<Begin Segment 44>

DG: Okay. So let's go back a little bit. Your father was assigned to the Japanese Baptist Church as nichigo minister.

MH: No, to whole church's minister. (Narr. note: Senior minister)

DG: Okay, so where was Reverend Andrews at this time?

MH: Associate.

DG: Okay. But he was there before the war also.

MH: Yes.

DG: So he stayed around?

MH: Yes. He worked very hard.

DG: And he, did you know him before you came at all?

MH: No. He came once Gardena Baptist Church when my mother came from Japan. And then he remembered my mother because just came from Japan and then spoke English. Aisatsu ne, came from Japan so she talked to them, ministers, in English. So just came from Japan and she spoke English, that's what Reverend Andrews often said.

DG: So was Reverend Andrews there from the start with your father as associate, then, when you came back?

MH: Yes. He was always Baptist church.

DG: Right, but I don't know what he did during the war years.

MH: Assigned by board was my father was real minister, and then he was associate just young people English. So still at that time young people was younger.

DG: Okay.

MH: Next one is Reverend Hori -- no. Yeah. Became minister. From next minister, he is the top minister.

DG: Oh.

MH: Reverend Andrews. See, Japanese minister became associate, but my father's time is different.

DG: Because the majority of the congregation was still Issei and so he conducted the service in Japanese and English both?

MH: No. English Reverend Andrews.

DG: Oh, yeah, Reverend Andrews was there. Just Japanese then. Did he have the first service?

MH: Japanese had first service, I think.

DG: Okay. So then you started, help start the preschool or the nursery school.

MH: Uh-huh. And at that time I'm organist, pianist for the Nisei. Issei people have Mrs. Amano still. So I was Nisei pianist.

<End Segment 44> - Copyright © 1997 Densho. All Rights Reserved.