It was during one of these visits of the apostles to his mother’s that Mark proposed to Paul and Barnabas that he should accompany them on their missionary tour. He had witnessed the wonderful power attending their ministry; he had felt the favor of God in his own heart; he had seen the faith of his mother tested and tried without wavering; he had witnessed the miracles performed by the apostles, and which set the seal of God upon their work; he had himself preached the Christian faith, and had longed to devote himself entirely to the work. He had, as the companion of the apostles, rejoiced in the success of their mission; but fear and discouragement overwhelmed him in the face of privation, persecution, and danger; and he sought the attractions of home at a time when his services were most needful to the apostles.{LP 47.1}

Det var under et af disse besøg hos apostlenes moder at Markus lovede Paulus og Barnabas at han kunne følge dem på deres missionstur. Han hade været vidne til den forunderlige kraft der fulgte med i deres tjeneste; han havde mærket Guds anerkendelse i sit eget hjerte; han havde set sin moders tro blive forsøgt og prøvet uden vaklen; han havde været vidne til de mirakler som apostlene udførte, og som satte Guds segl på deres arbejde; han havde selv forkyndt den kristne tro, og havde længtes meget efter at gå ind i arbejde, og helt hellige sig selv til det. Ligesom hans apostelledsagere hade han glædet sig i fremgangen i deres mission; men frygt og modløshed overvældede ham når han stod over for afsagvn, forfølgelse og fare; og han søgte hjemmets tiltrækkende egenskaber på et tidspunkt hvor der var mest brug for hans tjeneste for apostlene.