The Ballad of Craig and Yumiko

How did two people born on opposite sides of the globe meet, fall in love and get married?

First Sight

Well, in 1987 Craig moved to Japan for a two-year term as a short-term missionary with LIFE Ministries (now known as Asian Access). He taught English in a newly planted church in the city of Tokorozawa. Tokorozawa, as it happens, is the city where Yumiko lived with her family.

In October 1988 Yumiko signed up for an English conversation class, which turned out to be taught by an emaciated but energetic teacher named Craig. The class was a blast, and both Craig and Yumiko treasure their friendships with the other students in it to this day.

However, at the end of the semester, Craig’s term in Japan came to an end, and he returned to the U.S. to attend Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. During the next six years, Craig returned to Japan twice for shorter periods, and each time he did, he and Yumiko got together.

In 1995 Craig completed his degree and, to pay for all of that education, took a teaching job in Japan, in the seaside city of Zushi. Though Zushi wasn’t all that close to Tokorozawa, he occasionally got together with Tokorozawa friends, including Yumiko. None of these get-togethers could be considered a date.

Then came Valentine’s Day 1996.

Yumiko’s English class

Next: The First Date