Irvin
Family
My
husband and I started our adoption journey in November
of 2008 after hearing God’s call to bring our
children home from Africa. As we began the daunting
task of narrowing down an agency, we actually never
even looked into International Adoption Guides (IAG)
during our agency search. We had been given a recommendation
for a large, well established agency that friends
had used and after looking into several other more
well know agencies, we settled on one.
What
we didn’t know about our first agency was that
because it was so well respected, that when we finally
made it on the referral waiting list, we were one
of about 400 other families. We hoped to adopt siblings,
but because they had strict requirements regarding
birth order and our youngest child was only 14 months
old at the time, they said it would be highly unlikely
that a sibling group would be placed in our family.
We
decided to explore other agency options in September
of 2009. As we began to look into other agencies,
I repeatedly saw IAG listed on a waiting child website.
So, I started the process of investigating this agency.
By this time, we knew what we were looking for in
an agency. We wanted a competent and ethical agency
with a positive history of bringing children home.
An agency that had established a good working relationship
with the Ethiopian staff and officials. We wanted
an agency that put the children’s best interest
above all else. One that didn’t limit a family
based on birth order, but on what is best for the
family and children. One in which we were not just
a “number” on a lengthy list of waiting
families and one in which questions are answered promptly,
complications are resolved quickly and an open line
of communication is established. After speaking with
several families that had previously adopted with
IAG and pouring over agency reviews online, we found
that IAG met all of those requirements and felt confident
in choosing to continue our journey with them.
I
requested an information packet and in that packet
were pictures of beautiful waiting children. Two of
them captured our hearts and on January 23, 2010 we
brought our daughters home to their forever family.
Our
experience with IAG was very smooth. We felt like
the US staff was attentive and knowledgeable about
the process. Timelines were fairly accurate. Information
regarding in country travel, fees, and what to expect
during the process was detailed and prepared us adequately
for each stage of our journey. Our in country experience
with the Ethiopian staff was also positive. The staff
is competent and professional and the nannies truly
love the children and provide them with a high quality
of care.
Our
girls look at pictures of their nannies and kiss them
and talk of how they love them and miss them. We feel
confident that they were well cared for and loved
during that difficult transitional time and we are
grateful for the care that they received.
Choosing
an agency is a huge decision and while no agency is
perfect, we are glad that we found IAG and we have
and will continue to recommend them. We are thankful
for the services that IAG provided to our family and
our girls and would use them again for future adoptions.
Sincerely
,
Nick and Jessica Irvin
Home
with Hermela and Meron January 2010
