My husband, Scott, and I first met Katya, Alex, and Svieta on a Sunday in August of 2002 when they were 9, 8, and 6 years old. They arrived from Russia as an older sibling group hoping that through international adoption that they would be be given a chance to find a family to love and adopt them. My international adoption experience motivates me every day to serve the children and families that come to Building Arizona Families needing the love and joy that adoption brings.

Scott and I immediately fell in love with Katya, Alex, and Svieta and decided to adopt them two days later. After spending the final week of their visit to America with us, the children were required to return to Russia while Scott and I completed the international adoption certification/dossier process.

The day that we put them on the bus for the return trip to the airport will forever be one of the saddest days of our lives. For the next eight months, the only contact we would have with Katya, Alex, and Svieta were the four letters that they were able to send us. They wrote that they cried often because they missed us and asked us to come and get them. It was heartbreaking to know that they spent each day wondering if we were coming while we spent each day wondering if they were happy and hoping that they were safe.

It took several months after our children returned to Russia for our home study certification, dossier, and immigration paperwork to be completed so that we could obtain an adoption court date in Russia. In April of 2003, we were finally able to come together as a family. International adoption can take a long time, but it is so worth the time spent to experience the miracle of international adoption. 

Katya, Alex, and Svieta are now incredible young adults. Katya and Svieta are college students who serve in the Army National Guard, and Alex is serving in the U.S. Navy. The joy that I have experienced being able to be a mother as well as the opportunity to help other deserving children find their forever family are the motivating factors for co-founding Building Arizona Families. International adoption provides the opportunity for children in other countries living in difficult circumstances to experience the joy of a bright future and loving forever family.

Building Arizona Families offers international adoption services in Haiti to precious children living in orphanages there. Find out more HERE about how to adopt Haitian children.