Fred's first short-term trip to Ethiopia was in 1986, when he says he fell in love with the people of Ethiopia. He then returned to serve with SIM Ethiopia in 1997 for a few months each year, giving support in construction, solar system installment and maintenance for various SIM stations in Ethiopia. Cherry (Serawit) first joined SIM Ethiopia in 1993 working at the SIM Printshop. But the Lord had placed a burden on her heart for women trapped in prostitution. In the following years, what started as building friendships with women walking the streets became her full-time ministry. Fred and Cherry married in 2004 and continued to serve in Ethiopia until 2018 when they settled in Alberta. Though they believed their service in Ethiopia was finished, the Lord invited them to return for a period of 5 years as Cherry took on the role of Country Director for SIM Ethiopia.