Ava Forbes' Story
Having a family is something that I have always wanted. I always thought that I would go about it the “traditional” way; find the 'right' man, get married, wait till the 'right' time, and have children. I never in a million years would have thought that I would be where I am today; single, never married, but the mother of the most beautiful daughter in the world.
When my mom died, I realized just how short life really is. I felt so lost and alone in the world. Two months after she passed away, I got to see my friend's son be born. I felt such such a bond with him, and loved her children dearly. I teach Sunday School to children, who at the time were 7, 8, and 9. I was always around kids at church, and though I loved them and they loved me, something was missing. No matter how close I was to these kids, they belonged to someone else. Holding other peoples' babies and playing with someone else's kids just wasn't enough anymore. I wanted children and decided to do something about it.
I did so much adoption research, talked to adoptive parents, requested information from countless agencies. I read Jen's testimony and was really moved. Then when I started my paperwork with the agency in Tennessee who did my home study, A Field of Dreams was recommended to me. The social worker gave me the names of a few agencies, but told me that I would probably be happier with A Field of Dreams because they seemed to be much more personable than some of the others. How right she was!
I began talking with Jen in November or December of 2005. January 31, 2006, she had a referral for me. A beautiful baby girl! Jen was so great to work with. She literally held my hand every step of the way. Any questions I had about paperwork she answered for me. Everything was checked and double-checked, which saves on the headaches later on in the process. During highly stressful times of waiting, or learning that there was a delay for whatever reason, Jen was there for me. I cried on her shoulder numerous times, and she was always there to comfort me. Any time I needed information, she was able to give it to me. And during my pick-up trip, when I ran into a snag in Guatemala, she contacted a friend of hers there and asked her to make sure everything was okay for me. On December 29th, 2006, I brought my daughter, Victoria, to the United States.
Jen was so much more than someone I did business with. Though we have not yet met face-to face (I live in Tennessee, the agency is in Pennsylvania), I have come to think of her as a friend. Her own experience with international adoption makes it so much easier to talk to her, as she truly understands the emotions and stress that go along with waiting to bring a
child home. I never felt like a number or “just another case” while working with her. Jen has such a personal touch, and it is obvious how she truly cares about the parents and children that she helps bring together.
Thanks to Jen, I'm a mom, and my beautiful daughter Victoria is truly the best thing that has ever come into my life. I hope to adopt again in the future, and whether I choose international adoption again or domestic, I will use A Field of Dreams.
Thank you Jen, for all you did for us. Your work is obviously much more than “just a job” to you.
Ava Forbes
The Malones
I have been dreaming about finally writing this letter to A Field of Dreams and thanking you from the bottom of our hearts for bringing our family together. Our names are Rob and Cathy Malone. We have been so blessed to adopt our little girl Maria through A Field of Dreams. We were married almost 6 years before we decided to e-mail Jennifer at A Field of Dreams and inquire about the adoption process. At that time we were still trying some infertility options and thought adoption may become an option for us. Rob was ready to start the adoption process immediately but I needed a little time to be sure that is what God’s plan was for our lives. A year later I heard a radio broadcast that made me sure that adoption was right for us. Within a few days our friend Denise Tibbens called us and raved about Jen and all her staff at a field of dreams so we made an appointment to get the process started. Little did we know how much that first meeting would forever change our lives. As soon as we began to discuss the options we knew Guatemala would be were we would find our daughter. Everyone told us that there would be a mountain of paperwork but Jen and her staff really does a great job of holding your hand and getting you to the summit. Ernie is great and made the Home study fun (can you believe that)? We received our referral in January right after my birthday. Winter turned into spring and then into summer. The wait was much harder than either of us could ever anticipate. But the videos and pictures of our little darling made it bearable. Around the middle of August Rob was teasing me and asked when I thought we would pick up our little angel. “Labor Day” sounded like a good day to meet our Daughter. Soon after the conversation we got a call that we were going to meet our precious daughter on Labor Day. I couldn’t believe it. The flight to Guatemala was great. We were very nervous because it was our first flight to a foreign country. The attorney and everyone else who took care of us in Guatemala was top notch. They really know what they are doing. I’ll never forget seeing Maria for the first time. It was the best feeling to finally have her in my arms. 3 days later we were finally back home with our little bundle of joy. 4 months have flown by since our daughter has come home, and it seems like she was always here with us. Maybe that is because she has been….in our hearts.
