Case Family in Hong Kong

Well, you’ve been hearing a lot about my brother, Javi….and I suppose you are up-to-date. We haven’t heard anything more, but continue to pray that God will facilitate on each child’s case and that the babies will be placed in the homes and hands God has prepared for them very soon!

On other matters, you’ll see on the video above that I have a very loud and scary roar!!! This clip was taken about a month ago..so I am bigger now–I’m growing quite quickly! But mostly I’m still Ezri and mostly the same. Some new things going on with me include a greater interest in my Cabbage Patch baby doll that my Granny gave me for my first birthday. (This requires a bit of explanation: on the adoption papers that came with my baby, her name is listed as Kaitlyn Sherlyn….then there was the introduction of Elmo into my little life…and well, Elmo has a “Baby David” in his amazing potty book….. So, daddy and I decided to chuck Baby Kaitlyn’s hair bow, and, since I hadn’t yet identified her as a girl anyway,…we decided that she should also be Baby David!!! So, her cute outfit is no more, and Baby David now proudly wears a blue sleeper outfit, and occasionally likes wearing only his diaper!) What more?….Let’s see…Ah, yes: our swimming pool opened today, and mommy and I went to check it out. It was quite a fun time and I only went under once (sort of an accident; sort of on purpose. I wasn’t exactly sure what would happen if I bent down…well I found out and mommy scooped me up to safety, dried me off and we went back at it! There was another baby there too..and he had a small beach ball with an even smaller ball inside it; he shared with me and that was pretty fun. Maybe mommy can find one of those for me and Javi!

Well, I don’t want to get too long-winded here. Hope you enjoy the video, and I’ll soon be posting an entry called “Livin’ Large”….featuring me in mommy’s clothes!

–Ezri

We just heard from our adoption consultant that “the interview went well” on Tuesday morning and they were on their way back to Solola, where the children’s home/orphanage is located–about a 3-4 hour trip. So, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS!!! God has been gracious in allowing the meeting to go well. We still do not know exactly what this means for our case and for Javi. Please keep Javi (pronounced Ha-vee), our family and this whole process in your prayers. We will be sure to keep you posted as we know more.

Thanks again and praise God with us; HE IS FAITHFUL!!!! (Praise Him with these verses from his word:

“^(A)I will give thanks to You, O LORD;
For ^(B)although You were angry with me,
Your anger is turned away,
And You comfort me.
2“Behold, ^(C)God is my salvation,
I will ^(D)trust and not be afraid;
For ^(E)the LORD GOD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.”
3Therefore you will joyously ^(F)draw water
From the ^(G)springs of salvation.
4And in that day you will ^(H)say,
“^(I)Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name
^(J)Make known His deeds among the peoples;
Make them remember that His name is exalted.”
5^(K)Praise the LORD in song, for He has done excellent things;
Let this be known throughout the earth. (Isaiah 12)

In His hands,

The Case family

The officials are starting to review cases and we just heard this from our agency:

Hello Everyone…

Sorry I didn’t get an email out yesterday…had alot going on after I got home from work.

We did speak to Ana and she said that the interviews went well. All 3 birth mothers showed up for the appointments and then they asked them some questions…and everything went fine according to Ana.

We still don’t know the outcome though…we were just encouraged to find out that they made it through the interview and it didn’t seem to bad.

Our attorney will be giving us more of an update when he gets back to his office on Monday to let us know his thoughts and give any news that he has.

We will keep you posted, but we were encouraged yesterday…but we won’t be fully relieved until we see these cases come out approved..and know that all of your children will be coming home soon.

Please continue to pray for this whole situation…as this is all we can do in this time, when we have to rely on the courts.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Felis Patlan, Special Delivery International

For those of you unaware, in February of 2007 we started the process to adopt from Guatemala. Over $12,000USD spent and 15 months later and we hear this:

May 7th in the New York Times:

Guatemala has ordered a one-month hiatus in foreign adoptions, to investigate potential fraud. A law that took effect in January created a government adoption authority to replace an adoption system handled by private lawyers. The suspension affects 2,300 adoptions that began earlier. The attorney general, Baudilio Portillo, said the cases, most of them involving American parents, will be individually reviewed, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Under the country’s new adoption law, which took effect Jan. 1 to comply with an international treaty to prevent human trafficking, adoptions will be taken out of the hands of agencies and lawyers and handed over to Guatemala’s notoriously sluggish courts and the National Adoptions Council.

