Joost and Cheryl met at Wheaton College in Illinois and after Joost completed his Ph.D., they joined Wycliffe and began working in Indonesia. Over the years they have been involved in Bible translation, multilingual education, ethnomusicology and administration. They have helped to write multilingual curriculum, encourage local music and raise funding for projects in more than 30 languages. They especially enjoy opportunities to train Indonesians, both in the field and through Indonesian Christian colleges and seminaries.

They have two children, Charlotte and Quinn, and together they enjoy camping, eating Asian food, and playing board games.