Prayer request

We got an update from our caseworker today, she said that our lawyer is going up to the village that Mateo's birth mom is from on Sunday to get her final signature. Please pray that they locate her and that it all goes smoothly. None of the other paperwork can be done until they get her signature so we are waiting on that. It is just another opportunity to wait upon and trust the Lord. Thank you for partnering with us. Have a great night,
Laura

A few new pics!!

Te's foster mom again got some great pics of our boy. I can't wait to get down there before he looks like a teenager! He looks like such a little man! No new news yet but we will keep you posted!

Shower time!

We had an awesome and honoring time today during the shower that was thrown by one of my past RAs Sarah and my boss Kathy. We had a great time and were so blessed both with the encouragment and love that eveyone gave us and also the wonderful gifts that were so needed now that Mateo is coming home soon! I got to share the story of Scott and I's journey to Mateo and Ellie and in doing so was reminded of all the things God has done on our behalf through out this process and how big he really is. One big blessing that I realized this week is that this shower was schduled for last weekend and then got changed. If it had happened then, we would not have known that Te was out of PGN and this way it was such a celebration! I wanted to share some pictuers of the shower it was so lovely! Thanks everyone for blessing us!
Laura
This is the great layout, Brooke did the cake it was so cute!

This is a fun tub-toys holder. So great!

These are all the other great gifts we got, the kids are going to love them.

These two are so special, Sarah got them when she was in Africa last semester, the first is a backpack for Te and the next is a cute apron for Ellie, we are going to have some fun in the kitchen!

The double stroller I love! All the RDs got it for us, we are so thankful!

Still can't believe it!

I think that the shock is starting to wear off some and the reality that our boy could be home in a month or so is overwhelming! Today is the last day of classes here and then we have finals week next week with graduation on the 29th. After that we will be going into prepare for Mateo full force time. We are so blessed with our friends and families support. We have a shower planned for this Saturday that is being put on by some of our students and co-workers,and we now know for sure that one of our children will be home soon to use the gifts given! We have been talking about when we will go down and how long we will stay. That brings up Ellie and her case and what we will do if she is not out of PGN soon so we can take them home together. I am sure we will get to spend some time with her when we pick Te up and my heart takes a nose dive when I think about giving her back again. I am so joyful and thankful we are so close with Te but there is still a huge part of me that wants my baby girl home! The thought of missing her first birthday breaks my heart and I am praying that a miracle will bring her home before that. If not then God know what he is doing and his very much bigger perspective on the situation is what I have to trust right now.

Most of all though we are still on cloud 9 and getting really excited about all the things the summer might hold with a 2 ½ year old leading the way! We still have not heard if the b-mom has signed off but more than likely we will get work on that next week. I can’t wait to get my hands on that little boy and love on him like crazy!

Keeping you posted,
Laura

Mateo is O-U-T!!!!!!!!

Ok mom and dad you can come get me soon!


We made it, I can’t believe it. WE ARE OUT!!!!! We got the e-mail last night that Mateo is out of PGN! The crazy thing is is that Scott and I talked on Monday and both said we thought he would get out this week, I was trying not to be to hopeful but it happened! I went to tell Scott, who was sitting in on a class and as soon as he got out I started bawling, he thought someone had died. Then I called my mom and she started bawling and my dad thought someone had died. Oh the emotions! It is such a miracle that we got out so quickly and also with no kick outs (previos) Most people are getting kicked out right now which can add months to the process. We just keep praising God for his goodness. So the next question is what is next, what does this mean. This is what out caseworker sent us this morning and will give you all a better idea of what is to come.

1. Birth mother signs off (final signature) (few days)
2. Obtains new birth certificate (3days to 2 weeks)
3. Obtains passport for child (1 to 3 days)
4. Translates all final docs (1 or 2 days)
5. Brings all final docs into US Embassy for pink slip (takes 72 hrs)
6. Pink slip is issued with your Embassy appt (appt is approx 1 week from date of pink slip-so you have time to get down there)

We are hoping that in 4-8weeks we will be able to go pick Mateo up! There is an end in sight and I can’t wait to get off this crazy rollercoaster!

Two things you can pray for, one that they get the birthmothers signature quickly, and also that Ellie’s case would also go through with no kick outs. We have seen God move in a mighty way and are praying that he continues to do so with our little girl!
Thank you all for your support and love, we are almost there!
Laura

PGN-All that you may ever want to know and more

So now that both of our kiddos are in PGN I thought a more in-depth explaination of what it is would be helpful. Over Easter we had so many careing friends and family ask us how the journey is going, it is hard to explaine so this info might make it a bit clearer. I got most of this info from another adoptive mom in PGN

The PGN is almost the equivalent to the Solicitor General's office in the United States. Literally translated, Procuraduría General de la Nación means "General office of the judge advocate general of the Nation".

The PGN is responsible for reviewing each adoption case individually when all of the paperwork has been completed by the adopting parents, the agency, and the lawyer. A PGN officer (reviewer) determines whether a case is ready to be signed off or needs additional information or corrections. The US Department of State describe the process the following way:

The PGN scrutinizes the adoption case for signs of fraud or irregularities before providing its approval of the adoption. Upon receiving PGN approval, the adoptive parents in the U.S. are legally responsible for their child(ren). The attorney obtains final approval from the Guatemalan birth mother and then requests a birth certificate listing the adoptive parents as the parents of the adopted child.

