Today we’d like to introduce you to Christa Carrero.
Hi Christa, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Animals and caring for kids in hard places are both near and dear to my heart. From the time I was 12 years old, the Lord impressed a desire in my heart to adopt, serve on the mission field, and work in orphan care. Deep in my heart, I knew that somehow animals and family would be incorporated into the picture, but at that young age, I had no comprehension of how; I just knew it was my horse who had been a refuge for me.
My parents modeled compassion as they fostered two of my siblings from the St. Aloysius Orphanage and raised all ten of us on a dairy farm in Okeana, OH. Faith, family, strong work ethics, and serving others were all principles we were raised with and held dearly.
After graduating high school, I immediately entered Cosmetology School as that was my “ticket” to the international mission field. I got sidetracked from what was instilled in me, but thankfully, the door opened for me to go into the Master’s Commission Discipleship Program and Trinity Life Bible College out in Greeley, CO. This helped get me back on the path the Lord had for me. The summer after Master’s Commission, I interned with Connie Jarvis Sadik, who founded Operation Serve in Mexico City, Mexico. Utilizing the skills I learned, I spent my entire summer overseeing the hair clinic, cutting hair, and treating head lice for hundreds of children who lived in the garbage dumps and surrounding poverty-stricken areas.
After my internship, I learned about a need in Guatemala, so at the age of 20, I ventured into the international mission field to serve as an Administrative Assistant to the directors of the Casa Bernabe Orphanage. Little did I know that a tiny bundle of joy would not only capture my heart but forever impact my life and so many around me. That little bundle would eventually become my daughter. So, after three of the most life-impacting years of my life, with God’s miraculous intervention, the adoption was finalized; I came off the international mission field as a single mama, leaving the 125 kiddos at Casa Bernabe, a culture and a people that I loved dearly, to care for the ONE God entrusted in my care.
While on the international mission field, on a short trip home in 2001, I met my husband who is originally from the Dominican Republic at my home church. We were later married in 2003. Three years after my husband and I were married, he too would sit in Judge Rogers’ courtroom and legally become Papa to our “Joy.” For the first time, she had the opportunity to share her story at the THRIVE Adoption Conference in Hamilton, OH in March of 2023.
Because caring for the fatherless continued to be my heartbeat, we started looking to serve vulnerable children locally, which is when we were first licensed over 19 years ago. According to The Impact Youth & Family News in an article entitled: “We Have to Stop Losing Half of Foster Parents in the First Year” by Irene Clements, “Nearly half of foster parents quit in the first year of fostering due to lack of critical support.” That was our story. We didn’t have the support nor a community around us at that time, so we let our license lapse. Six years later, we were recertified when we learned a 2-year-old little girl’s bio sister, who we loved and cared about, came into the system. With a continued growing desire to provide a forever home to those who didn’t have one, we set off on our fostering journey. For the longest time, we were the only bilingual family licensed in our county, so the need to foster Spanish-speaking teen girls was evident. So, we set out with our five brave daughters, disrupting our daughters’ birth order so we could provide a stable home environment for teen girls, teen moms, and large sibling groups. Little did we know that God had other plans, and our story would be to foster and build relationships with bio families, extend support to birth families, and equip teen girls to realize their worth and begin their journey knowing they had a family who loved and believed in them. This set the framework for what would one day be a H.O.P.E.-full situation (Healing. Order. Peace. Encouragement.)
My amazing, supportive husband and I, along with our five courageous daughters, welcomed 35 children through foster care in our hearts and home over the past 11 years. Fostering has truly been a family effort. Can I just pause and say it is because of the hard work, sweat, and loving support of my husband and the innate understanding and commitment that our girls made to love the vulnerable that helped cultivate what was next? Through our own fostering journey, we realized the critical need to support foster, adoptive, birth, and kinship families, so from there, H.O.P.E.-full Pastures was launched in September of 2020. All because of a horse who became a catalyst of healing to me as a teenager, a fierce love for children and animals, the inspiration from Kim Meeder’s testimony who founded Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Oregon, our personal fostering journey, and a desire to create a place of refuge as my parents provided for us kids, we developed a model to offer hope to vulnerable children in our community through animal-assisted interventions. Kids who experienced hardship would be matched with an animal and a community mentor, who we call a “Pasture Pal.” This program encompasses animal learning, animal safety, proper animal care, bonding, building trust, sensory play, nature journaling, purposeful conversation, learning responsibility, self-regulation, and a faith-based curriculum which promotes healing and restoration of the child’s spirit. We support the family by offering mentorship to the parents and childcare for siblings, embracing the family as a whole…
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As with anything worthwhile, there are bumps, obstacles, and sometimes detours in the road. Some of the greatest struggles I encountered along the way were learning to use my pain as a tool. The hardships we endure, asking myself, what can I learn from this struggle? How can “this hardship” we are experiencing help me grow so I can help someone else? I had to learn to set healthy boundaries, learn to balance my responsibilities of being a stay-at-home wife, homeschool/public/private school mom, fostering, farming, operating a non-profit organization, along with supporting my husband in the bilingual ministry and be available to my aging parents, all-the-while living on site. As H.O.P.E.-full Pastures grew, so did my responsibilities. As our daughters grew, so did their needs. Learning to be present in the moment, intentionally, and not miss the gift of today is something I strive for daily. God, in His faithfulness, cares about what we care about. He plants dreams and grows desires. He was bringing lifelong dreams to fruition. Some of the most painful struggles we endured were brought on by those we loved most. I will say some days it feels impossible, but with God, all things are possible. He is near to the brokenhearted. My one desire is to be obedient to Him and do what He is leading us to do. All of the hardship we faced was to prepare us and equip us to love on families who are parenting kids from hard places. Those struggles led us to separating home and family from H.O.P.E.-full Pastures which has helped cement healthy boundaries, so now I dedicate specific hours during the week to the ministry of H.O.P.E.-full Pastures and when I am home, I can focus on family and homelife.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What we do: We believe that vulnerable children need opportunities in a safe environment to overcome fear, loss, and trauma by promoting Healing, Order, Peace, and Encouragement through animal-assisted interventions and mentorship, embracing the family as a whole. We exist to provide a secure atmosphere where each individual can receive acceptance, a positive experience for children (ages 5-21) and families to learn about the hope of Jesus and healthy coping skills through animal-assisted therapeutic sessions in a peaceful, calm, and rural setting. Our heartbeat is to break the cycle of generational trauma through animal interventions while demonstrating love and compassion to those who are most in need.
