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References and Testimonials
Here's What
Some of Our Clients Have to Say About
Their Experience with Adoption Blessings Worldwide...........
If you are an ABW
family and you would like us to add your adoption testimonial,
send an email to
Webmaster@adoptionblessingsworldwide.com along with your
story and a family picture.
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Added 04/24/2008
Here is an update on our new
family after our first few weeks. Ana and Evan are progressing
every day at adjusting to life in America, as they call it. They
told their translator at school that they have a nice mommy and
daddy, they like their house, they like their rooms, and mommy
is a good driver. Ana's Russian-speaking doctor asked, and she
told her that she does not want to go back to Siberia. The first
thing Ana did when she got out of the car when we got back was
to roll around in the grass, and we have some very cute pictures
of her doing that. My neighbor commented that she had probably
not done that and I said that was probably correct. Evan has
been enthusiastic about America from the first day, and he
maintains his positive outlook on life in America.
The school encouraged us to put the kids in school before we
were ready to do that, but both of them have been transitioning
well. They like school and want to go every day, and there have
been few problems there. Jim taught Ana how to say, "eyes, nose,
mouth, and teeth, and when she went to school, they were
absolutely amazed that she had learned that many English words.
Those were some of the few words in English that she knew when
she started school, though. Now they know their English
alphabets and numbers, Evan can count to about one million, and
they are learning lots of new words every day.
We are gradually getting attached to one another and are making
much progress daily. The kids have very good appetites and eat
everything in sight, and we sometimes wonder where they put it
all when they are such small sizes. We like to see them eat and
hope they can grow strong and healthy. The kids and I have been
spending a lot of time in the community parks and they have nice
healthy California tans now, we were just noticing today. They
were a little pale for this area when they came, but have been
spending a lot of time outside in the California sun. I do not
remember more beautiful and enjoyable springtime weather than we
have this year, and we
have been out in it whenever we get a chance.
We are very hopeful that the kids will successfully learn
English and be able to do well in school. They are developing in
many ways every day and we are so amazed at their quick
adjustment to American life. We are sending you the picture of
Ana and Evan when they became
American citizens at the Los Angeles Airport. They loved their
first sight of America in the little grassy spot where we took
their pictures, and ran around the palm trees, azalea bushes in
full bloom, and beautiful plants. It was a very beautiful spot
for their first picture in America.
We want to thank you for all of your efforts on our behalf, and
are so grateful we found you among all the others out there in
"cyber-space" to expertly guide us to make a dream come true for
all of us. I will miss our frequent "chats" and opportunities to
talk with you and get to know you better, Becky. I, especially,
appreciate when your spiritual guidance "made a difference" in
my "outlook", when I needed it most. It was a "tough journey",
but when I look at our two children, now, I can hardly believe
how far and how we had to go to bring them here with us. It was
definitely "worth it all", now.
May God bless you in your work. I will miss your "sunny
disposition", too, Becky. Thank you, all, at Adoption Blessings
for the blessings of Ana and Evan for us and for your wonderful
help in bringing our children home to us. You are all wonderful!
May God Bless,
Karen & Jim
Added 07/06/2007
I would like to take this
opportunity to officially say "thank you" for all of the hard
work that was put forth on our behalf before, during, and
following the adoption of our daughter.
The process of international
adoption is hard in any circumstance. Our adoption probably had
fewer glitches than most.
Before we decided to use ABW,
Denise was very helpful and encouraging, but never pushy.
During the process, I was an emotional wreck most of the time.
Paige and Becky did a great job showing that we were important
to them and that we would make it through.
Adoption Blessings Worldwide is a
wonderful agency that I would recommend to anyone considering
international adoption. They are caring, compassionate people
that have been through adoption themselves and know the stress
it brings all too well. They will guide and support in anyway
they can for their families. They go the extra mile every time.
Sincerely,
Jackie Wallace
Email Jackie
Sandy and I
wanted to give you an update on things and to say thank you again to
you
and your team – Wendy, Becky and Denise - for bringing our family
together. We heard and continue to hear so many unpleasant stories
about adopting from Guatemala however our experience could not have
worked out better. From our initial conversations with Denise
through working with Becky and Wendy during the process we
appreciated the professionalism, attention to detail and patience we
received from ABW. Especially as we asked the same question over and
over “How long do you think this will take?”
