These are just some of the comments and compliments that we have received from our past and present families in regards to staff, traveling and beyond.
♥Dr. Bob Beatty writes:
Dear Alisha - Thank you for your nice note. Let me say emphatically that Great Wall has been tremendous throughout the whole adoption and we can't thank all of you enough. Laura is a happy member of our family now and with the help of Great Wall a little girl with no family now has a Dad and Mom and brother and sister - and we have a daughter. You and your colleagues are doing one of the most important jobs I know in this world. Thanks again.
Dr. Bob Beatty
♥Lori, Adrian and Autumn Cleyman write:
A friend of mine across the street just went to Guatemala to adopt her daughter and there was so much wrong! I know these are two completely different countries, but that wasn't the problem. Her agency did not update her accurately or timely. She was given only a 5 day notice that she needed to be in Guatemala; her contact at the agency rarely gave reliable information and the agency didn't even know that the little girl was in foster care. Once arriving in Guatemala, they though they would go to an orphanage, and instead they were taken to the foster home. Apparently her agency was completely against foster care and had no idea that the girl wasn't in an orphanage. AND, information about the birth mother was incorrect as well. AND, they had to make ALL travel arrangements themselves and they didn't have much of a guide. Again, I know the countries do things very differently, so it's difficult to compare. But when I told my friend all the stuff you guys did for us, she was blown away. I kept all e-mails and packets in a binder and I gave it to her for information that she could use, i.e. the packing list (she wasn't given one), ideas on gifts for the child (she hadn't even thought of it and the agency never provided helpful tips), and she wasn't even sure how to apply for citizenship for her daughter. But you guys covered all of that and then some! When I told my husband all the garbage they had to go through, we were both so thankful for your superb service! Even though at the time we were super stressed, it was much better than what others have gone through. Another friend of mine went through a small agency for their China adoption, and she said everything for their travel was messed up by the agency. When she had first told me about her smaller agency, she wasn't impressed by the big agency and thought an agency such as GWCA wasn't as friendly. I have to say,even though I never met any of you, I always felt like you knew me personally,that I wasn't a number. Our experience was absolutely wonderful! Oh and another thing - I'm really happy we traveled as a group! We all still keep in touch with e-mails. My friend who went to Guatemala went alone and they said they felt very alone and overwhelmed. Just had to attach some pictures as well! Autumn is doing super! She's learning a new word every day. She loves playing outside, loves her giant green ball and tea set. I just can't say THANK YOU enough. Keep up the super duper good work! You are a major part in putting our family together. I hope you and the entire team at GWCA have a wonderful day!!! Sincerely, Lori, Adrian, Autumn Cleymans
♥Tracy Douglas writes:
♥Janet McSorley writes:
I just want everyone at Great Wall to know what an indescribable gift you have given to our family. You were very professional and caring throughout our adoption experience and our trip to China could not have been more perfect. Having our daughter here with us is nothing short of a miracle and you are the ones who made this happen. I will always have a smile on my face when I think of each person who played a role in bringing our family together with our perfect little angel. God bless you all for the work you do and the way you've forever impacted our lives!!
