Bill and Adrienne united with their 3-year-old adopted daughter, Sammi, a couple of years ago in Thailand. Here, they reflect on their adoption journey and offer advice for other families interested in adopting from Thailand.

Having family members and friends who were adopted, Bill and Adrienne were both familiar with and open to the adoption journey.

When they decided to begin the process, Thailand was a natural choice.

Bill is half-Thai and has family that lives in Thailand. Along with what he learned growing up with a Thai mother, he had become quite familiar with Thai culture during his trips to the country.

“First and foremost, I appreciate how welcoming and friendly Thais are,” Bill says. “I love the cuisine and the language is beautiful.”

Several years ago, Adrienne had the chance to travel with Bill and meet his family in Thailand. She has a deep appreciation for the culture as well.

“Thailand has a rich history and so many wonderful sights to visit. Bangkok is very international and has so much to offer,” Adrienne says.

Taking the First Step of the Adoption Journey

Once they decided to pursue adopting a child from Thailand, Bill and Adrienne confirmed they were eligible for the standard program and then took the first step — completing an application with Holt.

“We began the process before the Covid pandemic,” Bill remembers. “Holt did a wonderful job throughout. The journey took about three years. Getting matched with our daughter was the first big reward and, of course, meeting her for the first time was the biggest.”

After being matched with their daughter, they waited 15 months to travel while all their paperwork was approved in the U.S. and Thailand. Most families will wait 6-12 months for the Thai government to approve a match and then an additional six months to travel.

An Unforgettable Union

Finally came the day when Bill and Adrienne flew to Thailand to unite with their 3-year-old adopted daughter, Sammi.

“It was wonderful and scary,” Bill shares, reflecting on the moment they met Sammi for the first time. “It was wonderful because we finally got to meet our daughter, and scary because we were first-time parents starting our new adventure.”

In their time of bonding together in Thailand, Sammi was able to meet some of Bill’s Thai relatives. It was a truly special time to grow together as a family, and they say they were grateful to connect before leaving Bangkok.

“Holt did an excellent job helping with all the travel details, and the accommodations were excellent,” Adrienne shares.

Then the family of three made the journey to their home in Iowa, where Bill and Adrienne had a bedroom ready for Sammi.

Life Together

They say Sammi is a brave little girl, and they look forward to seeing her grow.

“She will be able to do anything she sets her mind to,” Adrienne says. “Our daughter is an amazing child, and it is wonderful that Thailand has such a robust adoption program where children are cared for so well.”

"It is wonderful that Thailand has such a robust adoption program where children are cared for so well."

Until she was adopted, Sammi stayed with a multi-generational foster family in Thailand.

“She grew up in a loving home,” Adrienne says. “We visited the family as part of our trip, and Sammi enjoys looking at pictures of the foster family and talking about the family members.”

Holt’s partner organization, Holt Sahathai Foundation (HSF), offers something truly special and unique as the first organization in Thailand to offer foster care. HSF ensures that children reach critical developmental milestones, receive proper nutrition and develop vital emotional bonds while they wait to join a permanent, loving family — either through family reunification or adoption. Around 90 foster families in Thailand open their homes to children, like Sammi, each year.

Growing Together as a Family

Three years have passed since Bill and Adrienne first held their daughter. Now she’s almost 6 years old.

They say she has adjusted very well and picked up English quickly. Bill’s knowledge of the Thai language helped in the early days of communicating and bonding with Sammi.

“She has grown up and developed so much in the last few years. She has such a big
personality and is starting to reflect on her own identity,” Adrienne says.

“Sammi knows she is from Thailand. She has always talked about her foster family, and we talk about Bill's Thai family, whom Sammi was able to meet while we were in Bangkok,” Adrienne says. “We look forward to visiting Thailand in a few years and talking about it with Sammi.”

Sammi and her family enjoy Thai cuisine and attend local cultural events promoting Thai and Asian culture. They have made many memories together, growing closer as a family.

“While we have created many cherished memories with Sammi, one comes to mind. Last summer, we were returning from an annual trip with the grandparents when our flight was canceled due to a global software glitch,” Bill says.

Forced to spend two extra nights in Philadelphia, they took a positive attitude and made the most of it — especially Sammi.

“In addition to enjoying the hotel pool, Sammi got to visit a fun, local play area and go to the Philadelphia Zoo,” Bill shares. “She also had a chance to meet one of Adrienne's best friends, who happened to be in the area. All in all, we turned lemons into lemonade, and it was an entirely different and positive experience since we could spend it as a family!”

Reflections on their Adoption Journey

Holt requires 27 hours of adoption training — or 40 hours for an older child adoption — before a homestudy begins. Parents learn about parenting transracial adoptees, the impact of health and environment on a child, trauma-informed parenting and more.

Then, parents complete one hour of training per month until placement. Before families travel, they also receive child- and family-specific training that helps prepare them to meet their child’s unique needs.

There are also many optional resources available, including monthly educational webinars, monthly support groups and Inquiry Info Session webinars, which help connect families in process with parents who have been through the process before. After Bill and Adrienne came home with Sammi, they shared their experiences and advice with families in an Inquiry Info Session webinar.

Bill and Adrienne say that the required reading and preparation for the adoption process helped prepare them. But there was no way to be fully prepared for the major life change that adoption brings. As first-time parents, they say they’ve learned on the fly.

“Adoption is wonderful. It is also complex and complicated, and we will work on all [the] aspects with our daughter as she grows up. We understand that it is important to acknowledge not only the challenges that our daughter has faced but also those that will inevitably arise,” Adrienne shares.

Looking back, they wish they had shown themselves more patience and grace as first-time parents — raising a 3- to 4-year-old is no small feat. They advise new parents to keep that in mind, along with these words of encouragement:

“Prepare as best as you can and give yourself grace,” Bill says. “When things get challenging, keep the big picture in mind. They grow up so fast!”

Bill and Adrienne say that the adoption journey has been wonderful.

“Everyone we worked with at Holt and in Thailand was amazing,” Bill shares. “The social workers in Thailand were outstanding and truly cared. I hope more people will consider adopting from Thailand.”