Andy was born in England, and followed in the footsteps of his parents, who became missionaries with New Tribes Mission when he was ten years old. At the age of thirteen, Andy and his family headed overseas to Papua, New Guinea, where they were missionaries for four years.

Ralene is a West coast girl. Rae was born in southern California but raised in Washington state. She was given the opportunity to take a short term mission trip to Papua New Guinea between her junior & senior year of high school. This trip helped answer the "what do I want to be when I grow up" question for Ralene.