Abbott residents lined the streets Thursday night, March 17, to welcome the arrival of Matt and Brittney Hejl’s adoptive son, 16-year-old Andriy, to his new home after they were able to get him out of Ukraine. The Hejls met Andriy in 2015 when they began hosting him for visits from a Ukrainian orphanage. They officially adopted him in January, and he was scheduled to come home to Abbott earlier this month before the Russian invasion stalled the plans. A ministry helped Andriy make it to the Ukrainian border as his city was surrounded and being shelled by the Russians, and a U.S. Embassy employee assisted him in getting to Brittney, who flew to Poland to bring him home. They arrived in Abbott Thursday night to a crowd of Hill County residents who have been monitoring their journey and offering prayers and assistance. Andriy is pictured second from left with the rest of the Hejl family after arriving in Texas.
The Lakelander 