“The Lord is my salvation. Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take care of me.”  –Psalm 27:10

Recently, we welcomed a young mother and her one-year old daughter to La Posada. Karina said she was nervous and scared of what would happen to her and her child. Karina had been living in a makeshift tent in Mexico. Homeless all her life she states, “This is all I know, I’ve never had a home.” She was left at an orphanage as a newborn. Later, she was adopted. However, happiness did not last long; the adoptive mother abandoned her at another orphanage. Karina endured abuse, allegedly beaten and burned by the family’s biological child. Karina aged out of the orphanage and was left to the streets of Mexico with no place to go. While on the streets, she met a man who she began dating and she later had their baby.

Karina states that there was no work for either of them, and they continued living on the streets in a tent. She feared her child would die due to health issues or malnutrition. She is very grateful to the dozens of American people who crossed daily to bring them food and clean water to drink.  She says her baby had multiple mosquito bites, developed an eye infection and feared that the cartel would come and kill all of the families who resided in tents. Karina says that on October 10, a caravan organized by Central Americans, traveled to the United States for fear of the death threats made by cartel members. Karina’s partner stayed, choosing not to accompany her. Rather he chose to stay with their dog that he did not want to leave. Karina has no known family on either side of the border. She has now found peace at La Posada.

Karina says she has hopes and dreams for her daughter to go to school and on to college, so that her daughter can become a “Somebody,” unlike herself. She expresses that her only desire is to work and have a place she and her child can call home at the end of the day. Karina says she will leave her fate in God’s hands and will accept whatever comes her way.