Our daughter has
adapted extremely well to her new environment, knows where her tummy
is in English and Spanish and continues to bring us joy every day.
We could not be happier.
Thank you again,
Matt and Sandy
Los Angeles, CA
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May 14, 2007
One year to the day that we had
signed our contract with Adoption Blessings Worldwide, my
husband and I were flying to Russia to get our son! We have no
doubt that our decision to commit to ABW, and their commitment
to us, cemented God’s plan to bring us together with our little
boy, Glen Michael.
Daryl and I “interviewed” numerous
agencies in pursuit of the “right fit” last spring when we began
exploring the option of parenthood through adoption. We found
very big agencies that were mega-organized and we found very
small agencies that were very personally attentive. And then we
found ABW – the perfect fit. From the very first phone call
which we had with Denise at ABW, Daryl and I felt at home
speaking with the ABW folks and felt that they would lead us to
our child. No phone call was ever too late or too long or at
the wrong time for ABW to take, to handle, to answer. We felt
like we were family to every member at ABW who handled our
adoption.
 When
our first referral did not work out due to unacceptable delays
in the region, Becky was compassionate and empathizing; she
helped us make the difficult decision to move on to a new
referral without guilt and with the right amount of excitement
for a new prospect. When bureaucracy in Russia was getting the
best of our dossier, Becky and Tedi both helped us through
administrative messes late into the night, early in the morning
and on weekends – through whatever needed – to get the job
done. We all learned a lot about creativity and flexibility,
but ABW always helped us to keep optimistic that the goal was
worth it and that the goal would be reached.
So – exactly one year to the date of
signing with ABW, we flew to Moscow and on to the Orenburg
region to get our little boy. He is home with us now and he is
the light of our lives. We love being parents to this special
little boy, this special blessing and Daryl and I believe that
he is exactly the child God meant for us to raise.
Thank you, thank you – especially to
Becky – for helping make this dream a reality for us! We will
always think of you and will always tell our son, Glen Michael,
that ABW is part of our family.
Love,
Daryl, Alison and Glen Michael Davis
Alisonesq@hotmail.com
Testpilotr44@hotmail.com |
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 Not
only are they your agency, They are your lifeline to your child.
I sit back and remember how I ran across my
agency. We were not even thinking about international adoption
(IA) at the time, but I was curious and wanted information. I
sent a few emails to different agencies and had several reply
with information on the programs they offered. It was important
to me to find a agency that is owned and operated by adoptive
parents. That is how I found Tedi and her agency. She is the
owner of the agency and has 16 children. A few are
homegrown but the rest are from all around the world. I emailed
inquiring additional information. That is when I met Becky.
Becky was the dossier specialist and at the time
had just adopted 2 beautiful boys from Russia. She answered all
my questions and I had saved them in a file. After a few months(
we still were not sure what we wanted to do after losing the
private adoption) Becky emailed me , not just to follow up but
to see how I was doing. She had walked in my footsteps and was
lending support as a friend. I must say it caught my attention.
We went to the IVF Dr and the same day we decided
not to try that and go for adoption, Becky emailed me again. She
was just checking in and wanted to send me pictures of her sons.
I knew that minute that God had just shown us the agency we were
suppose to use.
I began the process with Becky helping me with my
dossier and then I met Wendy , she is the program coordinator.
Wendy handled all the referrals and country information. As we
began to get referrals. I will never forget the first little boy
they sent us. He was older than what we had specified but Tedi,
Becky and Wendy all thought he looked like me. After reviewing
his information, we knew he was not the one. I remember calling
Becky's cell phone to tell her no and feeling some heavy guilt
about this child and needing a family. Becky answered and said
you will know,she was also in the car with Tedi and she said
that we would be doing the child injustice by taking him if he
was not the child God had for us. His family was waiting for
him. I knew then my agency cared about us and our adoption.
After
months waiting for a Russia referral, we switched to Kaz. That
is when I really got to know Wendy. I can always count on her to
return my phone calls and emails the same day. A lot of families
say they feel like a number verses a person with their agency.
Not mine, they know my voice, my needs and my life. There were
times when I was very upset with the process of IA but no matter
how much I complained, questioned or cried she has always been
there.
