and Dee Heil who were the horsemanship directors.  His parents now manage horse camps in Oregon and his two younger siblings, Angela and Scott, also live in Oregon. While attending a small Christian school, he filled his free hours with sports—almost every one the school offered.  His coaches helped to show Mark teamwork, discipline, and endurance, which he has applied to ministry and life. In addition, during the summers, he ventured away on trips overseas and across the country, including his first Urbana missions conference in 2000 with Faith Bible Church, which sparked his passion to be involved in missions.

Mark’s continued education started with a Bachelor’s of Science (Marketing) from Liberty University and Master’s of Arts in Teaching from the University of Phoenix , and it continues with the pursuit of a Doctorate in Business Administration from Northwestern University through distance learning in hopes that the degree would prepare him more to be a leader in missions management overseas.

Shannon Malia Heil

Born: January 4, 1982 in OR and raised in Mililani, Hawaii
Interests: Writing, Reading, Hula, learning
Activities: Surfing, Traveling, Biking,
Education: BA English (Liberty Univ), MA English Education (UOP)
Siblings: Younger brother and older brother who live in Hawaii
Parents: Father is a psychologist and mother works for the state
Coaching: Volleyball
Teacher: English
 
Malia grew up in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu .  Her father, Dr. Rhoades, is a Christian psychologist, while her mother works for the State of Hawaii . Both were equally influential in molding her character and discipline. Growing up with two brothers and three cousins, she spent a lot of time playing charades, having sleepovers at Grandma’s, and going to the beach.  Throughout those island years, she concentrated much on studying, writing creatively, and playing volleyball.  Now, her pastimes have slightly changed: preparing lessons, (still) writing creatively, and working out. Her parents continue to minister to teens in Hawaii , and her brothers both teach at an elementary school in Hawaii .

Shannon’s education parallels Mark’s much: a Bachelor’s of Arts in English from Liberty University and a Masters of Arts in Teaching from the University of Phoenix . She hopes to someday complete her PhD in English at the University of Hawaii to enable opportunities of teaching and ministry at the University level.
 

Mark and Malia
After meeting at Liberty University and graduating together, Mark Heil wed Shannon Malia Rhoades in August 2003 in Hawaii to begin a balanced partnership of ministry in marriage.  Each came from differing backgrounds with strong testimonies that add uniqueness to their relationship and their united paths became stronger with a focused journey—aimed at ministry and connecting with teenagers through an educational inroad. Since then they have taught and served in the Middle East, Taiwan, Thailand, and Hawaii.