By Thea Jarvis

A year and a half ago, Vietnamese brothers Khoi and Khoa Dinh were young men on the run.

They had left Saigon, capital city of communist Vietnam, on foot in July of 1980 and spent the next two months covering as much territory as they could in a daring flight for freedom.

Reaching Cambodia, they crossed the country successfully, only to be arrested by Viet soldiers at the border of Thailand.

Still they did not give up. After 23 days in captivity, they managed an escape and continued their journey through Thailand, this time without food or transport.

Some friendly Cambodian soldiers happened on the men and took them to an official of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Khoi, 19, and Khoa, 21 were subsequently placed in Thai refugee camps and some nine months later were sent to a language school and camp in the Philippines.

The last leg of the Dinhs' travels was a prolonged flight in a U.S. Army transport plane to Atlanta, GA -- by way of Alaska and California.

Meanwhile, in the mountains of north Georgia, Father Gerald Peterson, Glenmary pastor of St. Mark's Church in Clarkesville, had spent the last six months mulling over the words of a Wisconsin priest he had met on a summer trip to the Holy Land.

Father Pete's fellow traveler had recently opened his home to some Latin refugees and had found the experience rewarding. His story was compelling and started the Clarkesville pastor thinking about what he might do for the homeless.

"I knew of the refugees in the Atlanta jail," Father Peterson later explained, "but there were no Cubans up here" to provide support and friendship to fellow countrymen.

Another difficulty involved the matter of housing. Although St. Mark's parish had sponsored a Laotian family in the past, no one in the church was presently able to offer shelter to new arrivals.

"No volunteers were forthcoming, so I decided to do it myself," the priest said simply. Father Pete approached Catholic Social Services in Atlanta and offered to host a refugee family. Because there were two Vietnamese women in the Clarkesville area, he was open to those with a similar background.

Catholic Social Services knew of two Vietnamese Catholics who had suffered much to win their freedom - Khoi and Khoa Dinh.

Father Peterson readily accepted the CSS suggestion and arranged to meet the young men at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers. The Dinh brothers returned with him to Clarkesville and have been keeping Father Pete company in the rectory of St. Mark's since early last December.

For Khoi and Khoa, who left behind not only their homeland, but their family as well -- including parents and six brothers and sisters -- life in Clarkesville has taken some getting used to.

"They know a little bit of English," said Father Pete of his new friends. "They had two and a half months of the language in the Philippines and are in an English language class now with a Japanese teacher."

Finding employment for the Dinhs has been more of a challenge.

"They have had a hard time finding work," but have managed to find "a couple of odd jobs," the priest added. "They are building me a window solar unit for the church, working with a retired man who is a parishioner."

Another parishioner of St. Mark's has volunteered to teach the brothers to drive, and Father Francis Phuong of St. John the Evangelist Church in Hapeville recently invited them down to celebrate the Vietnamese New Year with the Vietnamese community.

Little by little, Khoi and Khoa Dinh are making their mark in Georgia, settling in and becoming more comfortable with their new surroundings.

Father Pete shares Morning Prayer with his guests and they frequently accompany him on the many home visits he makes in his travels through the mountains.

"It's working out fairly well" the hospitable priest remarked amiably. "I come from a family of 11 and I like a little action around here!"