Whirlwind to South America

Bolivia to be exact.
What an incredible gift God gave us to be able to go to Cochabamba and surrounding regions.
I will try to adequately express the amazing-ness of our travels:

Our team united in Dallas on October 24, 2009. Kim and David came from Ohio, and Sylvia, Sara and I met up and left from San Antonio. Our flight was delayed in Dallas a little over and hour, and even as we were all crammed in the jetway waiting to board the plane I was so impressed by the testimony that I saw my team presenting. Right off the bat my very own team was meeting people and explaining to them the adventure we were embarking on; Sylvia was helping a little old lady with her heavy bag, and I just was soaking it all in. So happy since attitudes like this show how serious these people are about their God.

Due to the delay we missed our flight out of Miami. I was disappointed but reminded myself that there is nothing WE can do about it. So we decided to live it up on our American Airlines vouchers and make the most of our time. Right away I knew this was going to be good for us. Even though Cochabamba is where we wanted to be. We had devotions on the river, a good breakfast and fun at the beach in a CHEAP rental car.
We had an overnight flight to Lima, slept in the airport and got to La Paz after lunch on Monday. Our luggage had been "misplaced" and after some detective work, and favor from an American Airlines staff, our bags were returned shrink wrapped and everything. We got an incredible deal on flights to Cochabamba and went into the city of La Paz for dinner. With only one case of altitude sickness, we quickly got out of there. We arrived in Cochabamba at 11:30 p.m. and Mike Timmer, my former roomate Katie, a bolivian friend Patto, and the Cristo were all waiting for us.

Day 3:
We spent our first day in Cochabamba visiting the orphanage bearing gifts from generous supporters stateside. We had a soccer game with the kids, and I quickly realized how much the altitude really affects one. We also helped at Nate's workshop, did some grocery shopping for the week, sorted the mountain of donations and had an "orientation". My friend Katie took her personal day from the school where she teaches to spend time with us and even made dinner for us of Sopa de Mani. Delicious!

Day 4:
On Tuesday we tagged along with Mike, Ted (or "Tedly" as he was affectionately nicknamed by some of my teammates), and Remberto to the Chapare (the Jungle). We saw progress on the homes there and the tree farm which will support the day-to-day expenses of the homes. The scenery was beautiful, and it was neat to return to the jungle and see the culture there.

DAy 5:
We did some preparation work around the Hacienda (the guest house where we stayed) for the bonfire/birthday party for SARA! We made a quick trip to the Cancha (market), and then went to the Center where there was a sweet reunion with the missionaries and kids there and I proudly presented my team. (because I really am proud of them!). At the center we participated in play time, tutoring, games, nail painting, and more play time. It was a special occasion for them to have so many visitors so they decided to spend the regular class time having a soccer game. We returned home where Sylvia got right to work making Sara's birthday dinner. The plan was to have the bonfire after dinner, but once again time works very differently in South America, so dinner was getting ready the same time the guests were arriving. It was somewhat similiar to feeding of the 5,000. I mean on a smaller scale. Our dinner for 5, somehow fed nearly 30. The food was delicious, fellowship sweet, and the fire was big, though I barely had time to enjoy it.
The most fun thing of the evening was... well, 2 most fun things actually:
1st: It was really cool to see how excited everyone was that it was Sara's birthday. Everyone congratulated her, and sang the Bolivian birthday song to her with such emotion.
2nd: it was very cool to give out all the gifts that we had brought for all of these wonderful people. And incredibly rewarding to see their excitement.
It was a wonderful evening and a great way to start the 2nd leg of our journey to Potosi.

Day 6-11:
At 6 a.m we were ready with bags packed, trail mix handy and high spirits. We left on a mission to deliver Samaritan's Purse shoeboxes to rural communities in Southern Bolivia.

Jorge is a Bolivian Doctor and WAldo is a clown turned Dentist. Both men are founders of Red Vida de Esperanza (Life of Hope Network). The do a lot of work in these small communities encouraging, empowering and discipling the people there. Basically, it was an incredibly stretching 5 days. there were rarely bathrooms, we showered once, we were called upon to sing specials, give testimonies and teach classes with seconds notice. I feel that I learned and grew a lot and God came through in such a powerful way. We had the amazing surprise of returning through the Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats). It was beautiful. We got back at 1:30 a.m., 11.5 hours behind schedule, but slept very good that night.

