We were both raised in Wollongong, Australia and went to the same high school. We came to know the Lord and each other in our last years of school. We began worshipping at Figtree Anglican Church and we were married there in 1987.

Late in 1989, God called us to work with the church in Mozambique. In response to this call, Nicola left her job in public relations and went back to university to retrain as a nurse. A change of jobs for Phillip meant moving to Sutherland, in southern Sydney. For the years we were there, we enjoyed the warm fellowship at Port Hacking Community Church.

After prayer and wise counsel, we decided to do our Bible training for Mozambique in Africa rather than in Australia. So in August 1994 we arrived at Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST) in Kenya.

The time spent at NEGST proved to be a great learning experience for us, both inside and outside the classroom. Phillip acted as the assistant pastor of a church in a suburb of Nairobi. On campus, Phillip was on the Student Council, while Nicola joined the nursing team at the NEGST clinic. We also made some wonderful friends amongst the other students.

Our first son, Joshua, was born in 1994 and spent his first 18 months at NEGST. After two years in Kenya, we returned to Australia. In 1997 our second son, Drew, was born.

After our return, Phillip worked in computing and Nicola raised two active little boys. And all of us prepared for the move to Mozambique.

In August 2000, we left Australia and travelled to Portugal to begin learning Portuguese in earnest. Two years of intensive (and not altogether comfortable) language study followed.

Finally, in June 2002 -- 12 years, 3 countries, 2 children, 2 degrees and 1 language after God called us to be missionaries -- we arrived in Mozambique.

We settled in the northern province of Niassa, in a town called Cuamba. Phillip spends his time training church leaders, discipling young men and teaching in a Bible school. Nicola home schools the boys, leds ladies Bible studies, and teaches in the girl's hostel.

In January 2004, Isabella Grace joined our family as our third and (Nicola assures me) our last child. Isabella made our second year in Mozambique "interesting," if you're interested in sleep-depreviation theory.

For all of 2005, we've been on home assignment in Australia.