Jonathan Nichols was born in Fortaleza a year after his parents, Kendle and Lorraine Nichols (now retired) arrived in Brazil. His wife, Chima, was born in Tacna, Peru, a city on the Chilean border. They met at Calvary Bible College and were married a week after her graduation in 1987. Having arrived in Brazil in 1989, they served during their first term in the cities of Horizonte and Santa Quiteria.

The Nichols are committed to the establishment of local churches by means of discipleship, evangelism, and the integration of new converts into the church planting process. In 1994, they moved to the city of Sobral where they had their first opportunity to plant a church from scratch. Seven years later, Sobral Bible Church chose three of their own homegrown leaders to become their pastors. In January 2004, one of the Sobral pastors moved to the city of Crateús where he with another national pastor has just begun a new church plant.

This summer (2004), they are planning to return to Brazil and begin a new work in the city of Fortaleza.