Our History

The Isaac Children's Home is located in Uijeongbu, Kyongge-Do Province, South Korea, between Seoul and the DMZ. It is owned by Mr. Kim, son of the founders of the orphanage. There are currently 93 children in the home ranging in age from 3 to 19. Mrs. Noh, wife of Mr. Kim, has been the director of the Isaac Home since 1977.

The Kim family founded this orphanage as a way to give back to the Korean society as an extension of their Christian faith. In 1990 God provided the circumstances and finances for the orphanage to relocate to their present location and facility. Mrs. No and her dedicated staff lovingly care for the children and nurture them in a Christian environment. Hundreds of Korean orphans have been raised at this orphanage over the decades and have left to join the Korean society as productive Christian citizens.

Testimony of Mrs. Noh

It would not be possible for me to be at this point in life without the help of some unforgettable and precious people. It is first and foremost by the grace of God that I am here.

As I look back, I am thankful for the many people who helped me to arrive at this moment. Come to think of it, there were a lot of difficulties that we went through in the past, but because of those difficulties I am all the more thankful to be here now.

Now God is giving me the opportunity to express my thankfulness.

Isaac Home was started for the orphans who lost their parents during the Korean War, much like many other orphanages in Korea. Before the war my mother-in-law was an evangelist in North Korea. When she escaped from North Korea during the Korean War, she could not help but think of those kids who lost their parents in the War so she tried to help a few of those kids and the number of kids has been growing ever since that time.

In those days, Korea was too poor to build orphanages. A few pastors got together and built the Hwa-rang Orphanage from bricks with their own hands. The building was not very nice at all. Later on however the U.S. military built a pretty nice building for us.

The Isaac Home was called Hwa-rang Orphanage back in its early days. I married my husband in 1977 when I was 26 years old and that was the beginning of my relationship with the Orphanage. At that time, I thought that the Orphanage was my mother-in-law’s responsibility, not mine. Unfortunately my mother-in-law passed away in a car accident only three months after I married my husband. I was left with the responsibility of the Orphanage and I had no idea how to take care of these children. There was no food and no money. I felt hopeless. I had to run here and there to get food to feed all the children. During that time I met Dr. Joe Hale who was missionary of Korea. I taught the kids how to dance and sing songs. They did performances at the U.S. military bases and at churches. Dr. Hale made arrangements for us to be at those places. That is where our relationship began. Such unforgettable memories … Some times I am asked how I made it through those difficult days. Now I just smile at them and tell them it was by God’s grace.

I was scared when our kids started their first year of high school. How can I support them, I thought? I was scared when there were kids that were pretty sick too. All I could do at that time was to cry out to my Father in heaven. He was the only One who understood me.

Now when I look back at my past, I see that He had already prepared all my ways for me and that He took care of the kids in His perfect time. He was and is the only fortress, shield and protector.

In 1990 we changed our name from Hwa-rang Orphanage since the name did not sound good to the Orphans. Now it is called Isaac Home and 93 kids from ages 3-18 all live there together. The Orphans had not only lost their parents, but they felt rejected and abandoned. Those memories bother the teenagers as they get older and they respond by getting tougher and sometimes giving me a hard time. Sometimes they cry out without voices and it is far beyond my ability to help. I feel the limitations of my human ability. 20 years ago, Korea was a poor country and food and clothing were pretty much all that was needed to keep the kids satisfied. Now Korea is growing rapidly and there is a big gap between the poor and the rich. Poor people have a hard time escaping their level. The new motto of Korean is “cut the generation of the poor”. The dreams of the Isaac Home kids are to have good moms and dads, which is a natural desire for kids. Our kids still feel despair, hopelessness, and lonesomeness, but because of you they can have hope, and a feeling of warmth and love. Thank you so much for supporting us and reaching out your hands to us. I would like to express my appreciation to the Orphanos Foundation, director, Mr. Wayne Sneed and Sam Davis’s family. I also would like to give a special thank to Mrs. Edge who is ECS middle school principal, Mrs. Bray and the ECS middle school students from the bottom of my heart.

The kids are taking music classes, doing sports dance, Taekwon-do, learning to repair cars, and other life skills with the help of your monthly support. All of our staff workers are trying to do their best for our kids. They teach the kids to have positive minds and the confidence to be able to handle their situation in life. When our kids graduate from high school they feel as if they were in the middle of the desert. They have no money, no house, and no family. When they graduate from high school, they feel fear and they tend to lose their confidence, but our staff is working hard to encourage them and to help them through this process.

Most of all I want to tell you people how proud I am of you for taking care of us these last 20 years. This is how we share love with one another, by taking care of each other. I praise the Lord and give Him all the glory. Thank you so much.