Dave Yumen was born and raised on a farm on Maui, Hawaii in a traditional Buddhist family. He attended University of Washington on an NROTC scholarship where he met The Navigators and gave his life to Christ. He graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering in June 1975 and reported to the USS Bradley (FF-1041) in Long Beach in February 1976. After his ship moved to San Diego, he got involved with The Navigators and remained involved throughout his active duty years. In September 1982 he joined The Navigator staff, and then was assigned to minister at NAS Whidbey Island in Washington State. While there he married Janet Nagata in September 1988. In June 1995, they moved to the San Diego area where they ministered to Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen. Dave retired from the Navy Reserve in 2005 with the rank of Captain. In September of 2020 they bought a Christmas Tree farm back on Whidbey Island (called the “Good Boy Farms”) together with their two grown children and their families and joined the NASWI Navigator Team. Dave & Janet are Navigator Staff.
Joanne was born and raised as a Navigator missionary kid in Ghana, West Africa, and moved with her family to the Seattle area at age twelve. She achieved a Chemical Engineering degree from the University of Washington and worked for fourteen years as a civilian test engineer on aircraft carriers at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. In 2021 God led her to move to Whidbey Island where she joined the Navigator staff in the summer of 2022. Her heart is to help active-duty military women to find hope in knowing Christ that they may have “life to the full’ (John 10:10, NIV). Joanne is Navigator Staff-in-Training.
Tyler served for 22 years in the US Army before retiring to Oak Harbor. Anna home schooled their 3 children through high school and is now Tyler’s full time assistant in the real estate business. They grew up in Wenatchee WA but lived all over the world in their assignments in the Army. They have been involved with Navigator ministries since 1995. Tyler & Anna are Navigators Associate Staff.
Contact Tyler & Anna
Danny & Holly moved to Whidbey Island from Israel in 2014. Danny grew up in Israel where he served in the Israeli Navy. They have 5 children. Both Danny, in Israel, and Holly, in Boulder Colorado, grew up with godly parents. They taught them the joy of being faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus and the need for helping others to do the same. They have been Navigators Associate Staff since 2014.
Contact Danny & Holly
Jeff and Christina McCain joined the Whidbey NAVS after the Navy first brought their family to the island through Jeff’s active-duty orders. Jeff is a Navy veteran with a heart for discipleship and Christina is a joyful, full-time homemaker and homeschool mom to their two children. After Jeff’s service, God made it clear that Whidbey wasn’t just a duty station—it was home. The McCains are excited to encourage other families to walk closely with Christ and pursue intentional, lifelong discipleship.
Contact Jeff & Christina
Tim (retired Navy) and Chong have been Navigators Affiliates since 2016. They have been married since 1982 and are long time Oak Harbor residents. Chong is originally from South Korea and Tim hails from Wisconsin. Tim loves to do woodworking and Chong loves to garden!
Contact Tim & Chong
