Why Choose AGCI?

Steps to take when deciding who will partner with your family

As you begin your international adoption journey, one of the most important steps you will take involves choosing which agency is the best fit for you. As you search for an agency that will serve you, we believe that one of the foundational elements is trust. It is not only about trusting an agency to bring your child home, but also about trusting an agency to address your cares, concerns and needs during the adoption process. AGCI welcomes the opportunity to work shoulder to shoulder with your family throughout the adoption process, celebrating with you along the way!

We are often asked by families, "Why should we choose AGCI?"

In 1991, All God’s Children International was birthed through the vision of one young girl. Her dream was to give homes and hope to orphaned and abandoned children throughout the world. Then God lovingly chose to place that same vision into the heart of her family, thus forming All God’s Children International. It is that simple call that began so many years ago that remains our mission today. Our personal promise to you is to work ethically and responsibly, and to lovingly serve you throughout the adoption process. It is our pledge to work together to discover the beautiful child that God has chosen to put in your home. Throughout the adoption process AGCI is committed to going joyfully where God sends us in order to impact the lives of those He has given us to serve.

Our Experience

For families that choose to take this journey with us, they will be deciding to adopt through an agency with fifteen years of experience, a high moral integrity, a commitment to service, a passion for communication, and a reputation that has held true for more than a decade.

When choosing an agency, it is important to take notice of whether or not there are other country programs offered that you would be interested in adopting from. In the event a country should close to international adoption, adopting with an agency that would have other international programs to choose from can be very important.

Orphan Care Programs

Our love and care for children goes beyond adoption. It extends to all the little ones left behind. These are the children who press their eyes to the window and watch as their friends disappear down the orphanage driveway when their new moms and dads come to take them home. They may never be welcomed into a family. Our desire to help these children makes AGCI more than just an adoption agency. It extends our commitment to the children who may never find a family or leave their country of birth. This additional commitment to the children left behind allows our adoptive families to to be involved in an active way once their child comes home by helping their little friends in their country of origin through our numerous orphan care programs. It is this pledge, bathed in tears and prayers, which takes us deeper into the countries we work in and compels us to offer a life to those children who have no hope of ever finding a permanent family. This heartfelt commitment is extended through our:

• Hannah’s Hope Programs in Guatemala and Ethiopia
• Promise of Life Pregnancy Resource Center in Guatemala
• Special Mothers Program
• Sponsoring Foster Care Families in China
• Child Sponsorship in Guatemala and Ethiopia

It is important to note that many children adopted by our families have been cared for by one of these orphan care programs before being united with their family.

We Own Our Own Programs

Many families have questions about how their adoption is actually completed in the foreign country. The relationship between the agency and the foreign country is often unclear. Many adoption agencies have developed adoption programs via facilitators that then control their own international staff. The reason that this is not always the best way to establish a program is because ultimately the adoption agency does not have contact or control over the facilitator’s international staff. This can present itself as a problem when a family puts its trust in an agency that truly does not know its foreign counterpart. Hence, the adoption agency does not have control over the program.

Many facilitators, however, are wonderful and committed people. Some facilitators are willing to let their agencies connect and work directly with their international staff. This becomes a very important issue when choosing an agency, and one many adoptive families do not clearly understand. It is critical that an agency knows the staff well and, therefore, has control in the foreign country. For example, if you need specific questions answered or additional information provided on your child, it helps immensely to have direct communication with your staff in the foreign country.

AGCI has established and helped to develop all of our programs. We work with trusted facilitators who have allowed our staff to develop adoption programs that meet our high standards of communication and care. In some countries AGCI employs their own international staff who work on behalf of our families. Our U.S. staff has trained our foreign staff to understand the service level we strive to provide for our families and they work diligently to provide answers to questions as soon as possible. All of our AGCI foreign staff have cell phones and computer access and can be reached daily to update us on our families’ adoptions. We bring our staff members to the U.S. periodically to receive additional training, attend our picnics and see all of the progress made by the beautiful children they have helped to bring home. AGCI values our in-country staff highly and we hope you find that they meet your expectations.

Commitment to Communication

We believe that good communication is the foundational building block to any good relationship. We believe, and have experienced over the years that communication builds relationship and relationship builds trust. Our AGCI staff makes communication our highest priority. We welcome your call or email because no question is too small for us to answer and we are happy to discuss any aspect of your adoption. Even if you need a little encouragement or TLC, it is our heartfelt commitment to help each and every family walk through the adoption journey with confidence and peace. Although each country is unique to the specifics in the actual adoption process, we have developed a system to keep each family informed of their own adoption as well as to educate them about different aspects of adopting a child internationally. Below we have listed some of the ways we serve our families.

Dossier Preparation

The first step to your adoption is to prepare your adoption dossier. AGCI has made every attempt to streamline the paperwork process and provide you with an extensive workbook that will help you prepare the documents needed with ease. During the dossier preparation, we call you every week to answer any questions you might have and see what progress has been made on your dossier. Our Social Services department works simultaneously with your social worker to ensure your home study meets all requirements specifically for the foreign country you have chosen.

Adoption Update E-mails

We send out weekly e-mails to update families on the status of each step in the adoption process in the country from which they are adopting. We also include informative articles on different adoption topics or issues each month. We cover cultural topics such as recipes and language, and we provide articles about what to expect for your adopted child’s adjustment, health and development.

Monthly Phone Calls

We phone our families monthly throughout your entire adoption. This allows you to ask any questions and get a personal update on the status of your case within the foreign government. We find that families appreciate hearing from us on a weekly basis while doing their paperwork, and on a monthly basis for the remainder of their adoption. During travel preparation to the foreign country, our staff does talk to families on a weekly basis. Families are always encouraged to call the office at any time as questions arise.

Picnics

AGCI occasionally sponsors a picnic in various locations across the U.S. We take this opportunity to send at least one staff member to each event so that we can continue to see how each little one blossoms from year to year. It is also an excellent opportunity for adoptive families to unite with other adoptive parents in your area to begin to build life-long friendships not only for yourselves, but also for your children.

Forum

Once you decide to adopt through AGCI, you are invited to join our online community. This is a chance for all of our families to share their experiences and offer their support to each other through the adoption process and the adjustment periods once they return home. There is valuable information exchanged and experiences shared—how to get through the wait, what to pack when you travel, suggestions on discipline and helpful hints on dealing with doctors and school systems, etc.

Our Department of Social Services

AGCI believes that it is very important that you have the proper preparation for what to expect prior to your child’s arrival home, as well as continued support after your child’s homecoming. Our social service staff will help you through this process and are happy to answer any questions concerning the adjustment and well being of your child. We encourage you to call them while in the adoption process with any questions or concerns.

Pre-adoption Training

AGCI offers pre-adoption training to families beginning the adoption process. Our staff social workers will be communicating with you throughout your adoption process. They will be focused on pre- and post-adoption issues and their goal is to prepare each family for the journey to come. As part of our training we provide a recommended reading list and home study articles.

About choosing an Agency

It is our desire to provide you with information to support you in the decisions you face regarding your adoption journey. It may be too early to decide if your journey will include All God’s Children International, but we desire to support you and help you answer questions such as, from what country you will adopt and which agency will facilitate this adoption for you?

Your decision doesn't have to be AGCI, we might be just one step in the journey. It is important to AGCI to know that families that partner with us do so because they believe God has led them to us. If God leads a family to another agency we rejoice in their journey wherever that may lead.