Be Bold – Daniela is my ‘WHY’….

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Karen moves to Mexico

2017 is almost ½ over – unbelievable! I told you about my words for the year “Be Bold”. I have thought of those words often and they have given me courage many times. I tend to analyze decisions – a lot – and I have convinced myself on many occasions to stop thinking so much – just be bold and do it. Recently I was reminded of the ‘why’ behind those words.

We met Daniela in 2011 – she was 5 or 6 then. She was the friendliest, smiliest little girl and we connected right away. Every time we returned she was waiting with open arms. I remember the first time Team Restore came to work at the orphanage. Daniela followed us around with her little notebook writing down every English phrase she could find – t-shirt sayings, backpack logos, shoe brands. She really wanted to learn English. At some point – I forget just when – she told us she wanted to be called Dani. I have noticed that these children often shorten their name or start using a middle name – I wonder if they are trying to establish some type of personal identity in the midst of an uncertain life.

Dec, 2011 Oct, 2012

Reunited Dec, 2016

Eventually Daniela left Manos de Amor to move back with family – I think with her grandmother. We didn’t see her for a couple of years and then this past Christmas she came to spend her vacation at the home. We reconnected in a big way – as if no time had passed. My biggest worry is always whether our presence in the lives of these children is good, knowing it may be temporary. The days we spent together at Christmas assured me that love is good – period.

A couple of weeks ago a volunteer invited the children to a restaurant for pizza and Daniela (yup – she is back to being called Daniela now) was invited. We were so excited to see her. And I couldn’t believe the shirt she was wearing. Be Bold. Seriously. She was wearing a shirt that said Be Bold. As I looked at her it was as if she was my own personal billboard reminding me of the WHY to all this

Yes I want to be bold because life is short and I want to have adventures and experiences. I want to live life fully. I don’t want to hold back out of fear or insecurity. But Daniella’s shirt screamed at me that it is because of little people like her that we are here, that we are stretching ourselves so taut that some days I fear we will tear. Not just for Daniella but for all of them. They are my WHY. Daniella – and her shirt – was my reminder.

A Crappy Week? Or a Great Week?

Posted on May 21, 2017 by Karen moves to Mexico

No point lying – this week was difficult, with more bad situations than good. Or at least that is how I felt at first. Bad things always take more of our attention, more of our energy, more of our focus. If we’re not careful they will settle in our hearts and become larger than they need to be. That was my test this week. Was it a crappy week or was it a great week with a couple of crappy moments? I mostly failed the test, but when I sit here and think about how to recap our week, I remember we had a lot of great experiences too. So for the sake of being real I will share some of the bad stuff – but no need to dwell on the details:

We had some stuff stolen and lost some stuff – the golf cart keys, Grant’s phone, a watch, a big tub of bungee cords from the back of the truck. Aargh…..
I didn’t feel so great. I had an ear infection and pink eye – painful, plugged ears and red, goopy eyes.
We had to take baby Alison to the hospital twice – she had a bad flu and seems to have an allergy to milk. The pediatrician tried to convince her 15-year-old mama that she needs to nurse the baby but she’s embarrassed to discuss that. She’s 15.
We first began the process of importing Grant’s trailer full of tools in September. We have hit roadblock after roadblock. Months of bureaucracy. Come back in 3 months. Bring more papers. Bring different papers. Pay more pesos. We finally made it to the final stage of getting the actual plates but needed one last inspection. We took all the papers – stamped by every imaginable Mexican department – to the inspection place. And then….. No. The serial number on our Saskatchewan registration form does not match the serial number on the paperwork done at the border in Nogales. WHAAAT??
Doomed inspection

In all these steps no one had noticed that the trailer manufacturer had placed 2 VIN stickers on the trailer. Saskatchewan had recorded one of them. Mexican had recorded the other. And they don’t match. “Okay but senor, you can see both stickers are there. It is clearly the same trailer.” No sorry – you will have to take the trailer back to the border and start over. Have you ever seen 2 gringos stand and just stare blankly at a Mexican official – no language, no emotion. Just unbelief. Our only hope is that he said to come talk to his supervisor on Tuesday – maybe he will have a solution?

