At the young age of 14, Shawn traveled with his brother from their homeland to America. Their parents knew that America held a lot of promise for their sons and risked the separation with them knowing their own country was in turmoil. Would they see them again? Would they survive?

Not knowing the language caused a lot of struggles (and humorous moments) in the beginning. Many times Shawn experienced fear and discouragement resulting in him wanting to go home and be in the safe presence of his parents. Shawn made the choice to be courageous and do what it took to reach the American...