Hong Kong Adoption Blog

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As a member organization of JCICS (Joint Council on International Children's Services, BCS would like to share JCICS hosted webinars for prospective adoptive families, adoptive families, adoptees and adoption professionals.  Joint Council has gathered some of the most renowned adoption experts who will present various adoption related topics in a webinar education series.  Click here for a link to the JCICS Webinar series schedule.

Webinars will occur on the first Tuesday and the first Thursday of each month at 7 PM EST for the remainder of 2009.  Registration has begun and participants will gain access through submitting a fee of $10 per webinar. What a great opportunity to hear directly from adoption experts and to pose questions to these experienced professionals.  For more information go to http://www.jcics.org/Webinar.htm.

Posted by Alison M. Adema At 10:16:04 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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One family is in Hong Kong picking up their daughter and two family's dossiers were sent to Hong Kong this week.  Also, one family will travel in mid-June.  

The process after Matching Approval has been running smoothly, despite some changes earlier this year due to the implementation of the Hague.  At Matching Approval, families will file their I800 petition.  The NBC has been taking about 1-2 weeks to approve this petition and cable the provisional approval to the US Consulate in Hong Kong.  After processing at the Consulate, the case is submitted for the "Article 5 letter".  The issuance of the Article 5 has been taking about 7-10 days.  The High Court Order (HCO) can be applied for at the Hong Kong court after the Article 5 letter is obtained.  The court process to obtain the HCO remains about 5-8 weeks, but shortly thereafter families can travel.  We're happy to see this part of the process moving smoothly!!.

Posted by Alison M. Adema At 03:07:40 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

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Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated in May to commemorate the contributions of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in the United States. This date was chosen because two important anniversaries occurred during this time: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in America on May 7, 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad (by many Chinese laborers) on May 10, 1869.

Check out this website: http://asianpacificheritage.gov/

Posted by Alison M. Adema At 08:41:47 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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Thank you go Bethany's China Team for sharing this post...

This year, Mother's Day is Sunday, May 10th... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOTHER'S AND ALL MOTHER'S-TO-BE!

..... although not officially on the calendar as a holiday, did you know the Saturday before Mother's Day is celebrated among the adoption community as "Birth-Mother's Day?"

A "BirthMother/First Mother" is the name given to a woman who conceives and biologically gives birth to a child who is relinquished or placed for adoption.

The adoption constellation involves many people (extended family, support, etc), but the triad consists of three points.  The three-points of the triad are: the child, the Adoptive Mother (or Adoptive Family) and the BirthMother (or BirthFamily), in no particular order.  Without one of these "points" the triad would not exist.  The relationship among the three sides is inter-related and inter-dependent.  All three sides of the triangle are of equal length.  All three should be celebrated equally!  Many Christians believe that as we are all God's adopted children, this adoption triad metaphor reflects the Trinity of our Father.

What are some ways that we as adoptive families can honor our child's BirthMother?  Internationally adopted children with little to no information about their BirthFamily oftentimes "fantasize" about where they come from and who their BirthFamily is.  In adoptive families that openly discuss the child's birth-country, BirthParents, and birth-culture, the children as adults report having a more positive self-esteem and self-worth.  Some parents encourage their children to write a letter to their BirthMom/BirthDad on these special days or even their own birthdays.  What is most important to remember is that each child has their own feelings about their BirthParents.  As Adoptive Parents, the best we can do is provide a safe and open place for discussion.

Different ways to "honor" or "celebrate" birthparents:
-Light a candle on special days.
-Say a prayer for them.
-Make a special page in the child's Lifebook to celebrate the BirthParent(s).
-Write a letter to your child's BirthParent(s) and put it aside to share with your child later.
-Write a letter/make a card jointly with your child for the BirthParent(s).
-Read age appropriate books together.
-Talk about what the BirthParents may look like.
-Celebrate unique talents that the child may have... and attribute them to the BirthParent(s).

Some adoptive families may not be comfortable talking about the child's BirthFamily or adoption.  Your child will perceive this level of being uncomfortable and may learn to be ashamed or fearful of the discussion.  In order to build a healthy relationship that is based on trust, it is important to be open with your child about their adoption.  If these discussions are open and supported from the beginning, your child will grow to learn that their adoption is celebrated, not hidden.  Your child will be proud to be adopted and will be able to honor their BirthParent's with Thanksgiving!

