Hoping for news...

I was so hoping to update our blog and share that we had received Ana’s birth certificate, but that is not the case. Ana’s birth certificate is stuck (along with 21 other babies from Hannah’s Hope) in the Mixco civil registry right outside of Guatemala City. Our attorney was called to civil registry again on Monday because “all the files were ready”. When she went to pick them up, they told her that she needed to go speak with the mayor about the situation. Quite surprised by this, she did what they had told her, only to find, that he too, is part of the problem. What makes it even worse, is that all this time, they thought that he was helping them work through this situation, only to find out today, that he, too, is involved in the corruption. The update we received today simply asked all 22 families to contact everyone they know to pray through this situation. Our legal team has contacted just about everyone they can think of to plea for help with this situation, but there does not seem to be anyone who can control what this civil registry does. The concern is that even though these children legally belong to U.S. families, after January 1st there may be a whole new process by which birth certificates are issued. This could be why they are holding them – simply to prolong the process. It is frustrating, because Mixco birth certificates ARE being issued, but attorneys are having to “pay” for them – an unethical practice which we are pleased that our agency does not participate in.

So… we are asking for some extra special prayers during this time. Because of the holidays and this unforeseen situation, it looks like it will be at least February before we are able to travel to pick up Ana (providing her birth certificate is issued sometime in January). We are asking specifically that SOMEONE in civil registry will have a softened heart towards these babies and release their files so that they can be issued passports and Visas to come home.

Secret Strength by Joni Eareckson Tada

This is indeed a difficult time for us as we eagerly wait for Ana's new birth certificate to be issued. We thought that this part of the process would be "easy", but once again, we are reminded of our dependence on God and His perfect timing in this entire process. Our case manager sent us the following words of encouragement today...

"We consider trials and disciplines to be rude interruptions in our plans for an easy, comfortable life. We demand miracles of healing and are willing to believe all sorts of wild irrationalities in order to get what we want. We seek to escape the promise of hardship rather than allow Him to work out His will in our lives through the experience.

No matter what challenges, difficulties, or pain we go through, we continue to have so much to be grateful to God for…the small, unseen blessings, and the huge, obvious acts of provision and deliverance…

Prayer:
Lord, we want to experience everything You have for us, and we are willing to pay the price of obedience for it. So if there is any area in our lives where we are not walking in full obedience to Your ways, show us. If You want us to do something that we are not doing, make us understand and enable us to accomplish it. Don’t let us drift away. Pull us out of deep waters and rescue us from all that takes us from You. We lay down our will and surrender to Yours. We turn away from selfish claims to our own lives in order to heed Your direction. Take any rebellion in us and expose it with Your truth. Lord we choose this day to obey You because we know our lives works best when we do. In the areas where obedience is hard for us, walk us through step by step."

No Birth Certificate Yet...

Ana's new birth certificate has not yet been issued, but we received an update today detailing the situation. While the news is not all positive, Brian and I feel thankful that there is a plan in place to deal with the problem and are grateful that we have only been waiting 3 weeks (not the 2 months that some families have been waiting). We are also thankful that we are working with an agency committed to handling such situations in an ethical and Godly manner. We are asking for your prayers to complete this process so that we are able to bring her home soon after Christmas.

The following is the email we received from our program director:

"Dear Families,
I wanted to give you all an update on what’s going on in Civil Registry. As many of you know, the current situation has been that there were numerous files with forged PGN approvals. These files were caught and now all files in Mixco CR are undergoing investigation to ensure that there are no false documents. In some cases, birth moms are even being brought in for interviews to ensure their adoptions are legal. Families are going on 2 months, if not longer, in Civil Registry and children that should be home now are looking at longer waits to be united with their new families. This is a very sad situation and I know so many of you are frustrated but I need everyone to understand that the corruption that has been going on is exactly why the new adoption law and processes need to be implemented.

I spoke with our lawyer in Guatemala and she told me that she had received an anonymous phone call earlier this week from someone within Civil Registry stating that the only way to get our files out is to pay money. This is a horrible situation and as an ethical agency, we will not pay. This has also happened to other lawyers and agencies and has been reported to the PGN. For those of you that are following list servs and other postings, please understand that the files coming out with birth certificates are the ones that have been paid for OR are not in the Mixco CR. Both our lawyer and Heather have been to PGN and Civil Registry to advise them of this blackmail. We sent a letter to PGN last week asking for a letter stating all AGCI approvals from PGN are legal. The secretary of Barrios (head of PGN) called our lawyer back today and let her know that Barrios is out of town, but as soon as he gets back he will send a list of all our approved PGN files to Civil Registry to get the files out. The secretary said she will call our lawyer as soon as this occurs. We do not know when he will be back but as soon as we know that he is back, we will get that letter and get your files.

I want all of you to know that Soojin and I, as well as our staff in Guatemala, are doing everything we can to avoid all of this corruption and ensure that all of your cases are being processed ethically and legally. I know that many of you had planned on having your children home by now and all I can say is that I’m so sorry. I wish that these were issues we could control but they are all due to a foreign government that works very differently.

At this point, Soojin and I need your patience and support more than ever. We care about all of you so much and as hard as this situation is for each one of you, we also carry your burdens. We ask for your prayers at this time for some resolution and good news. We will contact you when we have further news."

That being said, we are still hopeful to travel sometime the first part of the year. We trust in God's perfect timing and right now, are thoroughly enjoying the Christmas season with Joel and Grace and their many different activities. It certainly makes this year extra special to be preparing, as a family, for such an exciting trip. It also helps to put the meaning of the season in perspective. We have been packing up numerous boxes of items to take to the orphanage with us, and I feel like this is the first year that our kids are really experiencing joy that comes from giving more than receiving. Thank you, once again, for your many prayers. We will send an update as soon as we have more information.

A note about prayer...

A message regarding prayer from our case manager:

I was thinking about something simple one of the boys in my church prayed a while back; he is 16. He prayed, "Lord, I pray to never underestimate you."

I liked it so much that I wrote it on a sheet and tacked it on my refrigerator at home. I was reminded of it this morning because in our rush toward the end of the year (only 11 working days left!), it’s easy to feel like we just need to “get through.” What I realize is that God has much more in mind for us – you, me, this ministry, the children we affect with our work each day – than just “getting through.”

With the visit yesterday from two Ethiopian children who we helped give a new life, I was so impacted in my heart that these are the faces, these are the real little lives that we touch, but more importantly, that God gave us the privilege of touching. He looks at us every day and He says, don’t worry about your inadequacies. It’s not in your strength that I work, it’s in my own. That’s why we don’t underestimate Him.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. [Eph. 3:20 ESV)

No birth certificate yet...

I thought I would post a quick update regarding Ana's birth certificate. We were told last week that it was to be ready on Tuesday which we thought was amazingly fast. Apparently, this was a "slight miscommunication" and we were told yesterday that it could take up to six weeks for it to be issued. TODAY, we were told that it is POSSIBLE, that our attorney may be able to pick it up when she goes into civil registry tomorrow. While we are praying that this is the case, with such conflicting information, it does not seem likely. I think what is happening is that the civil registry has been told to re-evaluate all cases to ensure that there is no evidence of fraud/invalid information. Because of this new requirement, it is taking longer to issue the new birth certificates. While we are all so very excited to go pick her up, we truly trust in God's perfect timing and feel that her paperwork will continue to progress as it is supposed to. We appreciate your continued prayers through this process.

An early Christmas surprise...

Several weeks ago, we decided to make plans to take Joel and Grace to Guatemala with us to pick up Ana. Without telling them what we were doing or why, we got them their necessary immunizations and obtained passports for them. This evening, while decorating the house for Christmas, the kids both found small wrapped packages in thier stockings. They were quite surprised, and wondered if it was something they missed from last year. They begged to open this mysterious package early, as they couldn't imagine what it could be or how it had gotten there. Within seconds of tearing off the top layer of wrapping paper, they realized that they had both been given passports. The next several minutes were filled with a tremendous amount of squealing and jumping all over the living room with random shouts of, "We're going to Guatemala! We're going to Guatemala!!!" Yes, we captured it all on video! :-) What an absolute joy that they are so thrilled to go and get their sister! When we asked Joel what he was most excited about he replied, "Well, getting Ana, but I'm also really excited to teach all the boys at the orphanage how to play soccer." We feel that this will be an excellent opportunity for them to experience the joy of giving to others.

OUT of PGN!!!

It is with GREAT joy that I write this update today... After 8 longweeks, we are officially OUT of PGN!!! Ana's paperwork was approved andsigned today! We are still somewhat amazed that we finally received"the call". We are so very grateful for the many prayers offered up onour behalf. It is truly the work of God which has allowed this processto go smoothly for us. There are countless cases that have been stuckin PGN well over a year. God has been so very faithful throughout thiswhole process and we give Him the glory for this wonderful news.It was quite a sight at our home this afternoon...The phone rang at approximately 4:33 p.m. :-). Brian had just gottenhome from school and we had just taken a moment to look at some photosof Ana that were taken by a friend of ours who was on a mission trip atHannah's Hope all last week. When the phone rang, I picked it up andimmediately recognized SooJin's voice (our case manager). She told methat she had just received word of our approval. The next few minuteswere filled with tears, "wo-hoos" (from Joel and Grace) and lots andlots of jumping around the kitchen. I hardly remember the informationthat she told me following the good news, but thankfully, she sent us afollow-up email clearly stating all the steps that need to happen next.Here they are...1. Ana's birthmom needs to come to Hannah's Hope sometime in the nextfew days to sign the final adoption decree. This will make Ana legallyour child. If she is unable to come and sign the document, our legalteam will utilize the Power of Attorney we signed in June and Ana willat that point be legally ours. (If the POA has to be used, this will addapproximately 1 week to the processing time.)2. Ana's adoption must be registered with Civil Registry in Guatemala.This is where they will issue her a new birth certificate with our lastname on it. This step in the process used to take only 1 week, but isnow taking 4+ weeks. (PGN has asked them to review all of the adoptionsa final time before granting new birth certificates.)3. Ana has to have a second DNA test to ensure that she is the same babythat started this adoption. (Crazy, but it is required...) This takesabout 2 weeks.4. All of the documents in Ana's case need to be translated back intoEnglish.5. Once the positive DNA results are received, Ana's paperwork is passedon to the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala and they issue us a Visaappointment. The appointment is usually 1-2 weeks from the time we arenotified. At that time, we can purchase plane tickets and go pick herup.While it still may be mid-January before we are able to bring her home,we are absolutely THRILLED to have this part of the process behind us.At least now, all of the other steps are predictable and fall within aspecified time range. Again, we thank you so very, very much for all ofyour prayers. It has made such a difference!

