The Interview Process

This information comes from a gal who has completed 3 adoptions and spoke to her attorney last evening, who she has remained in contact with since her completed adoptions:

• PGN has 10 tables set up to conduct the interviews
• They are interviewing the birthmom and FM. The attorneys also.
• The baby must be present so they can check the picture from the file with the actually baby.
• They check a list to confirm the baby hasn't been reported as stolen.
• They check the docs including the voluntary consent that they mother gave the baby for adoption.
• The interview lasts approx. 45 minutes.
• PGN has not announced a protocol for these interviews.
• The first lawyers to be interviewed are ones that have had problems in the past.
• Attorneys that have many cases in PGN are being targeted. They want to know how could so many children have been found by these attorneys. Some have as many as 200-300 cases.
• Some targeted attorneys also have prior legal cases against them and are interviewed.
• Yes PGN is pressing the birth mothers change their minds.
• Detectives from the police have been present.
• The offering of money to the birth mothers to change their mind has happened, but not in each interview.

Lessons On Affliction From Job

This was from church this past week...

When we cannot comprehend the good and wise purposes of God in affliction or evil, we should not respond in these ways:


1. We should not curse God for evil that occurs in our lives or in the world (Job 2:9)

2. We should not blame God for wrong-doing. God alwys does what is right (Job 40:8)

3. We should not doubt God's perfect wisdom, or His mighty power, or His abiding love.

4. We should not neglect God due to confusion or frustration in the midst of our affliction.

5. We should not absolve God from ultimate responsibility for all that happens in the world, including all affliction, devastation, calamity and evil (Ephesians 1:11)

When we cannot comprehend the good and wise purposes of God in affliction or evil, we should respond in these ways:

1. We should praise God in and for the affliction (Job 1:21, 1 Thes. 5:18, Eph. 5:20)

2. We should accept the adversity God brings into our lives and into our world. We must be humble before Him in the face of such affliction (Job 2:10)

3. We should examine our hearts to consider whether it might be the case that our own sin has brought this affliction as divine discipline. If so, we should repent. But if not, examine what lessons the Lord has for you though the affliction.

4. We should pray earnestly, seeking God's merciful deliverance from the afflictions. (2 Cor 12 - Paul's thorn)

5. We should enlist the lasting afflictions of our lives for the good and wise purposes God has in and through, and not apart from, them.

6. We should work to relieve unjust suffering of others.

7. We should remember that Christ endured the greatest affliction possible - all the sin and guilt and pain and suffering of the world, and even more, God's full wrath against our sin - and look to Him who understands the depth of suffering far more than we could ever experience.

8. We should entrust to God the certain judgment & justice that He will bring about for immoral and evil actions (1 Peter 2:23)

9. We should hope & rejoice that because Christ has conquered all sin and evil, in our lives and in the whole created order, we await a day free from all tears, all sadness, all pain, and all suffering, a life filled with endless joy and glad satisfaction in all that God has for us in Christ.

10. We should value the magnification of the glory of God above all else, including above the well-being, health or happiness of His creatures.

Conclusion: "When you can't trace His hand, trust His heart" - know God in the good days so you have strength of soul and conviction to withstand the challenges of difficult days.

Some Encouraging News...

The last two days were tense waiting on information regarding the first birth mother interviews. Gladly, for the most part, the interviews have been painless and thus far not one has been shown to be suspect. All have been approved. The interviews consist of the attorney, the birth mother, foster mother and child to be adopted. The birth mother is asked if she intended to give her child up for adoption. That's basically it. We did learn that all cases will be interviewed eventually. Attorneys may reschedule appointments if they are unable to locate the birth mother for the interview.

The attorneys do believe these interviews are a violation of the birth mother's privacy and will be filing an amparo soon to try to have them stopped. We'll see what the courts decide.

We have not heard whether our case has been interviewed as of yet. Last we knew, our girls' file was on the 2nd reviewer's desk. We do know they are reviewing the files previously approved by the prior attorney general first and then will work their way backward. Our file will have been inside PGN's doors for 7 weeks on Monday and one of our little girl's celebrates her first birthday as well. We will continue to watch and pray as this unfolds.