What we specialize in: Serving foster, adoptive, kinship, and at-risk biological families, building community around these families. Matching the children we serve with animals that help them along their journey. Providing that safe space in a peaceful, calm, rural setting.
What we are known for: A place to belong. Loving others without conditions. A safe space to heal. Connection with animals to facilitate healing. Entire families have the opportunity to serve together as we serve families as a whole.
What we are most proud of: The growth we witness in the kids and families as a whole. The Lord is at work healing brokenness and restoring families. When a program family enrolls in H.O.P.E.-full Pastures, then reaches a place of wholeness where they desire to give back and serve as a volunteer, that speaks volumes. The volunteers find the farm as a place of peace and refuge from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Helping others heal is rewarding and also our volunteers have expressed that serving helps them walk through their own healing journeys. The people at H.O.P.E.-full Pastures become family. I would also say that I am most proud of our faithful donors, sponsors, board of directors, working teams, consistent volunteers, partnering agencies, animals, and our families that make all of this possible. I would also say I am most proud of the kids as they are the true heroes. The trauma each one has faced is unfathomable for most adults to comprehend. The goal is for H.O.P.E.-full Pastures to be that safe place where biological and foster parents can be equipped together, bridging H.O.P.E., pursuing lifelong connections, as long as it is healthy and safe to do so, and restoring families.
What sets us apart from others: Our afterschool, weekly mentorship program embraces the family as a whole. Realizing that parenting kids from hard places can be challenging, our model equips and trains parents as we partner with local like-minded organizations (Envision Partnerships and Tried & True Parenting Solutions). While the child focuses on their animal and trust-building activities, siblings are provided opportunities through our childcare program, which include animal interaction, storytelling, sensory stations, and play. We also focus on providing support to meet the needs of biological children of foster families. What sets us apart from others is our ability to embrace the family as a whole.
Our facility will offer a sensory barn, a calming station, a teen loft, with the vision that H.O.P.E.-full Pastures will be a full-fledged nurture center.
The house on the property which was home to countless girls over the past decade will continue to be a safe haven for aged out youth that are moms and pregnant teens. This is a current work in progress, but will be staffed, and through community partnerships, the young ladies will learn life skills and gain confidence in their self-worth value, earn an income through a work program, and with the goal of breaking the cycle of generational trauma, these young ladies will be compassionate, contributing citizens.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The need is so great. It truly takes a community to link arms as we love the vulnerable. We cannot do this on our own. According to the Mayo Clinic, “people who volunteer report better physical health than non-volunteers. Additionally, service work keeps your mind active and leads to lower rates of stress, depression, and anxiety.” Our volunteers have voiced that serving at H.O.P.E.-full Pastures has helped them come to terms with their own healing journey. It is because of the faithfulness and consistency of dedicated volunteers that help make our mission possible. WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER. We all need connection. We can all do something. We need to be plugged into “the power source” to be useful and to TRUST GOD without leaning on our own understanding. I’ve learned the importance of taking the time to recharge my batteries. I’ve learned the value of accountability, mentorship, family, friendship, and how we need one another. THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPRESSING GRATITUDE and being thankful. Currently, all the staff at H.O.P.E.-full Pastures are volunteers, but I trust the Lord that their reward will be great in heaven.
Pricing:
- We do not charge for our services, however we learned that there is immense value in the services we provide. We do ask $25 per family Administrative Deposit that will be returned after completing a session. Each family has the opportunity to donate their deposit back to H.O.P.E.-full Pastures. Donations are accepted and greatly appreciated.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hopefullpastures.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/h.o.p.efullpastures
- Facebook: Hopefullpastures
