Zen Family

Clark and Mariel were approved to join the Missionary Flights staff in November 2021. They have four children: Micaela, Sebastian, Leopold, and Evangeline. On June 17, 2022, Clark began working at MFI and is currently working toward his qualifications to serve as a DC-3 pilot. While he waits for clearance to fly, Clark is serving in cargo processing and missionary support.

Bio

As a young boy, brought up in a Southern Baptist Church, Clark Zen accepted Jesus as his Lord and has committed to live for Him ever since. As a teenager, he desired to become a pilot in the military, but in an interesting turn of events, he ended up enlisting in the Navy as a Nuclear Mechanical Operator for submarine service following his graduation from high school in the year 2000. Upon exiting the Navy after his enlistment, he finished his Bachelors degree in Nuclear Technology and was hired by Florida Power and Light to be a nuclear reactor operator at the Saint Lucie Nuclear Power Plant in 2008.

In that same year he made the second most important decision of his life, next to accepting Jesus, in proposing to Mariel Fernandez, his perfect partner, best friend, and amazing woman of God that the Lord provided. On January 1st 2009, they made their vows and an incredible union was made that God would use for His glory. Together they served their local church and started an amazing family! The Lord continued to work on both of them as He called them to deeper faith in Him. He led them into foster care, as they felt called to be advocates for children in their times of greatest need, which ultimately led to the adoption of their fourth and youngest child.

In 2017, as Clark was fairly settled in his career, God led them on a family outing to a Missionary Flights open house and the trajectory of their lives would be forever changed. As Clark saw how aviation was used to the glory of God, his desires to be a pilot were rekindled as he felt God’s call on his life. As God answered prayers and opened doors, the path was paved for his training and in 2021, he completed his commercial multi-engine license! Clark admits that none of his achievements would have been possible without the grace of God and the continual support of his wife and family.

In the midst of all the training and life changes, Mariel was called into an even greater role in advocacy for children in the fall of 2020, as she became a teacher at our church’s new Christian school and followed the Lord’s leading to this new career path in her life. Clark and Mariel’s greatest calling and joy are to be the parents and disciple-makers of their children Micaela, Sebastian, Leopold, and Evangeline. To God be the Glory!