Now
that we are home with Counselor, I feel it is important to say
to all familes looking for a agency. Tedi, Becky and Wendy are
more like friends than anything. They worry when we worry and
rejoice when we rejoice. This is very important. The agency you
choose will become the lifeline to your child. You need support,
friendship and love. Adoption Blessings Worldwide provides all
that to us.
Darren and Ryann Payne
Our Adoption Blog
www.freewebs.com/ourwalkinfaith |
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I am writing to express my thanks and
gratitude to Adoption Blessings
Worldwide and what they have helped do
in my life. I have been blessed with a
new 10 month old son from Guatemala. I
brought him home to North Carolina on
August 30, 2006. He is a beautiful
child. I was so happy and impressed
with Adoption Blessings Worldwide that
toward the final stages in the adoption
of my son, I began the process again for
my new daughter. I want to thank
Denise, Tedi, Wendy and Becky for all
their hard work. I was always made to
feel that I was the only client they
had. They were always responsive to my
calls and e-mails and were understanding
and helpful. I look forward to
continuing my work with Adoption
Blessings Worldwide for completion of
the adoption of my daughter. It was a
positive and wonderful life changing
experience. Thanks a bunch!!!!
Kim Sluder |
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My husband and I are thankful to all
the wonderful people at ABW! We were in
the process of adopting a baby girl from
China and I came across a baby girl from
Guatemala through ABW. I emailed Becky
about her and if we could switch. Next
day Becky called and emailed me that we
could do it! So began the journey, but a
wonderful one it has been. Tedi, Becky,
Wendy have been helpful all the way
answering questions and within a
moment's notice would receive answers.
From start to pickup was 9 months. The
switch of our paperwork was not all
smooth sailing, but it was never a
roadblock as ABW was with us all the
way. I was also impressed with their
information packet on the adoption
process and it was very detailed in such
things as going to the country and
advising of places to stay. Our trip to
Guatemala was fantastic and again the
facilitator, Marisol and her husband
were helpful in every way. The pickup of
our baby will always be a beautiful
memory thanks to ABW and how they made
it all happen within a short time. God
bless this agency and the great work
they do!
Blessings,
The
Sancandi Family |
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Felix recently came home from
Guatemala to join his forever family!
His parents have already started their
second adoption from Guatemala with ABW
to bring home a sibling for Felix! |
Hi, My name is Katie. I'm writing
because I want to tell everyone how
wonderful the people at Adoption
Blessings Worldwide are. Becky,
Wendy, Denise and Tedi were there
for us every step of the way, we
never felt like we were alone in the
process. It took us about a year to
bring our son home, most of that
time was spent on issues we had in
our home state. We had
difficulties with our state and the
local INS office. Becky was a
wonderful help, she made lots of
phone calls and gave me many good
ideas how to get everything
together. Once we had all our
paperwork together and all our state
requirements met, it took about 5
months.
The patience they have is amazing,
especially Becky. I don't know
how many times I called her or
e-mailed her. She was always there
with any info she could give me or
just a few kind words to make my day
better. I really appreciated that
when I called I got to talk to the
same people and that they knew our
names, we weren't just a file number
to them.
I'll never forget the day Becky
called to tell us to go bring our
son home. It was very overwhelming
but she helped me to think straight
and get organized. They gave us a
lot of info about going to
Guatemala, it really helped so we
weren't so nervous going to a
country we had never been to before.
Tedi was in Guatemala when we got
there. It was really great to meet
her, she really is a wonderful
person. Just getting the chance to
sit and talk to her was so
comforting in such a nerve racking
situation. I have never met someone
who has loved their career more then
this woman. Tedi introduced us to
other families from our agency and
we had a chance to form friends. She
was even with us when our son Felix
came to the hotel. We were so
overjoyed and nervous to meet him,
I'm really glad Tedi was there. She
took pictures and helped us ask
plenty of questions, the day
couldn't have been more perfect.
Even now that we are home, we all
still keep in touch. We so greatly
appreciate all that they have done
for us, and are eternally grateful
so them for helping us become a
family. I will always see everyone
at ABW as my friends, my family and
as angels sent from Heaven. I can't
wait to work with they again.
