Shawn and Jenni Zupfer have been married for 10 years and have an incredible 4 year old biological son. While they felt their family of three was complete, they knew they had more love to share and opened their hearts to international adoption. They completed their home study and were soon matched with a toddler.
When visiting their prospective child in country this past July, Jenni met a young boy named John who was at the same interim care center as their toddler. She knew instantly there was something remarkably special about this young boy after meeting him and hearing his story.
At a young age, John fell from a mango tree an injured a disc in his back, but was not able to have the medical care he needed. She learned he was a true orphan, having lost both his parents to the recent tragic Ebola outbreaks, which forced him to live on the streets in one of the country’s worst slums, and fend for himself for survival. Despite all that was working against him, he managed to keep himself in school; he is very bright. He is one of the most loving, kind, and tenderhearted young boys you will ever meet. He maintains a sweet disposition, a strong inner drive to achieve his dreams, and a desire to once again have a family to call his own. Shawn and Jenni were grateful to learn he was matched with a family so that he would have the opportunity to have a loving family, continue his education, and pursue his goals.
Recently, however, due to unforeseen circumstances and no fault of his own, the family pursuing his adoption was unable to proceed. John was left with few options as he will age out of adoption eligibility in early January 2017 and once again be on his own, and alone.
Upon learning John was in need of a family, without hesitation, Shawn and Jenni stepped forward to pursue his adoption. They quickly completed a whirlwind of paperwork and updated their home study to include a teenager. Now it is a race against time for everything to come together, including raising the remaining funds, for John to join their family.
11/29/16—USCIS APPROVED