Help Luis Stay on Track for Educational and Life Success!

UPDATE - September 3, 2025

WHAT HAS HAPPENED

I began Luis's fully legal voluntary adoption from Guatemala when he was just 6 weeks old in 2007. But on January 1, 2008, *all* pending adoptions (affecting about 900 families) were suspended for investigations of widespread fraud and abuse. And even though our adoption was repeatedly investigated by every relevant authority, and formally officially cleared of all "fraud, anomaly, or crime" in 2009 and again in 2010, we and hundreds of other families became stuck in what has been an essentially political quagmire since then.

From the beginning in 2007, I made the decision to stay in Guatemala to care for Luis myself as much as possible until the adoption could be completed, even though I could never have imagined what that would mean. Fortunately I am self-employed and had the flexibility to do this. But as the years passed without resolution, I have made over 60 round-trip flights from the U.S. to Guatemala, which at some point in 2014 became round trips from Guatemala to the U.S. and back, and for all practical purposes I have resided almost full-time in Guatemala since then.

THE MOST RECENT UPDATE (you can read more about our story in reverse chronological order below):

Luis turned 18 years old in May of this year, and if all goes according to plan he will successfully complete his secondary education at the end of the Guatemalan school year in December! This is a huge accomplishment for him. He has worked very hard and overcome many obstacles (including the needless delays in our adoption and online schooling during the pandemic) to reach this point, and I am unbelievably proud of him.

Equally if not more importantly, he remains a genuinely goodhearted and essentially thoughtful young man (especially for an adolescent). He is instinctively considerate of others, very often funny, and a genuine joy to be around (most of the time).

My original plan was for us to return to my home in Texas (where I was born and raised), and where he could eventually attend The University of Texas (a state-supported school and thus much more affordable for me as a resident than private or out-of-state tuition). In addition, my immediate family and some of my oldest friends reside in Austin, so this was our "best-case scenario" for many years.

Recently however, despite the fact that Luis would enter the U.S. as a fully naturalized U.S. citizen the minute he stepped out of DFW Airport, given the way things are going in the U.S. today (and the stunningly high rate of incidences of gun violence especially in Texas), I simply cannot bring myself to trust that he would be safe. In fact in the current environment I would be worried about him every minute of every day.

Although this situation has created significant distress for me and may result in diminished opportunities for him, at least in the short run, I can honestly say that I thank God with a glad heart every day that we are together and he is safe here in Guatemala. I would not leave him for anything in the world, and am thus continuing to work on learning to trust The Plan, even when I think it is not exactly what I thought was my plan.

THE GOOD NEWS

Luis remains interested in and focused on graphic arts, design, and robotics. He is making good grades in these areas and shows real talent. So my mission now is to keep him moving forward with his education at the next level of professional preparation or university study as soon as possible.

There are several good programs he can pursue here if he can be accepted, although he may have to take a few additional preparatory courses first to make up for some "less than stellar" grades in some of his other classes. None of these are inexpensive, however, and if he is accepted for any of these programs, tuition to reserve his place will be due almost immediately.

For my part, I have made a hard "re-commitment" to expanding my own work here in Guatemala and online as a professional career coach. Most recently I managed to leverage teaching English in a local private high school into the opportunity to offer my career planning course (normally a 4-day intensive workshop) as a full-year required course for high school seniors. Children here are often called on to make career-defining decisions as early as 11th grade, and I'd really like to expand my offering to start in 11th grade, support the decision-making process, and offer additional support for securing internships, apprenticeships, and completing applications for post-secondary education for graduating seniors, possibly for multiple schools in this area.

I've also made some good contacts and generated promising interest in a few of the universities here. In addition, I'm researching the opportunity of offering my course in it's original more condensed form as an option for "educational travel" to Guatemala - the opportunity to prepare for or reevaluate career decisions as part of a group, combined with extra time for sight-seeing before and after in a beautiful environment. I already have some good contacts to promote this and a potential venue in mind (in Antigua, Guatemala). I'm convinced if I can figure out how to promote this, it could attract enough attendees to become a regular source of income for me. (If any of you reading this have any suggestions or connections in Guatemala, please feel free to let me know!)

I say this to confirm my determination to support Luis in every way possible right where we are. With that being said, and with continued optimism and determination for Luis's education and his future, I must continue to reach out to pursue my fund-raising goals to insure his schooling, my transportation (I still need a good used car), and to expand my work and income here.

I literally do not know how I could have done this over the past 18 years without your contributions and support. You have enabled me to keep going through some *really* challenging times, and I continue to depend on your support now to "dig in" even more strongly to expand a solid income base here in Guatemala for the foreseeable future.

Please do not hesitate to make donations in any amount. I know these are challenging times for many people, and want you to know that literally every dollar counts and helps more than you can probably imagine.

Words cannot fully express my gratitude to everyone who has helped us with financial and moral support along the way since I began this journey, or my tremendous gratitude for the opportunity and blessing of being part of Luis's life.

Nevertheless, I thank you all very, very much!

UPDATE: January 2025

Luis is part of a well-organized local futbol (soccer) team here. He is younger than most on the team, but does a great job playing his position while staying focused on the deveping play across the field. He is fast, has good footwork, and is not afraid to take a tough hit and stand his ground. I am always very proud of him, and he is OK with me cheering like the only gringa in the Stadium.