With love and affection, Jan McSorley
♥Ken and Marie Keller write:
Dear Snow and Great Wall, We’re writing to you for two reasons. First and foremost, to thank you and all you’re caring staff for giving us the experience of a lifetime and our priceless treasure-Charity. One year ago in March we traveled to China with our two oldest children to receive our new daughter. The process went quickly and was so pleasant thanks to your thoughtful and understanding staff. When our expected referral didn’t come in Dec., our hearts sank. Yet we were encouraged and told that these delays always worked out for the best. Being Christians, we knew that - yet how could anything be better than getting a referral? Well, when it came in Jan. our joy was immeasurable! And ever after we know that it did work out better - for now we have our Charity. She was 16 mos. when we received her and has been a jewel - a very gifted child in every way. Of course, all children are special, but everyone comments on how our‘Cherry’ is exceptional after watching her for just a few minutes. She is intelligent, kind, bubbly, communicative, tough, funny, expressive, sweet, and very loving! Thank you for accepting us into your program and presenting us with such a daughter! Secondly,we’re writing to you because you wrote to us - actually twice – many years ago! Remember your first workshop in Dallas in 1996? A Mennonite family was there with 2 young children ages 7 and 10. You visited with us and encouraged us. You were so kind. We have never forgotten you. You even wrote a sweet letter to Grace and Samuel that we still have! After we signed up, China’s rules changed and you had to inform us that we couldn’t get an infant- so we had to move on. But in the back of our minds and hearts there was always that desire for a “China doll.” We went on to adopt domestically - 2 boys. Then in 2002 we adopted a precious girl from Korea. But God called our little angel to Heaven in 2003. Our hearts were heavy with sorrow - yet hoping and trusting. And then came Charity- now God has blessed us and doubled our joy! The trip was thrilling and comfortable in every way. Never had we been treated so royally! Veronica - our guide was excellent and became a very dear friend. And guess who went with us to China? Grace and Samuel-the little children you wrote to. This was the perfect time to go-God’s timing. We didn’t forget you, Snow. We did come back to Great Wall, we just wish we could do it again! With Appreciation and Fond Memories, Ken and Marie Keller
♥David, Melissa and Haylee Monte write:
We would like to thank Mr. Phil Boyd for helping us make our dream come true. He does an excellent job at what he does. We would also like to thank Amanda Austin and Krista King for helping us through the paper work and the travel phase. We would also like to tell you how great our guide was in China. Her name was Veronica and she was outstanding to the whole group, she helped us with all the paper work made sure that we were taking care of and also she made sure that the babies were alright even when they were sick she helped with the medication. These four people help us receive a healthy and beautiful little girl, so we can not thank them enough for the job well done.
♥Juan, Mari and Baby Grace write:
For Snow Wu and all your wonderful staff, we are Juan and Maricela and we want to thank you and your staff for giving us the most precious gift ever! We returned from China on March 24th, 2005 with our first and only daughter, Grace Yan Jie. I cannot express in words how wonderful our lives are and how you have given us true meaning in life. Grace is the most beautiful and giving little girl in the whole world and we never cease to thank GOD for this blessing. I know that you must receive hundreds, perhaps thousands of letters like this, and I hope that this one will make you feel just as good about yourselves and the work that you do. This little girl has brought so much joy to our families, friends, coworkers, and strangers that we see around town and we always talk about Great Wall and all the wonderful work that you all do there. When we first started the adoption process it seemed as if we would never get our baby, we became anxious and we are now glad that the timing worked out the way it did because the result was Baby Grace! I am sorry that we had not written or even provided pictures since our return, any free time we have is spent with Grace. It saddens us to think that she lives in fear of abandonment or that she is so good because she thinks she has to be in order to stay with us. If she only knew how important she is to everyone, how we would never bring any harm to her, and how much we all love her. She has blossomed so much in the short eight months that we have had her, she is talking so much and she gives us the best kisses and hugs...it is amazing! When we arrived from China we were greeted at the airport by 50 to 60 family members and friends and Grace was great with all of them, she never cried and this was after 29 hours of travel. She is healthy, eats well, sleeps well,loves school, and more importantly she calls us Mom and Dad! You have no idea how this makes us feel. Mrs. Wu, we pray that you will continue to work hard to provide homes for these little girls and we know that you will be blessed for all that you do. We also want you to know that your staff was the greatest during our adoption. I know that I bugged them many times but they were always understanding and patient and quick to respond to my calls and emails...give them all a big raise! Special thanks to Emily, Krista, and Beth. Love, Juan, Mari, and Baby Grace
♥Robin LeFever writes:
♥The Wilkes Family writes:
Happy Anniversary from the Wilkes family! If I can do the math correctly, that means you had been working at Great Wall less than a year when you so expertly helped us in our quest to bring little Nicole home. You made everything very easy for us and were always so helpful. We can never ever thank you enough, but we will keep trying. Our 1 year Gottcha Day Anniversary is coming up on March 14th, its hard to believe that it has been almost a year since we all first got to hold Nicole for the first time. Sometimes it seems like only yesterday and other times it is like she has been here all along. Nicole's big sister Natalie loves her and still tries to squeeze too hard for Nicole's liking, but they are getting better. They act just like sisters most of the time and Nicole wants to do everything her big sister does. Well I better go for now, just wanted to say congratulations and again thank you for all that you did for us and all that you do for everyone else that has the fortune to work with you.
♥Sarah Davies writes:
We got back on Wednesday morning from China. Kate is a great kid and we feel very lucky.
I wanted to let you know that our guide Kelly was really excellent. I felt very confident that she would get everything done for us and that any issues would be addressed promptly and correctly. She really helped make the trip a whole lot less stressful.
