the MA diaries

visa update: one step closer!

a mere 13 months and 16 days after we began the immigrant visa process, we have finally completed the application!!  it’s almost surreal - can this really be true??  this is the first real progress we have had in our case ever since the NVC picked up our case again in November of last year.  it is nothing short of a miracle.

now we just have to wait for Montreal to give us an interview date.  the agent on the phone today said that they schedule interviews the second week of each month, but July is already full.  so please pray that we can get a date for August!!

Derek and Ethan are getting ready to come back to Vancouver for a visit tomorrow, and we are planning for them to stay for awhile.  i don’t think i can bear being apart from them again.  just in time for the long weekend, we also have several friends visiting from Hong Kong.  this is going to be an epic weekend!!

THANK YOU so much to all those who prayed for us, sent us messages of encouragement, gave us financial support, fed us, lent me their car and wrote letters for us!!!  we cannot express our gratitude and love enough.  so we pray that the Lord will bless you in ways that you never even expect, and that there will be breakthrough in your life in whatever way you are needing God.  we love you guys!!!

visa update: we need your help!!

Dear friends,

I have been on the phone with the National Visa Center (NVC) several times over the last 2 weeks.  While they have finally corrected my canadian address and given me a new corresponding case number (only 11 months after I transferred the case), they have denied my requested for the case to be expedited.

this is where we need your help.  they said that i can make the request again, and i have been told that it helps to have letters from family & friends testifying why we need it.  so if you can, please help us by writing a letter of support and email it to me (ma.tsang.janice@gmail.com).  thank you so much!!  the letter should include the following:

in the subject heading:  MTL2011667027 ATTN: PI Supervisor Sue;

in the email:

name of petitioner:  Derek Po Cheung Ma (Oct. 6, 1979)

name of beneficiary:  Janice Yuen-Yi Tsang (Dec. 30, 1974)

your relationship to us & reason for your letter (support for this case to be expedited);

that the delay in the visa process and now the separation of our family has proved to be an extremely difficult time.  

explain how difficult it is for Derek to be looking after our son by himself without any respite (with few friends and no family nearby) and how much our son misses his mother etc…  you can also mention how this has become an extreme financial burden because Derek is not able to work as he had planned to this summer.

you can email me the letter and I will forward it along to the NVC along with all the letters I receive.  If you can, please send it to me by the end of the week so that I can get back to them quickly.  thank you again & keep praying!!!  we love you all xx

F.A.Q. Regarding Derek, Janice & Ethan’s situation

i have decided to write and FAQ (frequently asked questions) because, well, we get the same questions a lot.  Hopefully this will update everyone where we’re at, but also how and what to pray for.  This is right at the end of the post, so make sure to read all the way to the end!  Also, many people asked for our bank details.  These are also included at the end.  thanks for reading this and I hope this answers your questions!

What the heck happened?

Janice was flagged at the border while we were returning to the States.  She could have had her visa application revoked and been bared from the States for 5 years, but that didn’t happen.  Janice was then ordered to stay out of the States until the visa is done. 

After careful consideration, Derek and Ethan decided to return to the States for personal, financial and stability issues.  Janice will stay in Canada until the visa is sorted.

How did Ethan take leaving mommy behind?

Ethan was very strong.  Yesterday (June 11), Derek and Ethan drove back to Portland.  We feared that Ethan would melt down and really struggle, however he did not.  He did not cry and was even able to say goodbye and give kisses to momma.  The same can not be said for daddy and mommy.  We’ve been back for a day now, and Ethan has been great.  He has spoken with his mommy numerous times over Facetime, so she is never a call away.

Can Derek and Ethan visit Janice?

Yes.  However due to a number of reasons we can’t stay there, nor visit too often.  Yet if things get desperate, Derek & Ethan can drive up at a moments notice and be with Janice.  

What’s wrong with the Visa?

We’ve had numerous back and forth’s with the NVC (National Visa Office) and they’ve asked for things that not necessary for us, so there’s been miscommunication.  We finally called them directly and hopefully by next week (June 13) we’ll have more answers.  We will keep this updated.

What’s next?

We have now settled everything and are waiting for the NVC to contact us.  Once the application clears, then Janice will have to get a medical done, and then go to Montreal to take her interview.  Once that is over, she’ll wait until her visa is processed, THEN she can return.  We have no idea what the time frame will be, but we have been given a range from 1 month to many months.

What about Derek’s studies?

Derek is on summer holiday until the end of August, so he will be taking care of Ethan full time until then.  If Janice’s visa issue is not sorted out by then then he may possibly skip the Fall semester.  We are believing that it will not need to come to this.

How your financial situation?

Was dire, now temporarily manageable.  Before we went to Canada, we were literally on our last few hundred dollars of savings, but since then we have had an influx of support.  We can now manage for the next few months, but there are still major looming issues such as Janice’s flight to Montreal, Ethan’s tuition come August, Derek & Ethan’s traveling to and from Canada, and of course our general expenses.

How can I help?