Thanks to all at a field of dreams for making our dreams come true.
Cathy, Rob and Maria Malone
Matt and Jennifer's Story
Using the "Field of Dreams Adoption Agency" was one of the best decisions we ever made. When we decided to adopt a child, we noticed an advertisement in the local newspaper announcing a series of information sessions about adoption. We went to the first info session with many questions and feeling very overwhelmed with the idea of adopting a child from another country. Through the next few weeks we met Jennifer Holdren, Jessica Seren, and Ernie Stump, Field of Dreams Adoption staff, and we also had the opportunity to meet with parents who had previously adopted children through A Field of Dreams. Meeting these families – seeing the adopted children and talking with the loving parents - confirmed our decision to adopt, and A Field of Dreams was with us through every step of the process. Field of Dreams worked with us to set up a schedule of paperwork, required home-studies, and ultimately traveling to Guatemala to meet our daughter. Throughout the process, we had many questions, and A Field of Dreams was always available to speak with us and provide us with as much information as possible about our progress toward adoption. Once we were matched with our daughter Emily (May 2005), we regularly received videotapes, photographs, and reports of her medical appointments. As our paperwork moved through the Guatemalan court system and we received final adoption approval, we were kept informed throughout the entire process. Jess, from A Field of Dreams was the one who called to let us know that it was time to travel to Guatemala, meet our daughter Emily, and bring her home to PA. We will never forget the moment we met Emily in Guatemala City (Oct, 2005). It was immediately clear to us that Emily had received excellent foster care, that she was loved by her Guatemalan foster family, and that she was a happy and healthy baby. The process of finalizing the adoption in Guatemala was coordinated in advance through Field of Dreams, and was extremely smooth. Now, as we love, laugh, and play with Emily daily, we are filled with gratitude and appreciation for the beautiful daughter we have added to our family. From start to finish, we received information, guidance, and the voices of experience from A Field of Dreams. We wish you the best on your journey toward expanding your family through adoption. It’s a journey we have treasured.
Sincerely,
Matt and Jennifer
The Zerby Family Story
On August 12,2004 we adopted out daughter, Oksana Marie Zerby, from Ukraine. What an experience. Don't get me wrong it was a long, stressful road but well worth it. Everytime we thought we were done with this paper or that something would change. Thank goodness we had A Field of Dream Adoption to help us with the PA laws. They were a great help to us in the long process. We were a little worried about not having a picture before we went and how we would know which child is the right one for us. Everyone just told us when you saw the child you would know she is yours. That is so true. When we saw Oksana we just knew she was ours. We have been home a year now and Oksana is doing great. She is catching up in weight and height fast. She loves her big brothers. We all spoil her rotten but we can't help it. She has completed our family. She had a lazy eye and had surgery on August 2nd. She went through it like a breeze. Everything is back to normal and her eyes are great. Other than that she had no health problems. Thank You to A Field Of Dreams Adoptions for everything. We could not have done it with out your help. The Zerby Family
Testimony from a Happy Family
After a long wait, we brought our beautiful 8.5 month-old boy home from Guatemala. He acclimated to us and his new environment, culture and climate better than we would have ever expected. He was comfortable with us and our extended family upon the first meeting and has blossomed into a very affable little boy.
Throughout the long adoption process, we found A Field of Dreams staff to be friendly and very willing to answer all of our questions. They were compassionate and understanding of our situation and needs, meeting with us numerous times (at our request) to allay our concerns. The staff of A Field of Dreams put their heart into their work, and that is the agency’s greatest asset.
