Benjamin's First Year Gottcha Day

Last night our family celebrated Benjamin's first year with our family.

The year-long journey with Benjamin was very challenging at times, but very rewarding as well.
A boy who had absolutely no interest in school while an orphan in Korea, was a total failure in the 7th grade in his middle school in Korea according to school record. When I first saw his 7th grade report card from Korea, I was speechless when I saw 4 F's, 2 D's, and one C.  He had totally given up on his study.

I am happy to report that through lots of guidance and encouragement and thanks to great teachers at the school, Benjamin is now getting all A's and B's.  When he first started the school, I spent many hours working with him on his homeworks, but nowadays, he does it pretty much by himself.  He is a real smart kid that was waiting to be discovered.  I think he is going make something of himself.

He had a very lofty expectation of our family when he first came a year ago.  He had heard about me in Korea through various media and other channels, a Dad who works in the space industry, and a strong adoption advocate, and thought that we would be living in a very large house with lots of rooms and that we would drive fancy cars, and that we would pamper him with lots of clothes and other gadgets like a personal computer and an iPhone.

Well, he had a big let down once he found out how modest we are with our house, cars, and other spendings.  The fact that he had to share a room with his brother, the fact that he had to use a shared computer, and of course no iPhone.  Even to this day, despite my busy schedule, I do not own an iPhone and nobody in my family has that luxury.  It isn't that we couldn't afford.  It's just that we try to go by what is necessary for us.

At one time Benjamin expressed his regret coming to our house.  This was a shocker for me as I thought an orphan would welcome any home that would take him, at least that was the way it was when I was an orphan long time ago.  I also thought that he would be grateful at his new opportunity, but that was furthest from his heart as all he can think of was that he didn't get what he had long wanted and fantasized in Korea.  So I concluded then that the orphans of nowadays are quite different from my generation as they have never lived in the streets, gone hungry or cold, or persecuted for being an orphan like I went through.  Instead, the orphans in Korea are well fed and well taken care of, but they still starve for the chance to grow up in loving homes.

It would take pages and pages to write all the things that had happened during Benjamin's first year with us.  But through the grace of God, with much prayers, and through much dialogues and encouragements, and forbearance (a lot was needed), Benjamin has come a long way in accepting us as his family, and that goes for my four other children as well.  They are still adjusting to Benjamin, and him to them.  We still have a long ways to go, but we are on the way of becoming one as a family.

Happy 1st year Gottcha Day, Benjamin.  We love you and pray that you will continue to discover, learn and to prepare yourself for excellence in the service that only God know where He will take you.

From left:  Joseph, Benjamin, Jane (top), Helen, and Kay



You are Invited - The Global Orphan Care Conference

Friends,

 

You are invited to a special event at the Saddleback Church to an event that gives Hope for Orphans.

This is open to all whether you are of Korean heritage or not.

 

MPAK has joined hands with Hope for Orphans, Saddleback Church, CMF Ministries, and other organizations to dedicate a day to be a voice for homeless children not only in Korea but for millions of orphans in the world.

 

Event:  Hope for Orphans Institute Presents:  The Global Orphan Care Revival & the Korean Church

Date:  Tuesday, May 1, 2012, 9AM - 5PM

Place:  Saddleback Church, Refinery Center Auditorium
Address:  1 Saddleback Parkway, Lake Forest, California

 

Come and hear the messages (bilingual provided) and testimonies from:

 

Rev. Rick Warren (Saddleback Church)

Rev. Choi, Hong-jun (Busan Hosannah Church)

Paul & Robin Pennington (Hope for Orphans)

Rev. Jim Bob Park (OMC Church)

Rev. Eddie Byun (Seoul Onnuri Church EM)

Ms. Elizabeth Styfee (The Peace Plan)

Steve Morrison (MPAK)

 

The registration fee is $30, but if you register online at http://www.hfoinstitute.org/index.html, and used the code word 'mpak' then it will only cost $15.

For those of you who are more comfortable with Korean, please visit  http://www.hopefororphanskorea.org/.

