Gary was born and raised in Okinawa, Japan. Lois was raised as a missionary kid in Africa. They met each other at Columbia International University in South Carolina. Gary and Lois first became part of a PCA church plant in Hawaii. Gary then studied at Westminster Theological Seminary in California and was ordained in 1986.

From 1989 to 2001 Gary and Lois served as MTW church-planting missionaries in Mexico. From 2001 to 2006 they assisted the MTW Philippines church-planting movement.

Gary and Lois worked with Redeemer City to City in New York from 2007 to 2014 networking, training, and coaching church planters locally and globally. Because of the rapid growth of church planting and partnership needs in Asia, the Watanabes moved to Tokyo in 2015 to serve the City to City Asia Pacific networks.

Gary and Lois are thankful for their three married children and their families who follow Christ, and for their partners in the gospel. “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”  Philippians 1:3-5, ESV