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Afghan adoptions in limbo after government falls

After five years of mire and bureaucratic delays, Bahaudin Mujtaba had hoped to soon bring the 10-year-old Afghan boy he and his wife are adopting to their Florida home. But with the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan, their hope has dimmed (Aug. 17)

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Some people fear the number 13 brings bad luck thisSussex County familyembraces it as a blessing from God.

With two of their six biological children still in high school, Wade and Michelle Torppey of Wantage recently completed the adoption of seven orphaned siblings from Ukraine, increasing their parental dutiesto cover a full baker's dozen.

"If there's one thing we think we can do well, and other people have told us we do well, that would be being parents," Wade Torppey said. "I would like to think that's a gift we have that God gave us, and he's asking us to do it a little longer than we planned."

Their additional seven children, who range from6 to 17 years old,are still learning English, but adjusting well to their new life. They aremaking new friends at school, their parents, pastor and principal said.

The cross-Atlantic connection was initiated through Lafayette Federated Church, where the Torppeys have worshipped since their dating days, and Open Hearts and Homes For Children, a nonprofit that recruits families to host orphans from Ukraine and Latvia for Christmas and summer visits to the United States.

Others in the congregation had participated and eventually adopted children through the program, including their pastor, Aaron Robb, who adopted a son. Another family adopted two siblings.

But seven? To say the Torppeys stepped up "is the understatement of the year," Robb said.

"They are an absolutely incredible family and their story is just inspiring beyond anything I've heard in years," he said.

"Most people, when we say we adopted seven, they already knew we had six, so they assumeweadopted one more," Michelle Torppey said, laughing. "When they hear seven plus six, they go, 'What?' We get a lot of that."

Robb said Wade's desire to adopt followed a short volunteer mission in Haiti, where he bonded with many of the children suffering there.

"I think he was looking for a way for the whole family to take in and support and care forsome less-fortunate kids," Robb said. "If anybody can handle it, the Torppeys can."

They don't have to do it alone.

"Ourchurch family has been absolutely amazing," said Michelle, whose family has operated the Sussex Meat Packing stores in Wharton and Wantage for 40 years. "We've been overwhelmed. It'sa very humbling experience. Welike to be the people who are donating. We'renot used to being on the receiving end."

But as her pastor's wife told her, "Not everybody is willing to take them into their home, but they want to be part of it."

The Lafayette Federated congregation's support includes gift cards for their massive grocery bill and dollars to help pay for their education at Sussex Christian School and Veritas Christian Academy.

"It's a big church, and there's a lot of people we don't even know who have been donating to our cause," Michelle said.

An online fundraiser also was established to help fund the children's school tuition.

Michelle can't remember exactly how many bedrooms they started with at their farm-style home: "Five or six, I'm not sure," Michelle said. "Now we have seven or eight."

Wade, an ironworker by trade, added lofts and closets to accommodate their growth. But it still took some sacrifices by their American siblings to make enough room, including the youngest biological daughter, Zoey, 15.

"When our oldest moved out and got married, Zoey had probably had the largest bedroom," Wade said. "She gave it up for the three little boys. She is thesweetest young lady, so selfless, gave it up without thinking twice. She's in this little 8-by-8-foot loft now in a room with her sister."

Zoey's oldest brother, John, also stepped up by going online and teaching himself the Ukrainian and Russian languages their adopted siblings speak. So did the eldest of the Torppey clan, Taylor Gibson, who is married and now lives in Wisconsin, but visits often and "is just a phone call away," Michelle said.

Olena, 17, Leeza, 14, Slavik, 12, Alina, 11, Anhelina, 9, Senya, 8, and Jenya, 6, lived in a clean, comfortableorphanage in the town ofMokrats, a safe distance from the war-torn region of the embattled nation.

"Their father died in 2016 and their mother died in 2018," Michelle said. "There were 10 siblings in all. Two had already aged out of the system and one stayed with relatives."

The two youngest boys were too young to travel in the Open Hearts and Homes program, and the organization thought it would be a long shot to find a family to host the remaining five together.

When Michelle told Wayne about the family, hoping they could take a few and another Lafayette family could take the others, Wade said he didn't want to break up a family at Christmas.

"So I said let's take all five," he said. "Rightoff the bat, I knew this would be something more than just Christmas."

"I wasn't quite there yet, but I figured I could do anything for a month," Michelle said.

The monthlong visit went well, but the parting was tense at Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C.

"Our daughters were a pile of waterworks, but these [orphans] were as cold as stone," Wade said. "I don't know for sure what they were thinking, but Ithink it was like, 'What's wrong with you? You live in America. We're the ones going back to the orphanage. I should be the one crying.' "

But a loving bond was forged, leading to a longer, nine-week return visit the next summer and plans to reunite again for Christmas 2018.

"I thought about the two little brothers who were too young for the program," Wade said. "Wegave them a choice. The five could come here for Christmas, or we could go there so they could all be together. America was still new and excitingto them, but they chose to forfeit coming here. At the orphanage, they all kind of take care of each other."

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By then, the Torppeys knew they wanted a permanent adoption, but a complicated bureaucracy in Ukraine and a pandemic slowed the process to a crawl.

The adoption was eventually approved and their new kidsbecameWantage residents in July.

"We knew it would be a challenge when we first met them," Wade said. "We could see some strong personalities and the kind of issues you would expect when children lose their parents."

Language continues to be a barrier, although the learning curve accelerated when they enrolled in school, the two eldest at Veritas Christian Academy for high school instruction, and the five youngest at Sussex Christian in Sparta, which has about 100 students in grades K through 8.

"If anyone asks what the primary language in the house is now, I say charades," Michelle said. "When all else fails, there's Google Translate on the phone."

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The Torppeys said they see God's hands at work even in the schools. Preceding the new Torppeys at Sussex Cristian was new administrator Robert Waters, whose background just happens to include teaching ESL in the Paterson public school system.

"These five students are able to get additional supports beyond a general education," Waters said. "We have a learning center and full-time special education teacher and staff to support our general education staff."

Soccer has provided an additionalbridge to their assimilation.

"The three at the middle-school level, the No. 1 thingthat has brought them into the fold is soccer," Waters said. "They're all on the soccer team and excelling and thriving and able to make friends. They didn't know the words for pass and score, but they know how to play."

Slavik scored the first goal of the season for the boys' team.

"The Americanstudents are just in love with them," Waters said. "They are overjoyed to have them as part of our community."

Olena and Leeza also have excelled in soccer at Veritas, where they share the field with their new sisters Anna Marie, 17, and Zoey, 15. The Veritas team is coached by their older American brothers, John and Kairos.

Their parents are stretched to the limits to attend all the games, but the family does its best.

"We have a 12-passenger van that is usually full wherever we go," Michelle said. "We have one of those folding chairs that seats six, so we bring our own fan club. Wejust have a lot of fun together. "

"We certainly have no regrets," Wade said. "It's tough at times and a bit of an adjustment. But when you know their hearts ... For us, it's being obedient to God and what he's put in front of us. I just turned 60 in August. People ask when I'm going to retire, but there's no retirement. As long as I'm healthy, I'm good with that."

"The mood of the house is often chaotic, but full of love and laughter," Michelle said.

William Westhovenis a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community,please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email:wwesthoven@dailyrecord.comTwitter:@wwesthoven

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'Full of love and laughter': Parents of 6 children adopt 7 orphaned siblings from Ukraine - Daily Record