Day 12.
At 5:30 David and I got up and headed off to the airport to purchase plane tickets. We were expecting to have to leave that night, but miraculously a new airline had recently started up in Bolivia and offered a flight to Santa Cruz the next morning for $20 cheaper than the leading airline. We took advantage of that, so excited that we would have an extra night in Cochabamba. After breakfast with the girls, we went to the cancha again to finish up some souvenir shopping, we finished early had some Papas Rellenas for lunch and decided to take advantage of our extra hour to go up to the Cristo. We didn't have time to take all the stairs, so we took the cable cars. We got to the top to see the beautiful city one last time. Then we headed off to the center to play and say goodbye. That was the hardest goodbye, I guess because there are so many people there that were so good to me, and have continued to be an encouragement to me since then. We hurried back to Zona Frutillar and had a little Christmas Party with the kiddos and said goodbye. Dinner was with the Timmers and the Moseys followed by a rousing game of Telephone Pictionary, and then we were off to my 2nd Family's house for a visit and volleyball game. We got home late, walked Katie home and packed up.
I was not ready to leave, but was so happy with how amazing the week turned out. My heart was aching, but at the same time was very very happy. I have never felt so loved in all of my life!! Incredible.

The next morning (Day 13),
Mike picked us up at 5, and we said goodbye to the Hacienda, Pop Tart and one very cool missionary. We were delayed three hours in Santa Cruz due to a sick pilot and by the time we got to Miami, after a little confusion in immigration all of us missed our flights out of Miami and once again spent the night at a hotel. So ironic.

So the next day we got up early (once again) and went back to the Miami airport. Goodbyes were rushed and we all headed our seperate directions. I was mostly choked up as I said goodbye to my cousin, as she was the last person I saw and I realized that now it was really over. I wished it could've lasted forever... I guess that's why we take pictures.

I can never thank you enough for your support, donations, and prayers. We KNOW we could not have done it without you. There were definitely times where we would say, "do you have any idea how many people are praying for us right now?" It was a great source of motivation and encouragement knowing that we were representing you and God.

So keep praying for the people of Bolivia. Pray for favor for the missionaries with the people there, as well as workers to go. There is so much work to be done.

Don't forget that you can still sponsor a Christmas project in Bolivia. The projects are budget friendly and a tangible way to bless the people for whom you've been praying. Go to www.navidadenbolivia.info for more information.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Much love.
Kristen

Keep watching the Photo blog for more pictures...

soon and very soon

Dear Faithful Pray-ers,
Greetings from the peaceful Polcyn House. (This is about the only time it is that way--at 12:30 a.m!). I trust this finds you well.

Saturday morning I will leaving-along with my lovely team- to Cochabamba, Bolivia. God has been so gracious, and His people so generous throughout this adventure we often dread called: Support Raising. While I did not need to raise any funds my team (of four--see my blog) needed to raise a pretty big amount of money. But we also received many toys and gifts for the people in Bolivia (kids, ministries and families), as well as many commitments by you all to be praying for us. We are encouraged and very excited to be representing you in BOLIVIA!

I will be updating my blog while we are gone with pictures and brief updates. I encourage you to check it regularly (even now there are updates).

I ask that you be praying with us for traveling mercies, smooth visits with customs officials, and safe arrivals of all of our precious cargo. ;) Packing has been quite the process...!

Also for the next week you can continue to pray for traveling mercies, boundless energy, and broken hearts that are willing to learn.

I can never thank you enough for your ongoing support and encouragement.

Con mucho amor:
Hermana Kristina

Navidad en Bolivia 2009

Dear Friends,

You may remember Navided en Bolivia 2008, where over $3000 was raised to bless kids, families and ministries in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Well, Navidad en Bolivia in 2009 is bigger, better and back with a website!! Adrian Nickols, my previous Australian co-worker, has organized the project this year and we have dreamed big. Last year we had to expand the project twice because you all responded so generously.

"This year we have over 220 sponsorships, and will attempt to raise over $8000 for practical needs found within 7 God-focused ministries in Bolivia. These needs include a passenger van, a data projector, internet access, baby formula, funding to establish a new ministry, personalised Christmas gifts for 50 children, and much, much more!!"