 

There will be a nursery to baby sit, and Saddleback has arranged to provide this service from 9AM - 1PM for $30 per child.  I know this is pretty hefty, but it has been discounted from $50. I am told that Saddleback will subsidize $20 to help out with the care, and all the people in the nursery have been security and finger print checked and safe.  If this is hard for you economically, I would recommend that you bring your child anyway and stay with him/her during the conference.

 

Why this conference is so important?

Korean churches pride in their accomplishments over growth and expansion during the last 100 years of history, and prides in being the 2nd largest missionary sending nation in the world after the US. This is something we can be really be thankful for.

 

However, along the way the churches have forgotten the true meaning of Christ's compassion and love towards homeless children.  As the Scripture points out in Jame 1:27 that "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

 

The Conference's objective is to plant this vision of Orphan Care into Korean churches, because the needs of children are so great.  Whether through sponsorship, orphan visits, fundraising, short term missions, and most importantly through adoption, we need to come together to give support to this conference, and to give hope for many homeless children. And that the Korean churches will wake up and respond to the needs of the children.

 

The conference is on Tuesday, May 1st, and that will be hard on many of you that need to work.  But as for me, I will be taking a vacation to attend the conference.  Please join me and many others and give Hope for Orphans.

 

Thank you, and hope to see many of you on May 1st.

 

Steve Morrison

562-505-0695

 

 

EP Update - Some Answers to Many Questions

Folks,

Many of you have commented with questions on the EP process.  A typical example would be why one agency's EP batch has been submitted and the others have not.

The Ministry is now in the process of accepting March/April EP submissions from each adoption agencies.  It appears that the Ministry contacts one agency at a time giving them permission to submit the EP applications.  I believe this is the reason why there is confusion as to why one agency is going through the process while another agency has not been given the go ahead with the EP submissions.

Also, the Ministry is now taking around four weeks to review, process, and approve the EPs as they have to deal with some transitional issues brought up by the new adoption laws that will be implemented this coming August.  In addition to the roles played by the Ministry, the family court now comes into the equation, as they will get involved with some decision making process to qualify the adoptive families. 

The whole thing is still in a flux and nothing definite has been established yet, and I believe that is one of the reasons why it takes longer to review and process and approve the EPs by the staff at the Ministry as they are working with new procedures and forms and other changes.

I am sure this will introduce more questions by some of you, but at least this posting offers some answers to many questions that have been asked.

Thanks for all the great comments and questions.
Let the children come home without further delays.

Steve Morrison

 

More EPs Approved

I got this happy news from an agency in Korea.  The EPs got approved just a few hours ago in Korea (as of current time of posting this Mon, 3/26/12 7AM).  I know some of the EPs got approved earlier for other agencies.  Here is the content of the mail:

"Happy News to share with you and all the too much anxious families!
Finally, the long-awaited EPs have been issued as of late afternoon today.  ..."

Some EPs Are Approved - and Others Still Being Approved

Thanks to the feedbacks received by some who left the comments in my blog, it appears that some have been approved already.  Congratulations!

I made a call to an agency in Korea and they haven't heard anything from MOHW.  It appears to me that MOHW is reviewing and approving the stacks of files one agency at a time.  So if you haven't heard anything from your agency, just hang on. You will hear the good news soon. 

My prediction is that by next week's end all the first batches of EPs will be approved.  I am told that MOHW received all the EPs from January and February of 2012, and my guess is that by early April both March and April batches will be sumitted.

So if you have gotten the news that your EP has been approved, a hearty congratulations!

If you haven't heard the news, just hang on as they are still being approved. 
I congratulate all of you ahead of time!

Steve Morrison

Adoption Law Revision Draws Fire

An interesting article that deals with the impact of the new adoption laws.

This article is from The Korea Herald, posted 3-18-12.

The link is at:  http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20120318000381

 

Adoption Law Revision Draws Fire

 

A government plan to prevent birth mothers from giving up their babies for adoption too quickly may cause such women greater distress, experts say.

They say that the measures could cause greater distress to mothers by allowing them time to get attached to their babies. They also fear the emergence of a black market for adoption as the government makes it increasingly difficult to place babies for adoption.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced its revised adoption law on March 9, under which adoption will be allowed after seven days have passed since birth.