I attached a photo of Kate.
♥Peter Yue writes:
♥ Jane Godwin writes:
Our trip to CHina was fantastic. Our guide was one of the most knowledgable people I\'ve ever met plus she was very friendly and easy to get along with. We didn\'t have anything to worry or stress about during the trip. We could really spend our time bonding with the baby and having fun on the group tours.
♥ Lori Hollis writes:
I cannot express in words how wonderful Cindy was in China. Her English is impeccable and her manner was warm and friendly. Whatever she is being paid needs to be doubled. Not only was she our guide in China but she ordered pizza for us (and delivered it), picked up and delivered our laundry, soothed cranky babies, soothed worn out mommies and still managed to keep us organized and on time. I can\'t imagine being in China with someone who is not on the same level as Cindy. When we were on tours, Cindy was knowledgeable about the sites we were seeing and took time to explain things to us. She was most helpful when we needed help communicating with the Chinese people and even helped us out of a sticky situation or two. Cindy was our eyes, ears, and voice in China. She is to be commended for doing an outstanding job. I can\'t say enough good things about her!
♥Paul Hillman writes:
Cindy, our Guide (in China) was fantastic! The best! She was ahead of us all the way, whether we needed supplies, a place to clean clothes, a good restaurant, you name it; she was ready with good advice! The whole trip was delightful; we didn't have to think about anything but getting acquainted with our new son..... BRAVO GWCA! Your staff was very helpful all the way through...
♥Susie Evans writes:
While in the Jiangxi travel group this summer (July 3-July 16) from the May 25 referral day, we had the most wonderful guide, Kelly Wu. Kelly consistently went above and beyond. She ran to Wal-Mart when we arrived in Nanchang to get the rice cereal our orphanage had suggested we buy. She thought to ask about the mixing ratio for the rice and formula, she helped us buy a decongestant when our baby had a cold, she was a whiz with the paperwork and allowed us not to worry about a thing except our baby! Kelly organized group dinners and she even wrote down in Chinese what we liked to eat so that we could order it at a restaurant she showed us when we were on our own. She also took members of our large group to a foot massage place so that we could relax. More importantly, Kelly also gave us real insight to the culture. She told us about how school and university fees have changed in the last few years, and how many people may choose to abide by the one child policy not just to avoid a fine, but also to afford a better life for their child economically. She took us to the countryside and explained things we saw along the way, and helped us to understand what happens if a family is over quota and can not or does not pay the fine. I have always had sympathy for my daughter's birth family; now, I have answers to give her about the economic situations her other family may have faced, and why they may not have been able to keep her. The answers are still unknown, but there are more understandable possibilities for her. Without getting to know Kelly, I would have liked China a lot. The people were so kind, helpful, supportive and optimistic. However, after knowing Kelly, and getting to see China with her, I love it. I can't wait to go back. We joked with other families about already planning our daughters rs' heritage trips. Of course, we told Kelly she would have to lead us! If there is a "Guide of the Year" award, it should go to Kelly. If there isn't, I think you should start one, and give it to her! She was phenomenal and I hope that you will pass this along to whomever in the China office works with the guides.
♥Emily Hernandez writes:
I would like to compliment the outstanding job our guide (Cindy Wu)did for us in China. I expected good service from the guide, because that is what Great Wall is known best for, but this went way beyond good service. Cindy is now like a family member to us, and everyone in our group felt the same way. She did everything for us, and I do mean EVERYTHING. We didn't have to lift a finger or even think of anything. All we needed to do was focus on our babies, which was wonderful! She showed a genuine concern for each and every baby. When we received our babies, 4 of them were sick, including ours. Cindy took us to the doctor 3 days in a row until they were all in better condition. She is an advocate for her country, and has a very good amount of historical and cultural knowledge about China. We came home knowing a LOT more about China. She was invaluable to us while in China. I will always be grateful to her for making our trip to China so wonderful. Please be sure to call on her again soon as a guide for your next group. They will be lucky to have her!
