The children come from a variety of backgrounds, religions and tribes. About half of them come from indigenous tribal areas up in the hills of Bangladesh. When the tribal kids come, they must first learn to speak Bangla, the national language. Each tribe has its own distinct language and culture. Many times people ask us: How do you get the kids? Most often it is by word of mouth; we never advertise or solicit for children! Each child that comes has a story of God’s amazing work of compassion and love.

Moshi, which means Moses in Bangla, came to the orphanage, in 1996. As unbelievable as it might sound he actually was found near a pond, screaming! His mentally challenged mother no where to be found! The baby was taken care of by neighbors until placed in Home of Love as a 2 year old, where he received his most ‘fitting’ name! Today, many years later, Moshi is a rambunctious youngster with a ready smile.

A pastor and his wife awoke one morning and heard a faint cry. Dismissing it as a lonely kitten, they proceeded with the day’s activities. Only later did one of them go outside to discover a newborn baby lying face down in the mud in front of their door! The infant was naked with the umbilical cord still attached. Her face was scratched and caked with mud. It was a wonder that she had lived through the night. This family was ready to have their own baby in a few days and decided to seek a place for this little orphan girl. They brought her to Home of Love and she has grown into a terrific person. She was named Deborah. Not only is she bright in school, she is a born athlete, hard worker and has a pleasant personality we all enjoy. She has been at Home of Love since 1994.

Subarno was born in 1996 to parents in the hills of the Chittagong Hill Tracts that border Burma. He grew up with monkeys, elephants and the stories of Bengal tigers nearby. Never had he guessed that someday both parents would die and he would grow up among Bengalis and foreigners. Upon hearing his story, Thomas Kühn orphanage director, decided to go and get him. The trip was long and tiring, up and down hills of jungle with no signs of civilization. After arriving and checking the details of the story, his relatives slipped him 10 taka (about 20 cents), gave him a pair of rubber flip flops and sent him off with the tall, bearded German man no one had ever seen before. If Subarno was scared Thomas never knew it, the stocky little boy of 5 years old kept up with Thomas’s long strides with little problem. Through rivers and valleys, Subarno just kept walking on towards his unknown future. Courage and strength are part of Surbarno’s DNA. The next day they arrived in Chittagong a city of 3 million and poor little Subarno was in awe. He had never seen a lorry or a city for that matter! After learning the Bangla language, Subarno was able to tell us of his village, the trees that grow there and the animals one can see. He arrived in 2001 and has been a joy to raise.

Riku is one of the older boys. He came to the orphanage in 1993. His grandfather heard from another village that there was a mission that would take in young children and give them education, room and board for free. It was the chance of a lifetime, and Riku’s grandfather strongly urged Riku’s father to send him. Riku’s father was scared to send his oldest child of only 6 years to the city to live with foreigners, especially since his wife had just died. Riku’s grandfather had grown up during the British Empire and knew the foreigners would give his young grandson a good education and make him into someone they could all be proud of. Riku’s Grandfather is a sort of legend, he once killed a Bengal tiger, and ever since his village has been called, ‘Where the Tiger was Killed’ village. Grandfather said, “Keeping him here with you for your own happiness will not do him any good in life, but sending him away will.” His father finally agreed. Arriving in the big city probably frightened young Riku to no end. The people at the mission spoke a strange tongue called Bangla and everything he had known was suddenly stripped away. The day after he arrived he became very ill and feverish. He remembers Mr. Jung coming and laying a hand on his forehead in prayer and wondering what that was all about. He later recovered and proved himself a born intellectual even in the early days. Riku is now our most accomplished student, studying Social Science at Notre Dam College in Dhaka, a prestigious well-respected school.. He is passionate about one day going back to his village and starting schools and teaching the people about God. He works to that end with that goal in sight. Riku visits his family periodically, and they all exclaim that he is their only hope. He is their star in the sky, the one they set their children’s future on and tell their friends about. He is the most educated boy in the village. Riku’s siblings all have only a few years of schooling, and his one brother can barely even write his own name. The village has a little school that goes up to the 5th grade, where students are taught by two lone teachers, and books are prized possessions. The village does not have electricity, running water or cell phone coverage. Riku realizes that he would have turned out exactly the same if he had not been given his chance of a lifetime, and because of that, he desires to bring educational opportunities to his people for the next generation and to change the course of history. Riku has an optimistic, cheerful personality. He is organized and has gifting as a networker.