Very Scary Post... Please pray!

http://www.adaguatemala.org/English/news/

Let's watch and see what the Lord has planned for these children of Guatemala. Definitely a time for testing of our faith and looking to God who controls all things to perform His will and for us to accept it. Please pray for His will to be done and our faith to increase no matter the outcome. We have tried to hold these children with an open hand and this is definitely an opportunity to exercise that reality. We must rest on the truth that God is sovereign and never makes mistakes and all is to His glory.

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

The Current PGN Saga...

According to the Prensa Libre on May 5, all adoptions are being put on hold for a month in order to validate the legitimacy of the cases. The story can found here:

http://www.prensalibre.com/pl/2008/mayo/05/236311.html.

This is what the Guatadopt staff posted today:

1.) Birthmom interviews - we do NOT have any info to indicate any plans for ALL birthmoms to be interviewed. I'm not saying it won't happen, just that we have no info to indicate it will.

2.) There were somewhere between 40-50 cases that had been approved by the old PGN regime but not yet picked up. PGN has sent out a courrier with a notice to the Notarial attorney on those cases with an appointment date of this Thursday for the birthmom, child, and foster mom to appear before PGN. They are usig the addresses given on the CNA registration form.

3.) On at least some of those addresses, the courrier was unable to find the attorney. Either the office was closed or in some instances it appears as though it is an incorrect our outdated address. PGN is continuing to try to locate these attorneys and I have no info on "what if" they don't locate them or if the appointment is missed. I also don't know which attorneys they need to locate.

4.) An amparo was filed with the courts to question PGN's legal right to do interviews when there is no probable cause. Note: my legal explanation may be incorrect, I'm not a lawyer

5.) On all of this, my advice would be to encourage folks to comply with the request and not fight while they wait for the ruling on the amparo. Everyone I have spoken to who has had contact with the CNA and the new folks at PGN says that they seem to be well intentioned and willing to work with the attorneys. One of my best contacts emphasized that I deliver the "don't panic" message.

Two other important things:

1.) We have learned that the CNA has been developing procedures for enacting the new system. We hope for those be offiicial and released soon so that children can once again find homes with permanent families. I have no info on the details of this, just that they are very close to being done!

2.) We have learned that there are a large number (100+) cases that were not registered with the CNA. Some of them may have been registered with the "original" CNA but not with Colom's. EVERYONE: make sure you got a registration number from the CNA. DEMAND IT from your agency and attorney. The "original" CNA did not issue numbers, just a stamp. So having a number should mean you are okay. If you find out your case was not registered, the adoption is legally invalid and could be in jeopardy. I would recommend you contact adoption supervisors and/or have your attorney officially petition the CNA for resolution.

Update: Meeting Between AG and Attorneys Today

Their were about 20+ attorneys. Many sat around a long conference table, while many others sat in chairs surrounding the table. The conversations went back and forth for about an hour.

Attorneys each had an opportunity to express their concerns.
Ok, here are some of the key points:

1. It is illegal for the CNA to be do investigations on grandfathered cases. *This is still being determined but it was discussed and taken to heart by Attorney General Baudilio and Sub-Attorney General Flory.

2. They realize that some cases involved corruption. The attys argued that all cases should not be delayed due to other attys who are KNOWN TO BE CORRUPT. Baudilio and Flory agreed that these attys who are corrupt are known, so what they are saying they will do is the following:

a. Criminal charges will be filed against those attys that they know are corrupt.
b. Investigation will be separate from the in-process files getting completed.

This way those corrupt attys, no longer make it difficult for those legitimately cases to get approved.

3. Baudilio and Flory, said that cases will be approved in a timely manner from now on.

4. Investigations will be done on cases that exited the PGN very quickly.

This all sounds very promising. Maybe the corruption will be curtailed... for the sake of the children, let's all pray it will be so. The Lord is working even in this difficult time and with these leaders He has placed in Guatemala. It is interesting to see His plan unfold.

On a side note, President Colom is currently in the U.S. visiting with President Bush concerning immigration issues.

Another Delay :(

Attorney General transition (Per Guatadopt)

The new Attorney General Baudilio Portillo Merlos took over yesterday. The new Sub Attorney General (replacing Barrios) is Attorney Flory de De Leon and she has already moved into the office. It appears she may be holding off making any critical decisions until the Constitutional Court rules. The new AG has requested an audit, as well.

