He came with his wife and daughters to Sault Ste. Marie where Christian Freedom International is helping Karen people find homes and jobs. He encountered freezing cold weather and unfamiliar customs, language and winter clothing. Over the years, his family and the others, have integrated into their new surroundings, finding jobs, attending church, and buying homes. One young woman is attending college. Another is taking advanced math in middle school. As Bee’s English improved he began taking citizenship classes with Duane Steffenhagen and passed the test on his first try. Each of the adults have their own terrible stories of escaping the brutality of the Burmese military and some bear the wounds of the violence of land mines, shrapnel and chemical weapons, experiences and memories their children will be spared.

Kay Bee remembers the horror of running with his neighbors to hide in caves when the Burmese military flew overhead. Others describe hiding in holes in the ground to escape detection, often hiding during the daytime and going out at night. Kay Bee’s friend’s pregnant mother was killed when she was spotted by the military when she went back to the village to feed her animals.

Bee’s family and neighbors raised rice for food. “We had a farm and all the people planted rice for food and when it came time to harvest the rice, we had to give it to the Burmese army.” His family finally fled through the jungle to a refugee camp in Thailand where he lived until the U.S. government granted him permission to come to the U.S.