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Source: York Daily Record, Pa.迷你倉Dec. 28--Sam Koimene remembers trips to a restaurant as a child. He and his family didn't have money to pay for a meal, but a waitress would save them unfinished portions. Before going, he would pray the waitress' customers ate less."That was my prayer," he said, "for someone not to eat so much so she'd bring us back more."Their West African country of Liberia suffered through two civil wars. His parents, Timothy and Jangy Koimene, wanted a way to get their children out. The parents escaped with the help of a Christian organization. But a 2-year-old Sam and his brothers had to remain with family. As a result, Sam wouldn't see his parents for another nine years. All he had to go on were their voices on the phone or pictures he could hold -- until 2003, when they reunited in Boston."It's beyond comprehension," Timothy Koimene said of their separation. "You see your babies and then they come back and don't know who you are. We are still working on that."When Liberia's second of consecutive civil wars ended, its death toll neared 250,000 people.Having endured that environment shapes Sam to this day, from dealing with injuries as a high school track standout at Central York, to having his college plans derailed, to now taking a new path.----Timothy Koimene did not want to leave his children. His wife, Jangy, secured a visa to leave Liberia in 1994 for the United States. Timothy followed a year later. The chaos in Liberia kept them from bringing their children."The whole intent was to get them to a better place," Timothy Koimene said. "We were all terrified where we lived."The father witnessed friends beheaded during the conflict. Within a few months of his departure in 1995, his oldest son, 10-year-old Abraham, was killed.Sam and his three remaining brothers became refugees. Sam and Angelo were the youngest, living with their grandmother and great-grandmother in Liberia's capital of Moravia. The two met up with their older brothers before escaping to the Ivory Coast when Sam was 8. Their quest to reunite in the United States took them to Ghana before a flight could be secured.They no longer had to witness bloodshed.Sam no longer had to pray for food.When Sam and his brothers reunited with their parents in Boston, he remembers walking into his aunt's house. There, he saw his father. In the flesh. For the first time.----Timothy and Jangy Koimene decided Boston was not the place to raise their children, some of whom they were just getting to know.Timothy Koimene said he liked the educational opportunities in Pennsylvania, while Jangy knew people who suggested the area.Sam, now 21, is a year older than Angelo, but they were the one constant in each other's lives. That bond made Sam ask to remain a grade lower to be with Angelo when they entered the Central York School District midway through the 2005-06 school year.Their parents agreed, as did Angelo."Coming here and starting new, I think it was the right thing to do," he said. "You don't know everyone else, but you know someone."They were just entering middle school and took to a few sports. Sam was usually quick to try something first, Angelo said.Football and track drew their interests. Sam went on to claim the school's record in the 100-meter dash. Angelo owns the record in the 200. They established reputations as athletes almost upon arrival. Jay Stone, the Panthers' record-setting hurdler, was in fifth grade when he first heard of the speedy seventh-graders."I always was excited that maybe I could run and be teammates with them when I got to high school," Stone said, "and they became teammates. That was pretty cool for me."Stone ran as a sophomore on the 400-relay team that made it to the state championships. He constantly saw the brothers' competitive drive with one another."They always wanted to be faster than each other," he said, "but it always turned out that Angelo won the 200 and Sam won the 100, no matter what they did."Sam's trips to the podium were used to spread a message. He wore a special shirt for each trip. The front asserted "I am second" and the back stated "God is first."Both brothers battled injuries in high school, and Sam's track career later ended with a troublesome hamstring. They were set on running track in college. Sam, because of his faith, decided on Liberty University, a private Christian college in Virginia. Angelo picked Millersville before the school cut its track program.For the first time, they were to be separated. Then the news came.Their prospecti文件倉e schools told them they were not properly documented U.S. citizens.The Koimenes believed they had entered the country young enough to gain citizenship under their parents' guardianship, but needed to reapply. The process would take at least nine months. For now, their college plans were off.----Sam Koimene still intended to attend Liberty. His goal was to run track and maybe, one day, represent Liberia in the Olympics."I wanted to inspire people in my country," he said.Koimene's hamstring problems resurfaced as he prepared for an open meet at Dickinson College. It was about a year ago during the indoor track season.He registered for a 60-meter dash, about seven months after his last high school race at Pennsylvania's state championship meet. Koimene played the race through his head a night in advance to visualize it. He felt he had recovered from the nagging pain that hindered those previous races."I wasn't running heavy, and I tweaked it again," Koimene said of that night before the event. "Every time I'm about to get on a stage to prove myself for track, it didn't work."That was the closure of my track career."He soon gave up on Liberty University, too, but for a decision all his own.Koimene wanted to start his own business with the goal of giving back -- and eventually getting back -- to Liberia. Even if it meant giving up his athletic platform."I feel it was a door that closed," he said, "and another door opened for me."That door first appeared as an epiphany. Koimene credited a stranger and his girlfriend in Boston, Nyampu Mulbah, who gave him a cross necklace. That stranger was a woman he spotted wearing a skull key for a necklace."Man, that was so beautiful," he said. "Only if it was a cross."Koimene began to draw necklaces with a cross that formed into a key at the bottom. He draws ideas when they come to him, even if the only available piece of paper is the back of a gas receipt.The idea of expressing faith in this form was so powerful that it veered Koimene away from not only his college aspirations but also from gaining citizenship. He instead obtained a green card and enrolled at Harrisburg Area Community College. In the meantime, he pitched his idea for jewelry to vendors and manufacturers. He wanted it to be something personal and reflect his faith. He was told it would be hard.Koimene showed his designs to a vendor in York and explained his idea. One response he received was the product should be made in gold. Koimene could not afford to buy gold, let alone sell it."He told me I couldn't do it," Koimene said. "As an athlete, if someone tells me I can't do it, you want to prove them wrong."So he emailed more manufactures. About 50, he estimated. Two responded.As a result, Sam Koimene sells jewelry as part of his own business. He named it Yeshua's Jewelry. Yeshua is Hebrew for Jesus."The name Jesus people know," he said. "When they hear 'Yeshua,' people want to know more about it."Right now, Koimene's website sells only half a dozen items. They include a rosary, pendant and a few necklaces, which also have been picked up by three jewelry stores around York. About 10 percent of Koimene's profit, he said, goes to the Sponsor-One Foundation, which provides aid -- mostly educational -- to Liberia.Koimene hopes to visit the country next December and perhaps one day live there."Looking back at that, my prayers have changed," he said, "being in the position to help others -- to make their prayer better than my prayer."A recent sale to Koimene's former sprints coach, David Fogle, might have opened another door. Fogle purchased a necklace for his wife, Nancy Rossi-Fogle, who also had been Koimene's guidance counselor. She took the birthday present to Shelly Jewelers, where owner Susan Shelly asked questions about it.Before long, Koimene stopped by to discuss the chances of a business relationship."If she thinks that highly of you ..." Shelly said. She paused and began to tell him of their production options.Koimene's eyes widened just a bit. He then cracked a smile and asked for a hug. This was a good day.Contact Matt Goul at 771-2045.Sam Koimene's jewelry can be found online. His silver necklaces can be found at three York-area stores. They are:Munchel Brothers Jewelry and Coin Exchange, 351 Loucks RoadAlexander's Estate Jeweler, 1 W. Market St.Adams Jewelers, Haines Acres Shopping Center, 1011 Haines RoadCopyright: ___ (c)2013 York Daily Record (York, Pa.) Visit York Daily Record (York, Pa.) at .ydr.com Distributed by MCT Information Services存倉