Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the world's forgotten poor. My name is Mark. I'm the husband and father of this outfit. I grew up on a farm near a town called Stayner in Ontario, Canada. I was privileged to have a Christian father and mother named John and Donna Palmer. They taught me from an early age that the most important thing in life is to serve God. I gave my heart to the Lord when I was about five years old and have tried over the years to become more like Jesus. I thank God that he has kept me from a lot of problems that young people face because of my Christian upbringing. I went on my first short term mission trip when I was 18 years old, to Finland, and felt from that time a call to a life of mission work. After 22 more years of life experience and five more trips to Paraguay, Jamaica and Peru I finally have felt like the Lord is directing me and my family into a life of bringing hope and healing to a world that doesn’t know God, through the Mercy Ships organization. I am a carpenter by trade and have worked as a contractor for the past 15 years. I will be using my experience in building and plumbing to show God's love to others who are less fortunate. My family and Christian heritage are very important to me. My wife Nari and my three children Alanah, John and Bess are the best part of God's gift to me here on earth, after salvation, and I thank God for my entire family. My mother and father I already introduced. I have one sister, Tammy, who is married to Dave McGill. They have four children. Laura and Jason, who are presently studying in Chile with Youth with a Mission, and Jennifer and Matthew. I also have a younger brother named Derek who is married to Renee. They also have four children; Elizabeth, Emma, William and Hannah. I feel that I would be a poor man indeed without the love and support of my family. With their support and hard work here at home and our work on the field I believe that we can do great things for God. I also have to mention my Grandfather Poloski who I loved and admired greatly. He was a man who worked tirelessly to show the world the love of God. He was a pastor and missionary who came to Canada to establish the first "Church of God" in this country. I hope that I can follow in his footsteps and truly show the world that God is Love. My name is Nari Palmer. I have been happily married to my husband Mark for 16 years and we are blessed with 3 beautiful, healthy children ages 11,12 and 14 years old. The seeds of my spiritual journey began in a church parking lot pulling weeds out of the gravel. That was 27 years ago and since then God has pulled many weeds from my life, planting in their place seeds of hope and healing. He continues to prune and water me, encouraging me to bear much fruit. I look forward to using all God has given me to bring hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor. I enjoy cooking and have been able to use that knowledge to run my own catering business. My other interests include reading, music and card-making. I have home- schooled all of my children right from k-present. My oldest is in grade 9. It has been both challenging and rewarding and I believe it has allowed God to steer us to our present ministry with greater ease. Missions has always been greatly emphasized and supported by the churches we have attended. In 2000 I got my feet wet when I accompanied my husband and a team from South Carolina to Paraguay, S.A. There we assisted with the building of a Youth Camp. We returned as a family in 2006 to explore the possibility of a life of missions. It left a profound impact on all of our lives and eventually led us to Mercy Ships. Hey, I am Alanah and I’m going to tell you a little about myself. I turned 14 this year on March 13th. I became a Christian when I was 8 and went on my first mission’s trip in November 2006, to Paraguay S.A. It was an amazing time and I didn’t want to come home!! We met some cool people, adorable kids and attended a really neat church service. (I could only understand about 10% of what I was hearing but it was still really cool!!). I really felt God there and can’t wait for this new ministry God has led us to do. I enjoy meeting new people and experiencing new things!! “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39. My favourite things to do are read, hangout with friends, play the piano, and a lot more!! My favourite subjects in school are history and spelling/language. I also like art and drama. I like to learn!! I think that’s all I have to say! Thanks!! Yo, my name is John. I am 12 years old. I like to play hockey and hang out with friends, play my bass and listen to music. My favorite band is Hawk Nelson. When I was 7 I gave my heart to the Lord. Last year I went to Paraguay and had a great time. My favorite verse is John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Hi my name is Bess. I am 11 years old. I like to play with friends and cousins and I like to read. I gave my heart to the Lord when I was 8 years old. I went on my first mission’s trip last November 2006. I loved it and did not want to go home. I like animals and I like going to the barn with Dad. “He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.” Proverbs 13:3