Is Using An Adoption Consultant Worth The Money (Guest Post)

I am so blessed to be able to watch God work in the lives of couples pursuing adoption. Mary Beth and Josh have such hearts of love and faith. They were with their agency for a while before deciding to widen their options by starting with an adoption consultant. It's a delight for me to serve them alongside their consultant. Mary Beth kindly wrote this letter to those of you considering whether or not it's worth the money to work with a consultant.

Dear friends...

My husband and I came to to the conclusion that we had to take the adoption of our second child a step further when our home agency started offering reimbursement for families who would hire consultants. We were defeated, frustrated, and ready to grow our family. We shared our heartbreak over this process with our small group at church and immediately a friend suggested looking into... It did not take much convincing after reading the success stories and talking with Tracie.

Working with Tracie and Katie has been exactly what our hearts needed. Their level of professionalism blew us away. The adoption world holds a lot of question marks and uncertainty, but these two women find a way to answer your questions, check in frequently, and help speak to your heart during the wait. Their faith and trust in The Lord throughout the process has encouraged us and reminded us that God has the perfect baby in mind for OUR family. Without their help, I am not sure we would have endured this road to adopting our second child much longer.

If I could encourage someone who isn't sure hiring a consultant is worth the money, I would tell them absolutely positively this is the best money you can spend to help build your family. Yes, adoption is expensive. Yes, this is one more added expense, but it is the best way to go hands down. From the exposure your family receives on a weekly basis to the care and concern from the consultants, this a must for families serious about adoption. This is an investment our family made that we will never regret and 
                                                                   I hope that you can do the same.

Thank you, MaryBeth! I can't wait to see all of God's beautiful plans for your family continue to unfold.

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Contact me at katief@christianadoptionconsultants.com for more information!

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Using An Adoption Consultant : Linnea's Experience (Guest Post)

A little over a year ago, a dear friend who lives all the way in Africa sent me a FB message introducing me to another friend of hers who...go figure...happens to live in my community! Soon, I met Linnea and quickly struck up a friendship over motherhood, Jesus, and adoption. I now have the joy of serving her family on their adoption journey, alongside their amazing consultant.

Linnea kindly agreed to guest post today about her experience using an adoption consultant. Thank you, Linnea!

"If you are considering using an adoption consultant, I’d love to share about my experience with Katie and Tracie. 

As soon as we signed up, we were welcomed into an online support group with a membership that includes adoptive parents whose collective experience is invaluable for any question or concern that might come up. Plus, the consultants weigh in, too. People post questions about money, travel, birth family relationships, adoptive breastfeeding, and so much more. I’ve seen answers to questions I would not have even thought to ask. As people have posted about their experiences, I’ve gained an education as to how adoption works and what types of joys and trials I may have in my future.  I know that no matter what twists and turns come in our adoption journey, we will not be alone. And, I know there is a whole network of families that are praying for us.

The two major items every adoptive family must have to start the infamous “waiting stage” are a completed home study and a profile. Katie helped us pick an agency for our home study that aligns with our family values. We chose to create our own profile, but Katie gave us an example to use as a prototype and provided valuable feedback when we had a draft ready.

Now that we are “home study ready,” we rely on Katie and Tracie more than ever. ...has contacts and connections all over the country. Tracie uses those contacts and lets us know about situations that might match our family. She’s advised us about which agencies and lawyers are best to work with. Instead of choosing just one agency, we have our home study and profile out to three agencies and three lawyers. We hope this means we won’t have to wait as long to bring our baby home.

When you are an adoptive family, it can feel at times like you are powerless. Agencies and lawyers set out hoops and you busy yourself by jumping through them. Of course, it is very important for a woman making an adoption plan to supported and counseled. But, with Tracie and Katie, I feel like we have experts supporting and counseling us. We need that. When considering different situations, we can ask our consultants anything and discuss any concerns we have. They have been able to get information and updates for us that we would never be able to request on our own. 

The personal attention that Katie gives us has meant so much to us. She’s been through this. She knows how we feel. She’s feeling it with us again. She’s praying for us. She’s helping us. She’s rooting for us."

Thank you, Linnea! I'm so grateful to be on this journey along with you!

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What I Know Now and Wished I Would Have Known Then (Guest Post)

I'm so grateful to Amber for writing this guest post today! Mark and Amber are an incredibly sweet and thoughtful waiting adoptive couple. I have the privilege of serving them alongside their adoption consultant. Amber has some very helpful thoughts for those who have considered using an adoption consultant but aren't sure if it's worth it.

"What I Know Now and Wished I Would Have Known Then"

(by Amber)

It has been a 9 year journey to know God's child for us and I anticipated another Mother's Day would come and go without meeting our child.  It is one of those days that bring mixed emotions when you long to be a mother.  I passed through the hallways at church and avoided the long line where children handed out carnations to all the mothers.  Everyone who doesn't know about your journey wishes you a "Happy Mother's Day" and you graciously say "Thank You", not wanting to share the story of your longing for a child.   Although this Mother's Day we were still waiting for the baby The Lord will bless us with, we had something else, we had hope and peace.  You see, a few weeks prior we made the decision to work with an adoption consultant.

Working with them has been the best decision we have made in our journey to be parents.  What a blessing it has been working with Katie and Tracie.  After waiting 6 months with my prior agency and becoming extremely disheartened, a friend suggested that I consider a consultant.  She had used them to help bring home her beautiful baby girl and always sings their praises.  Initially, I shot down the idea thinking that it would just be more fees in an already expensive adoption process.  After all, I'd been working four jobs for many years to finance our adoption and had budgeted down to the penny.  After a little research I realized it wasn't as costly as I believed. I know now it is SO worth every cent.  I wish I would have known about them from the beginning.  I was amazed how quickly we were provided multiple opportunities to show our profile to sweet birth moms.  We finally had choices as opposed to remaining at one agency hoping and praying for that one phone call that never came.  In addition to connecting me with thoughtful agencies, the assistance I have received has been invaluable.  It’s like being enveloped with support on this beautiful, stressful, emotional, roller coaster ride they call adoption.  

Unsolicited, on this Mother's Day I received the following text message from Katie.  It stated, "I'm praying for you today, that God would comfort your heart in the painful wait to be a mommy. Praying that He would bring your child home to you soon!"  She later told me that I "already have a mother's heart of love."  Finally......someone who gets it!

Special thanks to Katie and Tracie for walking alongside us in this process and being a part of our dream.  I am forever grateful!


Thank YOU, Amber! I can't wait to watch God's beautiful plans for your family continue to unfold!

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