Jeff
& Mary
My
husband and I had been working at adoption for years with
a local adoption agency specializing in international
adoptions. We had given up hope on being able to adopt
a baby domestically as we were in our late thirties. It
seemed that we just got more and more caught up in paperwork
and government bureaucracy. We had just about given up
when we connected with Dr. Rachel and Home At Last. What
a difference!
Dr. Rachel’s energy and enthusiasm for each and
every child, birthparent, and prospective adoptive parent
came barreling through every time we spoke with her!
She gave us renewed hope in our quest. She and her wonderful
staff, particularly Cheryl Walls, Executive Director,
diligently kept us working on paperwork, guiding us
through the maze of forms and required documents.
In short order, Dr. Rachel found just the right match
for us. Through Dr. Rachel we met with the Birthmother,
a lovely young woman in an unfortunate situation in
terms of her marriage and home life. Several weeks later,
we got the call from Dr. Rachel to “get on a plane”!
Sure enough, our beautiful daughter Meaghan was born
that night.
Our adoption process was complicated a bit because
we live out of state. After we brought Meaghan home
from the hospital, we still had to wait to take her
to our real home. Dr. Rachel kept us comfortable and
played hostess to us---even arranging several golf outings
for Jeff! Cheryl Walls shepherded our paperwork through
the Interstate Compact Commission Reviews in both Florida
and our home state in record time. Before we knew it,
we were really home at last.
Although it has been only a few weeks since we got
home, we have all settled happily into our new life.
We can’t say enough about the accomplishments
of Dr. Rachel, Cheryl, and the wonderful staff of Home
At Last. We know they will continue to bring happiness
to so many adoptive families, and hope to so many children
who would otherwise grow up so differently! Our sincerest
wishes to all of those prospective parents reading this
for success in becoming parents. Our thanks to all of
those birthparents reading this for making the greatest
gift to your child that you can make. We know that the
caring folks at Home At Last will work with all of you
to achieve your wishes.
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| Charlotte
and Dan
 My
husband and I had been in the “process of adoption”
for 3 years before we were put in contact with Dr. Rachel
and the Home At Last Adoption Agency. In retrospect,
the name of the agency has a particular meaning to us.
At last we had found an agency that was actively committed
to putting families together in the most advantageous
fashion for both the adoptive parents and the child,
and within the most expedient time frame.
One of the biggest differences we found with Home At
Last over other agencies was the high quality of expertise
among all of the staff. They all have had formal education
along with practical application within their field
for many years in regard to child development, nutrition,
and the policies and procedures involved in adoption
that can easily become agencies we have been involved
with and Home At Last is the accessibility of Dr. Rachel
and the staff. Many times we have tied to contact people
from other agencies and only been able to leave messages.
Sometimes the calls were returned with in a reasonable
time frame and sometimes they were not returned at all.
Dr. Rachel and every one of her staff clearly are committed
to placing children into homes that they feel will be
the most beneficial for the child. They sincerely have
the best interest of the child at the forefront of their
endeavors. They are supportive and patient and they
love what they do. It is not a job for them. It seems
to be a calling. They are sensitive to the difficulty
that parents face during the wait and are eager to keep
you abreast of the developments within your particular
situation.
Home
At Last is also an inclusive agency rather than exclusive
one, in that they adopt children to viable families
with many different religious affiliations. This situation
is not always the case with other adoptive agencies.
We thank God every day for the beautiful child that
has completed our family and highly recommend Home At
Last. If family and the needs of the child are at the
forefront of our desires, you could not affiliate yourselves
with a better group of people. |
Garret and Heather
It
was three years ago, October 15, 2000, when we got the
call that changed our lives. It was from Doctor Rachel,
a woman whom we’d never met and only heard about,
but who would make our lives complete. We had never
even talked to her on the phone before that night. It
was 10:00 pm. My husband and I were both asleep. We
scarcely understood the words, “I have a little
girl for you.”
Our hearts stopped. Once we came to hour senses we jumped
out of bed and frantically started working on finishing
our home study paperwork. We had just three days to
get ourselves together before we were to get on a plane
to meet this angel that we prayed would be our daughter.
We were so frightened, so apprehensive. And yet, we
had a peace about us, knowing that God was working in
this for us. Those were the words of Doctor Rachel –
Trust Him – and we did.