Thank you and God Bless,
Katie, Derek and Felix Tuel
Fargo, ND
Contact Derek
and Katie |
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 Tedi, the
director, in Guatemala with one of our adoptive moms as she
meets her daughter for the first time. This mother is going to
stay in Antigua and foster her baby until the adoption is
complete. |
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 The name
Adoption Blessings Worldwide surely fits this company. I
happened to stumble across ABW while on a search on another
website. I inquired about a little girl and was immediately
contacted by Denise. I was told the straight truth about the
little girl and when I found out another family had decided to
adopt her, I was devastated. I thought, “Here I go again, back
at square 1.” Denise reassured me that there would be another
little girl, but it may take a while, but to have faith. She
would keep in contact with me. I received another call from
Denise the next day and she told me that I must have someone
looking out for me because another baby had just come up for
adoption and did I want him. At first I was a little hesitant
because I had my heart set on a girl. I was given as much
information on him as they had and with much prayer and guidance
from above, I said, “Yes, I want this little boy.” I was in
constant contact with Denise and what patience she has. She was
my guardian angel at a time I wasn’t sure I still wanted to
adopt as I had had two bad experiences with two other agencies.
I feel as though Denise, Becky, Wendy, Pedro, and Marisol are
family now as they have had so much to do with getting Cooper
home to me. I feel as though they have bent over backwards to
help me, whether it be a silly little question or a big concern,
they were all there for me. At times, I’m sure they were tired
of hearing from me, but was so pleasant and understanding of the
whole “wait time” issue. The whole process took exactly what
they said it would from beginning to end. I was able to go down
and see Cooper when he was 13 days old and then again when he
was 3 months old. Each time, the bond was growing stronger and
stronger. When I went down this last time, to pick him up and
bring him home, I had the greatest opportunity to talk to many
parents who were visiting or bringing home and each person I
talked with said that they received information from their
facilitator, in Guatemala, that there was something else that
they had to either pay for or bring with them, that they didn’t
know they had to have. I have had the smoothest adoption process
and all the information that was given to me was EXACTLY how the
process went. Cooper is a very happy baby who was cared for
extremely well. He is the exact blessing that I was looking for.
Each day he makes my life a little more complete. I would highly
recommend anyone to this agency as I will surely be using them
again for my little girl. A big THANK YOU to everyone at
Adoption Blessings Worldwide, the name surely fits.
Kim
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We would like to thank Tedi and the
staff at Adoption Blessings Worldwide for helping us adopt our
daughter Katie and son Alex from Russia. Our process went
smoothly and quickly, and whenever we had a question or concern,
Tedi was quick to respond. With most agencies, you don't even
talk to the executive director, but ABW is truly a family
agency, and they want their clients to be satisfied. I can truly
say that our family has been blessed. I would recommend Adoption
Blessings Worldwide to anyone who is interested in international
adoption.
Sincerely,
Cheryl, Bill, Katie and Alex |
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We found
Tedi in November 2003, after looking for an adoption agency to
help us complete our family. We had a 4 year old son Eric and
knew we wanted another child. Tedi spoke with us at length,
never rushing us and answered our questions thoroughly. Her
staff was very efficient and compassionate. In August 2004, we
went to Ukraine to get our son Alex when he was 17 months. We
had a wonderful experience in Ukraine, thanks to Gregory, Oksana,
Luda and Victoria. They were amazing people, honest and
unbelievably hard working. Alex is a bright, loving, very
healthy boy and his progress since joining our family has been
amazing. He is such a joy for us and his big brother Eric. We
are so grateful to Tedi and the team from ABW for all the help
completing our family. It was all meant to be.
Ron and Janice Beck
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 I would
like to thank you so very much for helping us to adopt our
beautiful son. Your agency was so professional and caring from
start to finish. I know that I must have asked a million and one
questions, and your staff were so patient, kind and supportive
through the entire process!! Our adoption took 6 months from day
one until the day we brought our son home. We were so happy to
be able to bring our son home while he is still an infant. We
met another couple in Guatemala that used another agency. They
had received their referral when their daughter was 2 days old,
and were just picking her up at 18 months of age. My heart broke
for them. We so appreciate that you were able to expedite the
process for us! Michael is the most precious, adorable, healthy,
and handsome baby!! We love him so much. Thank you for helping
to make him our son!! We could not have asked for a more
precious baby!!! My daughters are so in love with Michael too!
