INDIANAPOLIS -- An Indiana family has been waiting for their son for more than two years. That's because the Democratic Republic of the Congo put a halt on international adoptions in 2013.
The adoption process is nothing new for Brad and Heather Long. But for them, and so many other families in Indiana, the process has been heartbreaking.
Because of red tape, they are essentially raising their son from another continent during his most influential years.
Shortly after they adopted their little girl, Harper from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they learned she had a newborn biological brother in need of a family.
Two and a half years later, they are still waiting.
They Skype. They send clothes. They visit. By law, they are Ethan's parents, but they only have one family photo. Because by law, they can't bring him home, and they are not alone.
In 2013, the Congolese government put a temporary halt on exit letters. There are more than 1,000 legally adopted children still stuck in the Congo, still waiting to meet their families.
Indiana leads that wait, 27 babies all deemed Hoosiers, who can't come home.
Wednesday, there was a glimmer of hope, as the Indiana congressional delegation drafted a letter to President Obama begging him to promote diplomatic relations with Congo's president and resolve the adoption process.
So in between the hopes and the glimmers, they wait.
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