Firstly: prayer, secondly: check in on us, thirdly: financial support.  

We value prayer and if you want to know our specific prayer requests please see the next section.  Checking in on us will help us deal with being apart, and will especially help Janice as she’s the one separated from her son.  whatsapp, phone, text, facetime, skype, mail… anything would be appreciated.  

If you would like to support us financially in any way whatsoever then please contact me and i’ll sort out details.  

How can I pray for you

- For the Janice’s visa to be sorted out quickly

- For our family.  Obviously being separated is tough for everyone, especially for Janice as she’s without Ethan.  Pray that Ethan will be able to continue to be strong and comprehend the situation.  Pray for Derek that he does not go insane.

- For finances.  God has supported us this far, so we continue to press into Him for His grace to keep going.

- For faith.  In this time we are choosing to believe that the Lord will see us through this, but it is still a challenge.  Please pray that we’ll be able to be strong, or stronger in our devotion.

if you’ve read this far you must either be really bored and care enough to read this in it’s entirety.  Well whoever you are, we thank God for you and we appreciate that you’re a part of our lives.  Thank you for praying/caring/supporting us and we hope that very soon this whole episode will becoming a great testimony of God’s amazing Grace.  

In Him, and with love,

-Derek, Janice and Ethan.

please stand with us

we would really appreciate & love your prayers at this time as our worst case scenario has just become reality.

as you may know, we are still waiting on my (janice’s) green card application and today I was denied entry into the US at the border due to suspicion that I was illegally “living” in the US after spending 2 weeks in canada.  Please do pray for us as we deal with this sudden change in plans & having to be separated for an indefinite period of time.  It could be another few months before I get my visa and I have been told that if I attempt to enter the US again before my visa is approved I could be barred from the US for 5 years & have my application cancelled (and not be able to apply again).  We are not sure how Ethan will deal with the separation but we decided that it would be best for Derek to go back to Portland with him where he is more familiar with the environment long term.  Also, there are issues with my parents and it would just be much easier for both Derek & Ethan not to have to deal with them.

we have also been struggling with different complications with my visa (green card) application due to our unusual case so we really need grace & patience to endure this process.  We are praying the visa (including interview in Montreal) will happen before september when Derek starts classes again.  Since Derek will be home alone with Ethan, we don’t know what we will do since we can’t afford to hire a babysitter.

We are also struggling with our finances due to the delay of my visa and Derek was hoping to find a summer job to sustain us (as well as preparing for Ethan’s preschool tuition in the fall) but now with him being home alone with Ethan it doesn’t look like that will be possible.  We also need to pray for resources to get me to Montreal for the visa interview. (yes, they only do canadian interviews in montreal.  just one of the many immigration issues we have to deal with.)

If my visa doesn’t come through before September, Derek may have to skip a semester in order to stay at home with Ethan, and Ethan will probably not be able to start preschool since we will not be able to pay for his tuition.  As it is we already had to apply for food stamps and we were blessed that we now receive $200 a month to help with food.  Due to issues with my parents, it would not be ideal for Derek & Ethan to visit for too long, and every trip up to Vancouver is already a big expense due to ridiculous gas prices & Vancouver’s high cost of living.

Friends, we truly need a miracle!!  It comforts us to know that we have a worldwide family who will be interceding for us.

we love each & every one of you!!

Derek, Janice & Ethan

confession time

alright look, i admit it.  i suck at blogging.  i can talk for hours but when it comes to putting it down on paper (or the interwebs) i suck at it.  but here’s a lame effort….

i thought things were going to calm down a bit after my sister’s wedding in feb, but we’ve had a pretty busy last few months.  our friend liz came to visit from toronto.  we had a good time, although i felt bad we couldn’t show her the more exciting side of this town.  but it was definitely good to hang out with someone we’ve known for more than a few months!

i guess besides that we haven’t had anything else happen, but it still seemed like we were really busy.  oh yeah, we were trying to fill out endless forms for the beloved US immigration.  we needed a bit of *ahem* help from cliff so that also meant waiting for things to arrive in the mail so we could send them back out in the mail.  as of 9 days ago, US immgration should have all of our forms & info.  now it’s a waiting game for the interview date, granted they don’t find anything wrong with our application.

in the meantime, ethan has risen to a new level of obsession with all things space.  rockets, space shuttles, the moon, earth, sun & all the planets of the solar system.  he knows them all.  he also knows about the eagle landing on the moon, buzz & neil, the hubble telescope, and moons & planets orbiting.  yep, that’s our 2 year old!

it was spring break 2 weeks ago and although we didn’t go anywhere because derek had lots of reading to catch up with, we did manage to go to OMSI, the science museum here, with our neighbors.  i need to note at this point that ethan loves our neighbors (or “neemers” as he calls them).  they have a 6 year old boy (eugenio, or “hane-yo” as ethan says) and an 8 year old girl (luciana) and they are really well behaved kids who LOVE ethan back.  it’s really lovely.  we got a picture in the egyptian exhibit.  cool.  or hot.  take your pick.

