Life, Love, Grace, or Carefree?

           

One of the things I got to do during my internship was to work with the various caregivers assigned to the group home.  This was a great learning experience for me on many different levels. 

                As background, the apartment houses up to a dozen girls, ages 11-17, for anywhere between a couple months to a little more than a year (whatever time it takes to sort out their parent’s situation).  Most girls have a background of poverty, neglect, alcoholism and abuse; most have developed a variety of bad habits (lying, stealing, ditching school, running away) and self-destructive behaviors (cutting, drinking, drug use, etc.).   Taken as a group, you can only imagine how difficult it must be to work with them.

                

There are four female social workers/caregivers assigned to the apartment; none of them live in (there is no house mom), instead, they all work alternating shifts.   Let’s call them, Zoya, Luba, Ania and Raisa (changed names.)  Their shifts were fairly regular, so the girls pretty much knew who would be working when.  All of the social workers were qualified, competent professionals, but each of them had a different personality and approach to their work.  Truly, I couldn't have asked for better exposure to real-life applications of behavioral theory.

              

 Zoya (life) is the oldest and most experienced of the social workers. She is probably in her 60’s.  If I was going to characterize her, I would say she is most like our stereotype of a ‘soviet’ woman.  She is a no-nonsense woman with an authoritative manner.  She is heavily invested in her approach to the girls; she believes they need a strong hand enforcing structure and control.  She believes that being very strict is what will keep the girls from ‘going bad’ later when they leave. 

                Despite having worked with disadvantaged kids for a number of years, she still has a strong life force that she desperately wants to share with these girls.  Zoya knows the statistics -- 9 out of 10 of these girls will likely fail life.  Too often, she’s seen what that failure looks like and she fears for these girls.  She also knows she has a very limited time to have any impact on them. 

. . . but perfect love casts out fear. . . 1 John 4:18

                Taking a completely opposite approach is Luba (love).  She is also an experienced social worker and I would guess she’s around 30 years old.  She’s a single mom that commutes a fair distance for the job and works long hours because she believes in what she’s doing.  Honestly, between work and being mom, I have no idea when she sleeps.  Her approach is to love the girls, show an interest in them and believe the best about them.  She always greets them with genuine smiles and speaks kindly to them even when they are rude in return.  She tries to offer correction in positive comments and doesn’t raise her voice or try to compete when the yelling starts.  She also invests a lot of herself in the girls and works many hours ‘off the clock’.  If a girl wants to talk, even as Luba’s leaving, she will put down her things, find a place to sit with her and listen as long as the girl needs to talk.  

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.  ⁵ Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others.

Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. ⁶ Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices over the truth. ⁷ Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures. ⁸ Love never ends. . . 1 Cor. 13:4-8

               

                Ania (grace) is probably in her 50’s, single and has a very soft voice.  She tries to love the girls and reason with them but she is not as patient or consistent as Luba.     She can also be strict and engage in yelling.  She is probably the most like a real parent in that regard, trying different approaches to find what works.  Unfortunately, she is kind of a pushover and the girls know that and use it to their advantage.

But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him;

and when he saw him, he felt compassion, . . . Luke 10:33

                Finally, there is Raisa (carefree), a woman in her 50’s who is neither authoritarian nor gracious, but simply worn down.  She’s no longer trying to ‘save’ anyone, she’s happy to simply end her shift with the house not having burned down and no one requiring emergency medical treatment. In a conversation I had with her she told me, “It’s just plain useless to try to teach or parent them at this age, they have already picked up all the bad habits and won’t change.”

. . . do not grow weary of doing good . . 2 Thess 3:13

               While all the elements for success exist among these individuals, they don’t function at all like a team.  They’ve had department meetings and tried to outline a collective strategy, but they haven’t yet found a way to successfully integrate all their strengths into a solid, workable solution.  Of course, the girls, whose survival skills have been honed in broken homes or on the streets, are quick to manipulate (and abuse) the caregivers who are essentially ‘going it alone’.   The disappointing thing is they are EACH right and they are ALL wrong. 

                Zoya is absolutely right that the girls need structure.  Most of them have lived in dysfunctional, even dangerous homes.  They’ve had alcoholic parents.  They’ve been emotionally neglected and abused; some physically or sexually abused.  They haven’t had anyone nurturing them, teaching them right from wrong or giving them basic life skills.  They don’t know (or care) what acceptable behavior is and they don’t understand the concept of self-control.  However, her approach to imposing structure and control on them is constantly met with resistant (an odd exception is one girl who knows to remove her nose piercing when Zoya is on duty).  The girls are disrespectful and defiant; they smoke in the bedroom just to make her mad, some even schedule their running away based on when she’s working and their returning when she’s not.    Ultimately, Zoya loses ground with them as she allows them to manipulate her into screaming matches.  

