Go Anyway

When I was asked to lead International Samaritan eight years ago this week, one of my first calls was to Karen Pulte, who, along with her late husband, Bill, was one of the founders of the organization. 

Karen and Bill had been with us since the very early days in 1994, when a priest and a group of students from St. John’s Jesuit stumbled upon the sprawling chaos of the garbage dump in Guatemala City and stopped to find out how they could help. Bill and Karen were a part of the response that became the organization we are today.

“When Bill asked me to go with him on that first trip to Guatemala back in 1994, I told him that I didn’t want to go,” Karen told me last week.

After a pause, she added, “But I went anyway.”

That trip moved Karen deeply. “After that, I made every trip by myself.” 

Karen, on one of her many trips to Central America

Karen became the heart of our mission, traveling frequently with us to spend time at sites across Central America to encourage mothers, spend time with their children, and help us build homes, the Francisco Coll School, and Santa Clara Nursery (for preschool children), which remain such a vibrant solution for the community in Guatemala almost 30 years later.

The last eight years have seen transformational changes in eight communities, none of which would have been possible without Karen’s generous support.

Despite challenges and losses of her own over the past years, Karen continued to reach out to those in need. She recently decided to travel with us again for the first time in ten years.

Two weeks ago, Karen teamed up with her niece, Kelly Koppal, to fly across the Atlantic on her first trip to visit one of our teams in East Africa. They walked the 5K with me while our Kenyan scholars and their mothers ran laps around us. 

Karen and her niece, Kelly, starting the 5K in Kenya

Our theme for this season is to “Take A Step,” knowing that this step will look different for different people. For Karen, it meant flying across the ocean to spend time with some of the most inspirational people I’ve ever met, much like the trip she took 32 years ago. 

May God bless Karen, and each of us, as we take steps to honor Him and serve His people.

Mike Tenbusch, President

Mike joined International Samaritan in 2018 after two decades of leading social change in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. He’s a University of Michigan Law grad. He and his wife, Maritza, are the authors of A Better Life: 8 Life-Changing Habits to Enjoy the Greatest Adventure on Earth. 

International Samaritan is a Christ-centered organization built on Catholic Social Teaching. Our mission is to walk hand-in-hand with people who live and work in the garbage dumps of developing nations to help them break out of poverty.

We support students with education from kindergarten through college, and we’re currently supporting nearly 1,000 scholars in Central America, the Caribbean, and East Africa.

Would your church or school group like to partner with us? Learn about our Learn, Serve, Grow program.

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