They have to take turns holding him and feeding him. God is so
good. I prayed that they would love and accept Michael, and not
feel threatened by him. Our prayers were answered and then
some!! It is obvious that he received a lot of love and
attention in Guatemala while waiting to come home. You guys and
your partners in Guatemala are the best!!!! Thank you again from
the bottom of our hearts!
The Farrell Family |
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 A journey
of a lifetime… If anyone ever told me the journey that we would
embark on would be as Robert Frost put it…the road less
traveled, I would have never have dreamed it would have been
this way. My husband, Jeremy, and I contacted our agency,
Adoption Blessings Worldwide, in late October 2003. After a
failed attempt at adopting domestically we felt led to begin an
International Adoption. We researched the programs that our
agency handles and decided that Russia was the program that we
wanted to pursue. We started the paperwork process as quickly as
we could and were told that we would receive a referral within
the near future. I guess that you could say that we were “paper
pregnant”. It took a couple weeks to complete the required
forms. At first it seemed a bit daunting…but after a short while
the paperwork process was fairly painless and it was something
that kept us busy and focused. In mid-December we got the news
that we had received our referral. I was about to burst with
excitement, anticipation and nervousness. A few days later our
“sonogram…aka video” arrived in the mail. With shaky hands I
placed the videotape into the VCR and hit play. As soon as we
saw the precious little face grinning at the camera we knew he
was ours. Tears of joy and excitement flowed from all in the
room. My Mom says that she will never forget the look on my face
as the video started. So we quickly moved to commit to Yegor.
This little boy literally halfway around the world in a Siberian
city would someday be our long awaited child. I think at that
moment time suddenly came to a screeching halt…or at least that
is how it felt. We knew due to the database requirements that
there would be a wait for him. May sure seemed like an eternity
away. I know now that God had greater plans for our lives and
within a few weeks of finding our son we felt led to become
parents of two. We requested an infant girl. As time progressed
and it got closer to our approximate travel time we placed it
again in God’s hands and decided that we would be open to a
second male child if that it what we were meant to have. Well
shortly after putting it in the hands of God again, we got the
referral for Alexander. Again as soon as we saw his little face
we knew that this was the child that was chosen for us. Finally
the day came when we were called to arrive in Russia. After 6
months of checking the days of the calendar at work we’re
leaving. It was a great feeling. We arrived in Moscow May 12th.
We arrived a little later than expected due to our plane being
delayed flying in Paris and as a result, missing our connecting
flight to Moscow. Nevertheless we ended up in Moscow. We got
through passport control which was interesting experience to
maneuver. We were never quite sure where the line ended or if
there was a line at all. Overall that process was painless and
we found our Amrex contact, Val. He was very nice and he got us
to our hotel. As we were getting settled in I looked out the
window and I noticed that it was SNOWING! Snow in May??? Being
from the central Georgia area, we no not see snow in the dead of
winter! We relaxed that evening and prepared for our journey to
Kemerovo the next evening. We had intentions of getting a little
sightseeing in. Unfortunately we did not realize that the clock
in our room was 5 minutes slow and we missed the last shuttle
bus into Red Square. Since it was almost time to check out, we
had to stay in the lobby for several hours. Then Sergi arrives
to take us to the airport so that we can depart to the region.
Once we arrived at the airport we met up with another family
that would be traveling with us to the region. We boarded the
Siberian Air flight to Kemerovo and would arrive there very
early in the morning Keremovo time. We disembarked the plane and
gathered our baggage and were met by Irina, who would be our
interrupter for our stay in the region. She took us to the hotel
where we would be staying and gave us time to freshen up and get
something to eat. We then left for the baby home. The drive was
through the countryside and we were able to see how the
residents of the town lived. It was planting time and everyone
was in his or her small gardens preparing the soil to plant. We
arrived at the baby home and escorted up to the Director’s
office. As we was telling us about our children the door opened
and there was the caretaker holding our son! He grinned as she
placed him in my lap. It was amazing to finally have our son in
my arms! After a few more details from the Director we went
outside and were able to spend sometime with him. The younger of
our sons was sleeping and we would be able to spend time with
him later that afternoon on our second trip to the baby home.
