Carol and John have been married for 36 years and have three children and two grandchildren. John was raised in a Christian home and accepted Christ as a young child. Shortly before their marriage in 1975, Carol accepted Christ and both have served in various capacities at church including small group leaders, Sunday school teachers, mission committee members and worship band participants.

Carol is a dental hygienist with expanded functions and dental anesthesia certification. She has also had training in basic dentistry including extractions and restorative dentistry. As a dental hygienist, she practiced in Arizona and in Washington, D.C. for more than 15 years and has practiced general dentistry in Guatemala, Uganda and in Mali since 2007.

John is an obstetrician/gynecologist with sub-specialty training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI). After his residency training, he served in the US Army for eight years, during which time he completed his fellowship training in REI in Washington, DC. After leaving the army in 1993, he was in private practice in northern California until joining the staff in Koutiala, full time, in March 2011.