Denese and Bobby's Story
We
need to start out stating that we are the poster family for bad adoptions
and bad adoption agencies. We have had two bad agencies. Of course just
starting out we didn’t know much about what we getting ourselves
into but we wanted a family and was determined to have one.
With the first agency we were in we were told that there weren’t
any babies for us. There was no emotional support either. I would look
on the internet and find children up for adoption then call the list
in. We never had any feedback from all the work that I had done on the
computer. They must have filed it in the trash. We had found a family
that wanted to give their unborn baby up for adoption and maybe also
their other two children. The agency that we were in did not help us
at all. And because of this we lost the chance to have a family. They
were also very rude to me which I felt was unacceptable. We were devastated.
A friend of mine heard an advertisement on the radio at work for Heart
to Heart. She knew what we were going through so she wrote all the info
down for me. I decided to call because we hadn’t had any help from
our other agency. When I went to the first meeting I couldn’t believe
it. Here was an agency that was willing to help. I cried because we had
wasted so much time and money and hadn’t gotten anywhere. I stayed
after the meeting was over and told our story to them. This agency was
going to help us. I couldn’t believe it. We were thrilled.
Through them we had gotten with an agency in California. We brought
home a son named Kyle. He was a biracial child but that didn’t
matter to us. He was beautiful and very loveable. We had lost my husband's
parents because of Kyle being biracial but we loved Kyle anyway. It turned
out that his parents didn’t want anything to do with an adopted
child. That was their mistake because they missed out on a wonderful
boy. We lost Kyle at eight months because of his birth mother wanting
him back. Through the agency we got connected with Stacy Parks-Miller,
an attorney. All the time we were worrying about Kyle being taken, the
agency in California just said not to worry. They didn’t know the
laws and said that she couldn’t take him away. They didn’t
offer much in emotional support either. Stacy and Jen did their best
to help us, but were unable to. I know that the hardest day of our lives
was when we had to give Kyle up, knowing that he was going to an unfit
home with an unfit mother. This I knew because of being in contact with
her for months and meeting her also. Jen, Chris, and Stacy went with
us to give Kyle over to the birth mother’s lawyer. They offered
tremendous support in our time of need. You couldn’t have asked
for nicer people. They didn’t brush us under the rug, so to speak,
but helped us through this terrible time. Not that this is something
that a person ever gets over.
Kyle was given up in March and in January we got a phone call on a
Friday. It was for a little girl who was in Geisinger Hospital and she
could maybe be taken home on the following Monday. We almost told them
that we couldn’t go through it again. But thankfully we didn’t
and now we have a family to call our very own. We didn’t know what
we were getting ourselves into but we needed to try just one more time.
She was only four pounds when she was born and also three weeks early.
She was a heroin baby, born addicted. She also had to have surgery for
a tumor in her mouth and partway in her nasal passage.
We got to see her, and spend the night with her in the intensive care
unit, on Sunday. We fell in love with her immediately. We named her Audra
and we got to take her home on Monday, she was ten days old. Jen was
with us in the hospital and took care of everything.
Even though the birth mother didn’t give us any trouble with
the adoption we were still scared of what could happen. This adoption
went so smooth it was such a relief from what we had been through. Adoption
is a very stressful and emotional way to have a family but it is worth
it all in the end. A Field of Dreams Adoption Agency is an agency that
will stand behind you and help you through all the rough spots. We can’t
thank them enough for just being with us though all of our ups and downs.
They will do everything in their power to unite children with adoptive
parents. This is done with compassion and kindness, for they are guided
by their heart.
As for our daughter Audra, she is doing exceptionally well. She hasn’t
had any trouble with her surgery or the heroin. She’s perfect.
With lots of love and food she has thrived. It wasn’t an easy road
to travel but it was worth it all in the end.
