Hello friends. Do you believe in miracles? Do you think they can happen? Sometimes many of you will probably just call it wishful thinking or someone’s fantasies. However, many stories in our world aren’t just hard to believe but are also hard to comprehend.
And when you get to hear one of those, it surely makes you look at many things in a completely different way. That’s exactly what happened to the protagonist of our Story, an ordinary man who had lost everything he had because of a stupid mistake. But even years later, he didn’t give up and believed that one day he would get back what he had once lost. Urban was an ordinary five-year-old boy born and raised in a small village in Indonesia. Even though his family couldn’t be called well off, the boy was always surrounded by the warmth and care of his relatives.
His mother and older brother worked hard to earn a living, and the money they earned was enough to afford what their neighbors could only dream of. Irvine was a favorite child in the family and always got what he wanted within the bounds of reason. Of course, the boy was taught that family needed to be respected and supported. With such values, Irvine could also become a hard worker over the years, sparing no effort for the sake of his family. Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
Let me take you back to 2007 when it all happened. It was an ordinary day, and while the adults of the family were at work, the five-year-old Irvine went to a rental shop to return a video game. Of course, the boy wasn’t allowed to leave the house on his own, but he thought that no one would find out about his little secret if he ran to get the new game and returned it quickly. That decision changed his life for many, many years. So what happened back in 2007 when little Urban was approaching the video game rental shop, he was kidnapped by a street performer.
Understanding that he had to be quick, the man grabbed the boy and jumped into the car of the first available train. It’s hard to imagine what the boy must have felt as the train was rushing him in an unknown direction, far away from his relatives, next to a stranger who wasn’t a very good person. The train ride took what felt like an eternity. Over 20 hours had passed before Irvine and the man got off the train in an unknown place, which, as he later realized, was the city of Bogor. The bustling metropolis was very different from the little village where a little Urban grew up.
The boy was frightened, having no idea what was going to happen next. Jahan, that was the name of the street artist who had kidnapped Irvine found a small room for them, which was far from cozy or clean. Johan sat down in front of me and started talking calmly. He told me I was never going to return to my family and that I had to forget everything that had happened to me before. Irvine recalled later.
That moment marked the beginning of a new life for the five-year-old boy. Jahan made him perform on the streets for money. Yes, the money was scanty, but enough to buy food and pay for the uncomfortable lodging. After a while, Irvine and Jahan even began to get along and the boy even got used to their common daily routine. As the boy later recalled, Jahan never offended him.
Sometimes he would even give the boy the last piece of bread and he always slept on the hard floor, letting the boy sleep on the soft bed. He took care of Urban and it was clear that he wasn’t an evil man, after all, just someone who had gone a little astray. The two of them might have continued performing on the street and no one would have found out about the story if it wasn’t for what happened. Two years later, Irvine’s life took an unexpected turn yet again. We had been to many cities in Indonesia over the two years.
However, as we were performing on the street in Madan, one day we heard police sirens. Jahan got very scared. He took my hand and we started running. I remember that there were a lot of people and it all happened very quickly. I don’t know what happened to Johann, but I found myself all alone near a mosque.
He may have been taken away by police, Irvin said. The seven-year-old boy was puzzled. He didn’t understand how Johann could have abandoned him. However, the fact remained the seven-year-old homeless boy was standing alone in a square near a mosque, surrounded by a world of strangers, a world that was so big and so scary. So what will be the boy’s fate?
He wandered around the city aimlessly for several days, not knowing what to do. He was hungry and had to sleep out in the open. A couple of days later, he decided to do the only thing he could. He decided to perform, but this time on his own. The next morning, Urban went to the same mosque and started showing different tricks at the square.
The lonely boy quickly attracted people’s attention, and fortunately, there was one person there who would soon change his whole life. A stranger approached the boy and started asking what he was doing alone on the street and where his parents were. But since the boy was very young when he was abducted, he couldn’t remember much. Realizing that the boy was all alone on the street, the respectable gentleman took him under his wing. The man turned out to be the head of the district Council in Madonna.
He took the boy home with him for the time being, hoping to find Irvin’s parents. However, days went by and months and years. I felt very comfortable in my new family, and I completely forgot about poverty. I was loved there. Unfortunately, two years later, fate changed his life again.
My Guardian died and I was adopted by his grandson named Samir. The man had little desire to take care of me, and he soon sent me to Islamic boarding school, although if I think about it, I’m even grateful for that. That’s where I was able to get a good education. We should note that the boy didn’t get a very warm welcome at the boarding school. For some reason, the children didn’t want to accept Ervin, but he didn’t despair.
After all, he had a goal to get a good education. So Irvine studied at the boarding school for eight years and even graduated with honors. The hero of our video later said, I am grateful to the people who helped me, in particular to Samir, who could have just kicked me out on the streets but chose to educate me instead. Even though Urban managed to overcome poverty and began to earn his own money enough to make a living, he often thought back to the tiny village the village where he had been born and where he was cherished by his mother and brother. Irvin couldn’t remember the name of his village or his family name, but his memory preserved images of his home.
When Irvine was 17 years old, he went to a good College and became well versed in technology. He often opened Google Maps, trying to find familiar places, but unfortunately, all his attempts failed. Even though he couldn’t find his home, he didn’t give up hope that he’d get to see his family again someday. Irvine kept browsing the Internet for many years, looking at hundreds of Indonesian villages, towns, and train stations. It seemed impossible to find his hometown.
However, fate rewarded the young man for his efforts, and a miracle happened one day when I opened Google Street View again and searched the villages in Indonesia. I recognized the market where we used to go with my mother and brother. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Images began to pop up in my memory a neighbor selling fruit on the left, an elderly man selling spices on the right, and a place with the most delicious sweets just around the corner. I had no doubts that it was my home village.
I was overwhelmed with joy and anxiety, the man said. I felt a mix of joy and apprehension. What if I was wrong and no one was waiting for me there? What if my mother and brother had moved a long time ago, or they might even have passed away? So many thoughts were spinning in my head, and I even thought for a second that they could have forgotten me and might not recognize me at all.
But at the same time, he knew what he needed to do. The next day, he canceled all his plans and rushed to meet those who had been waiting for him for many years. Arriving at the station of his village, Irvine was full of doubts. I remember saying to myself, pull yourself together, it’s your family. And I went to the house where we used to live.
Even though many years had passed, everything there looked familiar. Seven minutes later I was standing at the door which could be the last thing standing between me and the people I had dreamt of hugging for over ten years, Irvine said later when he had just gathered enough courage to knock on the door of the house, it suddenly opened and there was a slightly tired woman with silver streaks in her hair. Their eyes met and there were tears and an impulsive embrace. There was no doubt it was my mother. She recognized him at first glance.
Even after the long eleven years, however, this wasn’t the only pleasant surprise waiting for Irvine when he entered the house, he saw his older brother running around with his children. His brother could barely hold back his tears because as he later said, he thought he had lost Irvine forever. It was a heartfelt and long-awaited reunion and the story was soon covered by the local media. Many people told me that all my attempts to find my family were pointless Because Indonesia is so huge. But at the same time, I knew that sooner or later I would find them.
Now we’ll be together forever, Urban told reporters. It took the boy eleven years to find his family and peace of mind. I’d like to add that this wasn’t the only case when people used Google maps to look for their local hometowns and relatives. There’s an even more famous story about a man from India Whose life story was told in the lion movie. There is also a video about it on our channel.
You can find the link in the description and the pinned comment. So this is the life story of a man who’s been looking for his family for many years. The best part of this story is that it has a happy ending. So friends, what do you think about this story? Be sure to let us know in the comments.