The Lams
I (Max) sat down at Red Rock Coffee in Mountain View to enjoy a cappuccino and get to know Joey and Katrina Lam a bit better. Joey wrote a simple get-to-know post a few years ago during the pandemic, after he had met Katrina but long before they were married. Now they’re together, building a life in Sunnyvale; Joey works at Google and serves as an elder at Garden City. Katrina is waiting on her EKG certification and green card as she begins looking for jobs in the Bay.
Joey was born in Hong Kong to generous, considerate, and sacrificial parents. He has a younger sister who lives in LA. Joey moved to the states in high school to start sophomore year; it was a rough first few years in a brand new environment, but he was grateful for the newness and opportunity, and a place to stay in SF with his aunt. In high school, he heard that the Methodist pastor who’d baptized him in Hong Kong was pastoring in Chinatown! He found community there, and eventually joined the CPC young adults group that Justin was leading, before following Justin into the planting of Garden City Church.
Katrina is the daughter of caring, laid-back parents from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. She’s a triplet, though they're not identical, so they're like ‘normal’ sisters who happen to share the same birthday, and they try to celebrate together every year! In January, Katrina’s sisters came here to the Bay for their birthday. Katrina began attending church with one of her sisters, and then continued attending with another sister, before devoting her life to Jesus on a mission trip in Haiti. She’s been all over the place: working on holiday in England for two years before embarking on the World Race where she met Charis (Garden City’s former executive director)!
Katrina then took seven years off to help her dad care for her mom, who suffered a debilitating stroke about 8 years ago. She admires her parents’ resilience and she desires to retain their confident, joyful attitude.
Katrina met Joey while visiting her friend Charis, who happened to be living in Joey’s converted garage ADU! Joey recalls walking into his house to meet this intriguing woman standing in his kitchen! She visited twice, and they kept in touch before going on their very first date… in Banff. Joey made the trek to Calgary to visit her family, and the two dated long-distance for a year before Katrina moved to the Bay for Joey (no pressure, right?!). After another year, he proposed.
A fun note: after proposing at a beautiful park viewpoint in Canada during a family party, the two celebrated at a local Japanese restaurant inside another Japanese restaurant which can only be accessed through a secret vending machine. Katrina loves these hidden speakeasy-style spots; know any in the Bay?
8 months later, they’re learning to be married and enjoy life as a team. They enjoy hiking and eating new foods together; Joey enjoys recreational soccer and Katrina spends her days reading, exploring local cafes, dog-walking and hanging with friends.