BUT, we had some fun too. Yesterday we went roller blading AND boogie boarding. One afternoon we took the golf cart and the Bucerias map and drove up and down a whole bunch of streets and neighborhoods we had never experienced before. Everywhere we went people waved at us and children ran alongside our cart. We found new restaurants, new tiendas (stores), new potholes and speed bumps and dirt piles.

Friday we bought a piñata for little Kevin. Last week when we picked up Jose, his little 2-year-old nephew Kevin kept saying he wanted a piñata. I have no idea where he got that idea from but he was very serious in his request. So I told him I would bring a piñata on Friday when we came back. Of course, I promptly forgot my promise and on Friday morning Grant reminded me. My first thought was “Oh, he won’t remember I said that”, but after Grant gave me the look of incredulous shock, I remembered how important it is for these children to be able to trust our word and to be able to depend on us. So we went piñata and candy shopping in a little shop in San Vicente. The only piñatas they had were far bigger than Kevin but I filled that giant Spiderman with a pile of candy and we delivered it to Kevin. He was so excited – I expect Kevin has never had anything given just to him. In a few weeks his 16 year old mama will give him a brother and he will have even less for himself. We couldn’t stick around to play with him as we had to take baby Alison to the hospital but before we drove away I saw a whole bunch of 2 year olds – most with few clothes, no shoes, droopy diapers – gathering to have their own piñata party in the dirt.

Last night we had good friends over. I grumbled about our week. I think I whined. But as we sat in our candlelit garden sipping coffee and eating cake, I remembered that I really love living here and believe I am placed here for a purpose. I don’t love everything that happened this week, but I know that every good thing comes with opposition. I believe in spiritual battles. And I believe in being bold in spite of it all. I believe that this week Kevin needed a piñata and that Alison needed to get to a doctor. I believe that 12 children will have better lives because they learned a couple new English words and were kissed on the forehead by Maestra. I believe in the Good Shepherd who leads me through the valley and to the still waters on the other side. So I just step out in faith and say “This was a good week”.

First Day Back

Posted on October 1, 2016 by Karen moves to Mexico

Here are some of the sights we saw on our first day back that reminded us why we love this place:

Children of Manos de Amor – as we drove up the anthem started “Karen, Karen, Karen….” and children ran to the gate to greet us with big hugs and sloppy kisses. Some jumped in our car, Natalia barely acknowledged me but jumped on Grant and refused to let go

New animals in town – we have 2 new donkeys wandering around the neighborhood. We saw a donkey chasing a dog who was chasing a donkey who was chasing a dog. The donkey won!

While Grant was busy unloading the truck in the garage, a chicken wandered in to check out what was happening
We spent the afternoon at the beach and while we were boogie boarding we saw dolphins jumping a bit further out – and a big skate or ray of some kind jumped right next to us
We love the kitties that wander around the restaurants looking for some loving while we wait on our food – which by the way cost us $7 for a burrito and enchilada and a rice water – all GIANT

The door-to-door produce truck – check out the huge grapes I bought for less than $2 right outside the door

A great first day – the simple pleasures of children and food and ocean and animals. Really, what else do we need?

The view from my desk as I write this blog

Happy or Sad?

Posted on March 19, 2016 by Karen moves to Mexico

This was a very “kiddy” week – it was fun and frustrating and exciting and sad – and I wonder if I will become numb to the roller coaster or if I will always feel such a range of emotions. On one hand I love the openness and apparent joy of Mexican children – they laugh loudly, hug warmly and embrace strangers with curiosity and openness. That makes me happy. On the other hand, in those same children I see pain and poverty and sickness and illiteracy and that makes me really mad. Today I felt a lot of mad. I think ‘mad’ is really just ‘sad’ mixed with particularly open eyes that sneak up on us every now and then. In this area of Banderas Bay, a place that is theoretically prosperous with the ever growing influx of tourist dollars, I expect the children to have enough. I am wrong. So we do what we can to make a difference and this week we had some great opportunities to deepen our relationships with our little friends.

One of our new tasks was to drive 5 of the Manos de Amor kids to Futbol Americano practice – not soccer but football. Grant and I have always believed that sport is important for children – it teaches discipline, structure, self-awareness, confidence, physical awareness and the ability to relate well to authority. Our daughters were gymnasts and we saw all of those things develop in their lives over many years of training and competition. Many of you have heard me joke (am I joking?) about opening a Gymnastics club down here. To invite Canadian and American teams to hold training camps here which will fund my real dream of providing sport to children who cannot afford it. So when Veronica asked if we would help drive some of the children to football practice 3 times a week we quickly agreed. I know this will be good for them – to run, to train, to compete.