The next day was the same as the first, we were able to spend 2
hours together during each visit. We returned to the US knowing
that we would have to wait until August to return for our court
date. The judge who would grant the adoption would be on
vacation from June until early August. It seemed like an
eternity but it helped knowing that our children were well loved
in living in a very clean environment. It was a long plane ride
home. The next 12 weeks were spent preparing our lives and home
for the arrival of our sons. In late July we got word that we
would need to return to Kemerovo for our court date. I jumped
out of my seat with a celebratory cheer! Everyone around figured
I must have gotten the call. As the last few weeks crawled by at
a snail’s pace we completed the rest of our preparation and were
ready as we could be. On August 19th 2004 we left for Russia
once again, but this time we would leave as a family of two and
return a family of four! The first part of the second trip
mirrored the first. We would have to be in court Monday morning
on the 23rd. We arrived at the courthouse a little early along
with 4 other families waiting to become parents that day as
well. As luck would have it we were the first to go in. I am not
sure how the order was determined but we were the first. I tried
to remain calm and relaxed as possible. I knew that it was in
God’s hands. The entire court process lasted a little over 20
minutes. The judge reviewed our paperwork and asked us some
questions. Most of the questions were directed to Jeremy and
some were directed to me and some to both of us. She then
requested that we leave the room. We complied with her request
and about three agonizing minutes later we were asked to return
to her courtroom. It was then when she declared that the boys
would be known by their new last names and we would be their
parents forever. I tired not to cry but tears of joy just rolled
down my face. This was the moment that I waited for, for long.
Not just the past nine months of the adoption process but for
years. It was a dream that finally came true. I was a mother.
You could have knocked me down with a feather. I was on “cloud
nine”. We went down stairs were the other families were waiting
along with my very anxious mother…now grandmother. We waited as
the other family traveling with us went into court. As they came
out we all had a group hug and left the courthouse with smiles
all around. Later that afternoon we were able to go to the baby
home to bring home our children. With their news clothes in
hand, we made our way up to the Director’s office for one last
time. The caretaker assisted us in changing the boys’ clothes.
It was a very bitter-sweet moment in every sense of the word. We
knew that we were taking our boys away from the only sense of
security that they have ever known. It was very apparent that
Jackson loved and was very attached to the woman that cared for
him for all those months. He cried as we took him from her arms
and so did we. We spent the next couple of days in the region
adapting to our new roles as parents and completed the necessary
paperwork required to complete the adoption and allow us to
travel to Moscow. Then as a group we left Kemerovo and returned
to Moscow for the final steps of the paperwork race. We went to
the clinic for their check ups. Then to the Embassy the next day
for our interview with Embassy reps. once this was over we were
able to return to the US. We stayed the next day and were able
to do some limited sightseeing. We quickly realized that it was
much more difficult to do with 2 small children, even with the
help of my mother, who traveled with us. I would suggest to any
PAP to get all the sightseeing in prior…other than the
traditional pictures taken in Red Square. That was about all
that we wanted to tackle. Then came the day to go home. Although
we have a great love and admiration for our children’s birth
country we were very ready to return to the US and start our
lives together. The flight home was relatively painless. There
were several families traveling on the same flight. We arrived
in NY and again this was another moment when we felt a surge of
relief. That now it was really over all those months of waiting
and stress. It was FINALLY over. The boys were ours, they were
now US citizens and we were on our way home. After I rather
quick transfer of planes we were on our way to Atlanta. THANK
GOD! We changed the boys into their red, white and blue outfits
and walked off the plane. As we approached the baggage claim
area our entire extended family and a handful of friends met us!
All of them had on t-shirts with the boys picture on it. Some
with balloons and stuffed animals! Some even drove as far as
from Jacksonville, Florida to be there. It meant a great deal to
us. We spent the next several weeks adjusting to our new lives.
