Muhire Munyarugero, 28, center right, is greeted by his case manager, Birash Rimal, right, upon arriving at the Greater Rochester International Airport with his sister in Rochest, New York. Feb. 4, 2014.

Nyirazana, left, and Muhire wait for their luggage after arriving at the Greater Rochester International Airport. The family of eight brought three suitcases. Feb. 4, 2014.

Nyota Kamali, 8, waits with her luggage as her family is checked in at Motel 6 after arriving in Rochester. Feb. 4, 2014.

Nyirazana, center, and her daughter Dyna Kamali, 13, listen as their case manager and Kinyarwanda translator explain their stay at Motel 6. Feb. 4, 2014.

Eslon Kamali, 16, and his family see snow for the first time as they leave Motel 6 and prepare to move into their new home. Feb. 6, 2014.

The Kamali family arrives at their new home in Rochester with their case manager, Birash Rimal. Feb. 6, 2014.

Aline Kamali, 10, right, sits on her new bed as her brother Eslon looks out of the window at the snow-covered neighborhood. They were surprised that each family member had their own bed, because in the past, they had to share. Feb. 6, 2014.

Nyota looks out of the window at the snow on the ground. Feb. 6, 2014.

Dyna, left, and Aline, right, place a vase of silk flowers on their new dining room table. Saint's Place, a Rochester-based non-profit organization, collects donations and delivers furniture and home goods to refugees' homes before they arrive. Feb. 6, 2014.

Dyna, left, Aline, center, and their uncle Muhire Munyarugero, right, unpack kitchen items from Saint's Place. Feb. 6, 2014.

Nyirazana, left, Nyota, center, and Aline Kamali, right, stare at groceries. Catholic Family Center Refugee Resettlement gave them PriceRite gift cards to use until their public assistance benefits begin. Feb. 6, 2014.

Serge Kamali, 18, left, unpacks groceries as Dyna, right, watches him. Feb. 6, 2014.

Sako Kamali, 14, makes a bed in their new home in Rochester. Feb. 6, 2014.

Nyirazana stares out of the window in her new bedroom. Feb. 6, 2014.

Muhire looks around his new room. Feb. 6, 2014.

Serge, right, and his uncle, Muhire, left, try to set up a computer in their new home. Feb. 6, 2014.

Aline and Dyna eat their first meal in their new home, forgetting to close the refrigerator. Feb. 6, 2014.

Eslon and Serge listen as their mother and uncle talk to their case manager about their father's death. Their father was killed in a violent conflict in 2009. Feb. 7, 2014.

Nyirazana drinks milk. The family owned dairy cattle in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nyirazana's son Eslon said that store-bought milk tastes different than fresh milk. Feb. 7, 2014.

Sako Kamali and Eslon play checkers as Dyna watches. The kids didn't start school until one month after moving into their new home, so they spent the days playing games and watching television. Feb. 14, 2014.

Serge, left, and Sako practice soccer tricks in their kitchen. Feb. 14, 2014.

Serge brushes his hair with a toothbrush as he prepares to attend church for the first time since arriving in America. He was unable to find a comb, but he wanted to look his best. Feb 15, 2014.

Nyota, center, looks around as church-goers greet the Kamali family during their first visit to Genesee Park Boulevard Seventh Day Adventist Church. The family was relieved to find an adventist church in Rochester since they have been part of the religion for a long time. Feb. 15, 2014.

Muhire and Nyirazana pray during their first visit to Genesee Park Boulevard Seventh Day Adventist Church. Feb. 15, 2014.

Nyota, left, Aline, center, and Dyna, right, watch television in their home. Feb. 21, 2014.

The Kamali family's refrigerator is nearly empty. They depend on New York State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to purchase food. Feb. 21, 2014.

Angel Nishimwe, a church volunteer, helps Nyirazana understand the information provided with her new prescription pain-relievers. Feb. 21, 2014.

Nyirazana cringes in pain. She suffers from spinal pain due to an untreated decade-old spinal fracture. "Something that I realized was different from my country was the way doctors treat people," she says. Feb. 21, 2014.

Serge, left, and Sako, right, talk in their kitchen. Sako and his younger siblings were supposed to attend their first day of school, but they missed their bus. March 3, 2014.

Dyna, Aline, and Nyota return home from their first day of school. "What we want most is education for the children. That is my most favorite thing in America," Muhire says. March 4, 2014.

Nyota, left, jumps onto Dyna's bed as she eats a sandwich while Aline, right, does homework in her bed. March 11, 2014.

Sako, left, laughs as he talks on the phone with a friend while Serge, right, studies the New York Driver's Manual. March 20, 2014.

Nyota, right, prays before eating dinner with her sisters. March 20, 2014.

Nyota asks Dyna for help with her homework. April 3, 2014.

Nyota wears a jean skirt that she received from the clothing closet at Saint's Place. "She's starting to dress like an American," Eslon says. "If you wear that in my country, they will stone you."

Sako looks into his cart trying to remember everything his family needs while grocery shopping at PriceRite. April 28, 2014.

Sako waits for a manager's assistance after his SNAP card is denied because he did not have enough funds while grocery shopping at PriceRite. April 28, 2014.

Sako returns some food after his SNAP card is denied because he did not have enough funds while grocery shopping at Price Rite in Rochester, NY on April 28, 2014.

