Carlos & Katrina Páez: About Us

At the age of 18, Katrina got involved in YWAM. Little did she know that this initial call to missions would determine the rest of her life.

Katrina moved to Colombia from New Zealand in 1993 to work with the Street Children’s Ministry of Youth With a Mission (YWAM).

She worked as a care giver and mum to various children, many of whom have started today their own families far from the life of the streets. One child in particular stands out; in her sixth year she became the main caregiver (foster mum) of Alex, a 22 month old energetic boy. During that time she also met Carlos, a Colombian chemist/environmental engineer who after his day work would show his deep love for children by tutoring the older children in residential care.

Since Carlos and Katrina’s wedding in 2002, they have been working as a couple full time for the Street Children’s Ministry, now known as Formando Vidas [Shaping Lives].

They went to New Zealand as a family the first time in 2003 with their sons: newly adopted Alex and newly born Simon to do a Family Discipleship Training School with YWAM in Matamata.

The family was later blessed in Colombia with the birth of Gabriela in 2006.

Over the years, the ministry among the street children has grown until it is now a seven stage fully integrated approach to changing the children’s lives forever, mostly by the ultimate means of the restoration of a long term Christian family for each child. The seven stages, now led and carried out by 25+ mostly Latin American full time volunteers, include: street and ghetto evangelism, a drop in center and crisis shelter, Bible clubs and discipleship, a transition school, long term re-parenting homes, family restoration, and “follow through” as former street children who’ve grown to be young adults enter mainstream society.

Because street kids cannot be forever changed with quick fix solutions or short term ministry, Carlos and Katrina have committed many years of their lives to help restore the kids… and to facilitating opportunities for other Christians to be able to restore them as well.

Today, they are part of the leadership team. Carlos is the assistant to the director, works in the legal aspects of the ministry and Katrina is the administrator and treasurer. Carlos is also involved in overseeing 9 different YWAM ministries in Bogota and in translating Christian books into Spanish. Some of the books he has translated include: