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Congo Family Adoptions
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In the Democratic Republic of Congo, five million children have been orphaned by war and disease. Six out of ten youngsters die before their fifth birthday. One infant barely escaped those grim statistics. He was rescued by a pastor and family who refused to let him die. Kim Riemland reports. |
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SCRIPT:
(Locator: Cypress, Texas)(Parents bounce baby)
Brian Wood: “He is very, very, very happy.”
(Parents feed baby)
Brian Wood: “He’s a real eater. He loves food.”
(Baby coos)
Carrie Wood: “He is such a beautiful baby.”
Ten-month-old Haven Wood's adoptive parents say their baby has come a long way in many ways.
His father was killed during civil unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo. His pregnant mother, weak with tuberculosis, fled on foot.
Brian Wood, Father: “Apparently she gave birth to Haven right there on the road. A couple of people carried her from village to village…”
Carrie Wood, Mother: “…until they got to a place that had a hospital. That’s where she finally did die.”
Two-thousand kilometers away, United Methodist pastor Louis Loma Otshudi got a call.
The Rev. Louis Loma Otshudi: “In that particular village, as she had no relatives, some people were saying, ‘She’s dead. Let’s bury her with her own baby.’”
Loma contacted Our Family Adoptions, a U.S. agency that found a home for the baby with the Wood family in Texas. They arranged for Haven to be flown to Kinshasa.
The Rev. Louis Loma Otshudi: “When we saw that baby, he was almost dead.”
Haven spent a few months in the care of the Lomas and their nine children, until Brian Wood arrived to bring Haven home.
Carrie Wood: “Every kid deserves a mommy and daddy. Every kid deserves to have enough to eat. And the kids in DRC do not have that.”
Haven settled in with his new family, especially two-year-old Grace from China.
Recently, the Woods reunited with Pastor Loma who was in the U.S. for a workshop.
Brian Wood: “He was thrilled to see Haven…just so happy to see Haven.”
Carrie Wood: “It wasn’t just another thing he did for the church. It wasn’t just a job he took on. He saved that boy’s life.”
TAG:
Our Family Adoptions, a small non-profit, works closely with the United Methodist Jamaa Letu Orphanage in Lumbashi, and the Hope for the Children Orphanage in Kinshasa, DRC to place children with families in the U.S.
For more information on adoption, visit the Web site www.ourfamilyadoptions.org or call 360-903-3648.
Also, see: Miracle in the Congo saves infant’s life
Posted: August 12, 2009