PROFILE

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.

CCC is a 60 member church pastored by Kazunori Harada. CCC's vision is to work together in cooperation with a missionary to see God plant a church in the neighboring, unchurched town of Higashiura, population 48,000. As there are currently 11 other unchurched towns in Aichi Prefecture with a population over 20,000, CCC's long term vision and hope is to be able to reach into these unreached areas as well.

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.

At this time we have about 18 English classes a week in our small apartment. The purpose of these classes is to get to know people in this unchurched community and to introduce them to Christ through Bible studies.

We are also praying and searching for a ministry facility in which to begin a worship service in connection with Chiryu Christ Church. The process of finding a suitable place has been slow. Please pray with us both for the work of God's Spirit in the lives of the people here and for a ministry facility. Pray for the building of God's church here in Higashiura. Thanks!