Leland and Emily were both brought up committed Presbyterians. Leland was thinking about entering Law School when he met and married Emily. The Lord led them to enter Union Seminary and Leland was ordained a Presbyterian minister, in which capacity he served for 16 years. Their journey to the Catholic faith began when they me a priest from South Africa, who noticed that they were using Catholic homeschooling materials. This began a relationship that led them home to the Catholic Church, in 1998.