♪♪ >> Cathy: THOUSANDS OF UKRAINIANS WHO FLED FROM THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF THEIR COUNTRY NOW CALL MINNESOTA HOME.

REPORTER KAOMI LEE CAUGHT UP WITH ONE FAMILY TO HEAR ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE.

>> MARINA KARAKOVA IS A CASE MANAGER AT THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MINNESOTA.

SHE HELD UKRAINIANS WHO FLED FROM WAR TO RESETTLE HERE.

SHE'S ONE HERSELF.

>> WE HAVE TWO CARS, SO WE USED ONE CAR.

>> THE 36-YEAR-OLD KARAKOVA AND HER HUSBAND AND THEIR FOUR CHILDREN DROVE WEST TOWARDS HUNGARY.

FRIGHTENED, SHE REACHED OUT TO A MINNESOTA WOMAN WHOM SHE HAD MET 25 YEARS AGO.

>> WHEN THE WAR STARTS, I JUST CALL HER AND JUST SAYING LIKE WE ARE LEAVING, PLEASE PRAY BECAUSE WE HAVE NO IDEA WHERE WE ARE GOING.

>> KELLY LINDELL TOLD AREA NEWS MEDIA SHE ET KARAKOVA ON A MISSION TRIP TO UKRAINE.

>> I ASKED WHERE ARE YOU GOING, AND SHE SAID WE DON'T KNOW, WE JUST LEAVE.

>> LINDELL DECIDED TO SPONSOR THE FAMILY UNDER A PROGRAM CALLED UNITING FOR UKRAINE.

IT LETS UKRAINIANS WITH A SPONSOR COME TO THE U.S. FOR TWO YEARS.

LINDELL FUNDRAISED AND TALKED ABOUT THE FAMILY TO A GROUP OF SENIORS SHE WAS TEACHING.

>> KELLY IS A PERSON WHO IS TEACHING CLASSES IN SENIOR BUILDING, SO WHEN SHE WAS LIKE FINDING OUR STORY AND PREPARING DOCUMENTS SHE SHARED WITH SOME SENIOR COUPLES ABOUT THAT WE ARE GOING TO COME HERE.

AND THE SENIORS OFFERED US TO STAY IN THIS HOUSE AND JUST PROVIDED THIS HOUSE FOR FREE FOR US.

ALL THE SENIORS HELPED SETTLE THIS HOUSE WITH US, INCLUDING PAINTING, FOOD, EVERYTHING.

>> AT FIRST THE FAMILY HOUGHT THEY'D STAY SIX MONTHS BUT AS THE WAR CONTINUED, THEY SETTLED IN.

ROLLOD MIR HO'S OF 2 GOT A JOB AS A CARPENTER.

THE KIDS GOT COMFORTABLE AT THEIR SCHOOLS IN CHAMPLAIN.

THEY FINALLY HAD ROOM TO BREATHE.

>> DO YOU FIND A PART OF YOUR HEART IS STILL IN UKRAINE?

WHAT DO YOU MISS?

THERE MUST BE THINGS THAT YOU MISS.

>> HOME.

>> SEEING FAMILY.

>> YEAH.

>> IS YOUR FAMILY SAFE?

>> I COULDN'T SAY THAT.

LIKE IT'S NOT A SAFE PLACE NOW.

>> FLEEING WAR AND HAVING TO LEAVE YOUR COUNTRY AND EVERYTHING YOU KNOW BEHIND IS UNIMAGINABLE FOR MANY OF US.

THIS FAMILY DESPITE THE CHALLENGES, IS THRIVING.

BUT THERE ARE STILL UNCERTAINTIES.

>> UKRAINIANS STARTED ARRIVING IN 2022, AND EVEN THOUGH IN THEORY THEY ARE REFUGEES, RIGHT, BECAUSE THEY'RE LEAVING A WAR IN THEIR COUNTRY, THEY CAME TO THE U.S.

UNDER A HUMANITARIAN PAROLEE STATUS.

>> THAT IS A TEMPORARY TWO-YEAR STATUS.

SHE SAYS ABOUT 4,000 UKRAINIANS HAVE ARRIVED IN MINNESOTA SINCE.

WHEN THEIR STATUS EXPIRING NEXT YEAR, THERE'S STILL NO WORD WHETHER IT WILL BE RENEWED.

>> THAT'S A HARD THING FOR PEOPLE BECAUSE TWO YEARS GOES VERY QUICKLY.

SO THAT CAN BE ANOTHER STRESS FOR FOLKS.

>> THERE'S NO PATH TO CITIZENSHIP AND NOT KNOWING IF THEY CAN STAY BEYOND NEXT YEAR PUTS UKRAINIANS IN A KIND OF LIMBO.

MEANWHILE THE KYROKOVS SAY THEIR CHILDREN ARE BECOMING AMERICANIZED.

>> I WANT THEM TO BE HAPPY, AND THEY BECAME HAPPY HERE.

>> AND HOW ABOUT YOU, VLAD?

DO YOU WANT TO GO BACK?

>> I THINK ABOUT CHILDREN AND FUTURE CHILDREN.

>> CHILDREN WHO HAVE ALREADY SEEN WAR, DEATH, AND DEVASTATION.

NEW MINNESOTA FRIENDS ARE HELPING THEM TO REMEMBER THEY'RE STILL KIDS.

IN CHAMPLAIN, EIGHTH GRADER SOPHIA LEARNED HOW TO WATER SKI ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

>> I WON'T LEAVE HERE BUT MAYBE WE VISIT FOR A FEW DAYS AND GO BACK HERE.

>> WHERE IS HOME FOR YOU NOW?

>> LIKE HERE.

>> YOU FEEL LIKE THE U.S. IS HOME?

>> YEAH.

YEAH, BUT I MISS UKRAINE, SO.

BUT I LIKE U.S. MORE THAN UKRAINE.

♪♪ >> PLAYING SONGS FROM THEIR HOMELAND HELPED THEM REMEMBER WHAT AND WHO THEY'VE LEFT BEHIND.

BUT IT'S HERE WHERE THE KYRAKOVS HAVE FOUND HAPPINESS AND A HOME.