Antranik Tavitian

Narjes Al Hraishawi, 14, ties her younger sister’s, Fatima’s, hair Asinat, right, 2, tries to grab her headband from her older brother, Ali, 12. Abbas, left, 17, watches Youtube videos before driving two of the children to a carnival on Friday, August 23, 2019, in Columbia, Mo. The family’s children range from their 17-year-old boy to their year and a half old daughter.

Photos of all nine of the Al Hraishawi children are taped to the wall of Hussein’s room. The entire family was born in Iraq, but some of the older children spent their whole childhood there. On December 13, 2017, they packed their bags and left the rough two-million person populated southern Iraq port city of Basra to the 130,000 midwestern city of Columbia, Missouri.

Abbas plays with his youngest brother, Baqer, 4, on Thursday, August, 29, 2019, outside their home in Columbia, Mo. While their father is away for most of the year, Abbas takes over as the father figure of the family. “He’s my favorite because we’re so alike,” Abbas said, referring to his younger brother.

Zaynab Al Hraishawi speaks to her husband, Mohammed who's currently working in Iraq, about a possible eviction from their apartment, while Abbas, left, asks his mom to speak to his father to ask for permission to get money to watch a movie with his siblings on Wednesday, August 7, 2019. "You have to pay for the rent, for the school, and for the kids fun," said their father, Mohammed.

Narjes, Abbas, Ali, and Fatima walk out after watching “Hobbs & Shaw”, an action-comedy movie on Wednesday, August 7, 2019, at Forum 8 theaters in Columbia, Mo.

The Al Hraishawi family and Toni, a family friend and translator, break fast on the last day of Ramadan on Monday, June 3, 2019, at the family’s home in Columbia, Mo. It was one of the last nights that their father was there before he left again to work in Iraq.

Asinat, 2, looks out the family’s living room window towards downtown Columbia, Mo. The youngest children constantly want to play outside, but their older siblings fear for their safety and their mother is usually taking care of the other kids, preparing food or taking care of other house tasks.

Abbas, 17, tried to land a kick on his younger brother, Hussein Al Hraishawi, 15, while practicing Karate on Saturday, May 12, 2019, in a parking lot near their home in Columbia, Missouri. The brothers learned Karate from their uncle while growing up in Iraq. "If he hit me once, he win," said Hussein, referring to his brother, Abbas.

Zaynab Al Hraishawi watches the sunset with her daughters, Fatime, 8, left, Zahra, 1, bottom, and son, Baqer, 4, right, on Friday, August 9, 2019, outside their home in Columbia, Missouri. The family came to the United States on December 14, 2017, after their father, Mohammed, received death threats from Iraqi militia for working with the American military. His driver was murdered by the militia after giving them the family’s home address. The family of 11 rents two small apartments in section 8 public housing. Their father has been in Iraq for the past four months continuing his job as a Project Supervisor for the United States Army Corps of Engineers to provide for his family, as his wife doesn't speak English and is unable to work.

An Iraqi proverb about overcoming the adversities of life marks the room of Hussein Al Hraishawi. He wants to write all over the walls, but public housing inspectors come by the house a couple of times a month so instead, he erases old ones and writes new ones.

Narjes, 14, center, pays for the families groceries with money she got from her mother. Their mother doesn’t speak English on a level high enough to get groceries on her own so she often relies on her oldest children to do everyday tasks that involve going into the surrounding community.

Al Hasan, Abbas, and Fatima ride the carousel at the Wade Show Carnival on Friday, August 23, 2019, at the Columbia Mall in Columbia, Mo. It was the siblings’ first time going to a carnival in the US.

Mohamed Al Hraishawi, the families father, returns home from being away for four months in Iraq on Saturday, September 7, 2019 in Columbia, Mo.

Zahra, 1, the youngest of the family, grabs onto her father Mohammed Al Hraishawi on the last day of Ramadan, on Tuesday, June 3, 2019, at their home in Columbia, Missouri. Their father plans to return to Iraq in a few days in order to continue his job as a Project Supervisor for the United States Army Corp of Engineers. While their father is away, the paternal responsibilities are passed onto 17-year-old Abbas, who's a Junior at Douglass High School. "It's hard to take this decision," said Mohammed. "Of course, it's hard for me to be away from my family.

Mohammed Al Hraishawi caresses his son as he falls asleep the night that his father returned home after nearly four months of being away for work in Iraq. Mohammed plans to stay in the US for the next couple of months to assure their housing status and gain a better hold for how their future will be before he leaves again for Iraq.