April Yamasaki

Where to Find Me

Discover inspiration and encouragement for daily life

Writing

I write on my author website at AprilYamasaki.com and at WhenYouWorkfortheChurch.com. On Substack, I focus on writing as a spiritual journey. You can also find me in Light magazine, Faith Today, The Marketplace, and other publications. See below for my newly released Hope Beyond Our Sorrows and my free ebook that I’d love to give you: How to Pray When Prayer Seems Impossible. You’ll find all my published books here.

Editing

I serve as editor for Rejoice! daily devotional magazine, published by MennoMedia, which is the publishing ministry of Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA. As editor, I work closely with a team that includes a copyeditor, designer, proofreader, and a pool of writers across the United States and Canada.

Preaching and Teaching

I preach once a month for Valley CrossWay Church, which is a liturgical worship community, and often speak in other local congregations and settings. For more information, please see my Speaking page. For fall 2025, I taught (1) the book of Ruth and (2) Dreams in Scripture and in Our Lives Today. Both are now complete. For announcements about future courses, please join my mailing list.

Mentoring

I mentor others through my writing and informal contacts, and serve as a spiritual formation mentor as part of the Doctor of Ministry in Leadership Program at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary.

New Release!

Hope Beyond Our Sorrows

Whether you’re grieving the loss of a loved one, a job, a marriage, a church community, or a dream, you may find yourself wondering, How can I go on? What hope is there for the road ahead?

In Hope Beyond Our Sorrows, I share some of my grief journey on the sudden death of my husband. Whatever loss you’re living with, I pray that these short, easily digestible readings accompanied by prayers and spiritual practices will speak comfort and hope to you.

Grounded in Scripture, personal experience, and a pastoral heart, Hope Beyond Our Sorrows invites readers to journey with grief, find a new way forward, and live with faith and hope beyond their broken dreams.

Read an excerpt