Rich and Lori's Story
Dear
Jennifer, Ernie,& Jess,
Thank you for helping to bring a beautiful angel into our lives --
our daugher, Karlee. We definately feel that Karlee is a blessing from
God. My dad, who I was extremely close to passed away on Monday, September
13, 2004 and Jennifer called me the very next day, Tuesday, September
14, 2004 to tell me that we could go to Guatemala to get Karlee and bring
her home. We weren't exactly sure when we would get the call to go to
Guatemala, but it couldn't have come at a better time. Karlee has brought
so much joy into our lives and along with our son Kurtis has made our
lives complete. Although it might seem like Karlee needed us; she will
never know how much we needed her and how happy and proud we are to welcome
her into our family. We are so happy that we decided to pursue a Guatemalan
adoption. Karlee is everything and more than we expected.
Thank you for all of you help and guidance during our adoption process.
All of you were very professional, straight-forward, organized, knowledgeable,
and helpful to us every step of the way and for that we are extremely
grateful. We consider you more than an adoption agency, we consider you
wonderful friends and extended family. We would be happy to share our
experieice with others and to recommend each and every one of you very
highly to prospective adoptive parents. May God bless you and the wonderful
work you do.
Sincerely,
Rich and Lori
Mike and Carol's Story
Mike
and I had two children and we decided we wanted another child. We found
A Field of Dreams in the phone book and they were in our area of State
College. I worked with Jen for a couple of years before we started the
process. Jen was very helpful with infomation on adoption in Guatemala
which is where we adopted our son Oscar.
The process of adoption was a very positive experience with Jen, Jessica
and Ernie. A Field of Dreams is a very reputable agency which is why
everything ran so smoothly for our adoption.
Oscar is a very healthy, happy little boy which shows the care and
attention he received in Guatemala.
We are glad that we went with A Field of Dreams as their reputation
speaks for itself with the outcome of how our adoption went in Guatemala.
Carol and Mike Fellinger
Karen's Story
Dear Ms. Holdren:
Jessica Seren, Case Manager for "A Field of Dreams," exemplifies professionalism,
responsibility, courtesy, and dependability. She excels in her job performance
to such a degree that I felt compelled to write you this letter.
My husband and I are ready to adopt a second child, and I contacted
Ms. Seren in response to her post on the ABC Adoptions site. Although
we are not clients of your agency, Ms. Seren responded to my initial
inquiry immediately, and she addressed my subsequent questions and concerns
(of which there were many) in a timely fashion, offering clear explanation
and valuable insight.
Furthermore, we have paid fees to other adoption agencies, facilitators,
and attorneys, and never have we encountered anyone whose level of professionalism
comes anywhere close to that of Ms. Seren’s. For example, after our agency
failed to forward a copy of our home study to Ms. Seren, Ms. Seren personally
called our agency more than once until the agency complied with our request.
Furthermore, she kept us informed as to her progress with our agency,
even emailing and calling us with updates as late as 7:00 and 8:00 p.m.
some evenings.
On those occasions when she was working long after most other agency
employees clocked out for the evening, she was always very pleasant and
professional, never complaining of the long hours.
Ms. Seren’s persistence with our agency enabled us to be among the
families who will be considered by a particular birth mother. Our own
agency’s lack of response to a situation requiring immediate attention
is disappointing and alarming, and we are incredibly grateful that Ms.
Seren was willing to be our advocate in this situation.
Because of Ms. Seren’s efforts, we have the opportunity to be matched
with a birth mother. Whether or not the birth mother will choose to entrust
her baby to us remains to be seen, but in either case, we hope to work
with Ms. Seren and will most certainly share our favorable opinion of
your agency with other seeking to adopt.
Sincerely,
Karen
Dave and Charlene's Story
We already had 2 beautiful, healthy little boys. But our family just
didn’t feel complete. We could no longer have biological children but
we longed for a little girl. That’s when we decided to start looking
into adoption. I did a lot of research on the web about domestic and
international adoptions and we decided that an international adoption
was right for us. We began our search for an adoption agency. I traveled
as far as Lancaster to visit with adoption agencies. I didn’t really
feel comfortable on my visits to the agency and I couldn’t imagine Dave
and I making 4-hour trips as often as would be necessary. Then, one day
I did something that seemed so simple yet had gone undone—I picked up
the local phone book and turned to the yellow pages under “adoption”.
