Dave And Jenny Marrs Share ‘Miracle’ Adoption Story: ‘They’re All Our Kids’
By Movieguide® Contributor
FIXER TO FABULOUS stars Dave and Jenny Marrs are sharing the “miracle” adoption story that brought them daughter Sylvie.
Sylvie, now 11, was adopted from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The process was supposed to take just six months, but it stretched into three years.
The Marrs decided to adopt when they were struggling to start a family of their own. The process was put on hold when Jenny became pregnant with twin boys, Nathan and Ben, now 12.
However, just a year after their birth, the Marrs were ready to look into adoption again and reopened their file.
The couple met Sylvie and quickly decided to bring her back to America.
“Her adoption had been finalized. She had her U.S. passport. And then the country shut down adopted kids leaving, so she couldn’t get her exit permit,” Jenny explained. “We were contacting anyone we thought could help us. We had people writing letters. We met with every one of our congressmen and senators.”
Dave traveled to the Congo five times, each time returning alone.
“It was heart-wrenching,” he said of that time. “There was nothing we could do.”
During the long wait to bring Sylvie home, Jenny got pregnant again and gave birth to Charlotte, now 8.
“I wasn’t able to really rejoice in the amazing news because we were so overwhelmed with sorrow that we couldn’t get our daughter home,” Jenny said.
Just eight weeks later, the Marrs received the amazing news that Sylvie would finally be allowed to travel to the US.
The Marrs are now a family of seven, welcoming son Luke in 2019.
“[We might] look a little bit different than most, what people would consider a normal family, [but] we’re the exact same,” Dave shared.
Jenny added, “Adoption is a part of our family. It’s a part of our story, but they’re all just our kids.”
Movieguide® previously reported on the Marrs’ journey to adopt Sylvie:
FIXER TO FABULOUS star Jenny Marrs recently celebrated the anniversary of the adoption and homecoming of her and husband Dave’s daughter Sylvie.
Though the couple welcomed Sylvie home eight years ago, Marrs says the anniversary is her time to reflect on the miracle of getting their child.
Sylvie was adopted from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2013. However, when the Congolese government shut down, the adoption process was halted and the Marrs family was not able to bring her to the U.S. until 2014.
Jenny remembered the emotional time in a lengthy Instagram caption, writing, “On this day, 8 years ago, I bore witness to a miracle. An honest to goodness God-sized, Red-Sea-parting kind of miracle.”
She continued:
Hope had nearly been lost. Despair had slowly seeped in. We had no way of knowing if our daughter would ever be back in our arms. 602 days of waiting, 602 days of praying and pleading and calling Congressmen and Senators and flying over the sea to beg the US Embassy to help. Emails and letters and phone calls with no traction toward getting her home left us depleted.
Make no mistake – a battle took place to bring our daughter home. The exhale that took place when she was back in my arms on US soil was echoed in heaven. The spiritual battle that I couldn’t see during those long days and nights was finally over.
I post this photo every year on this day to remember. I never want to forget the way the Lord fought on our behalf. The things He has in store for Sylvie must certainly leave the enemy shaking in fear or else he wouldn’t have worked so tirelessly to keep her from us.
It’s hard to believe eight years have passed since this day when our family was finally under the same roof.
Marrs then added some encouragement for others who are “in the middle of your own long, dark night of waiting,” writing:
Your story isn’t over yet. Don’t despair. Remember, our God NEVER authors pain. He is only, always good. Sometimes, we can’t see past our current sight line but, just over the horizon, He has good, good things in store. Keep trusting.
