Karen Mariela Justinano Ortiz
Karen and her brother Julio arrived in our Mission home in 2007. Their parents had them when they were way too young, and left them to live with a relative who was unable to properly care for them. When we met them, they were 7 and 5, respectively. Shockingly, they had never been enrolled in school.
Because the ultimate mission of KTF is to use our blessings to serve those most in need, we took in Karen and Julio almost without thinking. We converted a storage room into a bedroom in Casa Nuevo Horizonte and Karen and Julio moved in.
Karen and Julio came with only the clothes on their backs. Family and friends from Michigan immediately sent clothing. The university girls in the house immediately started tutoring them. And we took them to doctors, got them birth certificates, enrolled them in school, and had them baptized. Kathleen Curran became their godmother and legal guardian. Most importantly, we showered Karen and Julio with all the love and care we could muster.
Karen and Julio became and remain a very special part of the KTF family.
While growing up in Casa, Karen loved school, reading novels in a series like Harry Potter, and participating in theater, Scouts, and basketball.
When she graduated from high school, we had a big party for her. Karen had expressed an interest in studying many things but was unsure which to pick for a major in university. We recognized that knowing English would really help no matter what choice she made. There was an opportunity for her to go to Ireland for a short program to improve her English. We went for it. Karen loved Ireland and improved her English, albeit now with a new Irish accent!
When the English program finished, Karen returned to Bolivia and began her university studies this past year. She is studying languages with an emphasis on Spanish, English, and Portuguese. Karen is adjusting to the rigors of university and enjoys her studies.
Karen hopes to become a language teacher someday. Her KTF family will love and encourage her every step of the way!
“Mission Keep the Faith has had a profound effect on my life and the life of my brother Julio. We arrived at the Mission as children with really no one to care for us or show us the way. The love and support that we received in the house and from everyone in the KTF Family is without price. The KTF Family is our family. Where would we be without the help we received? Uneducated, poor, maybe even living on the streets?
Instead, I am in university, have traveled internationally, and have friends in many parts of the world. I also always have my KTF Family to support me and be an example of how I should live.
I will become a professional and I will serve and love as I was served and loved by Mission Keep the Faith.”
—Karen Mariela Justiniano Ortiz