I was born in Longmont, Colorado, but spent much of my childhood in Florida.  I am the only child of Ken & Gina Hess.  I was blessed to grow up in a godly home and became a Christian at a young age.  As I finished high school and began college, my goal was to be a physician.  After completing a degree in Emergency Medical Services at St. Petersburg College, I continued my studies at Clearwater Christian College as a pre-med major.  During my junior year, I met Marissa, and it was love at first sight!  Over the next two years my goals changed, as I began to feel God’s call to ministry, and fell more in love with Marissa.  I graduated from Clearwater Christian College in May of 2003, and we were married that July.  I continued working as a paramedic while Marissa finished school and we both prayed for the future.  In the summer of 2004 we were able to teach English in China and the following summer we took a mission trip to Kenya.  It was during that trip that God made it clear that he wanted us in full time missions, and that he was calling us to train and equip local pastors.  The following year we had our first child, Avalyn, and soon thereafter we moved to Louisville, KY to attend Southern Seminary.  During seminary, we began to pray about where God would have us to serve, and in the spring of 2008 we began to pray about an opportunity in northern Argentina.  We got in contact with the missionaries serving there and began to research about both the area and the job.  In September of that year we took a trip to visit Argentina, and get a first-hand look at the need there.  We accepted that job and this past summer we spent nine weeks in Richmond, Virginia undergoing Field Personnel Orientation.  We then moved to San Jose, Costa Rica where we will be studying Spanish until December.  Recently, our organization asked us to consider a higher priority job in Mexico City, and we accepted that job.  We are excited about what God is going to do through the ministry he has called us to be a part of.