From Congo to Columbus

This is our adoption story, in video form: 

 

Half a world away, our son waits for us. Camryn Eric Juday is 12 months old, and lives in an orphanage in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. We began our journey, a story you can read about here, in February of 2014. Since then, we've cashed out IRAs, completed mountains of paperwork, and had our fingerprints scanned innumerable times.

My husband and I have wanted to adopt since as long as either of us can remember. In fact, our first date together began with an agreement (with a handshake and all) that we both were committed to adopting. There is a stirring deep within both of us that we were created to care for children. Traveling through, and living in, some of the neediest areas of the world sharpened our desire to care for orphans within the international community. We chose DRC, a country of great need. 


According to the International Monetary Fund, DRC is the poorest country in the world, with a per capita domestic product of less than $400, almost half of the next poorest on the list. In addition, due to the ravages of civil wars and AIDS, the number of orphans in DRC is sky-high: about 4 million, according to UNICEF. Clearly, these children are vulnerable, and need our help. 

In June of 2014, we were thrilled to receive a referral for a little boy.

At this point in his journey (May 2015), Camryn's file has passed almost all of the legal hurdles in the Congolese court system. Soon, he will be moved from his state-run orphanage to our agency's foster care home. There, he will receive proper nutrition and 24 hour care, amenities he is not guaranteed in his current home. With this upgrade, though, the costs increase.

Our family will be responsible for paying for his food and care each month, at an amount that is not insignificant. In addition to this, as an infant, Camryn has been sick several times, resulting in hospital visits. Most recently, his arm was broken (an occurrence we believe was due to negligence, not abuse), necessitating another medical visit. In addition to this, once the US clears all of the paperwork, at least one of us will be flying to DRC to pick Camryn up, a 2 week trip that will register somewhere around $6,000-$7,000. All told, we need to raise at least $12,000 to make this dream come true!

Would you consider partnering with us to bring Camryn home? 

Please visit our GoFundMe account to donate! 





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