USE Pre-Approval!

We received our USE Pre-Approval on M0nday, Oct. 29th! It took only 3 weeks.....good news as it has been 60 days. We are now waiting on our Family Court Approval from Guatemala and expect that this week as well. Upon our FC Approval, our file will then be turned over to the Guatemalan PGN, it will be given to a PGN advisor who will then review our file of over 300 documents to determine that we meet all the requirements to adopt a child from Guatemala. They will review all documentation that has been gathered on our adoption. Once reviewed, the advisor can either give their stamp of approval or ask for clarification on any document thus "kicking" families out of PGN. We are praying for NO "previews" and believing that we will be out out PGN by Dec. 31, 2007! One thing we are confident in, God is bigger than all of this.....

Thanks for checking in, we are rejoicing in the journey of bringing of Bella home!

Blessings,

Missing our Girl

It's very late Sunday night, 2 am in the morning. I am up ,not because I am sad, but because I desire to draw close the Lord. I cant express yet this entire adoption experience, I pray that the Lord will give me the encouragement and grace to write what we have expereinced through Jesus Christ. The utter joy, humility, and awe that comes from following God's leading. Not everyone understands our journey or even supports it, and at times, it can hurt. But we are so steadfast and confident that "He who began a good work in us will bring it to completion".

When we started our adoption journey, we knew their would be tough days, we knew the wait would be difficult...we had no idea the pain that would be associated with leaving our daughter back in Guatemala and the absolute anxiousness in not knowing when we will be allowed to bring her home. It's hard to miss all those precious little moments, her first burp, her first hick up....her first smile. Yet we know that the Lord will still bless us with those, for when we are united, her smile will be a first for us. Its just that we know how very much she sill change over the months, how much she will grow. OUr update this week said she is already 9.2 lbs and 21" long! I should be recording that info, but this journey is different, the pain is different. It's not pains of labor or delivery....its perseverance pain, its having faith greater than a mustard
seed pain, it's the pain of learning to trust a God that is so much bigger than we could ever imagine and then BELIEVING Him to hold true to his promises. It's a true walk of faith.

Yet I can say with the utter most confidence, the pain is subsiding, the Lord's strength is taking over and we are truly in a place where we BELIEVE! We have no reason not to, for we have experienced his miracles in the referral of our daughter. From her picture, to meeting with our birth Mother, the travel plans and the time spent with our daughter. It is so evident to us that God's plan is at hand and we are lucky enough to be gift receivers.

The uncertainty of the Guatemalan Govt. is not an issue for us. We know that God is already there and he has already answered the prayers of thousands of families and children. For He is the children's one and true Father, and it is not his will for these children to sit in foster homes or institutions. The Lord said to "father the fatherless" and we will do just that. There is no devil in hell that can stop the love of the Lord....did I mention the love of a Mother through the love of the Lord! Look out Satan, you are stoppable now!

When I have those brief moments of doubt, I think of a scenario my Mother shared with me.
Imagine dropping to your knees in front of Jesus and looking up in to his beaten and bloodied face, tired and exhausted from the weight of his cross and see him look down in to your face and say "My sweet child.....Do you believe I will do this for you"? Although my tongue would be swollen and the words would be difficult to mutter out, my response will and could only be "YES Lord, I believe....I believe"! How could I not. This is the same Jesus that was beaten, bullied and humiliated and then went to the cross for me so that I may have life. And He didn't just do it for me, but for anyone who chooses to believe. You see, that's overwhelming, that's a love that no human can ever fathom....except a parent. As parents, we would willingly lay down our lives for our children. walk the ends of the earth to find them. So why would our Jesus not do the same? The point is, He would do the same and he does it everyday. The good news is, He's already there, you just need to ask.

I enjoy sharing our ministry of adoption with all of you. Believe us when I say, it's been an indescribable journey for our family as well.

May God bless all of you and thank for you checking in on us. We expect news this week from Guatemala on many counts. The Joint Council Announcement on Grandfathering current cases as well as a possible Family Court Release Date of our case and a US Embassy Pre Approval! Please stay tuned.

God bless all of you and may he hold you in the palm of his hand.

Family Court Complete!

Today we received word that our Family Court went through with flying colors! We are currently awaiting our DNA results which will send us in to the US Embassy for Pre-Approval. The Family Court Study will be done in 4-6 weeks and when complete will be submitted in to Guatemalans PGN which can take 6-8 weeks with out any previews. Previews are when the Guatemalan PGN case worker questions a document in case file which is over 300 pages! Please be praying for God's mind to be bound to our US Embassy Caseworker and that our Pre-Approval will be processed quickly and efficiently as well as for the PGN case worker who will receive our referral that he/she will have a heart for adoption and our family. That the mind of Christ will be bound to his/her mind and that they will process our file to approval with out any previews.