So here we are sports parents again – but how different it looked this time around. By the third day, the other parents were welcoming us and talking to us, kindly smiling when they realized we could not understand much of what they were saying. The field was certainly not turf but a hard, uneven field of dirt. The stands we sat in were not bleachers but a pile of tires. When one of the boys needed to go to the bathroom, one of the other moms showed me where he could pee behind a car. When poor Jorge fell and cut his lip, there was no first aid kit, or ice, or even a Kleenex. He just spit blood on the field and kept going after I kissed his sweaty hair. I noticed that our children brought glasses from home rather than water bottles, so thanks to a donation from our Canadian friend Sean, we bought them water bottles (with the cool ice thingies inside). We also bought a football and Grant went over this afternoon to play catch with the boys and help them work on their plays. I don’t really know if there are any star football players in the group, but they had fun and worked hard and I was proud and happy. Go Pirates!

Working hard on the field

Cheering from the ‘bleachers’… thanks Sean Westerman of Bloom Church for the water bottles and practice football!

Getting in some extra practice

On Friday, while Grant practiced football with the boys, I went on a walk around the block with some of the girls. This was a walk with a purpose as Michelle, the only bilingual staff member at the orphanage, took her English lessons out of the classroom and into the neighborhood. Note the pretty flowers they picked for my hair!

Today was the last day of school before Easter vacation and the children that have families that can take them went home for 2 weeks. We drove Jose, Laurentino and Isabel home to San Vicente with a bag of food we had brought from Vallarta Adventures.

Heading home for vacation – Jose always takes a nap on the ride

That’s when I got mad. Blocks and blocks and blocks of houses made of cardboard, and tarps and pallets. Dirty black moldy water standing in the streets with disease hidden within. My little Lupita with skin infections and bloody open sores on her legs. A dead rat lying right by the front gate. And yet giant smiles and hugs because Lupita does not know that this is not how all children live. She is thin and next week I will try to take her to a doctor to get some cream for her legs. Maybe some children’s multi-vitamins to strengthen her body. I know that for the next two weeks these children will be home with little adult supervision as their mom works many hours a day. I worry if they will be okay alone.

Lupita greets us

Pallets for walls

Lupita and her little dog

Family first

Note the dead rat under the bush

Soon we will be heading home to Canada for a few weeks to pack up the rest of our belongings and Grant’s tools to finish the move we have started. I can’t imagine leaving these children even for a few weeks. Will someone be able to drive them to Futbol? Will Lupita’s family have enough? Will the many children in the orphanage who have been abandoned by mothers and fathers understand that we will return as fast as we can?

We are happy here – and we are sad here. Maybe that what makes life beautiful – to see the ugliness of a broken world but to know that God’s love can touch a heart and bring joy in the midst of it all. And to know that sometimes I get to be the one to deliver His message in the form of a hug or a kiss or a ride in the back of a little blue convertible.

IMG_20160318_173222

A New Job

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Karen moves to Mexico

Today was the start of a new volunteer role for me! Those of you who know me won’t exactly be surprised that I have dipped my toes into the management of my favorite organization here in Bucerias. A few weeks ago Veronica asked if I would join the Steering Committee of the Manos de Amor orphanage. She already has a great committee but they all go back north to Canada or USA for ½ of the year so she liked the idea of me being here year round to lend a hand.

I have been at many committee meetings over the years – in offices and homes and boardrooms – but I have never had a walk to a meeting like this one which ended around a table on a patio under palm trees. Grant had to take our car to finalize our license plates (there’s another blog post for sure) so I walked to the meeting across town. It was so awesome as I walked to be greeted warmly by everyone I passed – and realize how many people I now know in this town. Many people who I have met – vendors, restaurant owners or waitresses, workers from the orphanage or people from the church – calling out “Hola – Buenas dias Karen”. Waving at me with huge smiles. I realized I was walking by myself – down the cobblestone streets, across the beach – with a really silly grin on my face.

Walking to a meeting – better than any boardroom I’ve ever been in!

