Stories of Hope

It Is My Life written by Paw Eh Sometimes in life it is better to explore new things even though it may not be easy all the time. Everybody wishes to have a better life that is free and fair, but not everybody can go through it

Noe Eh laughs at herself so readily, “You keep trying to teach us stuff but we forget it all!” Her husband Say Htoo adds with bashful laughter, “Every day we go to English class but when we come home we can’t remember anything we learned!” Their New

Lost & Found By Dalia I am ten years old, but almost eleven. I came to America in 2016 to join my parents and brother, who came here as refugees several years ago. When I found out I was going, I didn’t know it was to Minnesota,

Kazi Kubwa, Kazi ya Mungu: Big Work, God’s Work By Abule and Merin Translated from Swahili to English  “I came from Africa to America the summer of 2016,” Abule, a 57 year old from the Democratic Republic of Congo explains. Abule shares with me his experience moving

The Handyman By Abu Ahmad I came to Minnesota a year and a half after I was approved to enter the United States as a refugee. My wife and I had been living in Turkey for 26 months, where we went after fleeing the war in Iraq.

A Beautiful Future By Gidhan Gidhan is a 46 year old Bhutanese refugee from Nepal who came to Minnesota in the spring of 2015 along with his wife and three daughters. The family recalled how after living in the refugee camp for many years they started the

A Renewed Sense of Freedom By Alexander and Anna “Every morning when I wake up, I thank God. Thank you for this country and bless these people,” Alexander said, after explaining how he, his wife and two children made the decision to flee their country and apply

Arrival Story In mid-March we had the privilege of welcoming a Karen family of four to Minnesota. The night of the arrival, we transported and joined their extended family at the airport for the welcome. Far and away the best face to watch throughout the evening was

Cold Days, Warm Hearts By The Ali Family I arrived at the Ali home early in the evening in the middle of January, and like most Minnesotans, we began our conversation by talking about the weather. When a person is born here, s/he learns at an early