There I found Heart to Heart (now A Field of Dreams), an agency right
in our own backyard! I talked to Jen on the phone and then went for a
personal visit. I felt so much more at ease with this agency and these
people.
We entered the adoption program at a time when things were in a bit
of an uproar—China was closed due to the lengthy Saars epidemic, Guatemala
(our first choice) was no longer accepting applications because of the
Hague Convention. We knew that the good Lord had a plan for us and our
child-to-be. And not long after we had convinced ourselves that we should
go with another program and delved into the mountains of paperwork, the
Guatemala program re-opened. We were thrilled and hurried to get all
of the paperwork, etc. finished. I will never forget the feeling of receiving
the very first picture of our baby in January 2004. We knew that she
was ours from that very moment. By the end of May, beautiful, healthy
baby Bethany was home.
Through it all Jen and her staff held our hands, cried when we cried,
ooohed and aaahed with us over the pictures and videos we received, and
encouraged us when we thought we couldn’t go on another minute. We will
always be grateful to be a part of the Field of Dreams family. We cannot
thank them enough for the beautiful little girl they helped bring into
our lives.
Testimony from the Boone Family
My husband and I cannot thank A Field of Dreams enough. To us, Jennifer
and Ernie have made our dreams of a family come true. We were working
with a facilitator and were getting nowhere. I called Jennifer and it
seemed that within 3 weeks we were new parents. Jennifer knew exactly
what to do to find a baby for us.
Jennifer
treated us as family. I think that she was just as excited as we were
when Luke was born. I cannot say how much it meant to us that she was
feeding and holding Luke until we were able to get to the hospital. Just
knowing that someone was there with him until we could get there was
wonderful.
Ernie, the social worker, was a gem! He re-arranged his schedule serveral
times for us. I was so crazy every time he was to make a visit that I
would clean the whole house. Then each time I don't think that he cared
how spotless my floors were.
Every one was extremely kind and patient especially with me. Every
time I would call with a question or concern the entire staff would take
the time to alleviate my fears. We love A Field of Dreams and will be
calling them for our next little DREAM. God Bless all of you!
Jennifer M. Boone
Testimony from Missy and Terry
I want to thank you for all the help you gave us before, during and
after the adoption. I still remember the late night chat we had with
you discussing the process of adoption, domestic versus international,
and country versus country. We made our decision right there before we
even drove out of the parking lot. We were going to do it and we were
going to adopt from Guatemala. We drove directly over to Terry’s parents’ house
to tell them the exciting news!
Less than 3 months later we got the call to tell us about this BEAUTIFUL
BABY GIRL that was meant to be a part of our family. You and A Field
of Dreams helped with the paperwork. It was actually pretty easy – just
time consuming. I’ve talked to other couples since we went through the
adoption, and they were left pretty much to themselves to put together
their paperwork and to send their dossier to the Guatemalan Consulate.
Since you had already adopted from Guatemala, you were very resourceful
and empathetic!
Now we have a beautiful almost 5-year old running around our house
(or let me rephrase that…doing somersaults, cartwheels, skipping, hopping,
etc, around our house)! We are coming up on our 4th Gotcha Day and are
so excited now that she understands more what Gotcha Day is. Haley loves
to tell people she is from Guatemala and that God made her especially
for our family. And the funny thing is, we hardly ever think of her as
being adopted, she is a part of us and always will be.
I enclosed a photo we had taken of Haley last weekend. I’m so excited
to hear of the changes you are making. I understand the reason of the
name change, but the name heart to heart will always be close to my heart!
I am really excited to hear that you are handling Guatemalan Adoptions
directly!