♥Eve Felder writes:
Three adoptions with Great Wall
Hi Amanda, I will fill out the survey later but just wanted to drop everyone at Great Wall a note. My experience for the 3rd time with Great Wall was just as perfect as the last time. I would like to put in a very special word of support for Veronica. While David and Jennie from 2002 were outstanding, Veronica is unsurpassed. She single handedly served as tour guide, advocate for plane delays, baby sitter, baby soother, parent supporter, psychologist and social worker. She was tenacious, tireless and truly committed with a mission to helping us fulfill our life dream of having a family. I can't say enough about her. We would very much like to bring her over for a reunion in 2007. I am hoping that Great Wall will help her in getting a visa. I will follow up on this point later. Please have someone let Veronica know how great she is. She is a true "keeper". As always, you all are the best. I am blessed with my youngest daughter, Hazel Ann. Beautiful, smart, tender, vivacious and head strong she is all mine. I am the luckiest mom in the world.
♥Steve Dille writes:
Ginger, Our trip was amazing. We just put our kids to sleep for the night and it gets easier for them every time. We feel like we have known them our whole lives. They are perfect. Jodie or I will send more detail on them tomorrow. I just wanted to let you know that Great Wall has done a great job in every aspect of the pre-adoption and adoption phase. I know post placement will go just as well. This experience was capped off by a wonderful guide. Ike is truly an asset to Great Wall. He went above and beyond the call of duty. He puts the families and children before any of his own needs. For example, I never saw Ike eat food - I just assume he must! He made sure the families were fed, properly treated in China, and had every need taken care of during our stay. With his interactions with the babies, you feel that he loves each and every one. I can only assume that you get emails like this all the time on how well he performs his job. One specific example at the end of the trip, when Ike was not even around: there was some form that you fill out at the airport that involves writing the Chinese names in Chinese characters (I think). At the point where those are handed in, we were going there and several parents in other groups stopped us to tell us we had to fill it out (they were frantically filling theirs out), ours had been handed to us by Ike filled out already, completely filled out to the point where the airport personnel told us how good of a job we did!! I don't know how he has the time to do all these things!!! It was one final thing out of many that Ike did. Rest assured that everyone at Great Wall, including you has done an equally outstanding job; Ike was the icing on the cake. Please convey this message to Snow Wu and to Ike. I want Ike to know how much he means to us. The leaving process is so hurried and we are all so busy that we don't get to say all the things you want to say. We will tell our daughters about him and show them pictures and video of him as they grow up - I want him to know this. I hope he and all of you know the deep and wonderful impact you make on people's lives. As an accountant, I am truly jealous that you guys can do this for a living. You are all outstanding people, and are accumulating many "points" in heaven. Please put in a good word for me when you make it there.
♥The Peacock Family writes:
I just wanted to share a few things about our precious little Rivers Grace(He Jia) and about our trip. I will try to post a picture or two of her so you can see how absolutely precious she is! We had a wonderful time in China! Thank you so much to Great Wall! We were cared for very professionally and lovingly by the guides provided for us. I give an A+ for the entire experience. Emily was so wonderful the entire trip and really showed her love and affection for us and our little ones, she was prompt, efficient, and went out of her way to be helpful! Michael in Chongqing was super and he too showed great efficiency, promptness, and love and care for the little ones. We were very pleased with both of them. Sissy in Guangzhou was also very good and took care of all of the paperwork needs very efficiently and properly. We LOVED the Holiday Inn Yangtze in Chongqing!! The beds were normal doubles and very comfortable and the baby beds were standard size and very nice. The hotel provided baby bathtubs and the service was none to compare!! We got a lot of rest and slept well every night while in Chongqing! The food was fabulous and Emily and Michael took us to wonderful places to eat and to sight see! We loved it there and would love to go back in a heartbeat. We cannot say enough good things about her orphanage Hechuan SWI and the excellent care and preparation she obviously got while there! She bonded immediately with us and all of the babies from there did not have any trauma. We had sent pictures of our family to her and they had obviously spent time showing them to her, everything we sent was returned to us and she was in Excellent health and is on target developmentally, she is absolutely precious, beautiful, sweet, and just a dream child, she is a perfect match to our family! It is very obvious to us that she was very loved and cared for in an excellent way. We could not be happier and we are so grateful to you and all of the Great Wall staff for all you did to help us get her. If we can ever be so blessed to go back and get another precious daughter we will definitely use Great Wall! Thank you for making our experience in China absolutely a blessing. By the way, we were so glad we took our boys (15 and 11). It was a life experience for them they will never forget and worth every minute and extra penny for us. We will be glad to talk with anyone going to our province or orphanage and if anyone has questions regarding taking siblings along or anything else. Thank you so much again!! She truly is a wonderful blessing to us we are just so crazy in love with her!