No word yet on the results of the Guatemala 5000, please continue to make your calls, emails and faxes. Leaving a message is just fine to the senators, congressman and UNICEF!

Thank you for all your love and support,

CALL TO ACTION, WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Dear Friends and Family, It has been 2 weeks now since we first laid eye's on our new daughter. In the 10 days we have been home, we have received numerous emails regarding the possible threat of a Guatemalan Adoption Shutdown. The pages of information basically stated that President Berger (the president of Guatemala) has made a formal announcement of his plans to “indefinitely suspend all adoption cases which are not completed by December 31st” – including pending cases. The information we received was the best that our agency had at the time, but not very specific as far as what exactly this would mean for Bella and for the other friends we have at various stages in the process. Since Friday, we have been able to learn more information about the situation in Guatemala, and while it definitely is not good – it quite possibly could be just an outgoing president (his term ends January 14th) trying to leave his mark. Realistically, he does not have the power to pass such a law on his own. It needs to be voted on by the Guatemalan congress. Additionally, the attorneys in Guatemala are huge advocates for adoption – not always for the right reasons, but they have an enormous amount of power in Guatemalan society. And, on top of everything else, Guatemala has no way to care for the estimated 3000-5000 children that this proclamation could potentially leave orphaned. That being said, we have been asked by our agency and the Joint Council (oldest and largest child welfare organization for International Adoptions) to participate in a “Call to Action” in response to the current situation. I have included this as an attachment in hopes you will participate with us in making a few calls or sending a few emails to help not only bring our daughter home, but our friends children as well as the 5,000 current orphaned children in process to families right now!

All of you ask, “How are you doing with all of this?” And the honest answer is – “We are doing well.” While it is definitely heart-wrenching to think that Bella may have to stay in an orphanage much longer than necessary, we also feel that God’s hand has been in this journey from before we even began our first paperwork. We truly believe that it is God's will for Bella to be home here with us and not sitting in an orphanage. Although her care is amazing and her surroundings beautiful, we know that no one can love her like her Mom, Dad and Big Brothers.

We continue to be amazed at the DAILY blessings her adoption has been to our whole family and trust that what God has started, he will bring to completion.

Please pray with us that God's mind will be bound to President Berger, All Guatemalan and US Government Officials who are handling Bella's Paperwork, Our Legal Team at AGCI, the US Embassy Case Workers and PGN Case Workers. Please also pray for Bella's continued health and growth development and for the VanZantens and Culps whom we have become good friends with and also have baby girls waiting to come home from our Agency.

Again, thank you for all your love and support. And Please, help us make a difference in the lives of all these children by pariticpating in the CALL TO CATION Oct. 8, 9 & 10. SEE BELOW

