Folks,
Thank you for being patient. I made another inquiry to the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) yesterday. I called a couple of agencies in Korea two nights ago and they haven't heard anything. But I strongly believe the EPs will be issued soon. If the MOHW restarts the EP process, I am sure the agencies will be the first to hear about it. If I do hear from MOHW, I will certainly let you all know.
Many have written to me saying that they have waited over 15 months, and this experience has been very trying and hard. My heart is with you all. But most of all, my heart goes out to all the children that have waited long and have grown attached to their foster mothers taking care of them, and to separate the children from them when they leave Korea - that will be extremely hard for the children and the foster mothers as well.
That is why it is so important that children come home when they are in their single digit months. Something needs to change in Korea between the government and the agencies to avoid this from happening. There is no reason why a child referred must wait 15 months to go home. This is really not right.
Thansk for the update. Do you have any understanding of why there is still no movement? I just don't understand. I didn't think my heart could be shattered into any smaller pieces. But apparently each week it can be. Praying for next week.
ReplyDeleteI believe the delay is caused by the changes taking place in Korea with the changes in the adoption laws, and the roles and responsibilities of MOHW that need to be defined, and the constant pressure on MOHW to curve intercountry adoption by the general public in Korea. The new adoption law is to go into effect by August of 2012. I plan to share some aspects of this new adoption laws when I get more details.
DeleteThank you! I agree! Our son is a waiting child, and we received his referral in January 2011. He will be 3 in May, and we are expecting that it will likely be late spring or even summer before he comes home. He has been with the same foster family since not long after birth. This is a blessing, but I am saddened by the loss that both the foster mother and our son will feel. He will definitely be old enough to remember and grieve, but not old enough to understand fully what is going on. The longer the wait, the harder it will be. I will be so sad to see his heart break. :( I hope every day to hear news of EP submissions.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right...no child should wait that long to be with their family. It is not right. What can we do about it? I feel so helpless. WE all know something needs to change, but what can we DO to help make that change happen?
ReplyDeleteI believe the introduction of the new adoption laws will change some of the things I talked about. MOHW trying to figure out what their roles and responsibilities is the main reason for the EP delays.
DeleteYou could boycott all Korean products; hit them where it counts to show your displeasure. But it might not do any good or make it worse.
DeleteNah. I'm not boycotting. I love that country and that it is allowing me the opportunity to parent one of their children. I'll be forever grateful. I'm just ready to it to happen!
DeleteAlthough this is "no news", thank you for "your" news today. First thing I did this morning was check my email to see if there were any updates from the agency, as we are now into mid-Feb. No email, but it's nice to hear about your inquiries.
ReplyDeleteI began the adoption process in 2008, originally with China, and then went dual process with Korea because of the 5+ year wait with China. But now that we have actual photos of our little guy in Korea, a face, a real little being, this wait is so much harder than all that time just with China! Hang in there to all the families! I pray for all of you during this trying time!
If MOHW starts issuing EP's.. I think I may be sick.
ReplyDeleteMy apologies. I mis-spoke when I said "If..." It should have been "When the MOHW restarts the EP process,..." How important it is to be careful with words.
DeleteThank you so much for caring about these sweet children. My heart has been so heavy...but I know it will be nothing compared to what my son will feel when he's separated from his amazing foster mother. The day I am looking forward to the most will be the day that will be the hardest for him. My heart breaks knowing that his little heart is about to be broken.
ReplyDeleteI do hope that things will happen soon. I agree that 15 months isn't right. He's waited long enough.
Thank you for continuing to check on the situation and for keeping us posted. We are all so grateful.
My heart breaks when I think about my son's loss .... and of course the foster family's. They have him since short after birth .... It's just not fair for all the involved people!! The anger in me is growing every day ..
ReplyDeleteDear Steve
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for caring!! Did MOHW even answer on your first request?
Yes, they said that it would be mid-February.
DeleteHang in there.
And I think we passed that for 2012 :-)
DeleteWhy on earth doesn't the agencies work harder on this, this is killing the agencies and their good inter-korean work AND costing them a fortune.
Thank you Steve. Please let us know if and how I can make a donation to help you. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteDonation of any amount is appreciated as MPAK is a 501 c(3) nonprofit orananization where your donation is 100% tax deductible. For donations, please send it to and payable to: MPAK
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Thank you very much.
Steve, I truly appreciate the nuggest of information that you have been able to share, as we, like all of the other families are waiting on pins and needles. I am trying very hard not to be pessimistic here, but with each passing day it feels like we are getting pushed off "a few more week", then again a "few more weeks". Back in December we heard rumors that we may not be travelling until the end of March and that seemd unimaginable at the time. Then there were whispers of June. Now to hear that the laws are changing in August, part of me feels like that may be the target date.