♥Kris Fowler writes:
Jim and I returned from China with our daughter Grace on Dec. 21. We had a wonderful experience in China. Our little girl is wonderful and lights up our home with her happy disposition and sweet ways. She was exactly 15 months old on Dec. 21, as her birthday is on Sept. 21, 2002. We could not be happier. I am writing to express our appreciation for the wonderful guidance of Susan, our adoption facilitator that worked with us the first week and a half in China. Susan met us at the airport in Beijing, and was with our group until she got us safely to Guangzhou. Susan did an outstanding job of taking care of us. She made sure that she was always accessible to members of our group by providing us with her cell phone number and room number. Unfortunately, I had the experience of getting sick on the trip, and was ill when we arrived in Guiyang to meet our daughter. Although not feeling well was a burden, meeting Grace was wonderful. Susan made sure that I knew she was looking after me, and inquired often if I needed to see a doctor. Being sick in a foreign country is a scary experience, but with Susan there, I felt that I had an advocate and I knew I would be okay. She even called ahead to Guangzhou to let our facilitator Christine know I wasn't feeling well, so that I could get help there if I needed it. Susan did much more than make me feel personally comfortable. She was always professional, always available if anyone in our group needed her, and always totally organized. She is a warm and friendly person too. I can't say too many good things about her! I think that Great Wall should use Susan's services as often as she is available. If I were to adopt again, I would be delighted to know that Susan would be with us again. I have a lovely photo of Susan and Grace taken in Guiyang. I'll have Jim send it to you ASAP. Thanks so much for the wonderful experience that Great Wall provided. Our daughter is wonderful, and our experience in China could not have been better.
♥Mike O’Neill writes:
Three adoptions with Great Wall Once again, Great Wall's performance has confirmed our decision to use Great Wall for our third adoption. There are lots of agencies out there that can process the paperwork accurately, coordinate travel, and provide information. Great Wall does all that as well or better than any of them. However, in China where you need top quality support staff, Great Wall continues to be unbeatable. I just returned from China after adopting our third Great Wall baby. This time I traveled alone while Ami stayed home with our first two daughters. For the third straight time the Great Wall staff in China was outstanding. Michael in Chongqing and Cindy in Guangzhou were terrific. In the light of all the restrictions associated with both SARS and security, these two people did exceptional work. I arrived home with Pema and I was totally exhausted, but equally totally satisfied with the work of the Great Wall China staff. They tried their best to handle everything and those things they could not entirely fix, such as the absence of much air conditioning in Chongqing due to Health Department directives, they handled as well as anyone could. Traveling alone, without any support person, is difficult at best. Two weeks with little or no real sleep while schlepping around the baby and all the gear will take its toll. However, the Great Wall staff and absolutely wonderful help by other parents in the travel group made it both possible and enjoyable. Thanks to Cindy, Li, Michael and all the parents who offered a helping hand. Pema will grow up remembering and being grateful to you all.
♥Diann Lee writes:
Dear Ginger,
The Lee's of Minnesota are doing great! The boys (dad and son) did a fabulous job getting our little Mina ready for the US. It has really been a joy getting to know her and love her with all our hearts. Mina has bonded extremely well to Mom even though I was not there on the trip and it seems all was planned as it should be for our boys to do the delivery this time. The days and nights are switched back around so we are getting some sleep. Mina is recovering from an ear infection and feels much better. She is loving all the attention she gets in our big family and is quite the little show off. She dances and runs and krinkles her nose. She loves slurping Chinese noodles and can eat rice with chopsticks. She is quite adept at many things for a 15 month old. We happen to think she is one of the most beautiful children we have ever seen. We have felt very blessed by this experience and are grateful this little gal is part of our family. Nick and son report a wonderful trip to China. The guides were wonderful and did a great job facilitating the trip. Dad and son got to meet the foster family and that was a pretty special occasion. Very lovely people who taught our daughter so much about family life. They also got to see our daughter's orphanage where she spent several months of her early life. We hope we can return to China someday... Upon return, my 13 year old son commented to me what great people live in China. He told me that if all the people in China could live in America then he thought America would be a better place.... Great learning experience for him! Thanks for all your help setting up travel.