Like most meetings I have attended over the years we talked about finances and fundraising events and websites (guess who is creating the new webpage ??) but we also talked about how to teach values to children who have never had role models, how to provide the best possible nutrition on a tight budget and how to bring love to children who have been abandoned or even sold into prostitution. It was sobering …. and exciting and while I hope some of my experience can benefit these children that I love, I recognize this will be a place where I will be the one to learn and grow and be humbled and ultimately receive much more than I can possibly give.

Job skills + education + experience + God’s assignment = JOY.

You can’t really ask for a better volunteer job than that!

Learning to Share

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Karen moves to Mexico

Today we were invited to help Veronica and some of the Manos de Amor children with a task they do 3 times a week. We have told Veronica to assign us tasks that will make her life easier and this is one she has chosen for us. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday she takes a few children in the late afternoon and heads to Vallarta Adventures, a tour and excursion company that takes tourists out on crazy adventures. Every day, Vallarta Adventures piles people on boats or in open jeeps and take them snorkeling, sailing, whale watching, scuba diving, zip lining, touring tequila factories, hiking, horseback riding, and pretty much anything a tourist is willing to pay to experience. They are really a top-quality company – and today I found out they are also a generous company.

Most of the tours they offer provide lunch, which means lots of leftovers – and Manos de Amor is fortunate to be one of the beneficiaries of the excess food that returns to the Vallarta Adventures office in Nuevo Vallarta each afternoon.

Today was our training day. Veronica showed us how to fill plastic tubs and plastic bags with chicken, rice, turkey, salad, vegetables, buns and soup. It looked delicious and I would be lying if I said we packed it away without sampling a bite or two. The children worked hard, filling bags and carrying empty trays to the kitchen. But what was most impressive to me was the final destination of all of this food. Much of it of course was for the children at Casa Hogar. Veronica packed up enough food for them for tomorrow’s meals. Then she packed up many more bags to give to the women who work at the home and to the many poor neighbors who live in the streets surrounding the orphanage. She encouraged me to fill two large bags to deliver to our family in San Vicente. In the midst of receiving a blessing, she became a blessing.

I love that instead of filling the freezer and hoarding supplies, Veronica is teaching the children to share what they have with others who need help. To share. I know that we are super fortunate to have social programs in Canada that seek to care for the marginalized in our country. And let’s face it, it makes me feel less responsible or compelled to help when I know our government will provide. But that’s pretty much a crappy attitude. What if we all just shared our excess with others? Sometimes I go to Safeway and buy 3 or 4 tubs of Peanut Butter or 72 rolls of paper towel or a case of soup because hey, look at all the Air Miles! And then I stock my pantry and it sits there until I spill enough stuff to need 72 rolls of paper towel or make enough toast to eat 8 litres of peanut butter. I don’t even really like soup. What would happen in our world if we kept enough for tomorrow, or even for next week and gave the rest away? What if we were to share what we don’t need with those who don’t know how to face an empty tomorrow? Instead of implementing more government social programs to fight poverty, what if we, who have so darn much, just gave away our stuff? What if finally just learned how to share? Another day of being humbled by Mexico and learning a new way to live.

A Birthday Party

Posted on February 27, 2016 by Karen moves to Mexico

Last night we headed to San Vicente to deliver a birthday party for Mama Santana. I won’t tell you her age (okay it’s less than 40 but more than 38). She has a very full life. She has 7 children and 2 grandchildren – most live with her in her tiny one room house. She works hard at a garden store – 6 days a week for 11 hours a day. Her 3 youngest children live at Manos de Amor during the weeks so they can attend school. We have grown to love this family and try to visit a couple of times a month. They welcome us in and offer us tostados with macaroni or chicken – I know this is a sacrifice for them.

Earlier in the week Laurentino had told me that his mom’s birthday was on Friday. Isabelle told me her favorite food was Shrimp Ceviche. After our car shopping stress, we really needed a party, so we picked up a cake, and some ceviche and a gift and headed to what is often called Cardboardlandia – a neighborhood composed entirely of homes made of cardboard or tarps or tin. There are a LOT of little children and puppies and chickens and everyone is friendly and laughing at us as we drive through the water-filled potholes in the new convertible. I was used to children laughing at Milly so this feels good to me.

As always, everyone was excited to see us drive up. They were especially excited to see the new car. Instantly it was filled with little children and birthday balloons. Jose and Kevin and Lupita thought it was a toy and were ready to take it for a spin.