On January 10th we were told this by our adoption agency:

We have been assured by the U.S. State Department that the Guatemalan government will honor and proceed with adoptions started before December 30th 2007.

Some in the government who oppose the adoption process have decided to object to this “grandfathering in process”. They know that they can’t change the law, so they have decided to fight the system with a number of new regulations, knowing they will eventually be forced to comply with the law, but in the mean time they succeed in causing problems. The main regulation they have implemented is that all cases, new and old must (obtain an aviso) register with the Central Authority. As of this moment, a Central Authority does not exist. Therein you can see that changing the rules is merely a pretext to cause problem.

On April 23rd our adoption agency posted the following on their blog www.eaglesnestint.org :

Why can’t we get answers? The officials are in their offices, so let’s just pray they will do their jobs. All they have to do is sign the adoptions. Why don’t they care? The “Blame” is NOT with lawyers, or the home, nor SDI; it is with the officials in high places. Mixco civil register is bribing others and us in order to get a Birth Certificate they are asking for a laptop or $$$$. This is not right. Most towns the BC is given the same day or the next week, Mixco says 6 weeks or longer unless you PAY!

PGN has 44 of our cases. There is no need for them to sit there and not sign. The babies want to be home, the families want them, we want them to go and the officials don’t want to care for them. Let’s all just pray that this week all will be signed! SDI is hurting for you all. Nido needs your prayers, and Larry and I wish we could do something.

On May 9th we received the following statement from SDI’s Attorney in Guatemala:

The PGN has decided to stop the approval of pending cases. They have decided to conduct interviews with each and every birth mother of children in the adoption process in PGN, the final court. This is one of the new requirements by the Hague that mothers be interviewed. The current cases are supposedly “grandfathered in” according to the State Dept. and now with this, it’s almost like the cases are not grandfathered in. They have not given the exact order in which they plan to begin the interview process of the more that 2000 cases in PGN, however 3 of Pedro Cabrera’s cases are scheduled for this Friday.

As for now Pedro’s office is calling contact people and informing them that they need to find and brief the birth mothers and inform them of the upcoming interviews. We are confident we will be able find all the birth mothers, however there will be a cost involved in locating and paying the time and travel expenses of the birth mothers, contacts people to travel to Pedro’s offices and to Guatemala City for the interview. After talking to the attorney, we expect this will cost an average from start to finish of an additional $1,000.00. We also understand that the children are going to be with the mothers during the interview and there is that possibility that the mothers may be made to feel guilty and they may also change their minds. Please keep this in your prayers. We know that many of you have waited a LONG time to get your child and this latest delay is very critical.

We have asked Pedro several questions that many of you are probably already wondering about:

1.If the family decides to NOT pay the $1000 for expenses for the birth mother to come in for the interview, what will happen? If you do not pay, the mother does not come in and the case is lost.

2.If the family pays the $1000 for the mother’s expenses and she changes her mind or the PGN doesn’t like her answers what will happen? The case will also be lost.

3.If the Attorney does not get the mother in for her appointment, the case may also be lost. (We are checking on this right now) The PGN is notifying the Attorneys and they have to pick up the paper that tells them of the date and time of the appointment.

4.If our case is abandonment, what will happen? In abandonment cases, there is no mother, but there will still be interviews with the attorney, the child and Ana, the legal representative of Eagle’s Nest.

5.If the interview is positive and the case is approved, how long will it be before it’s signed and the case is “OUT”? At this time, Pedro doesn’t have any idea when the case will be signed, it might be next week for these 3 that have interviews tomorrow, or it could be longer, we just don’t know.

