At last, Sammamish mom coming home from Congo with her sons
Nov 9, 2015, 4:16 PM | Updated: 4:50 pm
Jennefer Boyer is finally bringing her boys home from the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Boyer family)
(Boyer family)
Jennefer Boyer and her boys are coming home.
The Sammamish mom was forced to move to the Democratic Republic of Congo to be with her children.
She and her husband, Jason, adopted their sons, Luke and Andre, when they were 1 and 3. But long, agonizing years went by and the Boyers weren’t able to take their kids out of the DRC.
Related: Sammamish mom forced to move to Congo to be with her sons
The DRC stopped issuing exit visas for all adopted children in 2013.
The Boyers have been stuck — just like 1,300 other families around the world, 400 of them American — until last week.
On November 2, the DRC announced it would authorize the departure of 69 adopted children, 14 of them to U.S. families. Luke and Andre are in that group. Jennefer and her boys touch down in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, November 10.
There’s not much information about why the DRC has let a small percentage of the kids out. Congolese officials haven’t explained what criteria they used to approve those cases.
What that means is that Jennefer and Jason’s ordeal is finally coming to end, but the news is bittersweet for their friends, who still cling to pictures and the occasional Skype call to communicate with their adopted children.
And worse, DRC officials say that the remaining cases won’t be reviewed until a new adoption law is approved. That means years could go by before the rest can leave.
Jennie Massie lives in the D.C. area and her adopted 6-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son are still stuck in Congo.
“We’re thrilled for the people coming home,” Massie said. “But it was a very sad day when we heard that remaining children would have to wait for new laws. These are children who know that they have parents and families who love them.”
She says it’s tough on her, but she thinks more about the children. It’s been a year since she’s seen her own kids. Massie has been hearing for many months that the release will come any day now, so she waited to buy an expensive ticket to the Congo, thinking she’d instead buy a ticket when it was time to go and bring her kids home. Now she has to hunker down for more waiting.
“Many have looked our kids in the eye and said, ‘I’m coming back for you.’ Can you imagine a 5-year-old waiting an entire year for that?” Massie said. “It’s very hard for us knowing that we could have a longer road ahead.”
Still, Massie is organizing a festive, colorful welcome when Jennefer and her boys arrive at Dulles airport Thursday. Somehow, she’s staying optimistic.
“We want to show our gratitude to the Congolese government for releasing these children to be with their families.”
For now, she’ll focus on the celebration and she’ll buy that ticket to see her son and daughter.