The rest of the evening was about eating tostados and cake and playing with children. Lupita loved hanging out with Klara, not even realizing that when she was just a baby she had met Klara and Fred and that they had paid to have her water tank filled. I don’t think we understand how the smallest acts of kindness – a hug, $8 to fill a water tank, a tub of ceviche – make a monumental difference in the lives of those who live in difficult situations every day.

Peace!

As we said goodbye, Mama grabbed me and with tears in her eyes said “Muchas Gracias Karen. Muchas Gracias. Te Amo.” (Thank you very much Karen, I love you). And I squeezed back and whispered “I love you too”.

This is why we are here. Car shopping and buying things for our house and figuring out how to buy insurance – those are the things that must be done in order for us to live here. But the reason we live here is so that we can touch lives that need God’s love and light. For some reason this family crossed our path 2 ½ years ago when 13 year old Ibon was about to give birth to Lupita and now they are part of our Mexican life. For that I am grateful.

Hashtag Where’s Jose?

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Karen moves to Mexico

It’s hard to believe we’ve only been back here in Bucerias for 4 days – our feet have been moving since the airplane wheels hit the tarmac! Friday was our re-entry day….. get the rental car, start unpacking the zillion suitcases, fill the fridge, meet the new baby that had been born to our neighbors in our absence, and go to two different taco restaurants to get things started. Friday night was the start of the sleep adjustment period – which means NO SLEEP due to the heat and the animals.

Saturday was a friend day. We met Chris and Darren in Old Town PV for lunch and then headed to the airport to pick up our first houseguest Klara. She may have thought she was coming to rest, but within a couple of hours of her arrival, we were all busy at work at the fundraiser for the orphanage Manos de Amor. The children’s home depends completely on donations and fundraising, so this event Rhythm and Ribs is absolutely vital to its existence. It was an amazing event to see – hundreds of people arrived to listen to the fantastic band Luna Rumba, buy silent auction and raffle items and eat ribs. And I mean eat a LOT of ribs. My job was to collect tickets at the Rib stand (Klara was working at the taco stand!). Hundreds of people lined up to exchange 5 tickets (50 pesos = $4 Canadian = $2.75 American) for a small plate of delicious ribs. Now let me just say one thing ….. if you go to a fundraiser for orphans, do not yell at the ticket taker because you think you should get all-you-can-eat ribs for $2.75. Seriously – that’s dumb.

Karen collecting tickets for Ribs

Sunday we went to church and then over to the market at the marina in La Cruz to get our giant shrimp and some veggies and pasta. Sunday dinner was tortilla soup and guacamole and a beautiful beach sunset.

The final task to feeling settled was a giant wash down of the house on Monday morning. Because we had left windows open to keep the house from turning into a raging inferno, we had a month of dust on every imaginable surface. And one really bad smell to track down. Note to self: do not put a package of frozen fish in the cupboard for a month….. frozen things should be in a freezer at all times.

Monday evening, after a relaxing day at the beach, Klara started preparing our shrimp and pasta feast while I was determined to get back in a proper workout routine. So I threw down a yoga mat and put on a pilates tape and got to work. About halfway through, Klara told me I had guests out at the gate. Being as I was just heading into the Plank series, I was more than happy for the interruption. Standing on the sidewalk were Isabel and Laurentino and two of their friends. Normally these children, who live at Manos de Amor, go home to their tiny tarp house in San Vicente for the weekend. Because their mom really can’t care for them, they get on a bus on Monday, along with their 5-year-old brother Jose, and head back to the orphanage for the week. Sometimes they get off the bus close to our house and stop in for a visit, so I wasn’t totally surprised to see them. But when I asked what they were doing they said they were looking for Jose. (Thus the title of this blog #wheresjose?) And could they have a glass of water. Seems they had gone to the home of their friend before going to the orphanage, and Jose had disappeared. Two hours ago! HE’S FIVE! So we panicked a bit. Grant panicked a lot. I suggested we get in our car and start driving up and down all the streets. Grant yelled at me to call the police. I looked at him incredulously – I don’t have a clue how to call the police!!!! GRANT: “Five year olds shouldn’t be lost for 2 hours!” ME: “no really, I don’t know how to call the police” (so now I know something else I need to learn). So we started driving around and hollering “JOSE” out the window on every block. At one point, Isabel told me she had forgotten her money at her friend’s house so we went back there – and as we pulled up the gate opened and out came Jose. I jumped out of the car and scooped him up and softly said “Jose, where have you been?”. “Sleeping” he whispered. “Where were you sleeping?” “En una cama” (In a bed). So while we were searching for him everywhere, panicking that maybe he had crossed the highway, he had found a bed and was busy doing whatever it is that 5-year-old boys do in dreamland. We drove them all back to the orphanage and went home for Klara’s delicious meal. But my heart struggled to settle. In Canada I often grumble about over-protective helicopter parents who won’t let their children out of their sight. Here I love little ones whose parents can’t – or won’t – meet even their basic needs. Here I drive up and down the streets wondering #where’sjose? I am so grateful for organizations like Manos de Amor – and there are others – that provide a home for these lost children. I am glad to know they feel safe to come find us when they need help. And I am glad I spent 3 hours arguing with drunk gringos about the price of ribs so these children can have food and clothing and schooling and love. Mostly I am just really glad to be home where I belong!