Blessings,

GUATEMALA 5000

Dear Friends, Guatemalan President Oscar Berger has announced plans to suspend all intercountry adoption with American families on January 1 2008. The Joint Council on International Children’s Services strongly opposes such a suspension and asks for your support in their efforts to ensure that all children retain the right to permanency through Intercountry Adoption. President Berger’s plans also call for the suspension of adoptions currently in-process. Such a suspension would be extremely detrimental to the children referred to adoptive parents. If President Berger’s plan is actually implemented, up to 5,000 will unnecessarily remain in foster care or orphanages indefinitely. This situation represents a pending crisis for the adoptive families who have lovingly chosen to provide permanency, safety and love to a child in need and most importantly a crisis for 5,000 children of Guatemala. What can you do? Make six simple phone calls and one email. 1. Call your U.S. Senator. · You can find your Senators’ phone numbers at www.senate.gov · Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff 2. Call your second U.S. Senator. 3. Call your representative to the U.S. House of Representative. · You can find your representative at www.house.gov · Ask to speak with the Legislative Director or Chief of Staff 4. Call or fax UNICEF Headquarter · Ask to speak with Ann Veneman, Executive Director · Their number is 212-326-7000 · Their fax number is 212-326-7758 5. Call or fax UNICEF Guatemala · Ask to speak with Manuel Manrique · Their number is 011-502-2327-6373 · Their fax number is 011-502-2327.6366 Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls 6. Send and email supporting Intercountry Adoption to guatemala5000@jcics.org · Write briefly or at length · Joint Council will use the cumulative email petition in our advocacy for Intercountry Adoption When should you call? Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (October 9th, 10th 11th) · For maximum affect, we are asking you to make these calls within a 72 hour window! What should you say or write to member of the U.S. Congress? Speak from your heart and give them the following information. · Inform them that you are calling regarding Guatemala 5000 · Ask them to sign the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) sponsored letter to President Oscar Berger · Ask them to sign the Joint Council on International Children’s Services sponsored letter to UNICEF · Inform them that the Guatemalan government has announced that all intercountry adoptions with the U.S. will be suspended on January 1 2008. · Inform them that President Berger’s announcement also indicated that there will be no ‘grandfathering’ of adoptions already in process. · Inform them that if children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care. · Ask that their office get involved and sign the sponsored letters to the President of Guatemala and UNICEF. These letters ask that all adoptions in-process as of January 1 2008 be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws. Sample Statement Hello, We are calling/writing on behalf of the Guatemala 5000 Initiative. We, as your constituents, are asking that the Senator/Congressperson add their signature to two letters. First, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute sponsored letter to Guatemalan President Oscar Berger. Second, the Joint Council on International Children’s Services sponsored letter to UNICEF. As you may be aware, the Guatemalan government has announced that all intercountry adoptions with the U.S. will be suspended on January 1 2008. Their announcement also indicated that there will be no ‘grandfathering’ of adoptions already in process. If children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care. Your office must get involved and sign the sponsored letters to the President of Guatemala and UNICEF. These letters ask that all adoptions in-process as of January 1 2008 be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws. Sincerely, What should you say or write to UNICEF? Speak from your heart and give them the following information. · Inform them that you are calling regarding the Guatemala 5000 · Ask them to support the right’s of children and lend their considerable influence to ensuring that intercountry adoptions currently in-process be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws. · Inform them that the Guatemalan government has announced that all adoptions with the U.S. will be suspended on January 1 2008. · Inform them that President Berger’s announcement also indicated that there will be no ‘grandfathering’ of adoptions already in process. · Inform them that if children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care. · Ask them again for their support of the Guatemala 5000 Initiative. Sample Statement Hello, We are calling/writing on behalf of the Guatemala 5000 Initiative. As financial supporters of UNICEF (through our tax dollars), we are asking that UNICEF lends its support and considerable influence to the Guatemala 5000 initiative. As you may be know, the Guatemalan government has announced that all intercountry adoptions with the U.S. will be suspended on January 1 2008. Their announcement also indicated that there will be no ‘grandfathering’ of adoptions already in process. If children referred to families are not allowed to be adopted, they will languish in institutions or foster care. UNICEF must get involved and help ensure that all intercountry adoptions in-process as of January 1 2008 be allowed to process to completion under the existing notorial laws. Sincerely, Can you explain the problem behind the pending crisis? Here is some additional information… · Guatemalan President Oscar Berger has announced plans to effectively stop all adoptions into the United States including those children who have already been referred to adoptive parents · Over 5,000 children have been referred · The birthparents for these children have already relinquished their parental rights. As a result, they currently have no family and the Berger suspension will result in these children having no prospect for a permanent, safe and loving family · The government of Guatemala currently does not have the finances or facilities to even provide housing for these 5,000 children · The Berger plan is a crisis waiting to happen

What else can you do? In addition to your primary calls to U.S. Congress and UNICEF, you can call the following. SOSEP (Guatemala) · Director Teresa Echeverría de Bastarrechea Office Phone- 011-502-2383-8400 · Assistant Director- Edin Palma- Same office phone Office Phone- 011-502-2383-8400 · Jaime Tecu Office Phone - 011-502-2239-0000 ext 2766 Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls Guatemala Ministry of Foreign Affairs · Minister Gerth Rosenthal Office Phone 011-502-2410-0000, 2410-0010 · Vice Minister- Marta Altoaguirre Office Phone 011-502-2410-0020 Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls Procuraduria of Human Rights · Dr. Sergio Morales Office Phone 011-502-2424-1717 Please note that calls and faxes to Guatemala are international calls Embassy of Guatemala in the U.S. 2220 R Street N.W. Washington, DC 20008 Office Phone 1-202-745-4952 Office Fax 1-202-745-1908 Website: www.guatemala-embassy.org/ Best Wishes,

Making Progress!

We have made it through the first step in the process with our DNA Apt being last week Friday. DNA is a US requirement. Next week Tuesday, Oct. 9th, is our Family Court Apt, this is a Guatemalan requirement where our birth mother meets with an apt. court social worker and Bella. This process is to determine that our Birth Mother desires to give her daughter up for adoption. I can only imagine how difficult this apt. is. Please keep her in your prayers, that God may fill that hole in her heart with himself. The next step in the process is United States Embassy Pre-Approval. Thanks for checking in,