The Sahrs are finally one big happy family
It was a long, hard saga to get two adopted children to America
Brandon and Jasmin Sahr have always talked about adoption.
“When we got married in 2006, I was told I would not be able to have children,” Jasmin says. “We have always liked kids so adoption was talked about as an option.”
Well, as it turns out, Jasmin and Brandon were able to have children, but they still hadn’t ruled out adopting children.
“We heard a speaker at our church talk about the REEL HOPE project,” Brandon comments. “It inspired us to consider the possibility of adoption for our family.”
That was in 2018. Jasmin had given birth to three children by that time, Ariel, Sawyer and Lucy.
Working with New Horizons Adoption Agency in Blue Earth, the couple began the process of adopting a child from Liberia.
“New Horizons is a Christian adoption agency and currently has the only orphanage in Liberia,” Brandon explains. “English is the native language there. The country was founded by freed slaves.”
In November of 2021, the couple received news that they had been matched with a boy, Christian, who had just turned three years old.
“A week after we were matched with Christian I found out I was pregnant with our fourth child,” Jasmin reveals. “Plus, we had just purchased a coffee shop in Blue Earth. All of a sudden we had a lot going on.”
While the couple had anticipated bringing Christian home in a very short time period, things were about to get complicated.
“I thought it would be a few months, maybe three, before we could bring Christian home,” Jasmin shared. “I thought we would have him home by January of 2022.”
But restrictions, brought on by the COVID pandemic, complicated the situation.
“We didn’t know when it was going to happen and we had to be available to travel to Liberia if things opened up,” Jasmin says. “We didn’t plan family vacations and didn’t go to family weddings.”
In the meantime, the couple found out in February of 2022 that they had also been matched with Christian’s older sister, Kebeh.
“It was important to us to keep these two siblings together,” Brandon says.
He explains the process for bringing Christian and Kebeh home to Minnesota.
“Once you are matched, it is a matter of getting an appointment with the U.S. Embassy to begin the visa process,” he explains. “Once you figure out the embassy appointment you schedule a court date for one week earlier to make the adoption official.”
Getting a court date was no problem. However, getting an appointment at the embassy proved difficult for the Sahrs.
“Some families were getting appointments,” Brandon says. “But it made no rhyme or reason who got them. All of the kids in the orphanage were matched with the exception of one special needs child. But, until the adopted kids leave, the orphanage cannot take in any more orphans.”
“That was the sad and emotional part of the ordeal,” Jasmin adds. “There were needy children waiting to get into the orphanage and they could not get in.”
To make matters worse, the government had shut down two other orphanages in the country which left the one operated by New Horizons as the only available orphanage.
But, still, the Sahrs could not get an appointment at the embassy.
“There were families who brought lawsuits against the embassy,” Brandon notes. “That began to draw some attention to the problem.”
It wasn’t until August of 2023, almost two years since they were matched with Christian, that the Sahrs received word they could get an appointment at the embassy to begin the visa process.
“We made our appointment with the court for one week prior to the embassy appointment to have the adoption made official,” Brandon comments. “We went to court and got our official adoption papers. When we went to the embassy for our appointment, we were told they would not see us. They gave no reason, they just told us they could not see us until October.”
Needless to say, the Sahrs were not happy and life just became more complicated.
“The kids were adopted now so they had to move out of the orphanage,” Brandon comments. “All that appointment at the embassy was for was to drop off the paperwork and start the visa process. Yet, the embassy saw only one family that day.”
Jasmin, who had already delayed her flight home, finally had to leave and head back to Minnesota.
Eventually, Brandon had to take the kids back to the orphanage.
“It was the worst thing,” he emphasizes. “The kids have been told they have a forever family, a forever home, and now they did not get to leave with us. It took three people to hold Christian down when I had to leave.”
Brandon reached out to U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Representative Brad Finstad but did not receive any assistance.
“It wasn’t just us, there were many families involved,” a frustrated Brandon says. “All of the kids had to go back to the baby home. It was trauma after trauma for these kids. They simply shut down. They all thought they had been abandoned.”
In September, Brandon was heading back to Liberia.
“I received word on a Thursday that they would see me the following Tuesday,” Brandon comments. “The problem is it takes 2-3 days of travel to get there.”
The plans were made and Brandon got to Minneapolis a half hour before his flight was set to leave only to find out the flight was canceled because of bad weather on the East Coast.
“I was told there was nothing they could do,” he says. “But, I just kept getting back in line and kept asking.”
According to Brandon, he was on his sixth or seventh time going through the line and the airline employees were rolling their eyes at him.
“Then one of the workers said, ‘I think I found a way if we can get you to Chicago.’ She called Chicago directly and the person on the other end of the line said, ‘Nope, there is no room,'” Brandon remembers. “Then all of the sudden the person says, ‘Wait, a flight just opened up.'”
Brandon made it to Chicago and stayed the night in a hotel.
“I’m not sure if I even remember all of the flights I took,” he admits. “From Chicago I think I went to Dallas, Texas, then Charlotte, North Carolina, then to Washington D.C. before heading to Morocco, then Ghana and finally to Liberia.”
Brandon was dropped off at his hotel at 2 a.m. Tuesday morning only to find out he needed a suit for his appointment later that morning.
“So, I had to buy a suit before I could go to my appointment,” Brandon shares. “It was an awkward fit, but it got the job done.”
He was able to submit the necessary paperwork and then stayed for a week in Liberia but nothing happened.
“I flew back to Minneapolis and went straight to Senator Klobuchar’s office,” Brandon comments. “All I was told was the embassy is working on it.”
The Sahrs have since learned the embassy is being investigated by the State Department and there is a new employee at the embassy who is doing a much better job.
Finally, in the beginning of December, the Sahrs were notified the embassy was ready to process the visas.
“There were a few more obstacles to work through but New Horizons was able to help us get the necessary things done,” Brandon says.
On Dec. 21, Christian and Kebeh disembarked from a plane in Minneapolis and began the drive to their new home.
“We were able to spend Christmas Eve Day with Brandon’s family,” Jasmin shares. Christian, who is now five years old, and Kebeh, who is eight, are both attending school at Genesis Classical Academy in Winnebago.
“They have done a good job of adjusting and making friends,” Jasmin notes. “Genesis is a good fit for them and with their smaller class sizes they are able to meet their needs. The interaction they have with their friends has helped them to adapt, yet they know they are in a fish bowl. We try and protect their privacy.”
Jasmin mentions that all of her children get along well, including Isla, who Jasmin gave birth to in 2022.
“Everybody has come a long way,” Jasmin says of her family. “It doesn’t take a special person to adopt, it just takes a person. It is easy to love them.”
Looking back and reflecting on the process they went through to add to their family, the Sahrs do not hesitate in saying they would do it again.
“When you get home and you see Sawyer interacting with Christian and then you see Kebeh and Lucy together – it is so rewarding,” Jasmin concludes. “But, it is a process. It will take you longer then you think. We have been blown away by the support of the community including the employees at Cabin Coffee who made it possible for me to be gone when I needed to. It takes a village to raise a child – even more so with an adopted child.”
Will there be more babies, more adopted children?
“Brandon and I don’t speak in absolutes anymore,” Jasmin replies, smiling. “But, we always remind ourselves, the kids are worth it.”