Aug 19, 2026

Full Circle

by Karen Bates

One of the first young people I met when I visited an orphanage in Tijuana was Edwin. He was fourteen. He approached me after we went in and asked if he could fill my water bottle because he noticed it was empty.

We talked, and he told me he enjoyed writing songs and wanted to be a barber someday.

I looked forward to seeing him every time I went back to visit, but one day he wasn't there anymore.

He found me on Facebook, and I stayed in touch with him through the years. He'd call when he was having a hard time, had a hard decision to make, or wanted to wish me a happy birthday, Mother's Day, or Christmas.

About three years ago, I told him we were moving to Mexico and why. He said he wanted to come help and also get an education, but that he needed to save up for a plane ticket and to have his mother cremated and sent to Tijuana before she was buried in a common grave.

Early this summer, he told me he had saved enough for both and was ready to come out. He said he didn't want to work at the gas station the rest of his life and was ready to see what he could make of himself.

The picture above is us picking him up at the airport.

He has been working so hard, having new experiences, reading, taking English classes, and sharing a lot about his life.

What a privilege and blessing it is to have him with us! Isa is working on a video so you can get to know him a little better. I'll send it to you next week.

If you'd like to help me pay him to work so he can save up for a laptop, buy barber supplies, and be able to support himself while he is with us, please consider being a monthly donor (I need 4 monthly donors at $50/month or 7 monthly donors at $30/month to be able to do this):

Be a PathMentor for Edwin

Thank you for being part of our team and sharing, donating, and learning about this work! We've come this far because of you <3

With love,

The Find Your Path Mission Team

P.S.

We had an incredible time with the volunteers who have come out this summer! I will share a video about the first group on Friday. They were incredible! They helped us run a successful summer camp for youth, finish the chicken coop, fix our road, maintain the yard, and protect our trees from disease! We also got to have some new experiences because of them... like swimming with whale sharks! What a blessing it is to know such beautiful people and to get to do good together.

Here is a video of the young men here getting the house ready for the group (I couldn't be here to help, so they took on this challenge on their own... they built bunk beds, finished a room upstairs, sewed curtains for it, scrubbed, dusted, organized, and more!)

I am so grateful for the team of young people we are building here!