Texas parents wait to bring home boy they adopted from Ukraine. ‘I WILL get you out’
The adoption of 16-year-old Andriy was finalized in January for Texas parents Brittney and Matt Hejl, marking the beginning of the end of a years-long process.
All that was left was for the couple to pick up their newly adopted son from his orphanage. But when Andriy’s home country of Ukraine was invaded by Russian forces, the Hejl family was left clinging to hope and prayer that they will be able to bring their son home.
Brittney and Matt Hejl have kept in contact with Andriy, whom remains in the basement of his orphanage in northern Ukraine.
“Andriy has told us the main bridge into their town was blown up by the Ukrainians to keep the Russians out,” Brittney Hejl said on Facebook on Monday, Feb. 28. “Gas/transportation is basically non-existent at this time AND he lives hours away from the closest safest border. But my words to him... I WILL get you out.”
The couple, who live near Waco — met Andriy in 2015 through an orphan hosting program. In 2019, they began the process to make him a part of their family.
That process took three years before they were granted custody in January.
“Andriy has always been a part of this family and always would have been, but the YES makes it official,” Matt Hejl said on Facebook on Jan. 31 when a judge granted them custody. “We are now a family of 6!”
The Hejls were required by law to wait 30 days before they could bring him home, and they made those plans for March.
On Feb. 24, just 14 days before they were going to make that trip, Russia invaded Ukraine.
“With the situation changing hour by hour, we’re just waiting to see what we’re going to do,” Brittney Hejl told KWTX. “Currently, the latest news we’ve heard is you can’t get in or out without a helicopter.”
Brittney Hejl said they made contact with Andriy on Thursday.
“No doubt the uncertainty, fear, lack of sleep, chaos of little children and the overall fact that war IS their life right now is wearing on them,” she said earlier in the week. “We continue to pray!!!”
In the couple’s interview with KWTX, they said Andriy has remained at the orphanage with 25 other children and the children have heard explosions outside.
“It’s scary to look on your phone to see what it’s going to say,” Matt Hejl told the station. “If I didn’t have a relationship with Christ, I don’t know how I would get through something like this to be honest.”
This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 11:03 AM.