♥Lisa Gildea writes:
Dear Snow, Once again I must hand it to you and your agency!!! We brought home the sweetest, cutest little boy on January 1. He is the most precious baby!!! I will be forever indebted to you for helping me have a family! My children are the sweetest children anyone could ask for. Also, I wanted you to know the guide we had in China was Fantastic!!!!!!!!!!! Nelson was the most professional but caring person anyone could ask for. He worked very hard for us but yet had time to take a personal interest in each one of the babies. He made sure we had things to do and yet he worked into the night helping translate documents for the officials who were not real sure how to word things. I was very impressed!!!!!!!!!!! Nelson is truly a class act! My experience in Yunnan was a good one! Your agency and China will always have a soft spot in my heart! With Deepest Regards.
♥Patricia Plunk writes:
I know you're extremely busy getting the new staff settled into their positions at Great Wall, but I wanted to drop you a note to let you know just how pleased I am with my recent adoption through Great Wall. I look forward to working with you and Emily in my post placement process. From day one, working with the staff at Great Wall has been a wonderful experience. The staff was most helpful with any questions or concerns I had during my 'paper chase'. Phone calls were usually taken when I called or returned within a reasonable timeframe. Email access to the Great Wall staff was almost instantaneous. My DTC date was May 23,2001 and it was a very long wait until I received my referral on July 1, 2002. Updating the anxiously waiting families via email and the Yahoo! message boards was quite comforting during the wait. The travel department at Great Wall was excellent. It's such a hectic and exciting time from referral to travel, and it was so nice having the Great Wall staff handling all the details. As for the trip to China, what an experience!! My mother and cousin traveled with me. We were amazed at how smooth everything went. The Great Wall staff in China, (David, Jeannie, and Nelson), were so attentive to our needs and concerns. It was obvious that they all loved their job and did there very best to make sure this trip was indeed the trip of a lifetime. I cannot imagine traveling to a foreign country without the help of a guide. Nelson, in particular, became much more than our guide. When I hugged him as we left Guangzhou, I felt I was leaving a dear friend. He truly showed a passion for these children and their new parents. We're about to celebrate 3 months since 'gotcha day'. Gracie is doing great, adjusting to her new surroundings, learning something new each day, and bringing more joy and happiness to my life than I could ever imagine. Thanks to the Great Wall staff in Austin and China for making a dream come true.
♥Holly Mink writes:
This was our first adoption and the experience was overwhelming. I originally chose your organization because of the information package that was sent to me. It was well organized and answered all of my primary questions. There was so much information that I just knew that I would choose you and adopt from China. It just felt right. From the beginning, everyone was very professional, knowledgeable and understanding to what we were going through. I had heard stories of other families and their dealing, so it was very exciting, but scary and whomever I spoke to always put my mind at ease and made me feel better. I cannot really express how great our experience with Great Wall has been. I cannot think of any other company that I have dealt with that I could say only good things about. One of the big reasons was having a guide with you at all times. I can't imagine going to a foreign country and doing what we had to do without help and knowing that someone would be there was reassuring. Speaking of guides, I would like to say that all of ours were wonderful. David, Grace, Jeannie, and Nelson. They made our trip less stressful. I have to say David was the best. The things that they have to deal with and knowing everybody's names, what is going on every minute and keeping things organized was unbelievable. I like to think I'm organized, but I at least have to make myself notes. Again, hats off to the guides. We hope to see them again. We have been home a little over a month now and Jordan is adjusting great. She is an active, happy little girl. She laughs and smiles a lot. She has two bottom teeth and two top, with two more coming in. Everyday is exciting, to see what she will do today. She is healthy with no medical problems. We are so happy to have her and look forward to maybe doing all of this again someday. Thank you for everything.
♥Margie Creel writes:
We had a wonderful experience in China. Michelle was a wonderful guide and went out of her way to make us feel comfortable. She anticipated our needs very well. She even went above and beyond her service to provide us with newspapers of our Gotcha and Adoption day. She was always very patient.
Margie Creel
♥Jan McSorley writes:
Dear Anna,
I have goose bumps right now. I just looked at your family web site and I cannot believe that you're the person that will be helping us get started on our second adoption. I have to tell you that it was you and your family that softened my husband's heart to our first adoption!!! I just can't believe it's you. You probably don't remember this, but we came to an information session a couple of years ago that you, your husband, your father, and of course, your beautiful daughter Keira attended as one of the adoptive families. When Keira came running into the room in her Oshkosh
I'm attaching some pictures of Logan and her brothers. We got her on March 28, 2006. You won't believe this either, but guess where Logan is from? Chongqing!!! Actually, she was found in Qianjiang, but we got her in Chongqing and a lot of her paperwork references that she's from Chongqing. Is that weird, or what?
