A Call To Action!!!!

We need your help!

***NOT asking for $$ and
kind of long, but PLEASE READ***

Dear Family and Friends,

As many of you know, Matt and I have been pursuing adoption of a little boy from Guatemala. His name is John Clayton and he is 7 months old now. We started this process In February 2007, going through considerable hoops, such as an extensive homestudy, police and FBI background checks and fingerprints, much, much paperwork, lots of documents that had to be notarized, certified at the State level and authenticated at the Guatemalan consulate in Chicago and Atlanta. I don't want to make this too long, because even if I did, it wouldn't convey in writing how long and how many requirements on our part it took to even qualify as adopting parents. The whole process has been long, very stressful and right now is very painful.

We got a referral for a 4 month old baby boy on June 27, 2007. We fell in love instantly, and from that day he was "our son".

We sent a Power of Attorney to Guatemala for an attorney to work on our behalf. Because Guatemala has NO INFRASTRUCTURE to take care of unwanted children, the mothers who chose an adoption relinquish their children to the attorney, who places the child in a private foster care (in most cases excellent care) or private orphanages (also very well run). The attorney then refers the child to an agency in the U.S. who works with prospective adoptive parents (PAPs), like us, and refers the child to them. From then on the foster or orphanage care for the child is paid by the PAPs who accepted their referral until the adoption is finalized.

The process takes many steps: U.S. Embassy issues DNA authorization - the birthmother (birthmom) and the baby have to meet at the Dr's office for a DNA test. A picture of the two of them is taken at that time (remember, this is several months after the birthmom relinquished the baby). The mother is also interviewed at that time by a Guatemalan Family Court social worker who then writes and submits a report concerning whether her relinquishment of her baby is voluntary and not coerced. The test sample is sent to a lab in the U.S. Results are sent back to the Embassy. If DNA testing shows a match, the U.S. Embassy issues a Pre-approval (PA). They took 43 days to issue it for us. Then the case goes to the Guatemala Attorney General's Office (PGN) for their approval of the case. According to Guatemala law, this is supposed to take 3 days. No case has been out of PGN in less than 2 months, some have been stuck there for 6-12 months. They scrutinize everything, and if there is a typo, they kick the file out, it has to get fixed and run through their mill again. Another 2, 3, or 4 months. Right now we are waiting on the social workers report and to enter into PGN and praying we don't get a kick out.




After out of PGN, a new birth certificate with our names as parents has to be issued by the Civil Registry in the place the child was born. Recently, the wait in "our" municipality ranges from 1 week to 4 weeks. Then the baby's passport is issued. U.S. Embassy authorizes a 2nd DNA test on the baby alone (ensuring no baby switching took place), and if the match is positive, visa appointment is scheduled and PAPs can bring their child to the U.S.
Throughout the process, the birthmom has to sign-off the adoption 4 times (the final time is after out of PGN). Some birthmom have changed their mind during that time and taken their children back.



Actually, NOW it gets WORSE.
The situation is very complicated for me to explain in detail here, but you can gain insight by reading the links below.
There are huge political battles within Guatemala. To boil it down - Guatemala wants to shut down Intercountry adoptions. UNICEF is dangling several millions of $$ in front of the lame duck President Berger. He gets the money, if Guatemala gets "Hague compliant", which will effectively shut down adoptions. The President said few days ago, that not even cases in process (like ours) would be grandfathered in after January 1st 2008. So, if we don't get out of PGN very, very soon, we won't make it! Remember, there is NO WELFARE SYSTEM, NO INFRASTRUCTURE in Guatemala today. So what is going to happen to these children? The President didn't say. (More explanation is in the included links below)

We have visited our baby once and will be going for another visit Oct 14-18. The thought of not being able to bring Clay home is more than devastating. It is absolutely unbearable.
I am including a few pictures, so that you can "put his beautiful face to this".

So here is how you can help. Please sign the online petitions and follow the instruction of the Guatemala5000 initiative (http://jcics.org/Guatemala5000.htm )
We need to put pressure on the politicians. The Guatemala government is always asking U.S. for money, and the U.S. government should be able to put some pressure on them at least to let in-process cases finish! There is strength in numbers.
I understand, you might feel you don't know enough to put your name on this. I am including links, where you can read more to understand it better.
Also, please don't let the bad media reports influence you. All they do is put out sensationalistic stories that will give them good ratings. Last week's NPR story had a UNICEF rep say that there are no requirements to adopt a baby from Guatemala other than having $25K-$40K. As you can tell from our experience above, he is LYING!!!!!


here are the links to the petitions:

http://www.petitiononline.com/41203gm/petition.html

http://www.petitiononline.com/foafoa1/petition.html


Link to the Joint Council on International Children Services with "how you can help" THIS IS THE IMPORTANT ONE TO DO!!!!!!
http://jcics.org/Guatemala5000.htm


LInks to "Families without borders" with explanation of UNICEF's stance (very good, especially the second link to the sponsor letter, where it is very well explained why UNICEF is being so harmful):

http://www.familieswithoutborders.com/

http://www.familieswithoutborders.com/FinalCampaignLetter.htm

READ THIS ONE, EXCELLENT INFO!!!!!!!!
Please help us and thousands of others in the same boat to bring our children home! Our children have nowhere else to go, but get stuck in a non-existing welfare system by a dysfunctional and corrupt government!


Thank you for your help. This is the only thing we can do.