Nyota wears her hair short, a common practice of children of both genders in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She has experienced bullying at school from classmates who tell her she looks like a boy.

Nyota and Aline explore empty rooms in the downstairs apartment of the family's house. The family planned to move into the downstairs apartment because Nyirazana has trouble using the stairs. May 6, 2014.

Muhire calls to receive assistance understanding his bills. He is the family's main English speaker, but he still faces frustrations when communicating at times. May 9, 2014.

Nyirazana waits for a bus on East Main Street on the hottest day so far of 2014 in Rochester with temperatures reaching 87 degrees. May 9, 2014.

Nyirazana waits for a bus on East Main Street on the hottest day so far of 2014 in Rochester with temperatures reaching 87 degrees. May 9, 2014.

Nyirazana laughs with her friend Marie Dushimirimana, a former refugee from Tanzania, as they talk about breast feeding while grocery shopping at PriceRite. May 9, 2014.

Nyirazana looks at clothes at All Nation Yesu Ni Jibu, an African clothing store in Rochester. May 9, 2014.

Eslon and Sako talk in their bedroom after school. May 15, 2014.

"The best memories I have in my life were when I was with my husband. After he died, I was nothing. I lost all my hope," Nyirazana says. "I actually have hope in America because I am not struggling by myself. Here, I am supported."

Dyna, left, Serge, center left, Nyirazana, center right, and Sako, right, relax on their front porch. June 18, 2014.

Eslon, left, and Sako, right, laugh as they watch a cell phone video of themselves playing soccer behind their house. June 24, 2014.

Aline, left, and Nyota, right, nap under the covers after school. June 25, 2014.

Sako after his 8th-grade graduation at Roberto Clemente School No. 8. No one from his family was able to attend because they did not have transportation.

Sako says goodbye to his middle school soccer teammates after graduating from 8th grade. "Sako brought soccer to this inner city school," his teacher, Joshua Cornue, says. "Everyone wanted to play basketball until they saw what Sako could do with a soccer ball."

Nyota, left, and Aline, right, carry hand-washed laundry to be hung out to dry. The family has a washing machine and dryer in their basement, but Nyirazana prefers to do the laundry by hand because she finds it relaxing. June 25, 2014.

Aline plays with her neighbors, refugees from Burma, in their backyard. "We're their first friends," Aline says. June 25, 2014.

Recently washed laundry sits in the bathtub before being hung to dry outside.

Aline timidly wades into the water at Frontenac Park in Union Springs during the New York Conference of Sevent-Day Adventist Camp Meeting. She wears a makeshift dress because she did not bring any swimwear. It was the second time she has ever been swimming. June 28, 2014.

The Kamalis and their friends from church, many of whom are also refugees from Africa, gather for a potluck lunch at Frontenac Park. June 28, 2014.

Dyna waits below the baptism platform for her turn to be baptized by full immersion with her brothers Serge and Sako. June 28, 2014.

Serge, center, is baptized by full immersion by Pastor Gary Wagner with his siblings Dyna and Sako. June 28, 2014.

Dyna walks down the baptism platform after being baptized with Serge and Sako. June 28, 2014.

The Kamali family after Serge, Dyna, and Sako's baptism. From left to right: Nyirazana, Muhire, Aline, Serge, Nyota, Dyna, Sako, and Eslon. June 28, 2014.

Nyota plays with her neighbors, refugees from Burma who don't speak English, in their front yard. July 2, 2014.

"It's a star!" Nyota exclaims as she cathces a firefly for the first time with her neighbors. July 2, 2014.

Eslon, left, counts the stars on the American Flag on July 4th, which is also Liberation Day in Rwanda, as he listens to a speech via internet radio by Rwandan President Paul Kagame commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan Patriotic Front's defeat of the genocidal regime.

Eslon and Sako pray before eating dinner in their bedroom. On Independence Day, they observed the Sabbath beginning at sunset on Friday rather than going out to see fireworks. July 4, 2014.

Nyota eagerly raises her hand to answer a question during summer school at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School in Rochester. "Nyota is very eager to learn," Joshua Cornue, her summer school teacher, says. July 23, 2014.

Nyota runs through the rain with friends after summer school at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School. July 23, 2014.

Eslon cuts his friend Serge's hair in the basement of the Kamali's home. Oct. 24, 2014.

The Kamalis watch television and YouTube videos while drinking tea. Oct. 24, 2014.

Dyna, left, and Aline, right, prepare for bed. Their heating system broke, so Dyna slept with a hat and gloves on. Oct. 24, 2014.

Sako, left, and Nyota, right, prepare for church. Oct. 25, 2014.

Eslon, left, plays a guitar that Serge bought him at Goodwill while Sako, right, watches African music videos on his laptop. Serge talks on the phone in the corner. The three brothers share one room with their beds pushed together. Nov. 7, 2014.

Anthony Severin helps Nyirazana get out of the church's van after picking up the family of eight at home and driving them to Genesee Park Boulevard Seventh-Day Adventist Church. The family lacks transportation, so a volunteer picks them up every Saturday. Nov. 8, 2014.

Nyota throws snow in the air as she plays outside during one of the first accumulating snowfalls. Nov. 21, 2014.

Muhire, right, tries to move the family's first turkey, a gift from their church. Angel Nishimwe, center, helped them cook it on Thanksgiving day. Nov. 27, 2014.