My name is Tess Vega, and I am greatly blessed to be the mother of Sage Marguerite, now 14.5 months old and, per her pediatrician, "off the charts" at 32 inches tall and on target developmentally.
My journey to Sage began in July 2005, when, after much prayer, I chose Adoption Ark because of its firm belief that God would lead me to the right child for me. And, indeed, Alla was right.
I arrived in Kazakhstan, on May 28, 2006, I was traveling blind for a baby boy or girl, hopefully, 6-9 months of age, but no more than 12 months old. After having been introduced to four children, they brought down to the office a 10.5 month old baby girl from the upstairs nursery. Right before she entered the office, I prayed urgently to God, "Please, God, make this baby be the one You have always intended for me." All the while, too, I had been praying to God that He would make the baby pick me because I feared that I would make the wrong choice. At first sight of only my daughter’s beautiful brown eyes and little button nose, I jumped out of my seat to receive her. As the baby was handed over to me, she came easily to me and did not want to let go of me. Yes, God answered my prayers. And, exactly one year from July 11, 2005, the date the USCIS/INS approved my petition to adopt an orphan overseas, the U.S. Embassy in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on July 11, 2006, approved Sage’s visa to enter the U.S.A. (Moreover, Sage’s Kazakh passport was issued on July 4, 2006.)
Throughout my journey to adopt Sage, Alla was absolutely supportive, honest, professional, well-organized, knowledgeable, and realistic about the whole process. She and Adoption Ark were true to their words and commitment to me and my daughter. Sage and I have been home since July 12, 2006, and Alla continues to call regularly to receive updates on how the both of us are doing. She truly loves the orphan children she’s committed to helping. As well, my wonderful regional coordinator and the translator handled all legal matters in region and in Almaty well and in an orderly fashion, including preparing me for court. The legal delays I experienced were well out of their control and totally unrelated to their expertise. But, even with such delays, I was still home with Sage in just shy of seven weeks. My regional coordinator and translator treated me with much kindness, and I miss them very much. The translator and her family welcomed Sage and me into their home for personal visits, and, as a goodbye gift to us, the coordinator and her husband took Sage and me on a day trip to the mountains outside of Almaty and to dinner at an upscale Kazakh restaurant all on their personal time and expense.
Without hesitation, I highly recommend Adoption Ark. One close friend who finally acted upon my recommendation and transferred from another agency to Adoption Ark is now, only a few months later because of Alla’s help, in Kazakhstan in the process of bringing home her little one by Thanksgiving. God is good!