OUT of PGN!!!

It is with GREAT joy that I write this update today... After 8 long weeks, we are officially OUT of PGN!!! Ana's paperwork was approved and signed today! We are still somewhat amazed that we finally received "the call". We are so very grateful for the many prayers offered up on our behalf. It is truly the work of God which has allowed this process to go smoothly for us. There are countless cases that have been stuck in PGN well over a year. God has been so very faithful throughout this whole process and we give Him the glory for this wonderful news. It was quite a sight at our home this afternoon...The phone rang at approximately 4:33 p.m. :-). Brian had just gotten home from school and we had just taken a moment to look at some photos of Ana that were taken by a friend of ours who was on a mission trip at Hannah's Hope all last week. When the phone rang, I picked it up and immediately recognized SooJin's voice (our case manager). She told me that she had just received word of our approval. The next few minutes were filled with tears, "wo-hoos" (from Joel and Grace) and lots and lots of jumping around the kitchen. I hardly remember the information that she told me following the good news, but thankfully, she sent us a follow-up email clearly stating all the steps that need to happen next. Here they are...1. Ana's birthmom needs to come to Hannah's Hope sometime in the next few days to sign the final adoption decree. This will make Ana legally our child. If she is unable to come and sign the document, our legal team will utilize the Power of Attorney we signed in June and Ana willat that point be legally ours. (If the POA has to be used, this will add approximately 1 week to the processing time.) 2. Ana's adoption must be registered with Civil Registry in Guatemala. This is where they will issue her a new birth certificate with our lastname on it. This step in the process used to take only 1 week, but is now taking 4+ weeks. (PGN has asked them to review all of the adoptions a final time before granting new birth certificates.) 3. Ana has to have a second DNA test to ensure that she is the same baby that started this adoption. (Crazy, but it is required...) This takes about 2 weeks. 4. All of the documents in Ana's case need to be translated back intoEnglish. 5. Once the positive DNA results are received, Ana's paperwork is passed on to the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala and they issue us a Visa appointment. The appointment is usually 1-2 weeks from the time we are notified. At that time, we can purchase plane tickets and go pick her up. While it still may be mid-January before we are able to bring her home, we are absolutely THRILLED to have this part of the process behind us. At least now, all of the other steps are predictable and fall within a specified time range. Again, we thank you so very, very much for all of your prayers. It has made such a difference!

This upcoming week will mark 8 weeks that Ana's paperwork has been in PGN (essentially the Guatemalan review board). From what I have learned, it is still possible for us to get a "preview" of our documents at this point, but it is also likely that our case could be approved this week. We have friends from Zeeland who were approved yesterday (Friday) and our cases were submitted by the same agency on the same day. We are thrilled for them!!! We so appreciate your prayers. The past two weeks have been more difficult for me. I completely trust that God's timing will be perfect, but I've also seen countless cases that have been in PGN for months and months. Sometimes it gets discouraging when you read about some of the ridiculous reasons that cases have been "kicked out" of PGN. BUT...Grace has claimed that "God's gonna make Ana ours this week!" So...that is indeed our prayer. I did succeed in calling PGN again this past Friday - which was a HUGE blessing. (The day before I had been disconnected over 10 times once it was apparent that my Spanish is not the best.) This time, I got through immediately and found that our file is still with the second reviewer. (It has been there since October 3rd.) When I asked (very politely :-), "How much longer do you anticipate it being there?" I was told that second reviewers usually pass cases on for final signatures after 5-6 weeks. Wednesday will mark our 6th week with the second reviewer, and I've been told the final signature takes only a couple of days. So...either our case will be issued a preview and need to have all of the documents resubmitted (and then start this whole process all over) OR we could get approved! We are asking for specific prayers that our case is approved without any previews and that it occurs prior to the Thanksgiving break. (After that, many of the reviewers take several weeks off for the holidays.) Again, we thank you so very much for all of your prayers and the support youhave given our family. I hope to write again soon with our WONDERFUL news!

The Promise (Encouragement from our case manager)

The Promise

Who has not known…the defeat of expectations, the delay of answered prayer, the dark times when the heart gives in to doubting and despair…Times when disappointment nags us and discouragement sets in, when our thoughts are dominated by the things that might have been.

We expect life to be fair, and when it’s not, we blame the One who gave us everlasting life by giving us His Son. Somehow we’ve missed the truth that God and life are not the same---when life is hard, we seem to think the Lord should get the blame.

We accuse our suffering Saviour of wrongs this world inflicts; we indict the Man of sorrows for Satan’s evil tricks. Yet belonging to the God of Love is not a guarantee of life without affliction or a world that’s trouble-free.

Our peace would be a feeble thing if we could bear no pain; if our hope were based on happiness, our faith would be in vain. Lord, help us understand that, through Your promises are true, You never pledged an easy life to those who walk with You.

Help us to remember we must always count the cost, that being Your disciples will eventually mean a cross. The only promise we can cling to when the storms of life assail is that You’ll go through them with us---and Your love will still prevail...

Some extra prayers...

No news yet, but as we approach the seven week mark in PGN, we are asking for some extra prayers. After next week, it is possible that we could be notified of an approval. Unfortunately, we could still be notified of a"preview" and then we have to wait another 6-8 weeks before potentially being approved again. We know that our legal team has done an excellent job preparing the documents that are being reviewed, and that all the necessary documents are there. A preview at this point may be over something as simple as a misspelled word. We are so very excited to bring Ana home to be part of a family, and are just asking for some extra prayers that those reviewing our paperwork will look favorably on our case. We specifically ask that we do not receive a preview at this point. Thank you so very much for supporting us in prayer at this time.

Updated Donation List for Hannah's Hope

We are planning to take as many items as we can to Guatemala when we go to pick up Ana. Here is a list of items that are most needed.

(This does not include Doctor Castro’s needs or Promise of Life relief needs)

Girls and boys underwear 3t-8
Baby Wipes
Diapers (1-3)
Girl tennis shoes
Baby diaper cream
Baby shampoo
Baby Wash
Baby Lotion
Printer Ink HP 93, 94, 57, 56, 58
Diaper Rash Cream
Baby Multi Vitamins
Heaters
Small CD Players for babies to hear in their rooms
Girls Clothing 18-24 mo
DVD – R discs

Week Six?

This is likely Week #6 that Ana's paperwork has been in PGN. Our agency actually submitted everything on 9/13/07, but PGN indicated that the documents were received into their system on 9/21/07. I am going by the date that PGN gave me and thinking that this is week six. What does this mean? From all I have read and researched, if we can make it through this week AND next week without a preview, then we may expect an approval the following week. This is simply based on the "best caese scenarios" I have seen from other blog pages and Guatemalan adoption boards. As we have found throughout this entire process, nothing is predictable! :-)
We are SO praying that we do not get a preview with Ana's paperwork. We received her 4 month DVD this week and it was so exciting to see glimpses of her little personality. She smiled and squealed and really seemed a lot more like a baby than an infant. We are so anxious to have her home with us and to let her know how much we all love her. Grace has been playing Steven Curtiss Chapman's "All I Really Want for Christmas" song daily. Both the kids are saying that they want her home for thier Christmas gift. They also both really want to come to Guatemala with us. We are praying about that. It is an added expense, but we feel that Joel, in particular, would really benefit from the experience. With homesch0oling, I would just make the whole experience part of our schooling for December and January. We'll see... We may just get them passports IN CASE, the situation is right. That way, once we know our travel dates, we can decide if it is best to take them.

We are eager to begin another week in this process. Hopefully soon, our little girl will be on her way to the USA!

The Situation in Guatemala

This is the latest information I have regarding our adoption and the situation in Guatemala. We receive new information almost daily, and much of it is political and very hard to understand. As far as I know, there is a great deal of support from various organizations pressuring the Guatemalan President (President Berger) to allow adoptions that are in-process to be completed under the existing guidelines. While it is not certain that this will happen, we are feeling optimistic that Ana’s case could possibly be far enough along in the process to avoid some of the complications that will become increasingly evident after the first of the year. We would just LOVE to have her home by then, but simply being out of PGN in a timely fashion with no previews would be a huge answer to prayer. Thank you so very much, for those of you who made calls and sent emails on behalf of the Guatemala 5000 Initiative. I have attached a few updates from our agency, indicating that this really has and will continue to make a difference.

I have had many mixed emotions this past week. We are certainly thankful for where Ana is in the process at this point, and hopeful that her case will process to completion. At the same time, Brian and I both feel a sense of sadness - wondering how this situation will affect our friends who are waiting for babies, and those who have already met their daughters and are eager to bring them home. We also feel for the 40 expecting mothers who are currently receiving care through the Promise of Life program in Guatemala. Without the ongoing relief fees paid by adoptive parents, this program is in jeopardy of closing. The same is true of “Hannah’s Hope” – the orphanage where Ana and several others have received such wonderful care. We are working with AGCI to try and brainstorm fundraising and support programs that would carry them through the several months or even years it may take to get the adoption portion of the program running smoothly again. It is such an amazing ministry and such a source of hope for so many- from the many workers employed there, to the mothers and children serviced by the counseling team and medical staff. It is truly one of the most amazing ministries we’ve ever seen in action. We are also starting to really miss Ana. The kids are talking about her more and more, and are so eager to meet her. We talk to them about the things we remember about her from our first trip, and realize that so many of those things have already changed significantly now. Even her update photos show that she is growing out of that “newborn” stage. We trust though, that God’s timing is perfect, and believe that her paperwork will be processed exactly when it is supposed to be. We wait eagerly for the day when we receive “the call” indicating that Ana is indeed, legally our daughter.

Our wonderful case manager sent the following words of encouragement this past week, and I thought I would pass it along to all of you.

Sometimes only the step I’m on,
Or the very next one ahead,
Is all that is illuminated for me.
God gives just the amount of light I need
For the exact moment I need it.
At those times I walk in the surrender to faith,
Unable to see the future
And not fully comprehending the past.
And because it is God who has given me
What light I have,
I know I must reject the fear and
Doubt that threaten to overtake me.
I must determine to be content where
I am, and allow God to get me where I
Need to go.
I walk forward,
One step at a time,
Fully trusting that
The light God sheds
Is absolutely sufficient.

