OUR STORY

Written by Karen Bates

Above: Karen and Bill Bates and their family

Our family sold everything we owned to move to Mexico... why?

Above: Karen and Bill Bates and their family

OUR STORY

Written by: Karen Bates

The Surprise

We never expected that one service trip would change everything about our lives.

We simply wanted to help a little — to be more grateful, to grow closer as a family. But what we experienced opened our hearts in ways we could not ignore.

The Beginning

Everything started when we traveled as a family to serve at an orphanage in Mexico. We expected discomfort. We expected hard work.

What we didn’t expect was how quickly we would fall in love with the kids we met — their humor, their tenderness, their resilience.

What we saw stayed with us.

My Mom

I felt an immediate connection because my mother was an orphan in Mexico too.

She lost her mother at age five and spent her childhood afraid, alone, and often hurt by those who should have protected her.

She rarely spoke about it, but when she did, I always wished I could go back in time and be there for that little girl to give her a safe, loving home where she didn’t have to be afraid.

Standing in that orphanage decades later, I seemed to see my mother’s eyes in the faces of the children I met.

The Bates family along with other volunteers at an orphanage in Tijuana.

The Choice

As we spent time with the kids, I noticed that I was in the position I had always longed to be in as a little girl: an adult in the lives of children who needed love, belonging, and care.

I began to wonder if there was more I could do besides just visit on occasion.

Coming Home

When we returned to the U.S., we walked into what suddenly felt like a very large house full of comforts we didn't really need.

We learned there were over 100 orphanages in Tijuana alone. There was a huge need in these kids for love and guidance that I wanted to help fill.

Trying to Help from Home

As I considered how to help, I decided to create a school where I used the book I'd written to help youth discover their gifts to make an impact on the world.

They could then use those gifts to create the resources needed for service trips and to build a larger network of loving people for these incredible kids.

But the more time we spent there, the more clearly we saw the deeper issues facing vulnerable teens.

The Issues

The more we visited, the more we learned:

  • Many orphanages in Mexico won’t accept teenagers.

    In many orphanages, as children grow into teens, they have to leave and go to a holding facility until they can find an orphanage with an opening for teens

  • Many orphanages are not equipped to deal with the unique needs of teenagers.

    Teens sometimes run away from these institutions.

  • When they age out of the system, youth are sometimes left with little support or a clear path forward.

    These intelligent, resilient, and creative young adults take jobs with minimal pay and sometimes return to the generational cycles of abuse, poverty, and addiction.

Being Someone who Cares

There are wonderful organizations providing food and shelter. But very few are addressing the unique needs of teens — the need to be heard, to belong, to be believed in, to have a safe place to heal, and to discover they matter.

Teens and young adults need:

  • A safe place to grow

  • A caring community

  • An education

  • Guidance and mentorship

  • Opportunities

  • A network of adults who believe in them

There was the gap, and we wanted to help fill it.

Our Family's Decision

After months of prayer, family discussions, and wrestling with fear and excitement, our family chose to sell our home in Utah and almost all our belongings.

We purchased a plot of land in Solferino, Mexico, and moved there to begin building Find Your Path Mission.

We began meeting incredible people who became part of our team to create transformational experiences for both youth in Mexico and youth in the United States who come out to serve.

We aim to help resilient youth understand their purpose and make their unique impact on the world. 

Invitation

We invite you to be part of these youths’ network — the circle of people who lift them, believe in them, and help them create meaningful futures.

You can:

Every young person we serve has unique gifts that can bless the world.


They often just need a little direction, a lot of love, opportunities to grow, and people who believe in them

We invite you to be one of those people ❤️

We are building an environment of community, healing, growth, and impact.  

Youth listening during a team building activity on Find Your Path's ropes course.

OUR WHY

These faces and their love is what motivates us to do all we can to make this happen. This video is from a summer we spent at an orphanage in Tijuana and highlights some of the activities we planned with the kids.

Follow the Story

Subscribe to our newsletter:

Updates on projects, trips,

people and opportunities.