You have no idea what a key part you and your family played in bringing Logan into our family. I'm just so excited!! I had wanted to adopt a little girl from China for over 20 years. When I was in college, I did a paper on international adoption. I found out about the one-child law in China and decided at that point that I wanted to adopt a little girl from China. I told my husband that I wanted to do this when we got married, but when we could finally afford to do it, he was reluctant because we already had two biological boys. He just wasn't sure that he wanted to start over again. I prayed for over two years with some friends of mine that my husband's heart would change. I finally guilted him into going to an information session and you and your family were there. All that I can say is that it was just a miracle! If Keira had not run up to him like that, I don't know that his heart would have changed.
While we were in China, my husband was so moved by the experience and how perfect Logan is, that he decided we should probably do this again. This weekend, he told me to go ahead and start the paperwork on number 2! I am so glad that I finally have an opportunity to tell you this story and to thank you for the part you played in bringing Logan into our lives. We all love her so much and we cannot imagine what our lives would be like without her.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all that you did for us. Thanks for being willing to be a part of the information session we attended. I never imagined that we would try to adopt more than one child, so I am very excited to be starting this process again. It's just too good to be true!
I can't make it to the information session on the 21st, but if you ever need an adoptive family to help with other sessions, please let me know. We would love to help if we can.,
Take care,
Jan
♥Matt Brettler writes:
Hi Alisha,
I am Lynn's husband, Matt. I just wanted to thank you and Great Wall for the outstanding experience with Great Wall. We were so impressed with Great Wall that we always recommend you to friends looking to adopt. In fact, I work here with someone that has their paperwork in now with Great Wall from our recommendation.
Anna has been absolutely awesome and we could not be happier.
Thanks again.
Matt Brettler
♥ Judy Stout writes:
Dear Will, [Will Ahern]
I have to tell you how impressed I am by your communications to the MN families. We have 2 daughters from China and have been to many previous GWCA events from 1999 through about 2003 prior to your assignment. No one has compared to what you are doing for the agency and MN families in general.
Thank you so much for doing what you do and we do hope to meet you one of these days at an event when we don't have schedule conflicts!
Judy, Jeff, Maggie and Natalie Stout, Eagan, MN
Judy Stout
♥The Thistlethwaite Family writes:
Dear Snow, My husband Barry Thistlethwaite and I have been one of Erin Martin's families since December 2005 and I am writing to commend her. She is so passionately dedicated to love, hope, and children, she always has an ear for tears and a heart for sharing love. We were very excited to sign with your agency based on Erin's reflection of Great Wall, and were very happy with the support she gave us right from the start. In fact, her enthusiasm and support have carried us thus far. But Erin is far above the norm and we feel that she follows and continues to support us because of love and her desire to see us succeed. Even now, when we are not even assigned to her, she still gives us hints and pointers that have(thankfully!) saved us from making errors in our submissions that could have cost us days or weeks of frustration. I am sorry if I am rambling, but my main point is that Erin Martin is a true gift with a loving soul and compassion to bring children home safely to loving families. We are grateful to have had her support, and want you to know that GWCA should be honored to have such a worker on staff. Thank you!
♥The Uhl Family writes:
Ms. Wu: I am writing this in regard to our journey to China to get our daughter, Emily. We could not have had a more pleasurable experience. From the moment we arrived at the airport in Beijing, the Great Wall staff proved to be a valuable asset. Susan Liu met us and arranged transportation to the Holiday Inn Downtown. After she helped us check in, she again welcomed us to China, and told us what to expect for the next couple of days. Our group was assigned Anli Ma as our guide. This young lady is most amazing. I have never met a more professional, courteous, and caring person as Anli. From day one in Beijing she took charge, and led us on some very exciting tours. Once we arrived in Nanchang, Anli went to work. She assisted us in all our paperwork, answered our questions, made all our appointments and was always cheerful in her demeanor. One evening while at the business center at the hotel in Nanchang, a group of about ten people came in and were copying documents. I asked one young lady why their guide was not doing this, and she responded that the agency they were using required each family to make their own copies so the guide would not be overwhelmed with work - one more reason why Great Wall stands above the rest. The hotels we stayed at were much more than we expected. All the staff in the hotels went out of their way to make sure our stay was pleasurable. Of course, the White Swan in Guangzhou was great. It is so beautiful and the staff was always there if we needed anything. In Guangzhou, Anli again provided us with the utmost professional help. All arrangements were made with the American Consulate, and she guided us step by step. In the evenings, she arranged for group dinners, which were fun. I do not think our trip would have gone so well with out the help of Anli. I would like to also mention Mara Hudock [Great Wall Social Worker]. She, too, is most professional and another asset to your agency. When we first met Mara, it was evident that she was committed to her work. Any and all questions were answered and she was always there if we needed her. We felt that by choosing your agency, we made the best decision that we could have made. Anytime I am asked why we chose Great Wall, my answer is that it is the best. Everyone we have met that is connected to Great Wall - waiting families, families home with their babies, and staff -have proven to be some of the finest people in the world. Our experiences in China will remain in our hearts for all time. We have been truly blessed with our daughter. She is active, outgoing and loving. We look forward to a long relationship with you and your agency, as we feel that we have become part of a very large family. I have promised Mara that anytime she needs a spokesperson for a meeting, we will be there to talk of our experiences. Again, we thank you and your staff for all that you have done for us.
