Latest on the Cases…

Thanks for  checking in, I wanted to do a quick update until we find time in the near future to do an in depth update.  So I’m back in school starting the 2nd year of my PhD program.  I have one more year of classes, then qualifying exams, then dissertation if I pass my exams.  So we got back to Hong Kong on August 22nd from 6 weeks of trying to get USCIS in Louisville to authorize the Embassy in Guatemala to issue Javi’s visa.  After being told that we would have to return to Hong Kong and update our home study we achingly decided to come back without him.  We immediately proceeded with the homestudy update.  We were told during our homestudy interview to expect 10 more weeks until Bangkok could process our update.  Disappointed, we pressed on, then on the morning of August 28th we received a big surprise in our email.  It was an email from the US Embassy in Guatemala stating that Javi’s Visa Appointment had been scheduled for September 3rd.  Confused and excited we talked to our agency and social worker and both told us to make travel arrangements so Melanie headed back west to Guatemala that night.  Melanie has been in Guatemala the past week with Javi, she had a final “interview” which went well and she was able to pick up Javi’s Visa on the 4th.  They head back through Chicago where she will be staying Saturday night, the 6th (so the grandparents can meet Javi), and then she will head back here on the 7th.  Getting in here Monday night, the 8th.  Thankfully, Melanie’s mom made the trip over here when she heard the news and she’s been helping me with Ezri.  Melanie’s internet connection has been down in Guatemala, but she’s promised to post pics as soon as possible.  Please check back for pictures of the Cases + 1, Cristian Javier Case.

Spring Semester Begins – Reflections of the Fall

The spring semester begins on January 31st. The picture above is a photo of our management class last semester. Last semester I had a courses on research methods in organizational science, consumer psychology and the reform of the legal system in China. I had no background in any of the subjects so I learned bunches. I wanted to share some reflections on last semester. I usually enroll for one extra course and drop the most difficult or any that have professors I will have difficulty learning from, and this was a smart decision last semester as it helped me to avoid one class that would have been a bear. Generally the classes are small and all the professors knew my name; not completely different from the States, but maybe a bit more hospitable here. The quality of education is on par with, if not above, that in the States, without the egos. All the professors here have graduated from universities that I wouldn’t even be able to get into in the State; ie. Stanford, Indiana, Texas etc. Almost all the other students are using their 2nd or 3rd language and the classes are almost all taught in English, lucky for me, but outside of class you’re more likely to hear mandarin or cantonese spoken over english. During the semester we host top management researchers from around the world in to give seminars and workshops on their current work. Last semester we had professors from Ohio State, Tulane, Brigham Young, England (a few), Singapore and Hong Kong.

Overall the work load was very difficult, I usually spent up to 8 hours a day during the week preparing for class (reading, writing, summarizing, theorizing, critiquing). You’re learning how to do good “research” as much as you’re learning a field. The standard vernacular consists of anomalies, paradoxes, conundrums, constructs, models, frameworks, variables, relationships, causality, mediators, moderators, theories, hypotheses, datasets, correlations, significance etc. The main performance measure in the field of management research is publication in top tier journal so the saying is “publish or perish”. Writing skills are very important and I still have long way to go. Analytical skills are also very important in that the large majority of work published is based on empirical findings (not case studies), so it’s important to learn how to work with datasets and to run statistical analyses (using software packages) to prove or reject the validity of hypothesized relationships. This semester I will be taking classes on organizational theory, experimental design, and empirical analysis. As I look back on the first semester I think of the saying, “the more you learn, the more you realize that you don’t know.”

Jason

Greetings From HK!!

Hello, all!!!

So, we have been here in Hong Kong (hereafter referred to as HK) for 3 weeks now! We have been opening bank accounts, finding an apartment, furnishing the apartment, figuring out the public transport, signing up for classes, going to orientations…seeking out a church, occupied to the fullest. Thankfully, we are now beginning to feel settled. We now have the internet hooked up, and are very excited to have the capacity to communicate with family and friends—you guys!

Do we like it here? Well, it is definitely different from home, but we are acclimating. We were very excited to locate a Pizza Hut in a nearby ‘village’. We are learning a lot: where to make purchases, how to get around, and how to pay our bills in this foreign land. In short, we like it more some days than others; it is a nice place that will just take adjustment time as far as daily life goes.

The praise of our Arrival: God has been very good to us. Thank you so much for your prayers on our behalf! Ezri did very well on the trip over (about a 13 hour flight from California to Hong Kong – 22 hours total). She only slept about 4-5 hours of the entire flight; we only slept 2 hours of the flight! (So goes the life of a parent, eh?!) But she really did great. She got upset and restless a few times, but nothing too insane.

Upon arrival in the HK airport, we waited for the flight attendants to bring us Ezri’s stroller; when they did, a piece was missing: the bar that holds the infant car seat in the stroller! After searching for the piece for 15 minutes, a crew of 3 flight attendants offered to help with our things in order to get us through immigration, as we could not carry the baby and all of our things without the use of the stroller. Thus, we were escorted through an unfamiliar airport. When we got to customs and immigration, there was a long line for non-residents—i.e. us. Our flight attendants spoke with someone working there and they lifted the security band, instructing us to step in front of everyone! We then came to baggage claim, our flight attendant crew still assisting us with our luggage. We were anxious to see if all of our bags actually made it. Jason saw our duffle bag come around the carousel and grabbed it. Not sighting any of our other items, anxiety began to grow—until, at the opposite end of the long carousel, we spotted all 7 of our black trunks, loaded neatly onto dollies waiting for us! (How fabulous!) Jason went and got them while our flight attendants negotiated with a baggage carrying service for us. All this took place in Chinese; praise God for our posse of Chinese helpers! They then escorted us to the customer service/ lost & found and explained our problem with the stroller piece. The airline opted to compensate us the equivalent of $100 US dollars to replace the item! The next big hope was that our pre-arranged taxi would actually be at the exit gate waiting for us. We finally got there and awaiting us was a man with a big sign that said “Case Jason” (they put the family name first here). We were thrilled! We then commenced to walk to our taxi where everything was loaded up to take us to the university—the place we would spend our first 10 days in country. <To say the least, God paved the way for our arrival. Sometimes we are surprised by the ways God uses, but, hey…if we needed to lose one small stroller part to get such royal service, fine with us!>