Please check out the website:
www.navidadenbolivia.info

Then e-mail me with your desired sponsorships. Until we get a better process, all sponsorships I will first need to b approved by Adrian (so we aren't doubling up). Then once your sponsorship is approved, you can send a check to me. I will be going to Bolivia in 2 weeks and will take all the money that we have raised thus far to deliver to the sponsored ministries. So it will be helpful to have as many sponsorships as possible committed before then. We will use and alternate method to send the rest of the money that comes after November.

We are limiting the individual child sponsorships to one per sponsor, and ask that if you want to give more money that you look for a bigger project so everything gets sponsored. 100% of the funds you donate goes directly to your sponsored item.

Thank you so much for your support.
God's richest blessings.
Kristen

biggER ThAN US. [part 1.]

As I mentioned previously there are many ways you can be involved in making our trip to Bolivia a success. Though it's really not even about us. It's about God and how we can be involved in something that is BiggER THAN us.
Over the next few weeks I will be inviting you to help in different aspects.

The first is:


Contact me, or any of the team members for further information.

Voyage to a Lovely Country with Lovely People

Next month I'll be going to Cochabamba, Bolivia. I anticipate a sweet return, fulfilling visits with friends from the past and some hard work helping share Jesus' love.
I'm blessed to be going with a TEAM, yeah God kinda orchestrated it better than I ever could have. I'm going to introduce them and share a little bit how I'm so excited to see God use each one of them:

Sara is my COUSIN!! She's also a nurse and one of the most dedicated independent Spanish studiers that I know. For a long time she's felt called to missions and has gone maaaaany times on mission trips. I'm excited for her to come with me and see Bolivia for many reasons, but mostly I'm so humbled to be the one who gets to show it to her. :)
Kim and I go wayyyy back. We've been friends since freshman year of highschool I think. But I believe if we had met earlier, we would've been friends ever since then too. Kim's a sweet girl. She has a ton of experience working with kids and teens. She's very creative and artsy and I'm excited to see that play into ministry and team dynamics. Not to mention the wisdom that she brings...David just happens to be Kim's brother. He recently spent some time in Europe on a summer mission with the Navigators. There are mostly boys in the homes that we'll be working with. So I'm very happy that David will be going and hanging out with the boys.

Sylvia and I work together. She's been a good teacher to me from day one. She also is a pray-er...and I hope to learn from her even more in that area especially since I don't do it near enough. Sylvia is a true bilingual person and I anticipate her being a huge help in translating, for all of us!! ;)

visiting the past

In a way i just did just that.
I spent a few days in Chicago with my big sister and some former co-workers from BOLIVIA. I then took a short flight over to Ohio and spent the rest of the weekend at the county fair, and visiting friends and family there. It was incredible and so good for my homesick heart. Not that it's not still homesick...

on disappointing others

I'm reading a book called Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. One thing that struck me as I was reading tonight was as the author was talking about how Jesus disappointed a lot of people.
His disciples held Him up to this imaginary model of the Messiah that they had dreamed up.
His parents expected Him to be a King.
His followers wanted Him to fix all their problems.

But. Mr. Scazzero goes on to show that because Jesus was secure in His father's love and what He had called Him to do, He was able to do what He had been called to do without becoming bitter with those who held unrealistic expectations and unfair judgments of Him.

I just thought that was interesting. That's all. Feel free to comment if you want...

Approaching Sunday with a Heavy Heart

On Monday "JR" will turn 18.
That means he can't be in our shelter anymore.

This particular boy holds a special place in my heart-
my boss said to me "you always like the underdogs, huh?"
...I guess it's true--It's the very small amount of mothering instinct that I possess.

I did JR's intake paperwork. I thought to myself, "this boy is pretty calm"....
Day 2: I arrive and it's like someone gave him a triple dose of HYPER!!
Now don't get me wrong, "JR" is not always a bad kid. In fact, when he wants to he can be quite charming. He holds no grudges. He laughs a lot. ...BUT, from that day on his point card was covered with negative points for hitting peers, jumping over furniture, throwing a globe at at teacher at school, calling names, bad table manners, you name it-he's done it.

Enter: family teaching model. Now this is definitely a trial and error process for me, but this is how we aspire to teach life-skills to the boys who are sent to us. It's basically feedback to appropriate and inappropriate behavior.

