| Address: | 25-3 Ishihama-chuo, Higashiura-cho, Aichi-ken 470-2103 Japan |
| Phone: | (81) 562-84-7593 |
| Email: | mikeyaney@yahoo.com |
| WebMap: | www.teamworld.org teamjapan.org |
Mike & Mariko Yaney
Hi. We are Mike and Mariko Yaney. We are serving as church planting missionaries in Japan with TEAM, a missions agency based out of Wheaton, Illinois. TEAM's primary purpose in Japan is to partner with the existing Japanese Church in an effort to establish new churches in areas where there are few or no churches.
I, Mike, arrived in Japan as a single missionary in December of 2002 to begin two years of language study at TEAM's language school located in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. After language school, in April of 2005, I moved to Aichi Prefecture to join Chiryu Christ Church (CCC) in their very first church planting endeavor in the unchurched town of Higashiura, population 50,000.
Where did Mariko come into the picture? Well, we first met in the fall of 2004 at Mariko's home church near Tokyo. After getting to know each other gradually over time and distance (we never lived in the same area of Japan) and gaining a better understanding of how God was leading us, we were engaged in the fall of 2005. Mariko then applied to become a TEAM missionary and was appointed by TEAM in May of 2006. We were married in Liberty, Indiana in June and now live and serve here in Higashiura.
From the beginning, our main method of contacting people has been through English conversation classes. Through these weekly classes we have been able to meet and develop relationships with many people of various ages from small children to older adults. After each class we have a very focused Bible study which provide us with an effective avenue for doing evangelism. We currently have about 40 people studying the Bible with us either individually or in small groups each week.
We’ve gone through several interesting changes since we’ve been here. In the spring of 2007 God provided us with a rental facility which allowed us to move some of our English classes and Bible studies out of our small apartment. This took some of the daily stress off of us. As our daughter, Sara, was also born in March 2007, the apartment had begun to seem even smaller when we had English/Bible classes there. So, we’re very grateful to have the ministry center.
In early 2009 we had some philosophical/methodological differences with our partnering Japanese church (CCC). These differences came to a head in April of that year, couldn’t be resolved and our partnership ultimately disintegrated. We’ve been somewhat “on our own” ever since. We’re praying that God will provide us with new ministry partners in his time.
A few more positive notes: In 2009 we began a Sunday morning children’s English time and mini-worship service (9:45-10:30 a.m.) and an adult worship service (10:45-11:30 a.m.). While Sunday mornings have been sparsely attended, we have recently been encouraged by a Christian family of five who began worshiping with us in June 2010. They have been a great encouragement and help to us in this very challenging ministry. Our prayer is that several among our current Bible study students will come to faith in Jesus Christ, be baptized and be formed into a healthy, growing core group of believers here in Higashiura.
I, Mike, arrived in Japan as a single missionary in December of 2002 to begin two years of language study at TEAM's language school located in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. After language school, in April of 2005, I moved to Aichi Prefecture to join Chiryu Christ Church (CCC) in their very first church planting endeavor in the unchurched town of Higashiura, population 50,000.
Where did Mariko come into the picture? Well, we first met in the fall of 2004 at Mariko's home church near Tokyo. After getting to know each other gradually over time and distance (we never lived in the same area of Japan) and gaining a better understanding of how God was leading us, we were engaged in the fall of 2005. Mariko then applied to become a TEAM missionary and was appointed by TEAM in May of 2006. We were married in Liberty, Indiana in June and now live and serve here in Higashiura.
From the beginning, our main method of contacting people has been through English conversation classes. Through these weekly classes we have been able to meet and develop relationships with many people of various ages from small children to older adults. After each class we have a very focused Bible study which provide us with an effective avenue for doing evangelism. We currently have about 40 people studying the Bible with us either individually or in small groups each week.
We’ve gone through several interesting changes since we’ve been here. In the spring of 2007 God provided us with a rental facility which allowed us to move some of our English classes and Bible studies out of our small apartment. This took some of the daily stress off of us. As our daughter, Sara, was also born in March 2007, the apartment had begun to seem even smaller when we had English/Bible classes there. So, we’re very grateful to have the ministry center.
In early 2009 we had some philosophical/methodological differences with our partnering Japanese church (CCC). These differences came to a head in April of that year, couldn’t be resolved and our partnership ultimately disintegrated. We’ve been somewhat “on our own” ever since. We’re praying that God will provide us with new ministry partners in his time.
A few more positive notes: In 2009 we began a Sunday morning children’s English time and mini-worship service (9:45-10:30 a.m.) and an adult worship service (10:45-11:30 a.m.). While Sunday mornings have been sparsely attended, we have recently been encouraged by a Christian family of five who began worshiping with us in June 2010. They have been a great encouragement and help to us in this very challenging ministry. Our prayer is that several among our current Bible study students will come to faith in Jesus Christ, be baptized and be formed into a healthy, growing core group of believers here in Higashiura.