ReplyDeleteAs you said with each passing day the children become a little more bonded with their foster families and it will be that much harder on everyone when the transition happens. We will be our son's 5th home in his short life and though each week is harder and harder for the adults in our family, we are acutly and painfully aware of how much harder this is going to be for him.
The 5th home, and the last home. I pray for your son's speedy arrival.
DeleteThank you for posting your update. It's nice to hear that someone has information. I find it frustrating that it's so hard to get "official" news.
ReplyDeleteI just want all of these children home with their families ASAP! :)
For a long time people have been asking us how we keep it together during such a long wait and it's been easy to say, "That's our son, we'd wait years for him if we had to". But that doesn't change the anger in my heart that this situation is hurting HIM and the terrible feeling that I can't do anything about it. I will never understand why my son is being punished because I live in a different country, that's not his fault.
ReplyDeleteThank you again for your efforts, Steve.
It breaks my heart to think about the days when my son will ask me to tell him about the first time he walked, or crawled, or the first word he said. I might "know" the facts, I might not, but I won't be able to be his link to those important experiences. I am so grateful for Korea for giving us the opportunity to raise our special little boy. And I understand that they, like us, have political issues and factions that take on a life of their own. I just wish that everyone could put the children first--and get those children who have families who love them and who are waiting for them home. Nothing is gained by leaving them in Korea right now.
DeleteThank you for interceeding on behalf of the waiting children and their families. Our agency is great about passing on information they get from Eastern, but there just hasn't been any information given in a while- so we are grateful for anything you share in the gap. Our child is also near that 15 month mark- and I doubt we will even be in the first batch. While I respect and appreciate the changes the MOHW is trying to implement, I do wonder at the methods of implementation. Making the children wait so long after being matched is putting a greater strain financially on the agencies, and I assume it's harder for foster parents to commit to such long time-frames. I agree with the people that say that the government needs to be pushing domestic adoption, as well as creating good programs to enable birth mothers to raise their children if they are able. However, that doesn't change the situation for the babies and children who have already been relinquished for adoption, and who wait in limbo to be united with families. I know the government is trying to catch-up right now, but it seems like they are falling further behind in the process. We continue to pray and look hopefully toward the future when our child will be united with us.
ReplyDeleteYes, thank you Steve, our agency hasn't been able to give us any info. We accepted our son's referral when he was 5 months old. He is now 18 months old, and there are at least 3 months of referrals ahead of us as we are with ESWS. I am so frustrated to think of all the challenges he will needlessly face as a result f this hold up. It seems to me that a government concerned with their public image and who states that they have a high concern for the well being of their children would allow the children who are already matched to come home as quickly as possible. Put the new laws in place for children who are matched after they take effect.
ReplyDeleteI second (or third or fourth :-)) the thanks that others have shared for what you do for us. Any idea if the Ministry will speed up the process given their self-imposed delays?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all of your hard work, insight, and advocacy.
ReplyDeleteWhen the ministry starts processing EP's again do you think they will move quickly in an effort to get the children home? By this times last year the ministry had already allowed for 5 submissions - is this a realistic hope for this year as well?
I am curious about this question too. Our agency said once the EP is processed it can take 2 to 6 weeks to travel.
DeleteWe were matched December 2010 and I had my mind set on October 2011 then February 2012 and it is looking more and more like March/April. I recently discovered this blog and I can't tell you how much I appreciate all you do. I too am very frustrated and while I understand that laws are being made at least let the kids who have been referred come home. I don't understand Steve what the benefit of referred children being held up? They are only hurting the children. I was really strong for awhile but as the time lapses I feel heart broken and sadness. Sometimes I get nervous he will never come home. I understand Koreans wanting to build their culture but even with all measures taken there are still children who need a home. I just wish they could see our faces and know how much we are wanting our children.
ReplyDeleteOnce again thank you from the bottom of my heart!
We are in the exact same situation...December 2010 referral, originally expected to travel in October 2011, and now just waiting. This site has been a godsend as I learn far more from here than from our agency. Thanks, Steve, for all that you do.
DeleteMany thanks for keeping us up to date. This is my first response , but happend upon your blog a few weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteInformation is power. And every bit of info you post is very helpful spiritually and emotionally. Although, ironically I feel absolutely powerless in an objective sense. It is a mind game.
Once again thanks for your efforts. Does the Korean Ministry know what we signed up for and realize the cheese keeps moving ? How do they feel about these kids that guranteed a harder and more painful transition as they age?
Not sure how they justify orchestrating this wait. I understand they should encourage domestic adoption and it is their choice if they want to eliminate future International adoption; but why hurt these babies that already have a home and parent's that are waiting ?
Thank you for the update. We are all so thankful for your efforts and the information that is invaluable to us all. We are looking forward to hearing an update soon as we are anxiously awaiting good news!
ReplyDelete