Thanks, again, for your continued prayers - for Ana’s health and the efficient processing of her paperwork, and for the entire situation in Guatemala and the children and families this affects.

Brian's Journal (First Trip to Guatemala-3)

6/29/07
The alarm was set for 6:15, but I was awake from 5:45 on...The sun was already burning through our sheer curtains. I think that it was less about the abundant light and more about my apprehension of trusting a hotel alarm clock! Still, Jen was oblivious to the world. Throughout the days up to the trip and now through the trip, Jen had been blessed with the ability to sleep on demand. Once again we were treated to a complimentary breakfast at Las Vistas. This time Jen was braver in eating the fruit and indulging in the other offerings. I was digging into the pineapple, and the huevos rancheros. We could never leave a meal at the hotel without Jen introducing herself to a family with a little baby, as she scrapped for every adoption story in the hotel, and this meal was no different. This time, however, this single gal was not a parent at all, simply an “escort” that would take the baby back to the states for the family. What a treat that family was missing out on! Paying someone else to take in the experience of Guatemala seemed like a waste of money! I guess good parents come in all different shapes, sizes, and approaches. We then left the restaurant to once again attempt to call home. Jen was beginning to get frantic as the last 3-4 attempts had only reached her mother’s voice mail. I, being the man, was not worried, but what do I know? She tried her Dad’s number and caught Greg on his way to the bait shop. Indeed all was as it should be. The kids were fine and all was well. This brought a nice sense of relief before we headed to the orphanage once again.
This morning, we were earlier than Abel, as we sat on a bench waiting for the AGCI van to arrive. Abel prided himself on the fact that if he was to pick us up at 8:30, that he would be there at 8:20! “Abel time!” he would boast. As he hoped out of the van, he would always holler “Hey, Amigos!”. He was a great way to start the day. As he started toward the Westin for the other family, he began to attribute his driving “prowess” to his years as an ambulance driver and taxi driver. He then explained that the ambulances had different colors of lights (Green, Yellow, and Red) to indicate the type of emergency that the ambulance was responding to. He then related the colors to how much effort that the drivers would make to get out of the way. The lesson I took from that conversation is to never take a ride in a Guatemalan ambulance…it would certainly be your last.
As we got closer to the Westin, Jen commented on the visible presence of La Policia on every corner. Abel piped up, “Yeah, Putin is here.”. Not only was the Olympic Committee in the city to make final decisions on the 2014 Winter Olympic location, but Vladimir Putin was there to advocate for the Russian location. We joked that with all of the heightened security, this would be a perfect day for some American tourists to explore the city. I could sense that Jen was already planning out stretching the distance of our previous days trek. We picked up the other family and we were on our way.
All of us commented on how the drive this time seemed so much shorter. I don’t know if that was a sign of anticipation or familiarity, but we all made the same observation. As we pulled in and unloaded, Abel simply told us to go get our babies. We felt like we were getting away with something going straight from the van to the baby rooms…we felt like we were maybe getting too comfortable with our surroundings. I guess that is what made the orphanage experience different than we expected. It was run more like a HOME and not an OFFICE or business. Yes, we had been given an agenda with times and appointments, but it was hardly etched in stone. Perhaps that is more the Guatemalan culture showing through, or maybe that is the kind of atmosphere that they were shooting for…structure, but flexibility for “life” to happen. As we went to pick up our little bundle, Ana was in the process of being dressed following a bath. Jen seized the opportunity to relieve the Special Mother who was dressing Ana, and get yet another outfit from the purse to dress her up in. Jen had all of these cutesy outfits that she had for a newborn and so little time to use them all! It was an exciting challenge for her to maximize the collection of clothes that she had fit in a single zip lock storage bag.
As we arrived back in the visiting room of the main house, Ashley shared that she had found a Guatemalan soccer jersey for Joel, as I had requested the day before. I got the sense that she liked bartering with some of the local merchants. When she offered to find one on Thursday, she asked for twenty dollars to cover the cost of the shirt. As she brought the shirt from her car, she gave me the twenty back. It had only cost her 50 quetzales, the equivalent of $6.67. She then apologized for getting it a size larger than we had requested. “The guy handed me a medium and I had to get out of there because a cop had tooted his siren at me from behind. So I had to get out of there.” I looked at her with a bit of confusion and concern, what had she done to get us a simple shirt? She went on to explain that she had bought it from a street side vendor from her car. She went down the street where you can get all kinds of “bootlegged” stuff, and a policeman wanted her to stop holding up traffic to do business. She then apologized for the size and offered to take it and exchange it later in the day. I assured her that the shirt would be fine and that my son would love to know the story behind the jersey that he had requested. In the short time that we had known Ashley, this was the kind of Robin Hood-like favors she loved to do.
Next was Ana’s formal medical exam with Dr. Castro. What a charismatic gentleman he is. With the charge of caring for all of the children there, he is also working on educational programs for the Special Mothers there in the orphanage, the mothers in the Promise of Life program, as well as the mothers that Ashley comes in contact with in her outreach ministries. Jen and I began pressing him for things that we could find/bring to help him in his efforts. He was reluctant to share his desires saying that we were already doing so much. But we wanted to do more. A laptop and projector would allow him to take his presentations “on the road” more effectively. We pressed for more. He changed the subject and re-directed us to Ana’s physical. Ana went into the other room where nurse Paula and another nurse did all of the typical measurements and charted them. While that was occurring Dr. Castro found the pacifier that we had been carrying (but not needing) for Ana. He became mildly frustrated that the babies were given access to them. “All they (pacifiers, papi in Spanish) do is keep them quiet, and spread germs…” he muttered. A sign the he is constantly trying to keep not just your baby healthy, but many healthy. This was a task that isn’t easily appreciated or understood fully. He demonstrated her reflexes and we returned to his office. He then compared her measurements to standard curves and began discussing the vaccination regimen. That is when he shared a dream to one day being able to vaccinate all of the orphans against the Rotavirus, a common affliction for little ones in orphanage situations. It is simply a matter of funding. He uses the money he has to get the absolutely critical vaccinations according to the World Health Organization. We asked about an approximate dollar amount. He settled on ~$300 a child. Were there other ways we could help, we again asked. Seeing the sincerity of our curiosity, he produced a list of items that he had hopes of acquiring. Pediatric records software, baby monitors for S.I.D.S., air purifiers, dehumidifiers, and other medical equipment. Our intention is to share that list with as many people as we can to find a way to fill some of those gaps. As wonderful of a place, and as great the care given at Hannah’s Hope, so much can be done to support their mission. We completed our consultation with the Doctor and thanked him for all that he was doing on behalf of us parents who were thousands of miles away from our little ones.
Next was our birthmother meeting. As we waited in the visiting room, Lily asked the other family to head down to the baby rooms below, so that we could have some private time with Vicky (Ana Victoria). Lily again left to bring Vicky in. I felt my stomach knot-up. This was a part of the visit that I knew would be emotionally tough. Jen and I said a short prayer of blessing over the meeting and the experience that Vicky, Jen and I would walk away with. We waited for what seemed, and may have been, twenty minutes. Finally, Lily dragged (literally) Vicky into the room. Vicky was smiling and caring a dozen long stem roses (for us!). The tears began to flow as we hugged her. We had also asked how to best say “Thanks for coming” in Spanish in hopes of putting her at ease (Gracias por vene). We sat on the couches and through Lily the interpreter, we all shared how we were all nervous about this meeting, but at the same time glad that it could happen. We shared that we now considered her a part of our family as much as the baby. This (we believe) took her a bit by surprise. We shared thoughts and gifts from our extended family to express how she was as important to us as was little Ana. We didn’t want her to think that she would be forgotten, but quite the contrary, embraced and remembered fondly by the parents and grandparents of the baby. Jen shared a necklace that held the June birthstone and a cross, which Jen also had, along with the plans to give our necklace to Ana when she was older. Ana could then have the same piece of jewelry as her birth mom. She then politely set aside the gifts to reveal a journal that she had written in during the pregnancy. She shared that as she was reading My Utmost For His Highest, she would write notes to God and the baby inside of her. She had two passages marked, and through tears, Lily read as we listened. What a moving look into Vicky’s heart that was. She was afraid to come, but still allowed herself to be this transparent and take any kind of guard down. We were being blessed beyond measure in that moment. We then began talking about her and her kids. She quickly produced a small album of pictures taken of Sandra, her 4 year old daughter. She beamed with pride as she shared about Sandrita. She was sad that Sandrita could not come to the meeting that morning because she had gotten chicken pox. She had no pictures of Carlos (age 6), but commented that he was often sick, and was at his grandmother’s at the time. We took that opportunity to give bags of gifts that Joel and Grace had selected for Sandra and Carlos. Joel gave Carlos an American flag and soccer t-shirt, several matchbox cars, some candy, a foam bat and ball, and some extra balls to play catch with. Grace gave Sandra a red, white, and blue dress, lots of hair bows, some colored pencils, some candy, and a small stuffed animal. The kids also gave Vicky a framed picture of them holding a photo of Ana. We then gave her a bag with some clothes and sandals in it. Though she was grateful, she did not pay much attention to the material things of the moment. She was not going to miss the opportunity by getting caught up in the material stuff. Jen and I were impressed with the maturity and grace with which she handled this emotional meeting. We then asked if she would like to have some pictures of her with Ana. She enthusiastically agreed. I went down to Ana’s crib and brought her back to the visiting room. Instead of this being a gut-wrenching sob fest, this part of the meeting was the most light-hearted and “fun”. Jen and I had been nervous about how difficult it might be and the emotions that might surface at the sight of the baby, but it was a pleasant surprise. Vicky had obviously earned her stripes as a mother. She looked very comfortable and delighted to hold and bounce the baby. She began talking with the baby and enjoying the interaction. She didn’t seem like a mother who had given up her baby, but like an interested aunt who was delighting in the alertness of the little one. Though she didn’t speak any English (or even attempt to), we understood much of the talk she would have with the baby. The most touching moment was when she introduced herself as Ana’s other mommy. The air in the room was light and happy, not sad and full of remorse…this is what Jen and I had desired from this opportunity. We took many pictures and some video. During this time she shared how the Lord had told her to name the baby after Jenifer. She then went on to share that she had intended to name the baby Diana Esperanza (Esperanza translates into Hope, amazing isn’t it???). Our meeting well exceeded the requested 30 minute time limit. We were pushing well over an hour. I don’t recall how we actually wrapped up the meeting, but the hugs were happier at the end than they were at the beginning. As Lily and Vicky left the office, we remembered that we had not prayed before she left. We quickly ran outside to catch Lily and Vicky. I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to have to pray through an interpreter. I suppose having not gone through that thought process earlier probably saved me some acid reflux issues. It was an honor to pray for a blessing upon Vicky, her kids, and Ana. It was also an opportunity for giving thanks for answering our prayers for a memorable meeting. By this time it was after 1 o’clock and my belly was on fire with hunger. To my surprise, so was Jen’s. It is not often that she looks at me and asks, “When is lunch?”. With Ashley nowhere in sight and the other family expecting us to get the lunch wagon rolling during their meeting, Jen hunted for someone in an office that could order for us. I was down in the baby’s room feeding Ana her an afternoon bottle. As Jen looked for a secretary, she ran across Vicky again, as she was showing off the picture of our kids with the picture of Ana. That was a reassurance that the meeting was as positive for her as it was for us. In the meantime Jen comes back to me wondering WHAT we should order. With the responsibility of ordering something for another family (practically strangers), we decided to once again order from Domino’s and duplicate their order (a medium pepperoni, with 1.5 liters of Sprite) from the day before to be on the safe side. Jen made the order, and we waited in the baby’s room for the Domino’s motorcycle to pull up so that they did not disturb the Prothe’s meeting.
