Phil's parents were missionaries in Pakistan from 1955 to 1993. Phil attended Columbia Bible College and then studied engineering at Penn State and Drexel Universities. It was during these years at university that the transforming power of the gospel became a reality in his life.

Barb, from northern Ohio, studied gerontology at Bowling Green State University. It was there she committed her life to Christ. The joy of a new life, and an adventuresome spirit, led her to foreign missions. Her first step took her to Philadelphia where she met Phil.

Three weeks after their marriage in 1988, Phil's engineering assignment took them to South Asia for two years. In 1995, they returned to join an MTW church-planting team in a Muslim mega-city.

In 2004, they were called to spearhead MTW ministry to Muslims across South, East, and Southeast Asia by coming along side of national church-planting movement leaders with shared values. They facilitate these leaders and begin church partnerships to strengthen their ministries. They are developing teams, located in regional hubs, to resource church-planting in a variety of ways. The predominantly Muslim Asian city where they now live is the first such hub.

Phil and Barb have three children: Isaac (5/10/90), Louisa (8/21/92), and Annie (8/22/96).