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Verlin was born and raised in Warren, Michigan, just north of Detroit and
attended Central FWB Church with his family most of his life. He received Christ one Sunday evening in 1972 as Rev. Raymond Riggs delivered a message
concerning the judgment to come for all men. He became a confessor of the
FWB Covenant by the age of twelve.

Verlin (top right) with sisters Valeta (top left) and Vicki (center) and parents Elsie and Earl.
   

Debbie (top right) with sister Laura and parents Eddie and Sandra
Debbie was born in Ferkessedougou, Cote d'Ivoire to FWB missionaries Eddie and Sandra Payne. She spent most of the years of her childhood and adolescence in Cote d'Ivoire, but did live in the USA sporadically during the furloughs of her family. She received Jesus as Savior one night as her family was discussing the Second Coming while eating dinner. At age 12, she renewed her commitment to
the Lord and was baptized.


Verlin and Debbie met at Free Will Baptist Bible College, and were married in 1986. Verlin received his pastoral and missions degree, and Debbie transferred to Vanderbilt/Peabody College to complete her B.S. in secondary education and English. Throughout the next ten years, the Andersons lived in the Nashville area. Cason, Cara, and Corbin were all born during that period. Verlin worked at several different jobs, including sales and hotel management before starting nursing school in 1991. After getting his degree, he worked as an RN until entering missionary service. Debbie worked as an office manager while Verlin was in nursing school, but then became a stay-at-home mom and home schooled their children.

The Andersons were approved for missionary service by Free Will Baptist International Missions in 1997, after having made a short term trip to Cote
d'Ivoire in January 1997 to make sure that Debbie and Cason's asthma would
not be an insurmountable difficulty. After a year of seeking ministry partners and raising funds, the family spent 2 months in Colorado receiving Missionary Internship and Community Health Evangelism training. That was followed by a year of language school in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. After language school, the family spent six months in Brussels, Belgium, for Verlin to attend tropical medicine school. From there the family traveled directly to Cote d'Ivoire, arriving on the field in July, 2000.

For the next two years the Andersons lived in Cote d'Ivoire without difficulty, learning the culture and becoming acquainted with the challenges of living in Africa. In September, 2002, however, Cote d'Ivoire suffered a country-splitting coup attempt. War broke out, and all FWB personnel were evacuated from the country. It was almost time for the Anderson's furlough anyway, so the family spent the next year and a half in the United States.

The family still felt called to Cote d'Ivoire though, and as the situation in the country stabilized, they requested to return. Permission by the mission was granted in May 2004. The situation once again became heated in November of that year, but the family spent a month in adjacent Ghana instead of returning to the U.S. By December the country was calm again and the Andersons slipped back into Cote d'Ivoire. In August 2005 the family was asked to return to the U.S. for a time, but was allowed to go back in February 2006.

Since that time, they have settled down in Bondoukou, Cote d'Ivoire, concentrating on Community Health Evangelism, but also participating in other ministries on the field.


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