we also got to check out a new park.  and of course ethan had the most fun throwing leaves around.  here’s a video for your enjoyment.  or you might just find it annoying, but i think it’s cute and this is our blog so here it is.

finally, i’d just like to say that i can’t wait for it to get warmer & sunnier.  10 years in tropical hong kong has made me a winter wussy.

milestones

so Ethan is a few months over 2 years old, and he’s really developing.  he’srepeating words and phrases, and he’s trying new things and really adventurous… as toddlers are wont to be.

today, on a whim while getting him out of bed, he had a pretty big sneeze.  Snot started coming out of his nose and i thought… why not.

i grabbed a tissue and held down one side, and then showed him: “blow out ok?  you’re going to blow your nose.”

and you know what?  he did it.  he actually did it.  

you see, i can not share with you the joy that i had this morning because we spent most of the last 26 months using various ways of sucking/wiping/steaming out the snot from his nose… and now he can do it.  not only that, he said to me, “daddy, blow nose.”  i brimmed with so much daddy-pride that i was downright giddy.

now if only we can get him to use his potty…..

being Chinese in Portland

so this is where we went yesterday, since our Chinese nature called out to us to celebrate the lunar new year.  The garden was pleasant, i mean, it was a tourist trap ($15 for 2 adults???? com’on!) but it was a wonderful chinese stamp on our others Pacific North West American existence.  

the reason for our Han-gene take over was because we spent some of the morning ‘bai-leen’ over facetime.  it wasn’t really at all what we normally do, but it was my brothers showing me the great food iwas missing out on, and then ethan’s cousins all watching him play with his tremendous train set.  it was great to connect through another facetime machine with Amy, while she was in Brazil for her job.  pic below:

so this is us facetime with brandon who was facetime with amy… connecting Hong Kong, Brazil and Portland… amazing stuff.

anyways, back to being chinese.  

i realise that it is way too easy to just give up my heritage.  well, actually, that’s a strange concept.  i grew up as white as i can be in a suburb of New Jersey… i didn’t even speak Canto!  and yet here I am, living in Portland trying to preserve something of my culture.

i guess the point really is that i miss Char Siu Fan, and all the craziness that comes along with Chinese New Year.  the food, the kneeling before your parents while wearing new red underwear (i swear a small part of me misses this), and just… well.. all of it.

but one small recompense that i have is that i’m going to my first superbowl party in over a decade.  take that Hong Kong! 

our 2 year old

Ethan turned 2 over a month ago, and as he did when he turned 1, he made some huge leaps and bounds in his learning right after his birthday.  first, here’s a photo from his birthday surprise - a ride on a classic steam train:

so before his birthday, he was already starting to recognize some letters of the alphabet, and could count to 3 with a little help, as well as being able to say blue, red and sometimes black.

but since turning 2, he’s surprised us by being able to recognize (pick out) almost the entire alphabet, and can say most of them correctly (my favorite is “dub-yoo”).  he can also count to 10 with just a little help (“one, two, wee, bor, bive, dit, wabbit, eight, nine, ten!!”) and he can name quite a few colors (okey-orange, gee-green, yeow-yellow, wed-red, boo-blue, white, back-black, pink, purple…)!

it is ridiculously cute, especially when he insists of saying “wabbit” for 7.

so there’s our short but sweet update.  will try to get a video of his church dancing soon.  derek promises that we’ll have an update every week from now on.  we’ll see!

:Becoming Oregonian…:

So here’s my first post, and as part of my commitment this semester, i’m going to blog every single week.  so this first post, is about Janice, Ethan and I becoming…. Oregonian?

so life here has been going well is some aspects, not that well is others.  School has been going well.  It’s a challenge to step back into the arena of academia after taking 10 years away from it, but i’m top of things… kind of.  I’m happy with my 3.8 GPA from last term, but you know what?  i’m shoot for a 4.0 this term.

Anyways, back to us.

here’s ethan at his 2 year old birthday party.  The reason I post this photo is because he’s stinkingly cute, and it’s just weird to think that we’ve been long enough for both Ethan and Janice to have a birthday here.

in fact, last night was the American Football College championship game, and the University of Oregon were playing, and I was cheering them on.  like, i actually was cheering as though i was born here or something.

anyways, in many ways our family is embracing our new home here.  if the US Govt would care to give Janice her visa, we may even like being American.  As it stands, we endure it because I need to stay here to finish school.  although once we finish school, i may set my passport on a nice rock, and set that thing on fire and run back to HK using my SAR Passport baby!  regardless, life here has been enjoyable as we grow as a family.  we get so many precious moments that our cameras and phones can’t record.. but here’s a fav of mine: Jan and Ethan playing on the phone while snuggling in bed.  sigh.. 

so i know this wasn’t any 1) deeply powerful or 2) deeply theological or even 3) remotely entertaining, but hey.. it’s been months and possibly years since i last blogged, i’ll get back into it.  until i get back into the swing of things… this will suffice!  till next time.