PICKENS — A Pickens missionary couple has spent more than two years trying to adopt two toddlers from Haiti, and now thanks to an Upstate restoration and remodeling firm, the boys will have a safe and comfortable home when they arrive in Pickens.

Erich and Kjersti Johnson are adopting Luke Dely and Eric Justima as the Haitian government moves to speed up adoptions of children in the wake of the country’s recent devastating earthquake.

The couple got word that the children could possibly come to American this week, but according to Jan Driscoll, marketing director of Paul Davis Restoration, the Johnson home is not ready for occupation and needs extensive work.

The couple purchased the home through a foreclosure sale, but funds to get it repaired in time were limited, she said.

Erich Johnson said they were planning to bring the boys home this summer and thought they’d have more time to fix up the house.

“We didn’t realize how much work it would need,” he said.

That’s why the company, along with staff, local volunteers and tradesmen are stepping up to help restore and repair the home at 485 White Crest Way in time for the boys’ earlier arrival.

“We believe that helping this family with their noble efforts was the right thing to do,” Driscoll said.

“We know that, as America reaches out to help those suffering in Haiti, every local effort such as this project can help touch lives and communities in a positive way while contributing a piece to the greater global effort to relieve suffering,” she said.

Gordon McPhee, one of the company’s owners, said they work as an insurance contractor and are used to repairing homes quickly.

The company found out about the Johnson’s situation through Erich Johnson’s sister who works for them, McPhee said.

He said the couple had been out of the country for four years doing missionary work and has been staying with family since their return to the area.

“But they wanted the boys to arrive at their own home,” he said.

So those helping with the project are doing quick repairs, including roofing, interior work, cabinetry, lighting and carpeting, according to Driscoll, who is married to the company’s other owner Dan Driscoll.

She said local churches are collecting furniture, clothing and toys.

The two Haitian children were scheduled to take a 10 hour trip from the orphanage where they live in Port de Paix to the Port au Prince Monday, but according to their future father, the roads between the orphanage and the capitol city were damaged and impassible.

Johnson also said the Haitian government is starting to slow down the adoption process a bit, thinking that perhaps they were moving to quickly.

He said the government would not allow the children to leave directly from the orphanage, so as of press time, the couple was trying to find a way to get them to the Haitian Embassy, or to convince government officials to change their minds and allow them to leave from Port de Paix.

“If we can get them to the embassy, I think they’ll let them go,” Johnson said.

Erich Johnson grew up in Pickens, and many may remember his grandfather Cecil Scurlock, who owned Assurance Tire.

Johnson said he and his wife chose to live in Pickens so they could stay near family. The couple has two biological children, Jake and Asia.

They first met Luke and Eric while working at orphanages during a mission trip two and a half years ago and later found out the children were still available for adoption, Johnson said.

There are about 35 children at the orphanage, and Johnson said it was so overwhelming to try to help them all that they just had to “grab one and love them,” not even intending to adopt when the first visted.

He bonded with Eric, and his wife bonded with Luke, Johnson said. And instead of choosing one, they decided to adopt both.

Other companies helping with the house restoration project include the Montiel Group, S.H. Carter, Castillo Roofing, Jerry Brown Carpeting and Cannon Supply.

The project will continue through the end of the month, Driscoll said.