Missionary, Asia, Japan
Les Clevenger was born in Okinawa, Japan, while his father served in the United States Marine Corps. He prayed for Japan and Asia from an early age, believing that one day he would be a missionary to Japan. While growing up in Moore, Oklahoma, his calling to Japan was confirmed at age fifteen. Laura grew up in North Carolina and at the age of fourteen felt the call to missions. Les and Laura met while attending Gateway College of Evangelism. They married in 2001 and began to prepare for where God would send them. On May 4, 2006, thirty years to the day since young Les and his family had returned to the States from Japan, he and his wife arrived in Okinawa. They served on the Associate In Missions program for seven years. In 2012 Global Missions appointed them as associate missionaries. In the past twelve years, God has filled many Japanese with the Holy Ghost and many have been baptized. Les currently serves as the Southern Regional Director for twenty-three prefectures for the Japan UPC as well as serving as the National Coordinator for the twenty Bible school campuses throughout Japan. Laura started a Christian school and served as administrator of World Changers Academy in Okinawa from 2007-2015. Training is at the heart of all they do. They have seen exponential growth in leaders and ministers as well as daughter works, preaching points, and churches started while serving in Japan. They have a vision to see a church location in every community and a Bible school in each of the forty-seven prefectures in Japan. Their greatest desire is to see national ministers sent out to reach their people as well as sent to other countries with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
