Around the world, there are so many different kinds of refugees who, not of their own choice and whether they like it or not, are living it many different countries. I am one of those refugees who left my beloved country, family, and friends to seek shelter for my life because of my political beliefs.

I left Burma in 1996 and stayed in New Delhi for five years under a UNHCR mandate. While I was living in India, I met my wife, Biak Chin Sung, and we married there.

My wife came to New Bern, North Carolina, on February 13, 2001 and [the EMM affiliate] Interfaith Refugee Ministry took care of her and provided whatever she needed. They also helped her to fill out family reunification petition forms and send them to the INS office. Biak was pregnant when she came to the United States and our petition for reunification case became an urgent case because she had no way to support herself when the baby is born.

While I was waiting for a letter from the Embassy, the unfortunate news about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks broke and all my hopes became a nightmare. The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi was closed and all cases from INS were stopped. I could not even contact the INS office for a while and then I learned that all the cases in INS will be inspected carefully from the beginning because of the terrorist alert and will then be processed.

As the time for my wife giving birth was coming closer, I could do nothing except pray to God, as I was a long distance away. In the right time, God provided more friends and supporters for my wife and she gave birth to a lovely son called Benjamin without any problems on October 25, 2001. God continued to bless our family and I could have a chance to go to the U.S. on February 8, 2002, and be reunited with my wife and new baby. It was so great and God had done remarkable things for our lives. I was proud to see my new son in the United States.

When I came to New Bern, the Tabernacle Baptist Church sponsored our family and provided everything that was needed, even a car. They found me a job with Southtech Plastics Company and I still work there today. I love my job very much and the way my coworkers and I communicate and respect each other. I am also interested in learning new things. Now my family is selfdependent and building a new life in New Bern without any difficulties.

Now we are blessed and saved to stay in the United States and enjoy new food, a new culture, and more. It is a real freedom of life that we never experienced before. I believe that God will bless those who help the needy. May God bless the United States of America.