I graduated with an agricultural degree in Alberta, Canada, and while i love the ag community and all that comes along with that life, I felt like I was lacking a certain direction and passion. Life seemed flat and meaningless until I surrendered my life once again to the Lord my God in 2003 and once again became a part of a church family. Becoming part of this church community translated into becoming a sponsor for our youth group, where i found myself preparing for a week long missions trip to mexico. That trip sparked something in me that I had not felt in a long time - a realization that I was part of something big, that if we are willing to take big risks for God He can do amazing things through our lives. It gave me a vision of purpose and I was excited!
I sold my home and many belongings and headed south on October 1, 2004 with my Mom and everything I owned crammed into my little jeep. :) I had no idea what God's plan was, what i would be doing or what it would be like but it was the adventure of a lifetime and I knew God would only lead me where He would keep me. So, I dropped Mom off at the airport in San Diego and kept heading south.Now, things are not always as neat and tidy and simple as we would like them to be, however suffice to say that God is working me into where He wants me, changing my heart and showing me His every day. In 2005 I started working with La Paloma Families for Children, a ministry under IDT, and in October of that year my first little charge arrived in a flurry of activity called Gumaro. He is a very special guy and is growing into an amazing young man of the Lord. I was someone who had never been a mom before, didn't speak a lot of spanish and knew nothing about ADD, or ADHD, or FAS or any other initials they were throwing at me. He was a 5 year old who had never had a mom of his own, didn't speak any english, and didn't know much about the initials either.
There were some bumps and bruises along the way but he and I made it, eventually finding ourselves in a rental house in the same community as our mission base. It was there that Alejandro joined us in October of 2006. Alex was a 14 month old the size of a 6 month old, with an unidentified skin condition and fear of everything. We have since learned he has a rare skin disorder called Ichthyosis, and that he is an amazing little boy with a wonderful sense of humour and endearing smile.
Skip forward yet again, and I am here, writing at my desk in my very own house, on my very own property, in a little community north of where our mission base is. God fast-forwarded a dream that I thought would take years to get to completion, and I look forward to every day to see what may happen next. I love Jesus, and these boys, and life so much it almost hurts. What an awesome God we have, and what a privilege to serve Him in this place! I invite all of you out there to come along with me on this journey, to see what God will do here on our Rancho Windiana.
Many Blessings,
Karen, Gumaro & Alex