In January our orphanage also told us this:

If adoptions are delayed so that we are unable to finalize cases, we will have insufficient funds to run the children’s home within 60 days. Families whose cases exceed 6 months are sending childcare, but that is a fraction of the needed to care for these cases. Total cost for 60 children is $15,000 per month, which is $250 per child/month. Maybe someone reading this might want to help with childcare for one or more children during this very difficult and uncertain period. If so, please send a tax deductible check to:

Eagle’s Nest

310 W. Central

Suite 211

Wichita, Ks. 67202

It would not hurt for families to apply pressure by contacting the State Department, US Senators and Congressmen to remind them of their assurances to the families in process before Dec 30 2007.

Needless to say it’s been an emotional day around here…

Weight: 14 lbs 10 oz; Height: 24.5; Head size: 17.1; Foot : 3.5”

Cristian Javier is doing well. He is healthy. He has mastered turning over in his crib. He holds onto toys and holds onto his own bottle. He likes to watch tv and he is learning to sit up all by himself.

May 1st is labour day here in Hong Kong (a public holiday) so we didn’t have class. That being said this was a pretty laid back week for us so we’ve been able to spend lots of time together and have gotten plenty of rest (I have anyway, this is Jason). I have two big research proposals to write as we enter into the last month of school. A few of my classes are winding down and my last class is scheduled for June 11th (I can’t wait!!!).

Ezri is walking and talking now and becoming very fond of “Kitty” “Elmo” and “Veggies”. As it is getting warm here now, we went to the pool for the first time just last week. We found that we have a really great public pool about 10 minutes walking distance from us, so that is exciting…a nice way to ‘beat the heat’ this summer. The pool has a really nice kid’s area and Ezri had lots of fun in the water, although she was a bit hesitant at first. We’ll have to get some pics posted the next time we head over there.  Speaking of heat, it’s already topping 80 degrees some days with 85% humidity. In case you can’t appreciate that humidity, it’s like stepping out of your house into a sauna (in full clothing).  Melanie noted that to be moderately comfortable, temperature-wise, here in HK’s hot hot summer (mostly humid)—-one must be nearly naked, involved in absolutely no physical activity and seated comfortably in front of her best fan…high setting full blast! (That is if you are like us and trying to save on air conditioner costs!)

Mel is making headway on some relationships (acquaintances that hopefully turn into friendships); she and Ezri head downtown on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a playgroup and women’s bible study. She’s cut back on singing on Sundays and plans to do so until after we transition with Javi. Speaking of Javi, please pray that we’ll receive word from the Guatemalan government within the next two weeks, if it’s much longer than that before we get word, then we’re afraid we won’t be able to get him before his first birthday!

The Olympic torch came through Hong Kong yesterday and we thought about going…, but we didn’t. It looked like a madhouse on the news, but seemed to go off without a hitch. I was certain some crazy person would try to snatch it or something, but nothing. Moving on…we can always use prayer: specifically, this being the weekend of the Kentucky Derby and all has made me a bit homesick.

It just so happens that the weather conditions of Hong Kong are perfect for the growth of mold (i.e. very warm meets very humid…with intermittent bouts of rain and continual slow rains–the humidity inside our house yesterday was 86% !). It also happens that Melanie absolutely loathes mold of any kind. We purchased a dehumidifier yesterday and Mel is doing her best to keep any dust from building up and any moisture from gathering along the windows, corners of ceilings, etc.

We’re slowly starting to build relationships and we had our first dinner guests a few weeks back, Mel made some homemade pizza and iced tea and cleaned the house. It was nice to host someone in our home and give a little….. a note of thriving rather than merely surviving in our new environment!

Well thanks for checking in with us, please drop us a line.

Jason on behalf of the Cases

Well, it’s been a while since you had an “Ezri Excerpt”, so here goes:

May I call your attention to the video clips shown below… We have me, Ezri, enjoying my very first corn on the cob. You see, mom and grammy got a family meal from KFC and I normally prefer the ‘ chicken and rice ‘a la king”…that’s right…in Hong Kong, the have rice dishes at KFC–a shocker for some of you, I know. Anyway, the rice is fabulous….rice, gravy, peas, carrots and chicken! But, mom handed me this yellow mystery on a stick…and i went wild! I’ve liked whole kernel corn for some time, but this puts a whole new spin on things!