We are very fortunate to have Haley in our lives and we owe it all
to YOU and A Field of Dreams. Hopefully Terry and I will be able to consider
adoption again (Haley reminds me on a weekly basis that she would really
like a baby brother or sister.). But until we do, we wish you the best
of luck and if you ever need any volunteer work, please do not hesitate
to call us!
Sincerely,
Missy and Terry Garvin
Chris and Heather's Adoption Story
When Chris and I married in 1997, we already had our 3 year old biological
son, Colby. We both wanted more children, but were unsuccessful the first
two years of marriage. After 4 more years of infertility - our hearts
were shattered. It became clear to us that God had another plan for our
family - our child was going to come to us another way.
We registered with "A Field of Dreams" Adoption Agency in April 2003,
expected a long process before we would finally have a child in our arms.
Much to our surprise, the homestudy and all necessary paperwork took
only a few months to complete. Even more surprising was the unforgettable
phone call I received at work on Monday, August 4th, 2003. It was Jen
from the agency on the other end telling me a match had been found! She
was a baby girl weighing only 3 pounds, 9 ounces, but perfectly healthy.
Our prayers hade been answered! My heart was doing flip-flops; I could
barely hold back my tears long enough to call my husband Chris at work
with the good news. Less than 24 hours later, Chris, Colby and I were
on a plane heading for El Paso, Texas to pick up our new daughter "Hali".
To say we have been incredibly blessed is cliché and an understatement.
We have received a miracle from God through 'A Field of Dreams' Adoption
Agency, and the brave heart of Hali's birth mother.
The overall experience of adopting our daughter has been extremely
wonderful. She and her brother truly are the light of our lives. They
are beautiful, happy children who make us laugh and love more everyday.
They are perfect in every way.
Thank You,
Chris and Heather
Testimony from Anne and Kevin
Before Kevin and I even got married, we decided that our first child
would be adopted. Kevin and his sister were both adopted by a great family,
so we wanted to give another child that same opportunity.
The
information on adoption that is available is overwhelming and we had
no clue where to start. We were so frustrated, that we decided to talk
to someone in person and not just get the information from the web or
over the phone. We called several agencies and they told us to fill out
an application and attend one of their seminars. All we wanted though
was someone to sit down with us to talk about our options WITHOUT any
commitment. Jennifer, the director at A Field of Dreams, was the only
one to do so. We met with her in her office for over 2 hours asking her
EVERY possible question we could think of and we got definite and detailed
answers for the first time. This is when we knew that A Field of Dreams
was our agency!
We decided to adopt a domestic newborn. Kevin wanted a girl, I wanted
a boy, so, in the end, we weren’t really picky about the gender. All
we wanted was a healthy baby.
We got Olivia less than 3 months after the first visit!!!
From all the adoption stories we heard from friends and coworkers,
we were ready to meet the challenge and were very positively surprised
on how easy it really is. The paperwork is time consuming, but not hard
at all. Jennifer provided us with check lists and was available for us
every time we had a question.
Less than 3 months after our first visit to A Field of Dreams, Jennifer
called me at work on a Monday morning. I will never forget this day.
She told us that there was a little baby girl waiting for us in Texas,
do we want her, and if yes, could we leave immediately? No one can tell
me that an adoptive mother cannot feel labor pains. I definitely had
them. That’s how excited I was.
Kevin and I left the next morning and drove down to Texas – a 24 hour
drive from Pennsylvania. When we walked into the adoption agency down
there, we had just gotten off the highway. And there she was, sleeping,
adorable and just 8 days old: our daughter Olivia! We were on our way
home just 3 days later.
Olivia is now a 4 month old bundle of joy. We think that she is the
greatest thing that has ever happened to us.
We would like to thank everyone involved at A Field of Dreams (Jennifer,
Danielle, Ernie, and Jessica) and Adoption Access in Texas. You all truly
made adoption a rewarding experience for us.
Thank you,
Anne & Kevin