To pass the time, Jen and I decided to go for a walk down the street to get some much needed air. Despite the sight of storm clouds rolling in, the sun was still brightly burning through some holes in the clouds. As we began our stroll, I held Ana in one arm and used the other hand to shade her face. It was then that the normally quiet and dower guard near the gate spoke to get our attention. Without a word of English, he stopped us, grabbed an umbrella, and gave it to us to shade Ana. Had every employee taken an oath of service here? It sure did seem that way. Not only did he provide us some shade, but he then felt the need to shadow us from a comfortable distance. The guards had not done that the day before, but apparently he felt the need to provide that extra assurance. The sky began to spit not long after our walk was completed. As the pizzas arrived we needed an appropriate place to eat while the other family finished their meeting in the visiting room. Perhaps waiting for them would have been the most polite thing to do, but we were genuinely hungry. So we grabbed some chairs in the glassed in breezeway outside Dr. Castro’s office. Suddenly one of the nurses pulled out a small table for us to put our food on. Again, these people were busy doing their days work, but also taking time to go out of their way to show unending hospitality. By this point, the rains began to fall with some force. Again, Domino’s never tasted so good (except for the day before). It was neat to be in this glassed in area during a downpour, having lunch with our new daughter and some time to reflect on the meeting with Vicky. It rained for a good majority of our time left at the orphanage. After polishing off the medium with green peppers and the Diet Coke, we waited for the scheduled tour of the remaining orphanage buildings. We were to visit the birthmothers’ home on Thursday, but were not allowed to due to an outbreak of chicken pox in the children that were living there.
After waiting for a while, we decided that Ashley was not going to make it back for our scheduled tour and decided to explore on our own. On the way out of the visiting room, we ran across two families who had just finished their embassy appointments. One was the family from North Dakota, and the other from Cleveland, Ohio. The Ohio family gave us hope as they shared that they were taking their son, Ben home at the age of 5 months! After taking some time to chat with the lucky families, we walked over to house five where the older kids lived. The main floor was a kitchen, a dinning hall, and a large activity room. Out front in the covered veranda was a classroom-like area with desks, cupboards and colorful posters on the wall. As we headed down the stairs, we came upon shower time. Each child appeared to get a measured amount of time in the single shower of the bathroom (we didn’t see the actual bathroom, just the line of children waiting to go in and those getting toweled off upon exiting). We then peeked into the four bedrooms that were downstairs. The largest of the rooms was obviously for boys. The blue room with dinosaur pictures on the walls contained wall-to-wall bunk beds with a small area rug in the middle of the room. The boys were racing around the rug like it was a racetrack. The room was home to eight boys. As soon as the saw us, several came to give hugs, presumably remembering us for the backyard the day before. The others began to show off, in hopes of getting some affirmation of their “talent”. They later mobbed us in hopes of getting a closer look at the pictures we were taking. To satisfy their desire to see themselves, we asked them to stand against the only open wall in their room for a picture. Suddenly everyone in the room started chanting “Photo, photo, photo!”. This was apparently a drill that they were familiar with. After the flash went off, they all rushed Jenifer to get a look at what had just been captured…yeah, they knew the routine! We then peeked in to the other rooms. Each of them was unique with colorful walls, coordinated linens, and something soft for a floor covering. They had gone to great measures to make this as much like a home as possible for the children. We walked up the stairs to find some activity in the kitchen. Two special mothers were working on the dinner meal, along with three girls from the home who were helping. On the counter were 24 brown eggs, some cooking oil, a bowl of cooked black beans and a basket of little pan cakes. The fried eggs were the final component for the evening meal. They offered to feed us…again an amazing display of generosity from those who had little to give! Amazing…
We began the short walk back to the office knowing that the time to say goodbye to Ana was quickly approaching. There is really nothing fun or interesting to share about that moment. It was such a difficult walk back down to Casa #5. Once there, we remembered one more photo that we needed to take. The special mother working with Ana that day was Miriam. She was a lovely woman in her fifties, I would guess. She did not know any English, but earlier in the day communicated that she shared a birthday with Ana. As we began the “goodbye” process, Miriam seemed to understand the difficulty of the situation and came near us to share her love for us and the baby. We asked her to sit in a chair with Ana for one last photo of our little one. She was honored to do so, and took Ana into her arms and held her as if her own child. When I begin to worry and doubt about leaving Ana, I picture Miriam in my mind and see the loving hands and warm smile that comforted us in that moment of separation. A few more smooches, tears, and finally we set her down in her bassinette with three of her “closest friends”, Fatima, Marcos, and Heidi (babies in neighboring cribs). We walked out of Casa #5 and began desperately looking for some Kleenex. Neither of us had allowed ourselves to think about this moment until it happened, and thus we were unprepared. We hugged for a moment in the drizzle and then walked back up the concrete ramp to the van and Abel. Abel was always good for a smile and a laugh… and we needed it. We threw our few items back in the van and asked Abel for a picture in front of the van that we had looked for each day. This is when he made us smile. He put is arms on our shoulders and nearly hung from us as he stood on tiptoes to reach our shoulder height! His joy for life was contagious.
We began the short ride home, again marveling at the traffic and how motorcyclists could make three lanes into 5 or 6 lanes when needed. Jen took video of the traffic that she said was unlike anything that she had seen in the states (talk about sheltered!) while I waited for my favorite part of the drive: a tunnel with a 75 degree right hand turn right in the middle of it. Now that might not sound really note worthy, but as I mentioned before, not only were there no traffic signs around town, but they apparently thought that lights in the tunnel took all the “sport” out of the commute. Once returned the Marriot, we got hugs from Abel and a hearty “Luego, Amigos!” (Later, friends). We were determined to take advantage of the heightened security around town and stretch the boundaries of our exploration.
We dumped all non-essentials back in the room, verified the location and amount of remaining spending money and headed right back out the front door. This time the pace was more leisurely. We nearly reached the store we had shopped the night before when we noted that all the police had disappeared… Oh, well. We moved further down the block. Amazingly enough, all of the stores seemed to be rather similar. It was much the same merchandise, with only about 20% of their goods setting them apart for any of the other stores. The first store we entered, three older women behind the counter popped-up at first sight of us and began welcoming us. After much sifting, Jen found a shirt for her Dad. While pointing to a t-shirt with the quintessential “Chicken Bus” on it, I asked them in Spanish what they called that vehicle. They gave me an answer (which I don’t remember). Seeing my confusion, they used broken English to ask me what I would call it… “Un autobus de pollo” I said. They roared with laughter and nodded in confirmation. I had just made their day. I think that they appreciated the fact that an American was trying to communicate in THEIR language instead of the other way around. We said good evening and began marching to the next near-cloned store. What made the next few store interesting was the aggressive nature of the clerks…they would wait near the door and then begin to talking with you by starting- “Miss, Miss, Miss” or “Mister, Mister, Mister”, and then motion you in. The next store had many things priced, which I thought was nice, but later recognized it as just another ploy. This store (in its 20% uniqueness) had some Guatemalan soccer jerseys like the one I had gotten Joel (through Ashley). I began looking at them and then noted the price of $33. I thought it would be a fun souvenir for Joel and I to share, but not for that price. I set the shirt down. The omnipresent clerk then chirped “twenty five dollar”. I smiled and nodded and remembered some advice that my Grandma have given (good or not) from her travels in Mexico. She believed that store owners actually DESIRED to engage in bargaining for an item. Not willing to go into full-scale negotiations with rusty Spanish skills, I simply said “es possible, pero luego” (perhaps, but maybe later). She then fired back with “twenty dollar”. Again I said maybe, but not right now and headed out with Jen. As we headed down the block the clerks became more overt and ambitious as they sensed “fresh meat” in the market’s alley. It must have been a slow day for them the way they smiled at us and sneered at the clerks across the lane. After several more stores and coming to the end of the block, it appeared that a decent amount of walking would be needed to search out any more stores, so we headed back. I stopped in to check in on the soccer jerseys again. This time the clerk seemed more certain, and twenty was as low as it was going to go. Since I could tell that it was authentic (it actually had tags on it), I decided that this would be my one souvenir. Two crisp tens later and I was part of the pride of behind Guatemalan futbol. Jen wanted to stop one more time at our first and “most favorite” store to revisit a few more things. Jen picked up a few hair ties and a beautiful head band as her keepsakes. We once again shared our appreciation to the store owner and wished them a “buen fin de semana” (have a good weekend), to which we got a surprised “Egualmente” (you too!). Having some Spanish in the hip pocket really helped Jen and I enjoy our time and express ourselves with the local people. This is something we will continue to brush up on.
We headed back to the hotel and mimicked our previous day’s activities with little variation. One thing that we noted upon our return that evening was the presence of many Russians in the hotel, many wearing sweat suits with “RUSSIA” on the back. Despite the fact that many were smoking like chimneys, we believe that they were athletes there as a part of the IOC meetings being held at the Westin. The workout, the pool and dinner were great, except for one thing. Friday night is seafood night on the buffet. I ate a lot of vegetable that night. Once all of the Russian athletes had vacated the make-your-own-stir fry station, I found some chicken for the chef to sauté for me.
Again, sleep came easy for Jen. She passed out even sooner this evening than the evening before. I must admit that counting on the hotel clock to wake us up at 4 a.m. to catch a 4:30 shuttle to the airport again had me on edge. I didn’t sleep well. Even after the alarm went off, Jen wouldn’t budge. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to stay longer, but we needed to get home. She eventually rolled out of bed and got ready. We did our last “walk through” to catch anything left behind and then headed down to the front drive.
We plopped into the back seat of this mini bus and found ourselves behind another American couple. Leave it to Jen to find out all the personal details of their visit. This time though, they weren’t there for adoption purposes (surprise). Otis and Bonnie were from the Carolinas and had just completed a 10 day tour of the country. Immediately, Otis put me in mind of my friend, Paul. Not only did they look alike, but all the things that I love about Paul’s personality were true of Otis. They made the wait in the front drive and the trip to the airport relaxing and even funny at times as they recounted some of their misadventures. We decided that since we were taking the same flight, that we would stick together. Then we walked into the front doors of the airport. Hoards of people were standing in line, milling about and shouting while clogging the way to ANY ticket counter. I had printed our boarding passes the day before while at the orphanage… I then said out loud “Thank you e-tickets!”. Otis and Bonnie glared at us in good natured jealousy and waded through the crowds to find their ticket counter as we slipped through to the customs and security checkpoints. This is also when we praised ourselves for traveling light and skipping the need for checked baggage…it was all on our backs in a pack. While waiting for boarding, an hour had passed before Otis and Bonnie made it to the gate. This is when we began to share our experience and why we had come to Guatemala. They seemed genuinely interested, even asking for clarification on the exaggerated costs that they had heard associated with adoption. We once again got separated from them as they called us to board by seat numbers (we somehow got 1st class!), so we said farewell.
Sitting in first class afforded us the realistic chance at catching some sleep on the way home. Not long after taking off, the attendant came by with hot wash clothes prior to breakfast. What were these for? I washed my hands and face with it, and felt rather smug. I found myself occasionally looking back in to “steerage” to see what was going on there, and it was always the same…Nothing. Our flights home were much smoother and very relaxing. It was good to have the extra space and perks on this long day of travel…God was good. As we went through the final steps of immigration, we caught one more sighting of Otis and Bonnie, so Jen scribbled our contact information and the AGCI website on a napkin. I asked the immigration official if I could leave the counter and hand the napkin to some friends in the cue, suspiciously he allowed it. I gave it to Otis, and just the other day he e-mailed us and thanked us for the information…who knows if they will be inspired by our story? It is up to the Lord.