Matt and Carolyn













This is not to scare anyone. We are going by faith that we will bring our child home and the actions that President Berger is saying has not been acted on. This is something that can happen and by responding to our call for help you can help us keep this from happening. These are only a few things being put into action. Our agency has asked us to take special consideration of responding to the Guatemala 5000 project if no other. Please help us bring our child home. If for any reason you do not feel comfortable helping us in this manner please pray (even if you do help in this manner) continuously on the days of the Guatemala 5000 and October 1st and January 1st as not everyone and that could be us will have their adoption completed. Thank you for your prayers and support of our journey to bring our son home.

We have it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What do we have??? We have PA!!!!!!!!!!

Well, y'all, I have been checking for PA everyday this week and while we were at lunch, yes at lunch and nowhere near the computer we got it!! How did we know, you ask? Our agency gets the same email from the US Embassy in Guatemala as we and our attorney does and when I didnt respond right back to her email, Carol called. Matt was sitting next to me and needless to say we were ecstatic, cloud one million and started calling everyone we could think of. When we got home first thing we did was look for the email from the US Embassy that stated we had it and when we found it it was just a simple statement we had it. So simple for something so fantastic and exciting. Now what, you ask? When do you bring your baby home? Well, first we haven't heard we are out of Family Court(FC), yet. Usually you get out of FC before getting PA (well not all the time but sometime) and until we have that we cant enter into PGN. What is FC? FC is the birthmother's homestudy and the report that her social worker will send out and is one of the necessary documents necessary to enter PGN. Next, when will we bring our baby home? Well, we are ALOT closer. We have to go through and get signed out of PGN before we can give any idea of when we will bring our baby home. PGN is affectionately termed the "black hole" of PGN as we never know when we will get out once we get in. Depends on if there are any previos (kick outs or KO). So still the answer to when we dont know when. We are praying and hoping!!!

Please continue to pray that we will be out of PGN by December 31, 2008. We are praying for our miracle and this would be our miracle.

I told that to a co-worker of Matt's today and she said that we should be praying for a miracle of being out of PGN by December 1,2008. That would be so awesome!!!! I really wish that could be the case. Do I dare ask for that miracle? I dont know if I can. I would be heartbroken if God said not yet, or no to that date and then my mind takes over and says it isnt possible. Remember, all those delays in the beginning. Well, I am still not sure if I want to ask that, but when I can spend some time with HIM in that decision I will post here. It would take all of you praying with us for that to happen as alot of things are happening politically in and between Guatemala and the US Govt pertaining to adoptions now in process which includes us. So, please in the next week or less please be praying about the decision to help us bring our son home. Not just our son but everyone's child home that is now in the process and there are thousands.

For all my friends and family and everyone reading this site please be praying about helping us all and we need the prayers for strength to get through it all, the wait, the ups and downs of PGN and everything else.

We go to visit our son again on October 14-18th and in order to afford this we need to fly standby. Matt's benefits will allow us to fly standby and visit once again. Flying standby means that we get a ticket without an assigned seat and then after everyone else has boarded if there are seats available the agent will clear standby passengers in order of priority. Matt works for US Airways Express and we are flying US Airways so all US Airways employees and family will have priority ahead of us. I miss my son terribly and looking forward to it. Please pray that we will have a seat on the trip there as well as trip back as US Airways flies only on Sundays, Tues, and Thurs to Guatemala and if not on the first flight we wont be going. For the trip back we need to be on it as Matt needs to be at work the next night. God is in control and He knows best so please pray with us.

Today is a great day!!!! Now, to get out of FC and into PGN. Thank you all.

What's Happening??????

Alot of people have been waiting on PA including us and last time I wrote they were at a standstill, but as of Monday they have been coming in pretty quickly, well from what I can see on the message boards. We have seen some PA's come in at 35 days and I am hoping it could be us also. Well, that is just a little of what we are hoping for. The sooner the better as we see it. Please continue praying for our miracle being we will exit PGN by Dec 31, 2008, Lord Willing.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings. Also, Please be praying for all other families as we continue on this rollercoaster ride to bringing our children home.

Matt's Birthday and this................

What is this you ask??? It is the 7 month updates for our son. Inside this update we learned that he is now 17lbs and 28.7 inches long. He isn't wearing his glasses, but since my Dad has told me what he will do for my Birthday present and Matt's, too, we will be able to see our son and visit him once again and at that time we will be able to see him with his glasses and get pictures to post. My Dad is going to pay for the hotel stay in Guatemala. So we have planned to go Oct 14-18.

Now back to Clay. He gave his daddy a really special birthday gift in his pictures. As of his updated pictures he is now............ Sitting up on his own!!!!!!!!! Next month we will see what happens, but for now we are hanging on to the pictures and getting ready for our visit trip.

Eye Specialist Update

We found out today that Clay saw the specialist. This is what was said about the results of that visit. Here is the report from the doctor, he has a desviation of one eye that will be corrected with eyeglass that he is already wearing, he will have another examination in two months to see how he is correcting it. Along with this report we have the actual reports to take to a doctor here to review. I will do this as soon as can get back home as I am in GA for a few weeks. I wish I could see pictures of him in his glasses. It is ok, though, we will probably have those on our next update. As much as he liked my glasses on last visit trip it must be really hard to keep them om him when they are so close. (((SMILE))) I will find out soon enough.