Hugh and Martine met in 1969 while Hugh was serving in the United States Army in Munich, Germany. They were converted at L'Abri in Switzerland in 1972, and were married by their pastor Francis Schaeffer in 1973. Upon completion of Master of Divinity studies at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, the Wessels applied to and were accepted as missionaries with the RPCES foreign missions board WPM, who then seconded them to MTW for service in France.

Hugh and Martine Wessel have been serving with Mission to the World since 1979. Their initial charge: church planting, evangelism and church renewal. At that time they were assigned to work under the leadership of veteran missionary Eugene Boyer. After their first term of service working alongside the pastor Maurice Longeiret in Marseille, France's second city, Hugh was asked to head up a church-planting team in the Provence-Cote D'Azur area of France.

Through their second and third terms the Wessels saw the Marseille church planting team come into place. Hugh pastored the Plan-de-Cuques Church, oversaw the construction of the church building, and represented the evangelical missionaries to the French government. Martine has taught Sunday School, used their home extensively for hospitality, led women's Bible studies, and assumed extra responsibilities at home when Hugh was traveling.

Now in their fourth term to France; new assignments have been made. Hugh was made country director for France, to supervise teams working with the Co-Mission in Ukraine, and finally in mid-1995 Hugh was asked to be European Regional Director for Mission to the World.

The Wessels have three children: Laurence (9/20/74), Damaris (1/16/78), and Nils (6/4/87).