Brian's Journal (First Trip to Guatemala-2)

6/28/07
Sleep came surprising easy that night considering the content of the day ahead. I don’t think that the reality had really set in. Yes, we were excited to see Ana, but the reality of flying (for the first time) to a foreign country, and the logistics involved with that had somewhat stolen the spotlight. Feeling fairly proud of ourselves we emptied our bags of zip locked clothing, and fell asleep. With Abel picking us up at 8:30, Jen and I had several things to accomplish before we went to the orphanage. Job one, breakfast. Our stay came with a free breakfast buffet at the hotels “Las Vistas” restaurant. The food looked fabulous, but was it SAFE? Jen ate very little that morning. Was it wisdom/caution, or the first sign of nerves about what the day held? She did manage to snag two boxes of “Azucaritas” (Spanish Frosted Flakes) for the kids, not much for herself. I, on the other hand decided to “embrace” the culture and show my acceptance through consumption. Spanish-style eggs, sweet breads, and fresh cut fruit…it was all good. I do think, however, that we were both holding our breath to see how my innards would accept the foreign made items. Even if the food was going to tear-up my insides, we did have a gorgeous place to dine. The hostess seated us on the veranda overlooking the pool area. The cool thing about Guatemala was that most of the buildings were open to the weather this time of year…it is so mild, and we didn’t notice any insects about. After breakfast, we tried to get a phone card to call Holland and check in, but the store was temporarily out. We exchanged $100 of U.S. currency for a whopping 750 Quetzals of Guatemalan currency. This would be used for lunches and other local shopping. We used the extra time before 8:30 to discover a baby lounge on the 3rd floor and drag the donations back down to be loaded up.
Abel was early, as is customary… We loaded up the back of the van and headed to the Westin, a half mile away to pick-up another family on their first visit. From the Westin came a couple, their 2 ½ year old adopted son, and an elderly couple (presumed grandparents). Alan and Leanne from Virginia were here to see their new son, Alex, and had brought Alan’s parents and their little boy, Daniel along for the trip. We then shoved off and began a short but twisting drive through Guatemala City. It was then that I noticed that cross streets were not always built at the same level as intersecting streets and that speed bump could show up anywhere. There was also a distinct absence of street sign other than a rare traffic signal. The traffic on the way to the orphanage was nothing particularly noteworthy, but the return trip was another story.
Our arrival at Hannah’s Hope was greeted by the guards standing outside of the gated villas (6 or 7 houses), which took me by surprise. It was then that I notice the razor wire coiled along the rooftops and fence tops. Everyone began to walk through the gate to the main office. I hurriedly tried to get the boxes out of the van and inside the gates. I was still under the impression that anything left unattended would immediately disappear into a dark alley of Guatemala…I would soon loose that sense of mistrust. It must have been quite a sight to see me sprinting to get the boxes up to the house, one at a time since they were too heavy to carry in multiples. We were set in a family room with two couches and a coffee table. We were then greeted by Gaby who manages the office there in some capacity. She shared with us the basics of our schedule for the day and then was ready to lead us to the houses that our children were in, but there was one more thing. Dr. Castro, the great defender of those little babies wanted to speak with each family for a brief moment regarding health precautions before we got to pick up the baby. He had greater concerns for the Prothe’s baby, because he was only a week or so old, and was born several week premature. He sent them on their way to pick-up Alex…wearing surgical masks! Was he going to ask us to meet our long-awaited child with a mask on? He brought us in to his office and began to share his frustration with Oregon for sending families down to see children that were so young and susceptible. He then assured us that Ana was perfectly healthy, in fact, unusually strong for the age and circumstances. He then ordered us to remove all rings and watches and monitored our hand washing efforts, of which Jenifer received additional coaching from the good doctor.
Ana was in “Casa #5 para Bebes”. I don’t remember if Gabi walked with us into the house or not, but I remember that we had no problem finding Ana. The next few minutes were even hazier than all that had come before them. We stayed and hugged, kissed, and wept on the little girl for several minutes. I then noticed the 3-4 special mothers in the house watching and smiling over our special moment. We were then expected to bring Ana back to the main office for more meetings. Upon our return Gabi continued to talk with us about the details of the daily schedule for the children as well as what we could and could not expect in the coming months from the orphanage. Honestly, Gabi could have said about anything without our notice. How were we supposed to pay attention to information we could have just read when we have our new baby in our lap?!? As she spoke with us, a blonde-haired woman in jeans and a tank top waltzed in and interrupted to introduce herself. I didn’t need to listen to her at all…Jen was elbowing me and whispering “That’s Jan Beazley, oh my gosh…”. The founder of AGCI was stopping in to do some “decorating” in one of the orphan homes. As long as her daughter, Heather, was state-side, she thought it good timing to make a trip down and take care of some of the work she obviously had fun doing. She also introduced and older friend, Dory, well in her seventies, who had come down to “hang out” with Jan and provide another eye in the decorating process. Meeting the baby of our prayers and the author of the book which inspired this adoption all in a matter of a few minutes…Wow!
By 11 o’clock we had “returned to Earth”, and it was a good thing. We were introduced to the legal team. They had us sign our power of attorney, after a reprint to correct Jen’s middle name which they had down as “Kristina”. Once that was done, we had time just to focus on Ana. A bottle had come and diapers needed to be changed.
Eventually, Ashley asked us if we wanted lunch. My answer was a definitive YES! When I am stressed I burn the calories a little bit quicker. When given options by Ashley, the Prothes jumped at the option of Dominos (of all things!). Thirty minutos o Gratis! So to keep things simple, we went along with the idea…Jen was still too delirious with joy to notice any hunger pangs. It was crazy how quick it came, delivered by a man on a motorcycle! One hundred and forty quetzals later, I had made my first transaction in local money, and secured nourishment for two families. I must admit, Dominos had never tasted that good stateside.
After a team of four other women came to see us in the living room. They were responsible for working with the mothers in the Promise of Life program. They were all sweet and loving mom-types. In particular, a woman named Lily stood out. Her job was to translate during the meetings of the birthmothers, but it seemed her relationship with the mothers was a close one. She indicated that she knew “Vicky” (Ana Victoria, Ana’s birth mother) very well. She warned us- “She is a crier”, but also assured us that she made it to all of here prenatal appointments.
After the POL crew moved out, cabin fever set in. Jen and I could not wait for Ashley’s tour any longer. We wanted to explore the orphanage. We walked down the ramp toward the children’s homes and down an alley of stairs to reach the “back yard” where the orphanage children (ages 3-6) played. They were playing kickball with a basketball and having a great time. In broken Spanish, I asked one of the 4-5 special mothers if we could bring some things down for the kids. They were enthusiastic. Since I was holding Ana, Jen quickly ran back to the office, where the toys were stashed. She nearly tripped over Sam, the orphanage’s golden retriever. The kids began to sing songs to show appreciation. We brought beach balls, suckers, small bags of candy for each kid, bible story books (in Spanish), jump ropes, and some recorder flutes. They were all a hit! I got it all on video. What a treat that was for us to witness and be a part of. Next time will be even grander. I think that Jen and I enjoyed that moment even more than the kids. For the rest of the afternoon, we alternated between sitting in the living room, and walking out in the grey, hazy afternoon breezes.