Heading into the Mountains

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Karen moves to Mexico

Yesterday was another memorable day as we drove 2.5 hours up into the mountains to meet a new community and some sweet new people.

I find that my heart is very soft here and I cried lots of tears as I hugged young children and senior citizens. We ate authentic Mexican dishes given generously and proudly and were graciously welcomed into tiny simple homes.

In October you all heard the good news when Hurricane Patricia swept passed the populated areas around Puerto Vallarta but you may not have heard how the communities in the mountains were affected by the rains. Rivers overflowed and many villages were badly damaged by floods. La Fuente Riviera Church headed up to these villages at that time to deliver food and clothing and in the process they formed new relationships with people in the town of Mascota and surrounding villages.

Yesterday we went to the small town of Tecuani, a farming village nestled in a beautiful valley. It is a peaceful village, but the people are poor. In October, the church met the principle of the school and asked “how can we serve you?”. He asked for help painting portions of the school and the surrounding fence. So yesterday we took a team up to paint and hand out clothes and shoes and to play with the school children.

While everyone else was scraping and painting and working hard, I was snooping around the school’s 3 classrooms. As I walked by the Grade 3/4 class, I heard in perfect unison and in perfect English “Good Morning”. Then they burst into laughter – they were excited to practice their limited English with a gringa. I applauded with great enthusiasm and they sang me a song. Then the teacher of the Grade 1/2 class invited me in to spend time with her class – practicing introducing themselves in English, counting to 20, asking me questions, and finally singing me a song about elephants. Then the tricky part – they asked me to sing the song back to them in Spanish – which I did (okay with a bit of mumbling!). They were so shy and so well behaved and so excited to show off their language skills and I was blown away by this community that ensures its children are educated and are learninga language that will help them succeed – even though there is no English spoken in their town.

We then wandered around the town, meeting the curious townsfolk. The most moving moment of the day came when we met Candio, an elderly gentleman living alone in a tiny cement one room home. Pastor Fredy asked Candio how old he is and he said he is 85. Fredy then asked when his birthday is and he said the 21^st of January. Fredy confirmed “21^st of January? That’s today!”. The old man’s face lit up and his toothless smile broke into a grin “Then I guess I’m 86!”. He invited us in to sit with him, we sang him Happy Birthday and gave him his first Bible and a toque for the cold mountain mornings and prayed with him. He said we would always be welcome in his home. I sat beside him and as I saw his eyes fill with tears so did mine. Such a humble and simple life – and yet generous. I know Candio is lonely and I so hope to visit him again someday.

Showing us how he used to blow this horn to call his cows

He says he will never take his new hat off!

This flower that I saw yesterday reminds me so much of so many of the Mexican families I meet – my eyes tell me that they are too poor, that happiness cannot flourish in the poverty and struggle. But then I see a child laugh or an old woman smile when I greet her and I see that there is life and love that continues to bloom in a dry and broken country. How I long to be able to pour a cool drink of God’s love on the places I visit.

And so I continue to wonder what my calling is here – where should I dig in my hands and my heart? Where can I serve most effectively? What do I have that others need? For now, I am enjoying exploring this beautiful country and meeting its amazing and resilient people.

Unfortunately, yesterday I also met its ravenous mosquito population and apparently I was a delicious gringa buffet! Today I pay the price….

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Karen Moves to Mexico

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