We've had talks--Me and JR--about...well, lots of things. But mostly about how violence is not an appropriate solution to problems, how God is the one who gives us the strength to change into men and women of character, and how character is so important. Honesty, Integrity, all of those things.
And now...he's leaving. Ugh. Not fair. Not yet. I feel like there's so much more I need to say, to show, to do.

This particular boy came from a very rough background. No parents. Ran around as part of a street gang with a very big gun. 'Though he said he never killed anyone, he just riled everyone up. He swore to me that he'd never return to that life. And while I want to believe him, I know that I'm just me. An American girl working at a shelter he was in for 2 months in Texas. So what?
This is the hard part: I hand it over to God. I'm no fool, I know that in me, there is no power to change a person. That responsibility rests solely with The King of the Universe. And he cares about JR a lot more than I do, and wants the best for him even more than I do.

So why do I write all of this? I don't know... it's therapeutic. But I hope maybe in reading this, you'll send up a prayer for "JR". And the 450 other ones who have already passed through the shelter within the past two years since the program opened with similar stories.

And here's how he's changed. Now dinner time is much more pleasant. JR doesn't talk the whole time and actually finishes the same time as everyone else. He even serves me sometimes. He earns a fraction of the negative points from before. He is still his boisterous self, but channels it into a hardcore soccer game, or intense arm wrestling match, or ...karaoke night.

On Being Content.

An attitude adjustment can make a world of difference.

So I've been in the process for learning this for what feels like an eternity. I guess it's only been about 20 some years though.

Lately especially I've been having a pity party for myself. I'll give you an example [or five!]:
"If only I had some good friends here then my life would come together".
(or "...if only my job and home were 30 minutes closer to each other...";
"...I could get into grad school...";
"...my Mr. Right would walk into my life...";
"...I could find a great church...";
...You get the idea). Doesn't God WANT me to have these things?

I began to feel that perhaps ...
the faint at heart may want to stop here...



God was holding out on me.
Gasp! I know I shouldn't even think such things.
But in my heart I was thinking this as I was out running one morning in the sweltering heat.

When I got back to the house and was doing my devotions that very day, I read Psalm 84:11-12a

For the LORD God is a Sun and shield;
The LORD gives grace and glory;
no good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Indeed the LORD will give what is good.

Oh.
Then I checked my e-mail. And what did I happen to find?
An acceptance letter to grad school. I laughed at my silliness, and God's sense of humor.
Okay, so I'm starting to get the point.

So I continue to quote this verse to myself over the next few weeks when I start to get frustrated and impatient.

Then on my 50 minute drive home from work yesterday, I thought to myself:
what do I really want?
So off I go listing my wishlist: Apartment, Friends, Church, Mr. Right, grad school, etc.
And then I thought, "so then what would my life look like?"
Would I really be content, or would I want back what I have right now?
If I had a lot of friends would I say to myself, "I wish I had an evening off just to read a book"?,
or if I had an apartment would I say to myself: "I wish I had more time to spend with my family"?
or if I had a "church" on which I was depending for all my spiritual nourishment would I forget to make the time to read my bible, journal and get spiritual nourishment from the resources I have?
Of course I would!! I'm human. I know myself.
And when I'm discontent
my circumstances are not going to change my attitude.
(...I'll just find something else to complain about.)

Somehow this little revelation made the biggest difference for me. Now I see that God really DOES have my best interests in mind. It wasn't an accident that He put me right here. That he put my family in here, and that He is helping me learn patience. And though I don't understand why some things have to take so long, I feel content.
All I can do is hang on to my Savior, my Strength and my Guide.

*Incidentally, even though I thought I wanted to go to grad school right now, I might actually wait another semester for different reasons. And I feel okay with that. :)

(Disclaimer* I do actually know the importance of the fellowship of the Saints and am in no way stating that I intend to float around indefinitely. Let's just say that the whole adjustment process has been draining on many different levels and I feel like I am finally starting to settle in and figure out what I'm doing.)


FYI: In English,
Contentment does not equal happiness. I would say more like PEACE>.

The Question Everyone's Asking.