We saw her; we knew she was meant for us. We met here
birth family with Doctor Rachel, probably the scariest
afternoon of our lives. Would they like us? Would they
choose us? What an incredible gift they were giving
– What could we do to show that we would love
this little girl more than any parent has ever loved
a child? We couldn’t eat. We could barely talk
we were so nervous.
After
spending the day with them they indeed did choose us.
After having Hollie almost two years, I still cannot
imagine her birth mother’s and father’s
strength and faith that enabled them to give their precious
daughter to us, a little girl we cherish, and to make
our dreams come true.
Truly our experience is unusual. We were an instant
family, only four days to prepare. Thankfully Doctor
Rachel made our transition so easy and, although she
may not know it, we believe she is one of God’s
personal angels whose job on earth is to make families.
After two years of disappointment with trying to get
pregnant, with in four days all of our hopes came true.
We are indebted to Doctor Rachel. I cannot imagine my
life without my daughter. And as we approach her two
years “birth day”, as we like to refer to
it, we are reminded again how incredible life is, especially
the life of this girl we call our angel.
|
Chuck and Pam
We just want to say what a pleasure it has been working
with Home At Last Adoption Agency. They helped us realize
our dream of becoming parents. They worked with us through
the entire process, making everything as easy as possible.
Everyone we met treated us very professionally and answered
any questions we had. We had heard how hard adopting
a child was and how long the wait was. This has not
been our experience with Home At Last. We were very
surprised when we got the phone call to say our son
had been born and we could bring him home that day.
The agency has continued to stay in touch, answering
our questions and sharing in our excitement. We have
already recommended them to several people in the area
and will continue to do so. |
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Kirsten and Daniel
From our initial contact with Home At Last, it was clear
that we were dealing with a very special group of people.
They went above and beyond the call of duty. From the
frequent check-in calls and e-mails to the helpful information
and guidance, they were a source of encouragement and
comfort. We were also struck by the kindness; care and
support provided to our baby’s birth parents.
We will continue to sing your praises and recommend
you to anyone we meet who may be considering adoption.
|
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Dan
& Trish
We find ourselves here in the New Year of 2008 realizing all of our dreams for beginning our family have come true. We adopted our first child, a son, in January. We are parents now and what a wonderful change in our lives we are experiencing. We had gone through seven years of infertility treatments without the desired outcome and we look back and realize that we most definitely had a misconception about how anxious the adoption process would be. So much of what helped us to have such a good experience is how true of heart everyone at Home At Last Adoption Agency is. They all truly want the best for all who are a part of the adoption process. We finished our home study in December and one month later I am at the hospital seeing our son come into the world. It's been a beautiful experience. We are humbled be this precious gift and forever thankful to the birth parents and to the agency for finally having our child Home At Last. We will recommend your agency to anyone we meet who has any notion of adopting as well as anyone we hear of who wishes to place a child through an agency. We hope to continue to add to our family through this wonderful organization.
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Valerie
& David
 A
year and half ago my husband and I signed up with a
private adoption attorney at a well known agency. We
did not have a good experience with the attorney. She
never returned our calls and we never received any information
from her. After zero activity for 9 months we decided
to sign up with an adoption agency. In retrospect, we
probably should have signed up with an agency to begin
with.
We
chose Home at Last Adoption Agency. We were very pleased
with the open communication. Immediately we began working
with a birthmother. After working with the birthmother
for 2 months, she chose another couple. We were disappointed
that we were not chosen and even considered stopping
the adoption process. The Home at Last staff called
to see how we were doing and told us not to give up
hope and that the right baby would come along.
Then
1 week later Dr Rachel calls us at noon and says “we
might have a baby for you!” Four hours later we
received a call to come and get the baby! We were elated
and in a state of shock. It was love at first site when
we saw Christopher. He slept in laundry basket the first
night because we didn’t have time to prepare;
we were an instant family in 4 hours! We thank God every
day for this beautiful child. Christopher is a joy.
We
are probably a unique case. Most couples wait for years
before they actually receive a child. All of this took
place in less than 3 months – amazing!
It
was truly a pleasure working with Home at Last Adoption
Agency. We would do it again. Dr. Rachel and the staff
were wonderful to work with. They still call us periodically
to see how our family is doing.
|
Kevin
and Carol
We originally started out working with a private adoption
attorney, but it just didn’t feel right. We found
out about Home At Last and followed our instincts to
go with them. What impressed us the most was that they
were highly professional as well as warm and friendly.