The book I Wish for You a Beautiful Life (Yeong & Yeong Book Company; ISBN 0-9638472-3-6) is a compilation of letters from Korean BirthMother's to their relinquished children.  Each letter is very unique and provides a glimpse of the different cultures and emotions that this choice has created, related to separation and detachment that a BirthMother may experience and/or express in writing.

As a Mother (whether through birth or adoption) of a child... whether your child is with you, with God, living in oveseas or yet to be born... Bethany Christian Services  wish you a warm and loving "Happy Mother's Day."  We also keep in prayer the BirthMother's that give Life to these precious children and love them enough to want for them, what they cannot provide.  These women too, should be celebrated, honored, and given Thanksgiving.  Their struggles and choices are immeasurable and we may never know them, but we do know them in our hearts.  We pray that they are safe, loved and at Peace.  

*In this Blog Post, we use the term "BirthMother" to refer to the woman who conceived and birthed the child whom was then adopted.  There are other terms such as: "First Mother" or "Biological Mother" or "Genetic Mother" to name a few.  The PC world of language and adoption is sensitive and we mean no offense to any particular term mentioned or not mentioned

Posted by Alison M. Adema At 12:12:07 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

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It seems appropriate to link you to this article regarding children with special needs.  Hong Kong is a program, where all the kids are waiting and many have significant special needs.  BCS staff person Sarah Zuidema talks about special needs adoption in this article on Mission Network News

Posted by Alison M. Adema At 10:24:43 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

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Our second family this month is traveling to Hong Kong to meet their child.  We're thrilled to see this progress after some delays in processing due to the New I800 procedures stemming from the Hague.  Praise God for his blessings to children and their families!

Posted by Alison M. Adema At 03:16:56 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

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There are approximately 143 million orphans in the world today.
Many children are older, or a sibling group. Some children have medical, physical or developmental challenges.
We aren't asking you to help 143 million orphans, but you can make a difference by being a Bethany Prayer Warrior.

Prayer Warriors will receive pictures and information of children waiting through Bethany.

We ask that you pray for the children.
Pray for families who are willing to accept the children with special needs into their hearts and homes.
Pray for those who will never be adopted. May someone come into their life and love and care for them.
 
Each of us is part of the Body of Christ. It is He in us that is more than able to make a difference.

If you want to be added to the Prayer Warrior group and receive emails about waiting children, please send an email to:
jvandyke@bethany.org

Posted by Alison M. Adema At 08:23:20 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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Due to the processing of the first I800 cases, some families in the Hong Kong program have experienced an extended time frame in the issuance of their child's visa.  We're happy to say that our first I800 case has been fully processed, and the family is leaving for Hong Kong next week to pick up their child.  God is Good - All the Time!  We all continue to familiarize ourselves with the new Consulate procedures in this programs.  We hope and pray that quicker processing will soon be evident.

Posted by Alison M. Adema At 12:16:21 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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We have two families who's cases are at the end of processing - both with approved I800 petitions.  Before these families can travel, we are currently waiting for the Consulate to complete the visa issuance process for these families.  To note, these are the first I800's being processed for Bethany families, and possibly in Hong Kong in general.  

We've only experienced two new "issues" so far.  The first was noted in the previous blog posting about TB testing for children over age 2.  The second is that the "Affidavit of Vaccination" does not necessarily keep children from receiving vaccinations at the visa medical appointment.  We'll keep you posted on any additional procedures or issues that may come up with the I800 process in Hong Kong.

Posted by Alison M. Adema At 12:41:41 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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Hong Kong celebrates Chinese New Year this coming weekend and next week.  For one perspective on the holiday, click here.  There are some good links within this article as well.  Welcome Year of the Ox!

Also, news from the Consulate in Hong Kong - all US visa applicants who are between 2 and 14 years old are now required to have a TB skin test.  If the skin test result is positive, then the child needs to have a chest x-ray.  The cost for the TB skin test is HK $300 (Aprx $40 USD).  At this time the country fee will remain the same.

Posted by Alison M. Adema At 10:32:18 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)