If the PGN reviewer sees any irregularities in the file, they will stop reviewing the file and return it to the representing attorney for corrections, issuing a "previo". This is referred to as being "kicked out" of the PGN. While it is a frustrating development in the process, it is a common one among all cases. My agency said over 50% of their families' files, are getting KO's. Very few cases go through the PGN review without having to make some corrections.

If the case is complete, the officer will send it to the PGN director's (aka Sr. Barrios, "the big guy", Mr. PGN, "the big kahuna", etc, etc.) office to be signed. After the PGN signs off, the "Escritura final de Adoption" is issued and placed with the file. The adoption is now completed from the standpoint of the Guatemalan government. This is the event that people refer to as being "OUT!"

Once a case has been approved by the PGN, there are a few more smaller steps before the file is then submitted to the US Embassy for final approval. However, the PGN review is most important step in the process. Once this step has been completed, most adopting parents begin to celebrate as they know the end of the adoption process is near.

Each case is just as unique as the people involved in every step of the adoption process. However, the average PGN review currently is taking about 12 weeks, from submit date (or re-submit date) to OUT.

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Ok, sorry for all the political jargon... here it is in layman's terms: PGN, is the Guatemalan court system, that is the final, major step in the adoption process. Your file is submitted to PGN and you pray that you will make it thru in a short amount of time. Your case first goes to a "reviewer", I believe there are about 20-25 reviewers currently working for PGN. The reviewer typically looks thru the file and if they see anything they don't like, you will be kicked out (same as being issued a "Previo"). I have heard of just ridiculous KO's.. things like : an original staple was removed from a document, or a signature was in black ink, instead of blue, or a document was missing, when in reality it was just further down in the file, but the reviewer decided not to look that far.
In general, the reviewer stops looking at the file, when they issue a previo. So, once that mistake is fixed and your file is resubmitted to PGN, there's no telling if just a few more documents down in the file, the reviewer might find another reason to kick your case out. It's incredibly frustrating, and while I'm sure some of the reviewers consider the families who's lives they are affecting, by all of these pointless Previos, of course there are plenty that don't.

We have been praying that our reviewer would be merciful and really care about their job. Mateo's case will have been in PGN about 9 weeks this coming week, Ellie's has been in at least 3 weeks but maybe longer because we have not gotten an exact submttion date yet. We are praying to have a KO soon or to get through this crazy court system being the 50% that do not get KOs. You just never know but we are in prayer that God will work a miricle on behalf of both Mateo and Ellie and that this will be a smoother part of the process for us.


When our cases make it though the reviewers Sr. Barrios is supposed to look through each one and then sign-off (pending him finding nothing worthy of issuing a previo). Once he signs, he releases your adoption file and you are officially OUT (of PGN, of the Guatemalan Court System)!! Unfortunately, there is no rhyme or reason as to how Mr. Barrios signs off. He doesn't seem to work everyday, he does not go in date order or in any order, for that matter. Some friends have been waiting for his sign off for months, and others have gotten signed off on, in weeks.

Adoption is not for the faint of heart, to begin with.. but PGN could seriously push you over the edge! Adoption is one of the most AMAZING journey's of my life, but I will be honest -- never in my life could I have done it, or gotten this far without the LORD. If I didn't have the knowledge that HE was ultimately in control of my case, I just don't know how I would do it. I keep reminding myself that God is bigger than any court or government and that his timing will happen. Please pray for our cases and all those who are stuck in this part of the process waiting for their children to come home. Thank you for your interest and support. Lots of love,
Laura

Wedding Bells

So we made it through the wedding! Krista and Justin we are so happy for you! The weekend was crazy and we have spent the last few days trying to recoup. Scott actually got a lot of rest due to the fact that he was puking most of Monday and Tuesday. Yuck!
Anyways a little wedding recap…I, along with my sister Maria, got to pick up my sister Julia and here husband David along with a family friend Landon from the Airport late
Tuesday night. After that the wedding craze began, we were finishing up favors, folding programs, and doing last minute preparations until the wedding. Some of my favorite moments were just being able to have all the VW girls together. I love my sisters and have the best time with them. Being able to see so many friends and family and spend time with Krista’s other amazing bridesmaids (hugs Holly and Emily!) and just spending time with my mom and watching her amazing attitude and servant heart, mom you are the best! The wedding and reception was beautiful thanks to our neighbors and friends Marge and Bethany, they are the new Martha Stewarts for sure. We have lots of fun dancing and trying to entertain the almost 400 guests with our rendition of Bad Case of Lovin you. Over all even with the foot and a half of snow we got things went so smooth. It was a super busy, but also blessed weekend. Here are some pics from the weekend, I hope my captions are under the right pictures! I might add more later.


Here is the happy couple

A fun family pic!

Scott and I

Emma my neice and I

The girls

Semana Santa (Holy Week)

This week is Samana Santa or Holy Week in Guatemla (and really all over the world!) They have huge celabrations and events the whole week. They depict the events of the last week of Jesus Christ. One of the blogs that I read is a mom that is fostering her twin baby girls in Antigua right now, she said that though this week is beautiful and elaborate there is something missing and that Easter is one of the days that does not get celabrated as much. How sad to go through the pain and heartache of the week but to miss the victory over death! She said and I am in full agreement that she is so thankful that her children will grow up knowing the last part of the story and who Christ is, Amen!

So because of Holy Week most people take vaction, so PGN is mostly shut down for the week. We also will be gone for the end of the week with the wedding so we will keep you updated with anything next week. Have a wonderful Easter and let's all praise together that HE HAS RISEN!
Laura