[teachergal]

Hi,

I am in Rockford and am in the process (and I do mean process!!) of adopting through Guatemala. I just wondered if anybody else is or has adopted through Guatemala. What agencies did you use? Any suggestions about your experiences?

It would be nice if we could get together with our children at some point.

Just a thought...

Kris

[snewsie]

Hi Kris -
We are about to start the process - I think we will probably go with Childrens Home Society in Minnesota and use CHASI locally for the home study. When did you start the process??

Snewsie

[teachergal]

I am using CHASI for my homestudy and am still deciding on a placing agency. I submitted my I600A, application to CHASI and application to IAS (placing agency) on 12/23/02 and had all of my fingerprinting (FBI and INS) done in 01/03. I am about finished with my homestudy. I will be doing the interview portion and the home visit within the next couple of weeks. The classes they offer are in April, so my homestudy can't be complete until then anyways.

Have you contacted CHASI yet? If you are thinking about it, perhaps you can get in on the April classes. I don't think they offer them very often and they are a component of your homestudy.

How far are you? Maybe we could compare notes along the way. It sure is an involved ordeal!

Good luck,

Kris

[snewsie]

Hello again -
It's a small world isn't it? I made a mistake...I am not using CHASI, we will probably use Catholic Charities. We plan to start this week..my husband needs just a couple more days to think about the cost of the whole thing - make sure we're not going to get half way and realize it's not going to be possible. So, keep checking back to this thread and we can keep each other updated. You obviously will be leading me...but that's good for me! Good Luck!

[Kristin Cheek]

Special Delivery International is the agency to use! They are a wonderful group of people, and we enjoyed our entire adoption experience. They answered every single question we had, and were a joy to work with too. We received updates and reports on our son from the time he was assigned to us until we held him in our arms. Please check them out - they are truly a blessing in the confusing world of adoption agencies.

[JaelynElise]

Hello! I'm also in the Rockford, IL area wanting to adopt. We have not yet decided on Domestic vs. International. We personally don't have a preference. We would love to have a healthy baby girl, no matter where she came from! Two countries I have briefly looked into for international adoption are Romania and Guatemala.

I was hoping you could provide me with the agency you used for your Guatamalan adoption and what all was entailed financially and time-wise. Thank you so much in advance!

Chrissy

[teachergal]

Hi Chrissy,

Welcome to the adoption world! I would be glad to share my experience, so far, with you. Feel free to email me at Kfletcher03@aol.com.

I used CHASI for my homestudy and am using Children of the World in St. Louis for my placement agency.

Good luck!

Kris

[teachergal]

Chrissy,

PS...If you haven't done so already, please make sure to check out the Guatemala board under international adoptions. You will find a wealth of experience there from people just beginning all the way to people who have adopted 2 or three children.

Choosing your placement agency is very important. Make sure you choose a reputable agency rather than choosing a child from a photo listing and then going with the agency they are affiliated with. As cute as they are, you need to be able to get them home and you need a strong reputable agency to do that!

There has been a lot of turmoil in Guatemala the past 5 - 6 months. Be sure you ask lots of questions before giving a placing agency $$. But, do go ahead with your homestudy and getting your foster care license. That you will need whether you adopt domestically or internationally.

Good luck