Finally, just a note about the God whom we serve: Listening to the song Be Still My Soul impressed upon us something to share. The lyrics read as follows:

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In every change, He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still my soul: the waves and wind still know

His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

(Lyrics: Ka­tha­ri­na A. von Schle­gel, 1752).

 

In Psalm 46:10, we read: “Be still and know that I am God.” The psalmist here is singing a song of God’s great and very real provision; He is a faithful God—be still; He is a friend—cease striving; He is on your side—be still, worry not; you will face grief and pain—be still, be patient; He will order and provide—rest assured; He remains faithful—do not worry; He does not change—rest in Him; the waves and wind obey Him—be still and place your solid and unwavering gaze upon the Lord who is your strength. You will most definitely find a joyful end in Him!! Amen!! What an amazing word from this scripture written into song!

Be encouraged by our awesome God and Father as you go throughout your week! Thank you so much for journeying with us. We love and cherish each of you.

Jason, Melanie and Ezri

Going to HK–please pray!

Dear Family & Friends,

So, here we are…the Case family…about to launch upon a big adventure. We are soon to move thousands of miles around the world—to Hong Kong. We will seek to learn a new language (Cantonese); Jason will begin studies in management and entrepreneurship to earn a PhD in Management of Organizations (a business degree); our living space will shrink to around 500-700 square feet; we will become a minority family. Needless to say, we are in for many changes and challenges, much excitement, and great adjustments! We need you guys! If you are receiving this letter, whether in printed or electronic format, that means you are very close to us…people we love and who love us. We have a huge request of you: please pray for us!!!

A little explanation:

Why are we moving so far away? Both of us feel strongly that this is where God has planned for us to be— for the next 4 years as we pursue this PhD. Why China? The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology www.ust.hk is a world-renowned institution; this is a huge opportunity for Jason to get an amazing education and skills as a researcher and a professor. We see this as a time for us to build relationships, both as individuals and as a family, and to intentionally share the gospel—as we share our lives—with those around us. What’s more, one of the main things on our hearts is that God will be placing us in a city of 7 million people, 3-4 % of whom profess Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior—our mission is to simply (or not so simply) live out our lives as Christians before and with others who do not personally know Christ. This is our task as Christians no matter where on earth God has us. We see this relocation as God’s strategic placement of us in this city to affect people for Christ. ——

Because the truth is that we, humans are poor in spirit; we are weak; we are in need. God is holy; He is without sin, perfect; he demands perfection and righteousness—things that we cannot obtain or be on our own. This is the hopeless situation of humanity—the human condition. Most importantly, then is the true and real HOPE of Jesus Christ! He is the way that sinful man can have a relationship with Holy God! Through Jesus, this paradox is solved and, by accepting Christ as our savior, and taking upon us his righteousness, we become righteous before God…and He sends Holy Spirit to dwell in us. We have peace with God! Praise God! Amen….again…AMEN!!! “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” “…Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 4:12, 2:21)

-We request prayers that God will help us to establish deep trusting relationships with those people we will interact with on a daily basis. Pray that God will help us to settle in the city, to grow our family and not to view this time as a passage, trip or vacation that we’re on until God presents the next thing.

A praise report:

We’d like to praise God and share with you some of his recent successes on our behalf: we sold our car for a fair price; we sold our house to another family from our church without agents and without having to list the property. Jason’s visa has been approved for the move to HK. God has blessed us with the financial means to pursue an international adoption from Guatemala (currently in process) and to have enough funds remaining to cover our living expenses while in HK. Thank you Jesus!

Confession:

We would also like to confess that we have been undergoing a great amount of fear, stress, insecurity, doubt, anxiety and loss, just to name a few of the emotions we wrestle with in making this transition. Please pray that we’re able to view this opportunity not merely as leaving home, but as expanding the body and influence of Christ. Pray also that we’ll learn how to connect, reach, love & serve a culture and community that will be very different for our own. Pray that we become more willing to suffer for the glory of God.

Prayer:

Please pray specifically for our family’s transition to overseas life; pray especially for Ezri’s adjustment and for her sleep. Pray for our health—in particular, that we do not get sick and that we remain healthy as we adjust to a new climate, new time zone, different foods, etc. Pray that we will be wise and bold in sharing Christ with those around us. Pray also for two families in particular: one family of people who know Christ, who can encourage us and whom we can encourage, grow together with, and become ‘family’ with, and one national Chinese family that is unacquainted with Christ, whom we can build relationships with and share our lives and the gospel with!

We love each of you and thank you for embarking on this great journey with us!

Love,

Jason, Melanie & Ezri Case

Pics of the Case Family Sendoff:

http://s182.photobucket.com/albums/x148/jpcase01/Case%20family%20Sendoff/?albumview=slideshow