The next video, you will notice I am running. “Running from what?”, you may ask. Well, the time is about 8:00pm, and my usual bedtime is around 7:30pm…..we are out at a friend’s house, and am roaming about, being chased by grammy…just a fun time to squeal, I suppose! it is a bit of ‘toddler tazmania’ when I’m out and up too late! I am becoming quite the little walker/runner; sometimes mommy and daddy let me walk beside them now, holding their hand, of course.

And, the last shot you have here is of me getting my jam on to the best new song around: Elmo’s Alphabet Rap!!! What a great song!! I mean, my friend, Elmo, can really rap! He goes from the A to the B….then the C, D, E…you get the picture—he’s tremendous! I like bopping my head and occasionally swaying my hips a bit to the beat!

Well, that’s all for me for now. I’ll be in touch. I actually have some other photos and footage around somewhere, that I should share as well…so, we’ll keep you posted. ————– Oh, and just to give you an update on my brother, Javi: he’s still doing swell, it seems. We are currently waiting on this one office to sign our papers before processing can proceed. This office has 44 cases from Javi’s orphanage in their hands right now, and all they need to do is sign already!!! There is some fishy business going on and it seems they are asking for bribes, etc.! Please pray that these officials will do their jobs and sign off on all 44 cases, so that the babies can be united with their forever families a.s.a.p.! We’ll sure be glad to have the Javster on board with us here in HK!!!

Okay, then…check out the video footage!

–Ezri

So, a couple of days back, I told Jason I was going to write a post that went something like this: “I awoke this morning to a sinus infection and cold…and a headache attached, found my daughter with eyes matted shut from outrageous amounts of weird mucus….put in a load of clothes, only to have the washing machine water leak out and pool in our entire kitchen–for the third wash load in a row!….and, ….a good morning to you too!”

However, after some thought, and added perspective after a couple of days mulling it over, today is a better day, and I choose to write a more positive entry of sorts.

As Jason mentioned, I had a birthday last week; my mom came to visit us and stayed for the past two weeks, so that was awesome. Most often I am excited to have family and friends come visit us, but this time was different….I was 100% ecstatic to have my mom come! I don’t know why, really….just felt almost silly-excited to welcome her into our home and our lives this time. Ezri got sick 2 days after she arrived, and is still not well—although she is much much better–and my mom left this morning.

This leads me to my next thought: as I was riding the bus home this morning from dropping my mom at the airport, I became overwhelmed by life….and then, moments later…overwhelmed by God’s grace, Jesus’ sacrifice and sufficiency, and the fact that HE IS IN CONTROL!!! Life is overwhelming, but it is not ours to live all alone. Scripture is clear that we are poor—we are weak. God is rich—he is strong. Although he demands perfection, he supplies his own demand via Jesus Christ. We believe in Christ and trust him as our savior and he sends us a helper–Holy Spirit to live in and for us! Now, that is overwhelming! Overwhelming Joy!

So, that hit me pretty hard….needed to be reminded this morning that God sustains me. When I am at the end of myself…this is the beginning of God’s working in and for me.

more on that later….

–Mel, for the Cases

Yesterday was Melanie and her mother, Karen’s, birthday (yes, they were both born on tax day). Ezri has been sick and we’ve taken her two different doctors for diagnosis so she has taken even more time, care and attention than usual. It seems she has the flu with a sinus infection, she’s got mucus coming out her nose, eyes and ears. Well, we went out to eat at our favorite Malaysian-Thai restaurant nearby, we made it through the dinner and the food was good, but Ezri was not feeling good and she was letting everyone know about it. We got back by Ezri’s bedtime and were able to enjoy some wonderful chocolate cake after getting Ezri down. Then Melanie and I headed out to do a bit of shopping, finally deciding on a pair of pink tennis shoes straight from the 1950s. Please wish Mel a belated birthday if you get a chance and pray that Ezri will recover quickly and that Javi’s adoption will finalize soon.