Abel then arrived to take us back to the Marriot. We took Ana back to her bedroom wearing one of the many outfits that Jen brought to play “dress-up” with her. On the return trip to the Marriot, I became more aware of everything in the landscape. The trip there was too clouded with anticipation to have paid too much attention to the directions or surroundings. For the first time I recognized that Hannah’s Hope was built on the side of a huge hill. I had realized that the HH was terraced into a hill, but the streets that lead to the cul-de-sac of the compound was a LONG and very STEEP road, including a speed bump that Abel’s van needed to immediately hop while turning out of the cul-de-sac and heading UP the hill. Once out of the neighborhood setting and through the run-down former commercial district, we got on to the major thoroughfare into the city. This was bumper to bumper. Jen was amazed by the density of the vehicles on the street. Then she became startled by the motorcyclists that made their own lane on the white lines between the cars! Abel was not an aggressive driver, but he was not shy or afraid to communicate with his horn either. Being passive would have not gotten us anywhere. I also recognized that the car could communicate a variety of messages, and Abel was the master of making the horn express his sentiments. While waiting in the traffic jam to get through one of two tunnels, Abel and the other family we were with gave us the needed encouragement to explore some the artisans and shops near the hotel for some souvenirs for back home. We pulled in to the circle drive at the Marriot and decided to get our room changed to the king-size bedroom that we had originally reserved (They had to put us in a room with two double beds the first night). After making the switch, we shed all unneeded bags and such and decided that we would venture out into the city in search of gifts for Michigan. We had been endlessly warned about pick-pockets and panhandlers, so we went with a healthy dose of apprehension. Additionally, once outside the fenced in circle drive of the Marriot, it was strikingly obvious that WE WEREN’T FROM AROUND HERE. With many bus stops on the first block, many locals looked us over casually. It was also obvious that Jen was feeling uncomfortable due to her deliberate and lightening-like pace she moved at. Before getting to the McDonalds at the corner we decided that practically running down the sidewalk would only make us look like easy targets and that a casual walk involving light conversation would appear more confident (and less afraid).
We walked in to the first local gift shop that we came across. It was a red adobe-style building with open doorways. The walls were covered with blankets, paintings, and shelves of clothing items. The floor was packed with long table stacked high with t-shirts and many other handmade items. The man inside the store was a large, friendly fellow with a thick mustache and a heavy shadow of a beard. In my best Spanish I asked him if he preferred dollars or quetzals. He responded with a hearty “yes”. From then on, he always gave us prices in dollars because we noticed that NOTHING in the store had a price tag on it! From the very start, we recognized that prices here were significantly cheaper than in the hotel store. “Camisas para los ninos son 5 dollar.”(T-shirts for kids are 5 dollars.) Wow, that was about a third of what they were asking in the hotel. These Dutch folk had found their source of souvenirs. We began more actively searching through all of the various “displays”. We first hit the t-shirt table and looked for shirts for Joel and Grace. We began sifting through the piles, with the kind store owner always nearby wanting to facilitate our buying. We found shirts for them and Caden too. Finding one for Greg was tough for Jen and so we decided to move on. Next were the handmade clothes. We had decided that we wanted to get a dress for both Ana and Grace, so that was the next pile to sort through. The colors and embroidery were all so beautiful. In the end we bought two dresses for Ana and a dress and sleeveless blouse for Grace….all hand embroidered for only “12 dollar” each. One was a beautiful blue dress with the embroidery of the traffic spectacle known as a “chicken bus” that hauls many locals (and occasionally livestock) into the city for a days work. Long before we made the trip we thought that it would be special to have Ana baptized in clothing from her native country. Amazingly enough, there was still more of this tiny store that we hadn’t explored yet. We discovered some miniature replicas of the Guatemalan flag. A pile began to develop on the counter…we had found a store safely, that we were comfortable in (being the only customers), and the prices seemed to be good, a good combination for these foreigners (and the store owner). We then picked up some Guatemalan coffee beans for the moms back home as well as the Garls. We then took one last stroll through the three aisles and I went to pay. While I began the check-out process, Jen became engaged with another store clerk (who appeared, undetected) over a large hand bag. The gal began the dealing process by saying: “Today you have it 20 dollar, tomorrow 40!”. Jen graciously begged off, but the clerk persisted a few more times in a valiant attempt to tack on to our bill. Five t-shirts, four dresses, three pounds of coffee, one Guatemalan flag (made of silk, no less), and oh yes, a change purse for Gracie…all for 89 bucks (I think). After all of that was packaged up, the man took a 3”x5” oil painting off of the wall and asked “You like?”. I nodded, as I gave Jen “the eye”. What was he doing? Is he trying to sell me one more thing? Or is he trying to GIVE us something? He began shuffling around behind the counter to look for a piece of brown paper. He carefully wrapped the canvas painting, “Its Antigua” he said. He had shown us a great appreciation for our business…a jester that means more now, than it did at the time. Though the little paintings were not on our shopping list at the time, it has already found a nice place within our home. A great memory of all the kindness we experienced while in the foreign land.
We then took our small garbage bag of goods back to the hotel. Jen looked at me and smugly said “I’m pretty proud of myself” referring to her braving the city streets. I had to seize the opportunity to remind her that we had only walked two blocks from the security of the Marriot! We both chuckled at ourselves. We were then approached by a man trying to hock some jewelry--- “Mister, its jade!”. “No, gracias.” I said as Jen picked up the pace.
Once back to the hotel we quickly shed our sweaty duds and put on some shorts and a t-shirt for a few minutes of exercise in the exercise room. The humorous part of that experience was that all of the televisions were tuned to a station showing “big time wrestling” from Mexico. Unfortunately, it is not any more mature or believable than its U.S. counterpart, just that the masked men had Spanish names. I just put my head down and pedaled a quick twenty minutes to earn a dip in the pool that waited outside for us. After re-hydrating with a bottle of water from the hotel store, we made our way to the pool deck. The pool area was buzzing with sports fans sitting at the cabana and bar watching the U.S. versus Argentina soccer game. The Guatemalans take their soccer very seriously. We did not trouble with swimming attire (just went in our work-out clothes), it was already dark out, so who would know? Jen walked right in to the pool and then proclaimed “If I am walking right in, you know that it is warm!”. She was right. In fact, it was perhaps too warm for my taste…my showers are typically cooler than that. We did enjoy the therapy and relaxation that came with the floating about. The stars were just showing up now that it was about 7:30. We found it strange how dark it became so early, and how early the sun would rise again (~5:30ish). While floating and chatting, we began talking with a local man, Walter. He had just finished a game of squash at the racquet club there at the hotel. He seemed intrigued with our impressions of Guatemala and where we had come from. He then asked if I played squash...indeed I had to admit that squash was not a common American pastime, but that I had certainly heard of it and that I would liken it to something that we call racquetball. From there, he became nearly insistent that I look him up on Friday and that he would take me through a game of squash. How could I graciously bow out of such an offer? Uh, uh, don’t we have to have a meal with someone from the agency tomorrow? He let it drop by simply saying, “If you want to, just ask someone for Walter, that’s me.”. From his good English, and his final statement, I got the feeling that he may have been a well known employee of the hotel. We did not see Walter the next day, much to my relief.
We toweled off and headed back to our room to shower and prepare for dinner. We stopped by Las Vistas, where we had breakfast earlier in the day to see what they were serving. A buffet! The hostess said that they served until 10 o’clock because Guatemalans like to eat dinner late. I guess the old phrase held true for us, “when in Rome…” A shower and clean clothes felt good. Though not adventurous, eating at the hotel restaurant sounded like a good idea. At this point, it was dark (meaning that taking to the streets in search of a restaurant was ill-advised), and that the food to this point hadn’t made either of us ill, the convenience seemed to out-weigh the higher price we would pay. We had a great meal of fine meats, vegetables, made to order stir fry, and lots of fresh fruit. We had a quiet corner on the veranda, which made it that much more worth it! Adjacent to our table was a beautiful tile fountain with a lions head spitting a stream of water from the wall…it looked like the fountain from the movie “The Terminal”, a movie that came to mind several time during our air travelJ. The breezes were divine, and it was a shear pleasure to wait for the bill. We sat and enjoyed the surroundings as we recounted the day’s events and prepared for the day ahead. Eventually we retired to our room where we collected the things that we wanted to take for Ana Victoria (Vicky) and quickly wrote down notes of questions that we wanted to ask upon returning to the orphanage. We then brushed teeth in shifts, because one of us forgot her toothbrush, and we had to share the responsible party’s instrument of oral hygiene. Jen then found “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” on television with Spanish subtitles. We laughed as we watched the plot unfold. Soon I noticed that Jen was not laughing anymore. She was out---COLD! I set the alarm, took one last look at the city from the vantage point of our balcony, and decided to sleep as well.

Brian's Journal (First Visit to Guatemala-1)

