Keith and Deb
When Keith and I married, we wanted to work hard, have fun, enjoy life, and most of all, see and travel the world. We decided not to have children. Years later as we neared forty, we began to rethink having children. When biology did not work for us, we started looking into adoption. When researching adoption agencies and countries, we discovered Adoption Associates. They happened to be accredited with and recognized by the Russian government.
After attending an AAI international meeting, it was apparent to us that the staff at AAI genuinely cared for and had the best interest of the children in mind. We felt that the staff was very honest, direct, and sincere. Since life is not as predictable as we would like, AAI prepared us for anything that could possibly happen or go wrong during our adoption process. We asked LOTS of questions, probably more than the average couple. Our caseworker and the AAI staff were always there for us and answered our questions patiently and honestly.
We decided to pursue adopting a boy and a girl. We were told this could take longer for a referral. (In the end it did not. We turned in our paperwork, went on vacation, and a short time later, received our referral.)
When an American doctor cautioned us about one of the children (who are biological brother and sister), we were very confused and upset. Our caseworker invited us to come in and talk. AAI even went as far as to conference call Russia. We spoke to the AAI representative, Helen, who had firsthand knowledge of the children. She answered all of our questions. We accepted the referral, traveled to Russia, fell in love with the children, and brought David and Julia home on November 2nd, 2006. They are both doing well with no health problems. It has been a few months since we came home. It is amazing how quickly they have caught on to the English language (and never stop talking)!
We encourage people to travel to Russia for adoption. Please do not let the travel or distance deter you from applying for adoption there. As we have witnessed, there are many healthy, beautiful children in the Russian orphanages waiting for a forever family. We may have been in a foreign country, but we never felt alone. AAI has a Russian staff. We had Alex, Helen, and a driver to help assist and meet all of our needs.
People say, “David and Julia are so lucky to have both of you.” We say, “No, we are the lucky ones to have them.” Some say, “Don’t you regret waiting so long to have children?” NO, no regrets. Things happen for a reason. We waited all those years for David and Julia. We just didn’t know it or realize it…until now. Most of all we thank God, who led us to Adoption Associates and helped us with our journey to bring David and Julia home.
