Refugee family chosen to receive gift of a house, van in Salt Lake

Many of the questions and answers had to be translated, but the smiles lining the faces of the Tamang family said it all — we're home.

Saturday afternoon the Butonese family of five walked into their new house, where they will live for at least the next six months rent-free thanks to the generosity of an anonymous benefactor.

Work and stability are difficult to come by in today's barren job market, and as refugees struggling to learn English and resettle in a new country, the future seemed bleak for Dal and Ran Maya. They had recently learned that the funding they received from the government was about to expire and they were preparing to live in the streets with their three children. Tonight, however, they will be sleeping in a new home that Ran Maya described as "heaven."

"This family have left one hard life to a new one," said Emily Smoot, a volunteer for the Catholic Community Center. "This opportunity has opened their lives to a whole new beginning where they feel like they can actually do something with themselves and make something of themselves here, and I know they are eternally grateful for this."

Smoot has worked closely with the Tamangs since they first arrived in Utah, helping with the day-to-day events like doctor visits and getting the children to school while also teaching English and providing job training for the parents.

Dal and Ran Maya arrived in Utah five months ago with their children Shijana, 12, Joshua, 6, and Joseph, 1, after fleeing Bhutan to Nepal to escape religious persecution, Smoot said. In Bhutan it is illegal to practice Christianity, and as the Tamangs secretly celebrated Christmas 17 or 18 years ago, they were discovered. Ran Maya's father, who remains in Nepal, was severely beaten and was paralyzed as a result.

Many members of Ran Maya's extended family remain in refugee camps in Nepal, yet Smoot said they are in the process now of gaining clearance to be resettled.

Brandy Vega, a spokeswoman for the unnamed benefactor, said he wanted to give the Tamang family more then a home, he wanted to "get them on their feet" so at some point they could pay the opportunity forward. The four-bedroom house, which covers 1,700 square feet, came fully furnished with $5,000 worth of furniture including couches, beds and a dining room table. The kitchen was fully stocked with groceries. A 2002 Ford minivan with taxes and insurance paid was donated by R.J. Wrigley in Ogden to the Tamangs.