Last week I was at work making sure that the boys were getting ready for bed, one boy walked out of the bathroom and paused a second.
"Miss, ...am I ugly?"
I was a bit taken aback, and said "nooo!"
"I'm not?" He asked still not convinced. "Then I'm good looking?"
"Yes." I smiled and nodded.
"Okay," he quietly said as he ducked into his bedroom.
I was a little bothered by the fact that he was concerned about that. But continued with my paperwork.
Not even five minutes later one of the other boys who had climbed up on his bunk-bed said, "Miss, am I happy...or am I dumb?" This boy has recently arrived and doesn't really know how to read or write. He's very happy always laughing. The boys sometimes make fun of him and tell him that he's stupid. Well, apparently this did bother the young man...even though he pretends it doesn't.
I told him that he was not dumb.
He somberly nodded and continued listening to his music.

Then I started thinking, these are both very good-looking, happy guys who make friends easily. Maybe he didn't really want to know if he was happy or dumb. Maybe the other boy wasn't fishing for a compliment. Maybe what they want to know--what we all want to know is, "Am I okay?" "Am I acceptable to you?" "Do you like me?" Well...maybe we want reassurance that we're not stupid or ugly either. But we care about what others think of us.
So you better believe that we are going to be exploring this deeper issue that is affecting these young men, and me, and probably everyone else I know...

Fortunately we can know that we ARE okay because we're made in the image of God. Not that we look like Him physically, and a lot of us don't even act like Him sometimes...but He made us. Here's what The Good Book says:

God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them.
God blessed them...
(Genesis 1:27-28A.)

And then it goes on to say,

God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.
Genesis 1:31 (emphasis mine).

My former pastor preached a series one time on 'people in the image of God'. He reminded us that the way we treat people should be pleasing to God. Because WE are made in God's image, but the people we are interacting with are made in God's image too. So...basically we have no excuse for disrespecting anyone. Ever.

So Dear Friends, I'll leave you with one last [obvious] thought:
We are okay... We're better than okay. We are "very good". In fact it seems to imply that we are pleasing to God. It's like when you finish making something, and you get that satisfaction that you have outdone yourself...I kinda think that might be how God felt as he looked at us.

a Million Pieces [kinda like confetti].

In two years over 400 boys have passed through the shelter where I work. I've worked there about a month and probably about 20 boys have already [come and] gone.

It makes me kinda sad to think about all of "my kids" all over the world. It's not like I'll see them again, or be able to stay in contact with them. *Just part of my job.

So I thought about how God puts different people in our lives, and although we HOPE to touch their lives, they always touch ours. I know God has put me here, and so for the good and... hard days I know that I want to try my very best to touch and be touched by them.

I hear a lot of funny things, have some hard conversations and see some incredible changes in these kids.

So my heart will be all over the world once these kids leave with it (not to mention all the people I've been touched by in Ohio, Bolivia, and Mexico too) but little pieces of them will stick with me forever too.

NEVER say never.

I thought it would be a good idea to keep you updated on what I was doing post-Bolivia--since so much has changed. It's been a few months of adjustment-a little bit longer than expected!! But God's been faithful.

I had been working at Tractor Supply Company since January as a cashier. It was such a blessing having an easy job that was close by. I really liked my co-workers and customers. The work was pretty cool too--but as it goes, "all good things must come to an end"...but that doesn't mean that it's the best we ever get...

About two months ago my mom handed me the classifieds and announced that she had found a "perfect job" for me. It was a children's home with the Baptist Child and Family Services. That next week I randomly met the director of the International Children's Shelter at my work. I visited the shelter, and did an application for employment shortly thereafter. I was a little nervous about working with teenage boys who don't speak any English. But I felt such a peace about it that when I was offered the position I knew that was my new mission in life.

The shelter has two homes and holds up to 28 boys. They are all from South and Central America. It is a very structured program, but without an institutional feel. The shelter is basically a juvenile facility for "unaccompanied minors"--illegal immigrants. They stay for about "3 months--usually less, though sometimes more. They attend school on campus, have meals family style, do chores, and are able to play, watch tv, call home, and--this is the best part--learn about God!

I started this adventure on Tuesday and although I've been there 4 days, I love it! At least once a day I look around and thank God for this amazing opportunity. And at least five times a day, I ask myself if I can really do this! No doubt it will be a huge challenge-likely the biggest of my life-but at least I'm not on my own. The boys have been very friendly. The turnover rate is pretty high, as these kids are only here until they are deported or have paperwork finished to stay here. I've already said goodbye to three kids. That'll probably get kinda hard after a while.
*these are some of my favorite boys from my time in Bolivia!