During those seven days, the mother will receive mandatory counseling on available parenting support.

The plan also requires adoption agencies to spend five month seeking a domestic adoption before looking overseas.

Adoption agencies will also be required to check aspiring adoptive families’ criminal records, particularly for child abuse or sexual violence. Adoptive parents will have to complete mandatory education on parenting before adopting, while city and district offices will no longer be able to grant adoptions with just the relevant documents. Adoption will first be permitted by the family courts.

The ministry plans to complete the legislation procedures to enforce the measures in August.

Officials said the plan is aimed at keeping children with their biological mothers where possible, and to encourage adoption in Korea rather than abroad.

“Our priority in revising the adoption law is guaranteeing a friendly environment for children. Their rights will be respected under the revisions,” said Lee Kyung-eun, a ministry official. 

However, others called the provision requiring birth mothers to keep babies for seven days after birth cruel.

“It is generally understood that mothers decide whether or not to keep the baby before labor. So, the planned revision will just add to the distress,” a social worker at an organization for single mothers said.

She said poor single mothers stay in the hospital or a maternity center for an average of three days after natural childbirth, before placing their baby for adoption. When their normal life resumes, at least on the surface, they pretend as if the birth never happened.

“Birth mothers will likely feel more of a sense of guilt about adoption, because of the seven-day mandatory deliberation, which may complicate the adoption process. Under the new system, if legislated, we may see a gloomy scenario of mothers just abandoning their babies after birth and disappearing,” she said.

Another social worker at a different organization said that the clause requiring family courts to approve adoption could create a black market for adoption.

In Korea, more than 70 percent of domestic adoptions are kept private and secret to the adopted child.

“Going to the court means that adoption becomes a public matter which will undergo all the legal steps. Then, adoptive parents will find it difficult to keep their adoption private and secret. They would rather look for single moms who are willing to put their babies for adoption out of the court,” she said.

“The court permission system is likely to make adoption public. Considering that the public still prefer keeping adoption secret, the plan is premature and stressful for those involved.”

Some social workers said they had pointed out possible problems to the authorities but their concerns were dismissed.

Government officials, however, stress that their plan to make adoption harder is focused on the child and that mothers should have a greater sense of responsibility.

They also said that many single mothers tend to make the life time decision right after birth without giving any thought to motherhood.

“Rep. Choi Young-hee of the Democratic United Party, who initiated the revision, called for a 30-day deliberation but we have reduced it to a week,” said Kim Mi-kyung, a ministry official.

Other countries have such a deliberation period. It is 24-72 hours in the U.S. and up to six weeks in the U.K.

“We are aware of the criticism. Let’s focus on the babies. Keeping them with their birth mothers is definitely best for newborns,” Kim said.

By Bae Ji-sook

Being a Voice for Voiceless Children

Folks,

If you are an adoptee, and if you have adopted children that can talk, or even make a sound, please make a short video and share it online.  Please share the blessings you have received through adoption.  Your voice is needed to change the hearts and minds of the Korean authorities and those against intercountry adoption to allow all the homeless children in Korea to have homes of their own, whether they be domestic or intercountry. 

Past several years there have been so many negative presses regarding intercountry adoption in Korea and we need to show that a few negative voices do not represent the great majority of adoptees that have done well.  Just as the children that have lived with their biological parents can have some misgivings regarding their biological families, adoptees are no exemptions. 

Please visit the Voice of Love website at:  http://voiceoflove.org/
In it you will find the instruction on how to upload a video.  You can take a short video using a digital camera or be more professional like some have chosen to do.  But it really doesn't matter how well the videos are done.  It's the message that is important.

We're up to 11 videos now, and this is far fewer than I had hoped. If you get the chance, it would be fantastic if you could make a short video of your child and share your experience.  The video deadline is March 30th, but I think the Voice of Love will accept late submissions. 

Here's the growing playlist of Voice of Love submissions at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCD8A17AC1C843F9F.  We would love to include yours. 

It is all about being a voice for those children that don't.