♥Jason and Tera Chavez write:
My husband and I arrived home yesterday from attending the GWCA East Meets West adoption conference in Atlanta, Georgia. We filled out the survey form at the end of the conference but we wanted to write a separate letter to thank Great Wall for the fantastic conference. We thought that the conference was extremely organized and it had a great flow. The sessions were very informative and we felt that the session speakers were very prepared. The sessions really did exceed our expectations. All of the session topics were extremely practical and useful and we had a difficult time picking out which seminars to attend. The handouts that we received at the seminars were so helpful and well put together...many of the handouts that were passed around were basically a rundown of each seminar and the handouts will be great for future reference as I am sure that it will be difficult to retain all of the information given at each seminar that we visited during the conference. We were also very impressed with the GWCA staff members. We sensed that the staff members genuinely care about what they are doing...that working at Great Wall is more than just a job to them. We were able to just chit chat with a couple of them for a few minutes after the conference in the hotel lobby as we were on our way to dinner and they were just as kind and helpful after the conference as they were during the conference and that really impressed us. The cost of attending the conference made us a bit leery at first...also, we traveled from Minnesota so we had the added expense of cross country travel. However, we would have paid the money all over again and we found that attending the conference was worth every penny. We did notice that you are also going to offer another conference in Minnesota in the fall...we hope that we will also be able to attend that conference and we look forward to learning about which topics will be available. Thanks again for the fabulous conference. We would whole-heartedly recommend a GWCA conference to anyone.
♥Ann-Marie and Arex Avanni write:
Thank you for the hard work and thoughtfulness that you put into making the East Meets West Conference informative and memorable. We had high hopes when we arrived in Atlanta to participate in the conference, and our expectations were far, far exceeded. First, you were professional and invested in the education of future parents of children adopted from China. All of you were enthusiastic and passionate about the connections that you help make between parents and resources and, ultimately, between children and parents. Thank you for your commitment. Second, all of the seminars in which we participated were relevant and useful. The speakers themselves, were professionals in their fields with a personal connection to adoption through varied experiences. The balance of factual information and anecdotal stories was perfect. Third, the opportunity to meet Snow Wu and Director Zhong was priceless. For us, Snow has been an inspiration. Hearing her speak and seeing a little bit of her personality was very special. (Ann-Marie also had the opportunity to say "nice to meet you" in Mandarin to Snow, and Snow understood - a very exciting moment for the Avanni's!) Finally, the unexpected piece that made the conference more impactful was the presence of children adopted from China. When we registered, we anticipated participation by adults in various stages of the adoption process. What we did not expect, were the families who attended to meet and listen to Director Zhong. Truly, the icing on the cake. Again, thank you to all who made the conference possible. We are more educated because of you, we are more excited because of you, and you made our incredible journey with Great Wall China Adoption even better! Best regards, Ann-Marie & Arex Avanni
♥Marcy Selander writes:
If your documents are only from one state and you feel like you understand the process well enough, you can probably do just fine on your own and save the money and possibly some time too. But, our paper chase involved 5 states and 3 different Consulates and my mind was boggled by the varying requirements so we used the Dragon Dossier Service. We were very satisfied with the process--everything was handled flawlessly and it was a relief to know that we were in good hands.
♥John and Kathleen Small write:
♥Jeremy Firestone writes:
