MARK WILDE

My name is Mark Wilde.  I have been in the Fire Service for over 37 years.  I started out as a Volunteer Firefighter for the City of Friendswood, Texas, back in 1981.  I returned back to California and joined the USAF Reserves as a Firefighter in 1983.  I became a Firefighter Apprentice for the City of Corona Fire Department in 1984, and then in 1985, I took a full-time Firefighter position with the Northrop Fire Department and worked there for 3 ½ years.  Then in 1988, I returned to the City of Corona Fire Department as a Firefighter Apprentice, and six months later I was hired as a full time Firefighter.  

While working for Corona, I was a Firefighter for over 7 years and then promoted to the position of Engineer in 1996.  I worked as an Engineer for about five and a half years and then I promoted to the position of Captain in 2002.  I was a captain for over nine years until my retirement in June of 2011.  During the last three and a half years of my service, I also served as an Acting Battalion Chief.

I then went to work for the Big Bear Fire Department, California, as a Battalion Chief.  I assisted with department projects, and I worked within the Training Division.

I have two associate degrees from Santa Ana College: Fire Technology and Chief Officer; and a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Studies (Fire Administration) from Cal State Long Beach, and I completed my Chief Officer certification through the California State Fire Marshall office.  I also worked as an ROP (Regional Occupational Program) instructor With the Riverside County Educational System.

I’m currently a certified Instructor for the Office of the State Fire Marshal, California.  

I’m married, and I have one daughter who is married with three children.  I have a 14 year old granddaughter and a 6 year old granddaughter.  I currently live full-time in Kalispell Montana, with my wife and my two dogs. 

I first got involved with Firefighters for Christ back in the early 90’s, when I met John White who was “President of Firefighters for Christ” for the first time building a retainer wall for an elderly couple in Tijuana, Mexico.  I have been involved with FFC ever since.

I have served within men’s ministries, children’s ministries, JR High ministries, youth ministry,  and I also served on several worship teams as the drummer.

My wife and I now serving our own ministry “GarciaWilde Ministries, and Firefighter Brothers United - without borders US/MX”.

God Bless!

KAREN WILDE

My name is Karen Garcia Wilde. I was born and raised in southern California, and I lived in Riverside with my parents, five siblings, a couple of dogs, a cat or two, a rabbit, a bird, and sometimes a lizard. As a child, I loved the outdoors and had many adventures while riding my Schwinn Stingray bicycle to places unknown.

At the age of 19, I took my first airplane flight and flew from Los Angeles, California to Athens, Greece, where I lived for over a year. While in Greece, I learned how to scuba dive, and enjoyed traveling to various diving spots along the Mediterranean coastline. One of my favorite memories is while on an excursion to Northern Greece, I witnessed members of a local village escorting a bride to the neighboring village where her groom awaited her.  Though presented with an opportunity to stay for an extended time in Greece, I chose to return to the United States and moved back to California.

I met my husband, Mark Wilde, on a blind date in 1988 and we were married the following year. In 1999 we and our daughter moved from the inland city of Corona to the beach city of San Clemente. I was employed in the financial industry, and after accomplishing my goal of acquiring a bachelor’s degree in business management (I did this at the age of 50), I had the honor of working in the finance department of the church I attended. For our 25th wedding anniversary, my husband and I took a month-long trip to Europe, starting with a week-long cruise out of Venice, Italy. We enjoyed sightseeing in Italy, Greece, Austria, Bavaria, England, Scotland and Ireland.  

I’m a believer; I was born again in 1989, and immediately discovered my joy of serving in God’s ministry. I have held leadership positions within the church, had developed ministries, and had been on mission trips to Mexico, Singapore, and Bali. Currently I assist my husband in our ministry serving firefighters of Mexico and their families in Baja California Sur. We are blessed with owning a home in the town of San Ignacio, where we travel twice a year for extended ministry time. 

My husband and I moved from California to Montana in 2014. Though having lived in California most of our lives, and having never visited Montana, we believed God was transplanting us here for a new season. In late September, we took a quick weekend trip to the Flathead Valley to “check it out.” Upon returning home, we began praying for God’s plan.  He answered our prayer, and two months later we loaded our belongings into a 26’ UHaul truck, and with our daughter and her family, drove the UHaul and our two personal vehicles across five state lines heading for Montana. Two days later (three days before Thanksgiving), our caravan drove into the driveway of our new home in Kalispell.  

Locally, I’m a founding member of Growing Together, a faith-based women’s leadership group. 

My hobbies are sewing rag quilts, gardening, reading, and attempting to knit. I still love the outdoors environment, and my newest adventure is cross-country skiing.  My husband and I are grandparents to two beautiful grandbabies who live in California. They stay connected by telephone and FaceTime, and we visit one another frequently throughout the year.

My husband and I attend Crossroads Church in Bigfork, Montana. I currently work within the Jr. High Ministry within the Media Ministry. 

Blessings!