I am even more proud of him for working very hard to pass the 10th grade in December, by the grace of God and with the help of many of you!

He started 11th grade this month (January), still focused on graphic arts and robotics, and still demonstrating talent in these areas. We remain laser-focused (most of the time) on his education and his future.

I did finally manage the new picture above (but only with help from an unnamed accomplice) just before he started back to school last week. He got a great new haircut for school, but of course he would not let me take a picture of that.

I am still teaching at a local private school here, but we took the standard 2-3 weeks off for La Navidad, so my budget is "behind the curve." I remain concerned about the quality of his education, and continue to pays fees each month, on top of the significant registration fees for this year.

I also remain in very serious need of reliable transportation for both of us (a decent used car).

Any and all funds raised go directly to these priorities, and I am as always profoundly grateful! Thank you very much.

Photos Below:

1. Self-Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (hanging on my fridge; Goku is some kind of Japanese Anime thing)

2. School Supplies for January

3. More School Supplies for January

Intro, October 2024

Luis loves futbol (soccer), but will still avoid the camera no matter what I try! He instead repeats back to me our talks about the importance of boundaries, respect and consent - impossible for me to debate, and of course secretly encouraging to believe I am getting through to him!

Original Gofundme Posts (in reverse chronological order):

What has happened

I began my adoption of Luis in Guatemala in July of 2007, when he was less than 2 months old. He has been my son since the first day I held him, and I have continued to fight to complete his adoption. Today he is 16 years old and in the 9th grade. I remain in Guatemala to care for, educate, and support him in every way possible.

We continue to need help and I am extremely grateful for your support in any amount.

My adoption is one of the last ones started before the laws changed in 2008. Luis was voluntarily and legally relinquished for adoption, and I already had preliminary U.S. approval to adopt from Guatemala when I first saw his picture posted on a site for “waiting children" in June of 2007. I felt an immediate connection with him, traveled to Guatemala to meet him for the first time in July, and officially began the adoption process on that trip.

All legal requirements in Guatemala were met and the Guatemalan government accepted my completed application in October of 2007. The U.S. government issued preliminary ("I-600") approval on December 1, 2007, and I have had official permission to bring him into the U.S. as my son and as a U.S. citizen (still "pending") since then. My adoption has been repeatedly investigated and cleared by Guatemalan officials of all irregularities, fraud or crime (starting in 2009).   

Luis was securely bonded with me by the time he turned 1 year old.

Returning Luis to his biological family would create officially documented risks of abuse and abandonment for him. Multiple separate attempts have already failed. 

And when he was finally granted his right to be heard in 2016, he stated his wishes for me to be his mother and to go with me (“now, in her car!”) as clearly as he possibly could. Yet his words were ignored, and his rights and best interests continue to be violated.

I have worked hard to care for him and maintain our bond by residing in Guatemala for the majority of the past 17 years (in addition to over 50 round trips from the U.S.). I am the only committed, safe and loving parent he has ever known. He needs me now more than ever and I will never abandon him. 

Today:

Luis is a smart, funny, affectionate, creative and thoughtful child, capable of mischief and compassion. He atill loves Legos, fútbol (soccer), and “los Vengadores” (Avengers). He works hard and is doing well in school. He knows the difference between right and wrong, and will happily correct others if they are "confused." He is still a precious and (mostly) innocent child with a good heart, and I pray for this essential goodness to be preserved as he navigates adolescence.

(He is wearing my glasses in the photo below; all photos except the first and third were taken by me.)

But he does not understand why we cannot “just go home,” and it breaks my heart to leave him at the end of every visit. My entire extended family (many of whom have traveled to meet and bond with him), along with a “village” of friends in the U.S. and Guatemala, remain devoted and eager to welcome him home. We are all missing critical years we should be making memories together while he is still relatively young. 

Luis is once again at imminent risk. Our situation is urgent and I need your help to continue to protect and fight for him until my adoption can be legally completed and we are safely home. 

How you can help:

I continue to run my Dallas-based career consulting and teaching business as best I can. We have been blessed with extraordinary support from family and friends, including many good and courageous Guatemalans who have done their best to care for and advocate for Luis. Many (including my outstanding and ethical attorneys) have refused to charge me "full fare" as this nightmare has dragged on.

But my expenses have already exceeded 10 times the original projected costs for the adoption and continue to rise. I have already refinanced my home three times, and long since "tapped out" every other resource. 

Even in the "best-case scenario," I need additional funding to maintain my residence in Guatemala, for legal support, official translations and an endless stream of court documentation and copies, for return trips to the U.S. for work and family obligations, and at least one more trip to Washington to advocate for him. When we are finally able to complete the adoption, he will also need a new birth certificate, medical exam, visa, and final documents from the U.S. Embassy. 

This Gofundme profile is the “reincarnation” of a previous Youcaring site. I remain very grateful to everyone who has already helped, and hoped I might not have to ask again. But we are facing a new crisis now and giving up is not an option. I will continue to fight for his safety and his rights no matter what happens.

Even though this process has taken longer than I could have imagined and tested me in every way, Luis remains the best blessing I have ever received. Every day I thank God with a glad heart for the privilege of being his mother.

Your generosity in any amount will help more than you can imagine, and I am truly grateful!