Tonight was Jose Andres' last night. One of the boys asked if we could say a special prayer for him. Of COURSE we said yes! One of the staff asked the boys who would like to say the prayer,
Miss Kristina!! They, all too quickly, responded.
*deer in the headlights look!*
"well, uh..." I stammered, " I think it would be better if someone who spoke Spanish as a first language prayed", I mumbled to a true bilingual speaker staff-person who was standing next to me.
"Nope", he shook his head, "it will mean a lot to them if YOU pray".
"okay", I sighed, "I can do this". Meanwhile my mind was running a million miles a second trying to organize what I wanted to say and thinking of all the correct tenses.
We all got in a circle with Jose Andres in the middle.
...And my mind went blank. I struggled through a prayer, glad that God understood and hoping he put everything unjumbled in these boys' minds.

As soon as the boys got in bed I ran an errand to the other home, and realized that NEVER in my wildest imagination would I have pictured myself where I am. If I hadn't majored in Spanish (even though at the time I believed it was somewhat of a "worthless degree" without the teaching certificate) then I wouldn't have gone to Bolivia. If I hadn't gone to Bolivia, I would never have thought I could actually work with kids in this kind of setting. So here we see once again that God is SOOOO faithful! And doesn't give us more than we can handle.

Sooo...that's about it. My random new mission is working with teenage boys, who's first language is not the same as mine, and who are "at risk" kids. I'm pretty sure that at some time or another I told myself that I would never [be able to] do even one of those things.

Thanks for your love, prayers and support.
Kristen.

2 months later and STILL processing...

Dear Readers,
I'm sorry that it's been so long since I have posted on here. I arrived back in the States about a month and a half ago. The transition has been harder than I expected, but God continues to be ever so faithful. I'll try to give you a brief summary.

My final days in Cochabamba were so rich. From Christmas parties with the kids, to extra spare moments that God gave me, to reunions with people I didn't think I would get to see (Remberto, Vick and family, some friends from church, Michelle (previous intern) and Mallory Timmer.). It was just a really sweet time. Goodbyes were hard, though I wasn't nearly as emotional as I thought. I do hope that I am able to keep in touch with all of my new found family there.

I got back to the airport very early in the morning of December 17th. I had hoped to arrive on the 16th at around 11:30 because then I would get to see my mom on her birthday, but flights were delayed and I almost was stuck in Dallas, but everything worked out and I made it home. My 8 siblings who still live at home, my twin, my parents and my former co-worker with International Teams Jaclyn were all there at the airport to greet me. It was wonderful.
I spent the holidays with family. It wasn't too hard reacquainting myself with family except for my youngest niece Sadie who still is a bit suspicious. We went to the coast for New Years which I suspect will become a family tradition.
Two days after New Years my brother Jon and I went on a roadtrip to Ohio. I was able to spend time with him, friends and extended family which was so incredibly refreshing. It was also really good to go back to my church. I was so encouraged by the pastors, deacon/mission board and several individuals whom God has used in my life. It was also nice to experience snow for a few days!
I'm working nearly full time at TSC. Never in my life would I have dreamed that at twenty-three, possesing a bachelor's degree I would be so thankful for a job as a cashier. But I really believe that God gave me that job. It's not a well paying job, but it's easy, I work with good people and it keeps me busy.
I've applied to two grad schools here in Texas for social work. It's a two year program and it will give me more confidence and opportunities to work with kids. I'm excited about it.

Coming back from Bolivia, I had already been warned of the huge adjustment that returning would be. Reverse-culture shock, confusion, depression and apathy were a few words that were thrown around in our debriefing session. I guess I was a bit skeptical that ANY of those words would ever be used to express me. I guess I could have been a little bit wrong. Or even MOSTLY wrong. The truth is that it is really hard to come back, and maybe even more so for me because I came somewhere where I basically know NO one. Argh. So you can keep praying for me to adjust to living in Texas, sooo far away from everything I've ever known, and with my family again. They've actually been really good about it. I get three sets of hugs and kisses every night before bed from the three littlest boys. :)
Well, I guess that's about it. Thanks for all your support, love and encouragement.
Keep on keeping on.
Kristen

The best Christmas present: Franz got out of the Malnutrition Center on Christmas Ever. I went to see him a few days before I left and he was doing SO much better!!