What does this mean? Short term, cases that were simply waiting for Barrios' signature are going to be delayed because of the way the review process works and the audit. With a change of power comes delays in about any business or government entity. Expect an impact on all cases currently in PGN. Long term, we cannot predict what this will mean. As always, we hope that this appointment by Colom will mean a more efficient PGN.

Update: There will be a meeting between the attorneys of Guatemalan adoptions, the new Attorney General and Sub-Attorney General (the one who does the final sign off on adoptions) on Monday, April 28th, to discuss the state of adoptions. We look forward to hearing about the outcome of this meeting. Please continue to pray for the welfare of children from Guatemala.

Moving Right Along

Got a hold of the new gal at PGN, Christina. She told me that we were on the 2nd Reviewer's desk as of April 3. I'm thankful to see that our file has moved on and prayerful that it will not be found with any errors to proceed on. Last week, on Tuesday, when I phoned, she stated that we were on the First Reviewer's desk since 3/17. At least we're getting some consistency in reporting :)

We sure do miss these little pumpkins and are looking forward to having them in our home in the Lord's timing.

Information from our Facilitator

I emailed with our facilitator yesterday concerning some questions I had.

1. Does our coordinator check weekly concerning PGN entries or do they call her office to notify her of an out or KO? She or the attorney have to be physically present to get any updates on the files; and they don’t give any ‘in between’ status; they are either ‘previa’s’ or “signed off”……but no information in between. SO they go several times a week.

2. Since one of our little girl's Birth certificate will come from the MIXCO municipality I inquired if our attorney also was having trouble with them? Everyone does; Mixco is notorious for taking a long time to issue updated birth certificates. Apparently, this is the ‘standard’ for Mixco and so far, no one seems interested in making the authorities there behave themselves.They think they are a ‘mini PGN’ and as such, they review and reject documents at will; eventually, you either wear them down or……something is offered in exchange for what is needed.

Our prayer request is that our file would be released favorably and that once that occurs, the birth certificates would not be delayed in being issued. Thanks to all who continue to pray on our girls' behalf.

God's View on Adoption...

Saw this on another blog. It's tremendous! Enjoy.

Updated I-171H: Error?

That's right. We received our updated I-171H with new fingerprint date only to discover that the names listed at the bottom of the form were not ours! They are not even close. We've notified the USCIS of the error and hopefully they will get the correction done in a timely fashion. They had already sent the error form to the National Visa Center also. So, we are praying that the corrected form is the one that makes it to the U.S. embassy in Guatemala.

We are so thankful that we do have the technology to get some of these matters addressed more quickly than in times past. That is definitely a blessing.

Update: The USCIS corrected the I-171H error in record time. We had our newly updated form within two days of our contacting them with the error. Hurray! I sent a PDF of the form to our facilitator who in turn sent it to our Guatemalan attorney to place in our file there as proof of the updated finger prints in case there is a question later in process at the embassy. We are truly blessed to see all the Lord's work on our behalf.

We're Back In!

Received an email from our facilitator and our file was submitted to PGN today! It most likely will not be viewed until next week as the gov't of Guatemala takes off Wed-Friday for Holy Week, then business as usual beginning Monday. We are very excited none the less.

The file goes through three reviewers. First reviewer makes sure all required documents are in place. Second reviewer checks for misspellings or any inaccurate information. Third reviewer, which is the attorney general gives the file a final look over and then either signs or rejects it. The file can be rejected by any of the reviewers, but the attorney general must sign off regardless of who rejects it.

When a file is approved, then submission for new birth certificates takes place with our last name replacing the existing one. Then it's submission for a U.S. visa and a second DNA is done and compared against the child's last one. Finally, the embassy issues what is called a pink slip and asks us to travel to get the children.

When a file is rejected, the attorney must fix the error and then re-submit the file.

Please pray in the coming weeks that our file is clean and will be approved. We so want our little girls home with us.

Check out my Guestbook!

I've seen this on other blogs and thought it would be fun to add to ours.

An Explanation

We heard from our coordinator yesterday and this is what she said concerning our file's re-entry into PGN:

"The final packet is very complex with an amazing amount of detail; cover page and index to assist in the location of all documents in a correct and predetermined order.... the attorney's are being very fastidious; in your case, it is double the effort and they do not want to give any reason for extra perusal... time better spent now than getting kicked out again and having to face having to update and resubmit......"

She also said they are currently finishing up 28 cases in Guatemala and I know they've had many come to completion in recent weeks. They work with four different attorneys at any one time. It really gives one an appreciation of the work they do for you. I marvel at how they keep everything straight!

Due to the chaotic environment in Guatemala right now for the attorneys, they have been stressed to the limit. Our coordinator said that being the case, that she has set aside one day a week to discuss cases with them... today is that day. Hopefully, there will be some update news on our particular file.

We are so hopeful that the girls may be home by the end of April if all goes without a hitch. We would love to have them home before either has their first birthday :)

SNOW in Texas!

Can you believe it? Snow in the DFW area in March? The kids were so excited to see it. Our 3 1/2 year old had never seen nor touched snow before.

Coming Down During the Night

Some had already melted by 7 a.m. This is our back yard and if you've never seen one, a mesquite tree.
Our soon to be 4 year old's first snow experience. He wasn't sure he wanted any part of it.

Here are our youngest 5. Too bad that it rained so much and made the ground too squishy to really get out and play in it. We got about 2 inches of rain before the snow began late in the evening. But still, a memory made.

It's A Day to Celebrate!

We have Pre-approval on our second little girl! Day 55 from submission to the embassy! Ready to hear when we've been re-submitted to PGN. It's been encouraging as of late to hear that many who've entered PGN a second time are getting quick outs. That said, we're not getting our hopes up, but are thrilled for those other being able to bring their babies home.

There are a few things that have to happen to place the file; all docs have to be up to date; our attorney will be making certain to the best of their abilitiy that the file is “clean” to attempt to give them little reason for an obvious previa (Kick Out). There is no guarantee that it won’t happen anyway(and usually does) but they want to do all that they can to get them to have every reason to approve the file. It most likely will not re-enter this week since it's Thursday.


It was in one of the Guatemalan papers this week that PGN is reviewing those files that have already been viewed once, first, so that is encouraging as well.

Thanks to all for your continued prayers on the girls' and our behalf.

It's Official !

Today we received a copy of the girls' registration form with the CNA stamp. It was fun reading the forms and finding out a bit more about their birth mothers. All the information was typed so it made easy reading for a change that is except for the actual registration numbers which were hand written and difficult to decipher.

FROM JCICS: CA UPDATE

February 14, 2008

The Guatemala National Council for Adoptions ended the registration period for transition adoption cases on February 12, 2008. We are very pleased to report, that close to 3,000 cases were registered under the ‘new’ system. It is also our understanding that the 3,000 registrations include virtually all of the adoptions initiated under the Notarial system.

Joint Council has been informed that an individual adoption case is considered registered provided the aviso filed with the National Council for Adoptions (CNA), has been stamped (with a number) and signed. The CNA is currently developing a database of all registered cases. Once completed, the CNA will provide the database to PGN. It is our understanding that PGN will begin processing cases upon their receipt of the CNA database.

We also have information that approximately 100 cases were not registered with the CNA, according to the revised registration process. The lack of registration for these cases may preclude the completion of these specific adoptions. Any adoption service provider or adoptive parent who did not register their case(s) with the new CNA should contact their Guatemalan attorney immediately.

Another Hoop!

We made the journey down to the USCIS service center this morning to redo the fingerprints. We got there early enough so that we were 2nd and 3rd in line. The good thing is that since it's all computerized, they can tell immediately when the print is good or not and redo them at once. This is our Valentine gift to the girls :)

The Lord Shows His Mercy to Us

Yesterday was a day of good news for the Milton Household. We received our USCIS approval to be re-fingerprinted and extend the validity of the I-171-H.

We also learned that our girls have officially been registered with the CNA. They are not giving out the constancias, but photocopy the submitted forms and stamp them as having been received.

There will be a flood of cases now submitted to PGN to review. The positive thing is that those cases that were not KO'd have continued to be approved at a high rate and thus alleviating some of the congestion. There are still over 2000 cases to be submitted.

There are those of us still awaiting Pre-approval from our own government for Visa that cannot be submitted until that comes.... so we wait still. We are on day 41 of our wait today, but prayerfully continue hoping that God in his mercy will once again move the government officials to quickly give the approval so that these babies can be with their forever family.

Our hope is in the Lord and not in the political systems of this world, for we know that He holds the hearts of kings in his hands and moves them to do His sovereign will. Proverbs 21:1