Let’s  start with Konimi. She was born and grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii where she lived till she was 18 years old. Her mother was Korean and her father Chinese. Her parents, who were not Adventists, were divorced while she was in elementary school. It was her stepmother who introduced her to Jesus and the Bible. Later when she went to live with her mother, she would slip away on Sabbath and go to church, for her mother was opposed to her new beliefs. Konimi would stay away all day, attending Sabbath School and church, then staying for the weekly potluck. She would then hang around church till time for singing band and MV meeting in the afternoon and Vespers in the evening. Some of the church ladies noticed this little “waif” and began inviting her home. Soon she found herself a part of God’s loving family and attending Hawaiian Mission Academy (HMA). That’s where she first met Jim, one of those active boys, always into something.

      She never lacked for friends and as they stood around discussing their plans after graduation, Jim said he was going to get a job and buy a car. “You should go to college,” Konimi said and picked up an application to Andrews University, where she planned to go. That turned out to be a turning point for both.

      Later as they rode the Greyhound from San Francisco to Chicago, they sat and commiserated together. He had broken up with his girl friend and she with her boy friend. By the time they reached their destination 2½ days later, the bond between them was strong.

 When there was a Sadie Hawkins night, the boys were taken on tour of the girls’ dormitory. Jim was pleasantly surprised to see his picture framed and sitting on the dresser in Konimi’s room. That was his first clue that she was interested in him. When she went to Loma Linda for her nurses training, Jim transferred to La Sierra College and at the end of their junior year they were married.

      About Jim, his story begins with his Catholic grandparents. They left the Azores (off the coast of Portugal) and immigrated to Hawaii where jobs on the sugar plantations were plentiful and housing was furnished. His parents became Adventists listening to the radio. That’s how he happened to attend HMA for twelve years.

      He was especially good in sports in everything he put his mind to: swimming, football, baseball, and racquet ball. He had lots of energy and was in and out of trouble in his earlier academy days but by his junior and senior year, he was settling down and becoming more serious about life. He worked in the print shop at HMA and was good at it. In fact, when he began college, he started with a Graphic Arts major, but by his second year he had switched to PE. At La Sierra he switched again, this time to Theology.

        After graduating he went on to Andrews University and was assigned to the Potomac Conference to work with youth. Through the years he has served as pastor or youth director in some capacity in Hawaii, Soquel, San Jose, and the Arizona Conference. He was even in charge of the summer camp in Wawona for the Central California Conference. He left the ministry in ‘86 to work for a major Software company where he honed his management skills. “It opened my eyes and I began to better understand the real world,” he says.

      Through the years, Konimi worked as nurse in some capacity, and was often able to do her work from home so she could be at home for her husband and two sons, Tom and Jonathan. She could usually find work at a branch of the same company, Intracorp, where she coordinates medical care for the insurance company on work-related injuries.

      Her hobbies are cooking, cross-stitching, reading, and sewing. His hobbies are fly-fishing, reading, bird watching, and woodworking. He custom-makes hardwood handles for old German rifles.

      When they were offered a position at the Placerville Church, they scrutinized us carefully, making sure it would be a good fit. They liked the openness, friendliness, and missionary spirit of our church.