6/27/07
I couldn’t get out of the driveway fast enough. It wasn’t that I wanted to get rid everyone; it was more a matter of wanting to begin the journey laid before us. Fortunately, Joel and Grace were in the able and loving care of 3 grandparents. They were sure to have a great time in our absence. Jen and I had grown tired of planning and preparing, and wanted to get to the “doing”. Though excited, we were both filled with some anxiety. I myself was concerned about the logistics of parking, checking in behemoth boxes of donations, and general navigation stuff. As we pulled out of the driveway, a small sense of relief began to settle in…Ah, we were taking the first steps in a long awaited journey to Guatemala.
The drive to the Detroit Metro Airport began as a non-event. Minimal traffic and an absence of construction was just what a slightly-wound father of nearly three really needed. As we passed the Lansing area, the sky began to darken, and then it opened wide dumping its rain on us by the bucket. This slowed our progress and raised my blood pressure a notch or two. International travel was something new, and I didn’t want to be in a rush this first time through. The powerful rains continued off and on until we were just outside the airport. The Detroit Metro Airport is a bit of a maze of loops, but we managed to find where Continental’s terminal was. Then came the first sign of blessing to our trip. At the entrance to the ticket counters was a skycap nearly bored from lack of business. Whats more, the curb in front of him was the only clear parking area to be found for a 300 meter stretch. I quickly pulled in, and in minutes the gentleman had taken all four of our giant boxes/bags of donations (a few were well over the allowed weight limits), tagged them for our final destination, hauled them away, and shared with us valuable parking advice and directions. I got back in the car and thanked God out loud for taking care of my first points of concern.
After parking at the “Big Blue Deck” and catching the shuttle back to the terminal, we immediately headed for the security check point. I felt sorry for all those who had to witness the greenhorn attempt we put fourth to get all of the necessary items off, out, and into the tray…and oh yeah, we needed to have boarding passes in hand! What rookies we must have looked like. Fortunately, we found ourselves standing next to a nice local man who could read the “clueless” stamps on our foreheads, and provided advice and a reassurance that he would wait for us on the other side to help us find our concourse. Again, a blessing from above. After finding our general concourse and our specific gate, Jen and I sat for some lunch and listened to a class-4 thunderstorm slam through the airstrip. Fortunately, it did not impact our departure too much, and really didn’t bite into our lay-over in Houston at all.
In Houston, we began looking for a place to relax and grab a bite. Jen spotted a burrito place…mmmmm, it hit the spot! While sitting at a little bar munching down our last American (safe) meal, we spotted some older people from Flint with t-shirts emblazed with the silhouette of Guatemala. They were on their way home from a mission trip there. They were full of enthusiasm and encouragement for what we were about to do. The flight from Houston to Guatemala City was packed. Most of the passengers were obviously returning home. The other passenger in our row of three was on his way to visit relatives there. Though he said that he lived in New Jersey, his broken English told us that he would certainly look more like a “local” in our final destination than on the east coast.
Our arrival to Guatemala City was strange. At 9 pm it was already pitch dark. All we could see while flying in was a tremendous number of sodium lights and the pinkish-orange light that they give off. We were both struck both how big the city appeared…and industrialized/modern the lighting indicated it to be. Once off the plane, we found the airport to be barren. Not a vendor, ticket agent, waiting passenger…nothing. As we began walking down the hall of gates, it was obvious that all of this was brand new, in fact still under construction…many maintenance and custodial staff were still cleaning, sweeping, installing. Much of the walls were still unfinished drywall, and much of the space was cordoned off with yellow caution tape. As we were funneled toward the baggage carousels, I found myself almost in disbelief when all four of our packages of donations rolled by. Off to customs we went.
Too easy! Immigration consisted of a man in a little booth that ran our passports through a scanner, stamped them, and said “Buenos Noches”. Next was customs, but where were they? There was an unmarked man collecting our already completed forms, and that formality was complete. Now, off to find this guy named Abel.
As we exited the secure portion of the arrivals terminal, we were overwhelmed to see a giant mob of locals waiting to welcome home friends and family. Off in the distance I see a man in a blue jacket holding a small paddle with “All God’s Children” on it. Though that phrase refers to everyone, I knew that was our guy, or was he? We swam through the crowd to him and I said “You must be Abel!”. He shook off my statement and motioned us out into the parking ramp adjacent to all of the commotion. If he wasn’t Abel, then what….? Soon a smiling, jovial man in a leather jacket appears with hand extended. THIS was Abel! He had been collecting another family from North Dakota and had recruited a skycap to reel us in.
How warm and friendly this man was. AGCI has picked an excellent point person, making a great first impression and calming our fears with his happy-go-lucky attitude and confident advice. He buzzed through the dark city with bumpy streets and made light conversation with us, with the help of the rear-view mirror. I remember being jostled around as we hugged our backpacks and craned our necks, wide-eyed, trying to take in what we could of this foreign land. As we pulled in to the Marriot, I remember noting the stately appearance of the structure and then being distracted by the nearby police patrolman toting a shotgun (rather flagrantly). After checking in, we quickly dumped our stuff in our sixth floor room, took in the cityscape from our balcony, then walked back down stairs to scope out the amenities and buy some bottled water. We were nervous about the water and the food…we would later relax about that. The pool looked great, the restaurants appeared safe (actually pretty high class), and the bottled water was only 2 bucks.

The Call!

Today we returned from a wonderful vacation in Ludington and less than an hour after we were home - we got THE CALL!!!! Our little girl was born on June 11th and weighs 7 lbs., 8 oz.! We do not know a lot of information at this point, but we know a few things.

Her birth-mother is a Christian and felt that God led her to choose our family. She has a son and a daughter- Carlos and Sandra, and can not provide for another child. She has been living at the House of Hope since February 14th, receiving counseling and prenatal care. Carlos is six and Sandra is almost 4 – essentially the same ages as our children.

Dr. Castro feels that the baby (who happens to be named Jennifer) is healthy and does not show any signs of any neurological problems.

The baby is now in the care of Hannah’s Hope orphanage and will live there until our paperwork processes.

At this point there are a few medical questions we need to consider, and Dr. Schloff (our family doctor) has requested to review the DVD (which we do not yet have) and Jennifer’s medical charts. We will be meeting with him as soon as we have all the necessary information. For now, we are just praying for a sign that this is indeed the baby that God has chosen for us.

Blessed... to be a blessing

"We have been blessed - now we're going to be a blessing,
We have been loved- now we're going to bring love,
We've been invited - we're going to share the invitation,
We have been changed to bring change, to bring change..."

This song, "Changed" by Aaron Nyquist was sung in church a couple of weeks ago. It nearly brought tears to me eyes because it so beautifully describes our emotions right now. We feel amazingly blessed by the support we have received from family and friends. We have had notes of encouragement dropped off at our home, special gifts given to the baby, unexpected financial support found in our mailbox, and constant prayers from so many friends and family members. Our church has offered to help us collect donations to bring with us to the orphanage, as well as the womens home. Joel's Thursday School is involved in collecting items for us to bring, as well. We also received word from Shaohannah's Hope of a $3,000 grant we received to help fund our adoption. Aside from these blessings, Brian and I are so very grateful for the countless conversations we have had with others, simply because we too, are "in the process of adopting". It is an amazing new world!

Our prayer is that we truly can be a blessing to those we encounter while we are in Guatemala, especially our baby's birthmother. We have been thinking of her quite a bit lately, anticipating the difficult weeks ahead for her. She will be preparing her heart to give up her baby, and we will be preparing our hearts for a beautiful new daughter. We pray that she has peace in her decision and that we are able to convey to her how very much we already love this little girl.

Getting Closer...

We are now #22 on the waiting list, and thrilled that we could possibly be holding our little one sometime this spring! We found out today that once we get into the top 10, we could be chosen at any time. This was new information to us. We had originally thought that placements were made strictly according to a family's waiting list number. It now appears as if more and more birth-mothers are requesting to "choose" the family that will adopt their baby. Brian and I feel very good about this. We really had hoped that our baby's mother would have some say in who would be raising this little one. We also feel that this connection will help her to feel more a part of the whole process. We are truly excited to meet her. So...only 12 more babies need to placed, and we could potentially be on our way to Guatemala!!!
We are praying right now for peace and clarity for our baby's birth-mother, our baby's growth and development, and for the processing time to improve in Guatemala. The government seems to be taking much longer to process adoptions right now, and this means that our baby will probably be older than we originally expected once she comes home. We will continue to pray for efficiency in this area, but feel at peace that God will bring our daughter home "in His perfect timing". We feel especially confident in knowing that she will be receiving excellent nutrition and care.
Additionally, we are expecting to hear from Shaohannah's Hope this week (to find out if we have been selected to receive an adoption grant). We are praying that this organization finds our family deserving of a grant. We will keep you posted.

The freshness of Spring and the new life evident around our neighborhood is especially meaningful to us this year. We are all eagerly awaiting the addition of this new little life into our family. What an absolutely exciting time!

A Belated Birthday Gift...

I had told Brian that what I really wanted for my birthday was for our Favorable Determination Letter (FDL) to arrive. This gives us official approval to bring an orphan into the United States. We had been fingerprinted for the Department of Homeland Security on the 27th of January and expected the letter to arrive within two weeks. On February 21st we checked the website and from the information we could gather, it appeared as though it would be at least three more months before our approval would arrive. (It stated that they were currently processing applications dated on or before November 20th.) This could have been a problem because without this letter, we would be unable to accept a referral. (So basically, if our baby happened to be born in April or May and we didn't have this, we would have to pass up the referral and move down on the waiting list until this arrived.) Well, as Brian predicted, the very next day (after spending quite some time navigating the Citizenship and Immigration Services website), our FDL arrived in the mail - only two days after my birthday. We are now completely done with every last document and are just waiting for our little one to be born. We are currently #26 on the waiting list. There were no babies born this week, but we are told that there are a number of births expected in the next couple of months.

We found out this week that there have been some recent changes in the adoption process in Guatemala (and that these could completely change again tomorrow). But, basically, they are now requiring even more paperwork and approval steps which ultimately may impact the time it takes to process our adoption and bring our baby home. At this point, Brian and I feel that this part of the process is completely out of our hands and God will bring our daughter home in His perfect timing. We would absolutely LOVE for her to be home for Christmas, but this may not be a realistic expectation. We will continue to pray that our case goes through PGN efficiently and without any previews. (A preview is basically when a government official requests an additional copy of a document (for any given reason- smudges in the notary stamp, a signature that doesn't look quite right, a typo, etc.). Previews generally add 6-8 weeks to the process, and just because one document gets previewed does not mean that all the others are approved. They apparently stop reviewing each case when they find a document that they choose to preview. Once that document is resubmitted, they continue reviewing the remaining documents. At that time, they may find another document that they choose to have previewed, and then this adds another 6-8 weeks to the process.

In our weekly update from AGCI we received the following message as encouragement and wanted to share it in our update, as well. This is from a mother who is currently waiting for her child to "get through" PGN and come home...

"I want to share how a Beth Moore study has helped me during this time that we are in PGN. This week's study was from Genesis 22 where Abraham was tested by God. Here are Beth's comments that really hit me hard. They are taken from her workbook and video entitled, "The Patriarchs: Encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

1. Our tests have our names on them (v.1). The Hebrew word for tested means "to test, try, prove...Generally carries the idea of testing the quality of someone or something through stressful circumstances. We are not tested accidentally. Each test has a purpose. God never wills us to go through a difficult time. The end result is what He is focused on.

2. Our hardest tests involve our dearest loves.

3. We are not powerless in our tests. How we take them is entirely up to us. Abraham's only recorded words to God in the chapter: "Here I am" (Heb. 10:7).

4. Obedience is not the hardest part of our most trying tests. Keeping the faith can be hardest of all.

5. Like Abraham, we're likely to discover that the harder the test, the further reaching the ramifications (vv. 15-18).

As I reflect back over this lesson, I ask myself: Am I passing or failing this test of waiting for weeks on end for my case to exit out of PGN? Am I spending my time being sad and dwelling on the negative, or am I praising God for giving me the many blessings which have come from and will continue to come from this adoption?