It was and has been everything I ever wanted. They are our
greatest love and joy. My days are filled with their love and
laughter. We would not change our lives or our path to
parenthood for anything in the world. They are the children that
we were meant to have. I am grateful to our agency and those
that they work with both here and in Russia to make our dreams
of becoming parents a reality. As mentioned at the very
beginning of our story to sum it all up… “I took the road less
traveled by, and that has made all the difference…Robert Frost”
The Harmon Family |
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April,
2005
From the moment I first poke with Tedi on the phone, I felt very
comfortable with her. My husband and I felt she was very honest
and ethical. Tedi, her husband, Donnie, and staff are all very
truthful people and the things they told us proved to be
correct. It was very reassuring that everything they told us to
expect did happen the way they said it would. We had the
opportunity to meet their wonderful family and fell in love with
them. Tedi was so encouraging every step of the way, and that is
why we have our precious son, David Michael. He was placed in
our arms less than two months from that first phone call at the
age of two days old. We had such a great experience working with
Tedi and her staff that we are already adopting from Adoption
Blessings Worldwide again through their Ukraine program!
Dr. Marvin
and Jennifer Vice |
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 July 15,
2004
All our friends and family tell us how we look like the perfect
happy family, and they are absolutely right! We just completed
our family of four wonderful children through Adoption Blessings
Worldwide
After having been badly discouraged by failed attempts at
domestic adoption, we met Tedi and Donnie Hedstrom for the first
time in July of 1999. It only took one meeting and we were 100%
sold on working with Adoption Blessings Worldwide. Thanks to ABW,
we left for Moldova on Christmas day of 1999, where we adopted
Bobby, a then 7 month-old infant boy. We couldn’t have been more
thrilled to spend the Millennium in Moldova with our new
precious baby boy.
However, we still wanted a little girl and felt that Bobby
needed a sister. So in August of 2000, and again with the help
of ABW, we left for Kazakhstan where we were able to adopt a
gorgeous 2 ½-year-old Kazak girl whom we named Julia. Julia was
the perfect addition to our family. Julia and Bobby bonded
immediately and have remained inseparable ever since.
A few years went by and we started realizing more and more how
much we enjoyed our children and decided that it was time to
expand our family once again. So, the day before Thanksgiving of
2003, we once again started the adoption process with ABW, only
this time we wanted two more: another boy and girl. Tedi
suggested that we adopt in the Ukraine this time because we
could bring Julia and Bobby with us, which we felt would be
extremely important to our family. It was the best experience of
our life! Graciously Tedi herself even agreed to travel with us
to assist us with the children and the entire adoption process
while we were there. Thanks to Tedi, Gregory, Oksana and Luda,
we had probably the best adoption trip ever! In June of 2004, we
were able to adopt a brother and sister, ages 5 and 3, who are
absolutely the perfect fit for our family. We never thought we
could be this happy, but God has blessed us so much through our
children and through the wonderful help of Adoption Blessings
Worldwide, without whom we could never be the family that we are
today.
ABW, WE LOVE YOU!
Bill, Suzi, Julia, Johnny, Bobby and Alena Garon
Contact Bill and Suzi |
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Dear Adoptive
Parents,
My name is Jill and and I am happy to share my adoption story up
until the point of success, when we completed a wonderful
adoption of our beautiful daughter, Rachel Mollie through Tedi.
My story is long and harrowing, but I will keep it short. My
first attempt at foreign adoption was through a private attorney
who claimed to have a program in Ukraine. Desiring a healthy
baby girl, I was sent to Ukraine and spent 2 weeks there on a
wild goose chase to discover that all of the babies there were
very sick. Heartbroken, and out thousands of dollars, I returned
to the U.S. to pursue my 2nd , and what was going to be my last
attempt at adoption. I proceeded to go online searching out
various agencies and countries, not having any direction at all.
I came across Tedi and loved the idea that they had a "Waiting
Children" Page. I looked through the babies on the site and fell
in love with my new daughter, who was then called Luisa C. You
can find her now on their Welcome Home Page !! Anyway, it was
smooth sailing from there and the program director was
incredibly helpful and very supportive. She knew that we had a
terrible, very disappointing experience just recently in
Ukraine. She offered constant reassurance and sent cards from
the baby for holidays. She promised me a 3-4 month waiting
period before we could go get our daughter and followed through
with the promise ; I had her in my arms in 3 and a half months.
Luisa C, who is now named Rachel Mollie is a beautiful, well
adjusted , healthy baby who came from a very loving foster home
in Guatemala. Take it from one who
has been down the adoption road - make your life easier in the
adoption process - it's hard enough by itself. Use Tedi and your
dreams will come true with no hassles!!
Sincere
Wishes and Best Of Luck!!
Jill , Geoff
& Rachel-Florida |
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