[TenleysDaddy]

I´m going to get right down to the point. As I sit here in La Casa Grande located next to the embassy I´m saddened by the stillness and quietness of the hotels.
Casa Grande, The Westin and many others are free from crying babies.
I´m currently here on a medical mission trip and decided to stay a few days in Casa Grande which was my home for many weeks during our troubled adoption here in Guatemala. What used to be joyous occaision of seeing all the other families and their smiles because of time spend with their new little ones on visit trips and pick ups has turned to silence, dust, empty rooms and just a faint cold breeze blowing through the Casa Grande. What used to be a place where you could find other parents like you, that understood the pain and longing of wanting to go home now is silenced by our goverments. 27 rooms, normally filled with a baby in each one, plus one smiling proud mom and dad are now filled with one or two spanish business travelers.
Ironically, I used to complain about being awaken by everyone elses crying babies in the morning, but now I so desperately long to here it just one more time. No more little kids running through the halls on bouncey toys, no more hanging out with Jane on the second floor court area, no more standing and bonding with the other families, no more clitter clatter from the extremely busy resturaunt staff in the early morning feeding the adoptive families...............silence............emptines s.
Is the need still here.................yes.........trust me, I´m just spend a week doing a traveling medical clinic with 40 other people in various villages around Pana and their still a huge need.
I morn the death legitimate adoptions here in Guatemala.
With that being said, I´m going to wrap up possibley my last post here.
I want to remember things as they used to be when we all got on here for support and information. I got on here to see all the dancing bananas from people getting out of PGN and the network of friends. I want to remember all the beautiful Guate children running through the halls, the laughter and yes, even the cries that woke me up so many early mornings.
I wish you all the best of luck, and happy lives with our beautiful children.
From Guatemala City with love,
Scott...........Tenleys grateful Daddy.

[TheFoxx]

Scott,

What a touching post. Hopefully, they will be able to fix what is broken and your wishes will come true. Hopefully, maybe just a few months from now, we will see the resurgence of people posting "I got my referral!!!"

[susy...patience]

I also have fond memories of Casa Grande.....it's sad to think of it as a ghost town now.

I was there 5 times in all. I meet my first referral there & held her & was so scared....then after that fell apart, I met my beatiful daughter on their front couch.

Even though she's so little, I include Casa Grande when I tell her the story of how we became a family.

As you said so well, there was such joy at Casa Grande with all the families........and such heartbreak when people left after a visit trip.

It's very, very sad....

[Guatemom]

Scott,
Thank you for such a precious, heartfelt post. You said it all,
ps-thank you for doing a medical mission trip, too.

[hscott]

I too felt the saddness and quietness when we were at La Casa Grande a few weeks ago. There were no other APs there to talk with or hang out with like when we were on our visit trip. I felt sorry for Freddie and Gloria too. It was such a neat place and is a special place in my heart.

I too pray that the system can be up and running soon so that those children who legitimately need homes can be connected with forever families!

Heather

[karen nickols]

I well remember the stuggles of your adoption. Of how you hiked up your boots and dug in to get it done. And the blessing of your family finally being home together. We finished our adoption in Aug. At that time there where still some families at the La Casa Grande. I am glad to hear from you. Blessings to your family. Karen

[Mary Mulcahy]

So sad to think of no one pacing the well worn floors at night with a restless baby. The sweet staff that lent a hand with my sons when I needed help. The thoughtful maids and waiters...

It was not glamous but it was home, so sad.

I so hope maybe this year we would see Guatemala open.
Mary

[jeri11]

although I never stayed at the Case Grande...
we stayed at the westin on our visits...
it makes me so sad to think of the emptiness of these hotels...
some of the best memories of my life were at the westin on my trips..
meeting all the special people on my journey and being with my baby....
in fact i have dreams almost everynight about packing, traveling, talking to others at the hotel...etc...
It was all so magical and surreal...
I pray every day for adoptions to start again very soon!

[mayaprincess]

Your post made me very sad. When we stayed at La Casa Grande, it was fileld with lots of children, most were coming home.

I pray that the floodgates will open up for all of the children and their parents who are waiting for them to come home and for all of the children who still need homes!

[TenleysDaddy]

I heard a child cry today when she bumped her head on a chair and it was music to my ears but the cry faded into the emptiness of the hotel. I searched out the child and found a mom and daughter coming back from the embassy.............mom was all smiles and this warmed my heart immensly..............
There is hope..........
Scott

[cbmstephanie]

Thank you Scott for such a touching reminder of what used to be, what isn't for the moment, and what I pray can be again...children finding thier forever families. I pray everyday that those in need somehow hang on and can have a family to love.

[joyloo]

Your post filled me with sadness.

On a brighter note, I commend you for the missionary work you are doing in Guatemala. One of the things I was touched by most in Guatemala was seeing how many missionaries there were in the airport when we arrived. It was so comforting to see that there are people like you who care and are making a difference.

[susy...patience]

Scott, I want to thank you for your great posts....you are a great writer. I read the 1st one earlier today and have been thinking about it (and my memories of Casa Grande) all day.

You are very eloquent..

[ourjourneytwo]

That is so heart wrenching, you must feel pretty lonely there, I know I would. As you described how it felt without all the babies and families, I got a cold chill picturing it in my mind, how sad.
As soon as I saw your post I thought to myself, I remember him, from back in the day when like you said, we were all on here to see the dancing bannanas, how I miss that. This site was my lifelink, I could have never survived without it, and now I'm hardly ever on here anymore, it does make me kinda sad.
I wish all my old forum friends, peace, love and happiness with your new lives with all the beautiful children from Guatemala.
My DD is the light of my life and I can't imagine my life without her, nor do I want to.
I never thought how something so heart breaking, with events that tore my heart apart at times, not just my journey but reading about all the other families with heartache as well, could end up making me feel so complete with my life. I never thought I would find the kind of happiness and joy I have found with my beautiful DD from Guatemala.
If I had a million dollars, I would have adopted as many of the beautiful children I could of. Bless them all.

Miss you all,
Robin

[carlyincali]

That was a beautiful post, Scott. I breaks my heart as well. I have one beautiful, perfect child from that country right here in this room with me whom I am so very grateful for. And I have one beautiful, perfect child from that country in Jesus' arms. I know I will see her again. In the meantime, I would really love to visit her gravesite, but it has become so dangerous there that I am afraid to go.

How I wish that the Guatemalan government would make an exception for us. Why won't they. You saw the need, they know the need... They won't do it. Inspite of everything we have lost, they won't do it.