Brian and I feel so very blessed by the many people we have met through this process, the love shown to us by our family and friends, and the assurance that God, not government officials, is in control of this entire process. That gives us hope, encouragement, and excitement for what the future holds.

Update #5 from AGCI

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Phil. 4:4-9

PLACEMENTS:
We have placed one girl this week.

FIRST TRIP:
Two families traveled to meet their children for the first time this week.

FAMILY COURT:
We had two FC appointments this week and three scheduled so far for next week.

DNA PROCESS:
We had six successful DNA appointments this week.
Two pre-approvals this week! Time to get the prayer chain going for these pre-approvals; we have a lot of families waiting on these. The US Embassy continues to process the pre-approvals in approximately 30 days once the DNA lab results are received by the USE.

PGN:
TWO families came out of the PGN this week! We are so excited for you! We want more approvals!!!
The last submission date for these families was at the beginning of December. Keep praying that things continue to move forward in the PGN!

CIVIL REGISTRY:
Six families are in CR, and five are on their way.

IN TRANSLATION:
We have 3 cases currently in translation; once everything has been translated these cases will be submitted to the USE for their pink slips! And, five families are out of CR and on their way to translation once we have a new passport for their child!

IN US EMBASSY:
No families in the USE currently.

PINK SLIP:
Two families had Visa appointments this week (Congratulations!), and one finally will travel next week for their Visa appointment (this has been a tough road for this and other families, we wish you the best!!!)

Have a great weekend,
Jill, Kim and SooJin

Update #4 from AGCI

Dear Families,

A HUGE THANK YOU to our families who are so generous in giving to Hannah’s Hope and House of Hope. I am blown away by the size of your heart. Thank you from all of us in Portland, OR and in Guatemala. Those children and birth mothers are so well cared for and it has so much to do with the kindness of our adoptive families. May you be blessed!

As I headed home last night and let the day melt away to enjoy the evening, I started thinking about how our team can encourage you through the adoption process. Let’s face it adoption is stressful for all of us! Here are some of my ideas… Tonight, when it’s dark and the stars are out, walk outside and just look up at the expanse of the sky and take note of the millions and billions of stars. And then think just for a moment of how really tiny we are compared to the vastness of the universe. And then, when you are pretty clear on how small we all are, tell God thank you for caring so much about you. Even though, compared to everything else, we are so small, we have a God who thinks the world of us and loves us intensely. Can you believe that He is so crazy about us?!?! I am blown away and I plan on being even more convinced of His care for me after I look at the stars and thank Him for who He is and His love for me. Thanks for your time reading this!

On to some important matters to share or re-share with you this week:

1) USCIS: Please be aware of the dates of expiration of your fingerprints and your Favorable Determination Letter (FDL) from USCIS. We can not keep track of these expiration dates for you, so please check your records. If you have questions, please ask SooJin Park, but if either is 3 months from expiring and you do not yet have your child home, you need to get these renewed through the proper channels. Save yourself the heartache of a delay near the end of your adoption.
2) NO TRAVEL DATES: Just a reminder about the dates where there will be no travel to Guatemala due to governmental meetings: March 16-21, June 28-July 8
3) FORMULA CLARIFICATION: I asked Guatemala again about formula and as it turns out, there are some Similac formulas that are more preferable than others due to what the babies in Guatemala are eating. I looked online at all Similac formulas and here are the recommendations: 1) Similac Advanced Soy Formula, especially for newborns up to 9 months of age, 2) Isomil Advance 2 Soy Formula for babies 9 months to 24 months old, 3) Similac Advanced Formula (milk based) with iron or, 4) Infant Organic formula. The kind of formula needed depends on what the babies are eating in Guatemala. Some have dairy based diets and others are soy based. Both are needed. Remember, cash donations can also be used to purchase formula by our staff.
4) DIAPERS: Our biggest need for diapers is newborn to 6 months.
5) To anyone who can help! We have a family who has filled up 5-20 lb. boxes of donated supplies for Hannah’s Hope and is wondering if any of our traveling families can offer to take one or more down to Guatemala for them. They are willing to ship them directly to your house if you can help!! Please email me if you are able to assist and I will put them in touch with you!
6) OLDER CHILDREN NEEDS: I also heard from Guatemala this week that we have 10 of our older children from Hannah’s Hope signed up to play soccer and we need a cash donation to buy their equipment. We hope to get this information on our website soon, but until then, I wanted to share this with all of you. We need $350 to buy soccer shoes, $200 for shin guards, and $50 for socks. Guatemala has expressed that it is easier to buy the supplies in Guatemala, so cash donations will be best. The team did receive already a donation of 16 soccer balls and pumps from one of our Guatemalan families. THANKS A MILLION! Please let me (Jill) know if you would like to make a donation to our kids in Guatemala.
7) Passport Copies Needed After First Trip: When you come home from visiting your child for the first time, please send full and complete (every page, stamped or not) notarized copies of the passports of each adoptive parent to AGCI to SooJin Park’s attention.
8) USCIS DESK AT THE USE NEEDS YOUR FDL ONCE YOUR CASE IS OUT OF THE PGN: Once you are out of the PGN, please scan and email a copy of your current I-171H (FDL) to the USE at this address: Guatemala.adoptions@dhs.gov. This is vital and non-negotiable!
9) HAGUE QUESTIONS: Many families have been asking about Hague in regards to your adoption, or because you know others who would like to adopt from Guatemala.
Please use this website link as your guide to understanding Hague: http://www.travel.state.gov/pdf/Prospective_Adoptive_Parents_Guide.pdf . We will have a Hague button on the homepage soon with this link.

Now, for the update:

PLACEMENTS:
We recently placed two girls.
First of the month calls: Kim will be calling all families on the boy and girl lists this month. She will finish her calls by the end of next week. Fridays we are updating our written material and she will not be calling on Friday. She is anticipating that this will take her 4 full days.

FIRST TRIP:
Four families traveled to meet their children for the first time this week.

FAMILY COURT:
We had one FC appointment this week and one scheduled so far for next week.

DNA PROCESS:
We had one DNA appointment this week and six appointments next week.

No pre-approvals this week. The US Embassy continues to process the pre-approvals in approximately 30 days once the DNA lab results are received by the USE.

PGN:
TWO families came out of the PGN this week!
Of those who have recently been approved, their last submission date was at the end of November or the beginning of December. Keep praying that things continue to move forward in the PGN!
37 families are in the PGN and we are preparing to submit four more to the PGN soon.

PGN Previews….please read. I have been receiving a number of questions on why it takes so long to fix a preview and so I thought I would explain a bit. A preview means that the advisor who has your case is asking for another document. There are about 130 documents that are submitted into the PGN in your file. When and if you have a preview on your case, we have to either get a document from another agency in Guatemala, or far less likely you will need to provide a document personally. The time that it takes to produce the new document depends on how quickly the USE, Family Court, Family Court social worker, Civil Registry, or You can produce the new document. In the same way that your dossier documents need to be notarized, county certified, state certified, authenticated through the Guatemalan consulate here in the states, registered through family relations, a similar process needs to be completed in Guatemala as well before a document can be submitted back into the PGN. In order to submit you, we are waiting on these other offices and processes. We have many staff members who can handle these needs, but the delay comes in waiting on other Guatemalan agencies to process and reproduce these documents. There is no means of expediting documents by paying an extra fee, like getting a passport or birth certificate expedited in the states. The timeframes are not a reflection of us being too busy to work on your case, or of us not having enough staff to process your case, but of the intricacies of working with multiple agencies to correct a preview.

Another question that keeps coming up is, “If all documents that are required in the PGN are the same then why do some cases get previewed and some do not?” The answer is that the advisors all have a subjective opinion that they are approaching your file with as to what is approvable. The PGN does not provide a guide for the perfect PGN file. Like your dossiers are all the same, the case that is submitted into the PGN on your behalf also looks the same. So, it would seem that all cases would process the same, but due to advisors who have different opinions on what the files should look like, therein lies the problem. Some go through without a preview and some have multiple previews. Remember, you are adopting from the country of Guatemala who has their own protocol for processing adoptions through their own government. We may have our opinions and ideas on how to improve the system, but we have to comply with the governmental process. That being said, we count it a privilege as an agency to be able to have a presence in Guatemala and to provide relief and care to the children and women who come to us.


PGN PROCESS:
PGN PROCEDURE
1) The file is submitted at the General Secretary’s office. They received the file at a special window. The person who submits the file gets a receipt, stamped by PGN and indication of the time and date.
2) The General Secretary distributes the files among the advisors and sends them “upstairs” to the designated advisor.
3) The advisor’s official receives the file and gives it to the advisor.
4) The advisor reviews the file and makes a resolution.
5) The advisor’s official is the person in charge of printing that resolution, he reviews it once more, prints it and gives it back to the advisor for his signature.
6) The advisor signs the resolution and gives it back to the official. The official then, sends the file to the Sub General Attorney’s office.

Procedure at Sub General Attorney’s Office.

a) The Sub General Attorney’s Secretary receives the file.
b) File goes to official 1, who’s job is to review data (names, dates, etc.)
c) File goes to official 2, who reviews data a second time
d) Then the file is given to the reviewer. The reviewer is an attorney who makes sure the resolution is in accordance to the Guatemalan Law regarding adoption.
e) Then file goes back to the Sub Attorney General’s secretary.
f) Finally, it goes to the Sub General Attorney’s desk for final signature.

7) Then the file is send to the General Secretary’s office.
8) At last, the General Secretary puts the file in the window ready to be picked up.

PREVIEWED AND APPROVED FILES.

The previewed file goes through all the steps mentioned above, except b) and d). The file that has been previewed is signed sooner than approved ones.

CIVIL REGISTRY:
Seven families are in CR

IN TRANSLATION:
We have 3 cases currently in translation; once everything has been translated these cases will be submitted to the USE for their pink slips!

IN US EMBASSY:
We have submitted one family to the USE for their pink slip and are awaiting a visa appointment.

PINK SLIP:
Five families had Visa appointments this week, two families will travel next week for their Visa appointment, and we hope to have at least one more appointment scheduled soon!

Have a great weekend,

Jill, Kim and SooJin