They considered our feelings and those of the birthmother.
As a mother having had 3 children prior to adopting,
I want to say that there is no difference in how you
bond with your child. When Dr. Rachel placed our beautiful
son in my arms, I had the identical feeling as when
I gave birth to my other children. We are so happy that
we followed our instincts and decided to go with Home
At Last.
Brian
and Kira
Adoption is an unbelievable miracle. There is not a
day that passes that I don’t think about how truly
blessed we are to have our son in our lives. The love
that you experience when someone places that child in
your arms is truly magical. After countless years of
dreaming of becoming a mother, to be given an opportunity
to truly and unconditionally love a child, is a gift
beyond words. As Zachary’s mom, everyday I can’t
help but think “Why me? Why am I so blessed to
have this wonderful little miracle in my life?”
To be a mother is an incredible experience that happened
in my family through adoption. Home At Last fills a
need in this community and other communities would wide
to help build families so that children will know that
they are indeed home and every child deserves a home.
I really don’t recall a time when I didn’t
want to become a mother; motherhood was always apart
of my dreams. For me, that journey had its twists and
turns including several devastating miscarriages. Thus
began my painstaking infertility trials and tribulations.
A year or two later, I gave a baby shower for my cousin.
I was so excited that she was going to have a baby,
but suddenly realized, once again, how something was
missing from my life. It was that night that I prayed
for a child and with in 30 days, thanks to Home At Last,
our prayers had been answered. We had a gift from God
that would change our lives forever.
 I
can never say enough about how supportive Home At Last
has been throughout the entire process. Their staff
was very efficient in handling our paperwork and getting
the perfect child placed in our home. Home At Last was
also particularly helpful in preparing us for the home
stuff and helping us to seek legal representation to
expedite the process. So often you hear stories about
adoptive families and how wonderful everything is for
them as they joyously celebrate their new arrival. I
can’t tell you how much love, gifts and support
we have gotten from our church, my husband’s job,
civic organizations, friends and family. However, it’s
the birth mother, who is in most cases making the most
difficult decision of her entire life, who soon becomes
a forgotten memory, but Home At Last treats birth mothers
with the respect and dignity that they richly deserve.
In meeting my son’s birth mother through our adoption
process, I watched Home At Last purchase clothing to
build up her self esteem during the last days of a nine
month pregnancy, find her a possible vocation, help
her find a place to call home and assist her in the
long journey of finding complete peace with her decision.
In closing, words cannot express the pure joy and unconditional
happiness that Zachary has brought into our lives. From
the everyday smiles and giggles to his very first words,
having Zachary has truly been a dream come true. And
nothing could ever fill my heart as much as hearing
him say “Hi Mommy” in his sweet little angelic
voice. Now, there is not a night that goes by that I
don’t look at him as he sleeps so peaceful and
say to myself, “We are truly home at last!” |
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Kristin and Rob
Before we adopted our 3-year old, we spent four days
getting to know him and his birthmother. During this
time, everyone at Home At Last was available to answer
questions or listen to our concerns. They made sure
the match was right for the birthmother as well as our
family. Their caring and concern made the transition
go much smoother. We feel blessed to have worked with
such a special people at Home At Last and know we will
keep in touch.
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Ryan
and Kathryn 
The experience we had with Home At Last was phenomenal
in every way! From the very beginning we felt we were
dealing with loving, caring individuals - not just employees
of a company. Dr. Rachel Fornes and everyone at Home
At Last were truly excited to help us through the adoption
"journey". They were professional at all times,
yet remained sensitive to our individual needs and requests.
They made what we thought was going to be a long, complicated
and at times scary process, very simple, basic and joyful
and kept us informed every step of the way. We were
never made to feel that this was just another "business
transaction"; rather, we were befriended by Dr.
Rachel and everyone at Home At Last and now consider
them to be an extension or our very own family!
We
will be forever grateful to Home At Last for their help
in placing our beautiful son with us.It's a dream come
true! We highly recommend Home At Last to anyone wishing
to adopt or to anyone just thinking about adopting.
In fact in a couple of years we hope to return to Home
At Last to adopt our second child! |
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