                Luba is absolutely right that the girls need love, attention and mentoring.  They also need to feel safe and have an opportunity to heal, but they struggle trying to stand on ground that is always shifting, forcing them to react to one hostile environment after another.   The love that is so generously shown, the heartfelt words of affirmation spoken and the quality time so freely given by Luba only sometimes tips the balance (in the girls favor) when weighed against all the negative messages they’ve already internalized and the frequently hostile environment they live in. 

                Ania is right in that there is no single approach that works with all the girls all the time.  Even Raisa is right in that expectations need to be realistic and boundaries need to be set in order to maintain sanity and avoid work burn-out.  And, she recognizes that tools (structure, love, self-control, mentoring) are only effective when the girl herself chooses to pick up a tool, learn to use it and start building something for herself. 

                I do see the Lord has miraculously assembled this group of women, placed them together and given them a heart for these girls.  Please join in prayer for each of them that they not only come to know the Lord as their personal savior, but that they are filled with His Spirit, and that He would then ‘prosper the work of their hands’. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love,

 joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness

and self-control  Gal 5:22

            Overall, living with the girls and getting to know the caregivers was a really a good experience for me.  I learned a lot about how the hurts in life change us and what it takes to overcome those hurts.  I learned a lot about parenting and coaching and what would or might work best for when I have an orphanage or other children under my care.  In closing, I will say that the girls were generally better behaved and calmer when Luba is in the apartment.  To me, this validates my belief that Love is the Key, to healing, wholeness and hope.  

So, while no one’s parenting or caregiving skills are perfect, it would be best to make mistakes on the side of love.

Then and Now

                I wanted to write a little about the changes I observed at my former orphanage from the time I lived there (Oct 2001-Sep 2002), the time I visited (June 2009) and my recent internship (Dec 2012-Jan 2013). 

                When I lived in Dom Miloserdiya, it was a faith-based orphanage operated by the Russian Orthodox Church.  Within the building itself, there were dormitories, a home school, and a fully operational church used solely for the resident children (and staff).  “Chapel” was an integral part of daily life.   The orphanage strongly believed that children should be exposed to the arts and had a well-developed theater program for the children.  They also believed that children should have a bigger view of the world than their little neighborhood; they owned a ‘dacha’ (coutry house) outside the city, had contacts with a monastery in Novgorod and the loan of another dacha in Sochi.     

                DM was what is called a ‘priyut’ (roughly ‘first’).  It is the first place children are taken when they are removed from their homes.  The children stay there until the court determines whether they can be reunited with their families, given into a relative’s care or whether they will become wards of the state.  Most children live there for only a year, maybe two, while the court determines their fate.  A few children are adopted directly from the priyut, but most are transferred to state orphanages after their parental rights are terminated (which is what happened to me).

                When I visited in 2009, Dom Miloserdiya was still a faith-based orphanage and you could feel the love and caring atmosphere the moment you walked in.  My former caregivers Antonina and Masha still worked there and not only remembered me, but they found some photos of me when I lived there.  What a blessing!   

                The orphanage had recently completed some internal remodeling to allow for expansion; my former bedroom had been transformed to a school room, a new stairwell had been added and the 3^rd floor attic space finished which included a studio for the resident icon painter, Victor.   Apart from that though, I can say that it was just as I remembered it.  Entering the orphanage, there was the same doorkeeper to the left and wide staircase straight ahead.  I remembered you had to go outside and down some steps to access the kitchen and the playground was just opposite.  There was the blue and white delft tile fireplace and the windows overlooking the Neva.

                Sometime after my 2009 visit, a lot of things changed.  The biggest change is that the state assumed control of the orphanage and has slowly separated the children’s care from the church so that not only are they no longer given Christian teaching, but they are not allowed access to the chapel that is on the premises.  While some of the administration and staff are (devout) Christians, employees are no longer required to be and those who are are limited in what they can share with the children (similar to how our American schools work).  The church inside the building has become a neighborhood parish and the majority of the building is given to church administration.  Two dormitories for the children remain, but the goal is to relocate the children into another building nearby.  The offices that support the orphanage and group homes have already been relocated.  The dacha has been sold and the children now attend state-sponsored summer camps.  All of this seemed so sad to me because Dom Miloserdiya is where I first learned about my Heavenly Father. Knowing Him gave me hope and a purpose, Dom Miloserdia is where my walk with the Lord started. It is where many seeds were planted. 

 God led me there to continue planting seeds, so I'm certain His hand is still upon that place. 

Last Week In Russia

First, my apologies for taking so long to update my blog.  So much happened during my 6 weeks in Russia, it took some time to process everything and then to decide which parts to write about.   Also, when I first came home, I was really sick.  Then, I had to catch up on my schoolwork, turn in my projects and take 1^st semester finals.  After that, honestly, it was mostly laziness.   Sorry.

                My last week in St. Petersburg was absolutely amazing! I finally got comfortable with the whole subway system and traveling around the big city.  I felt and apparently looked and sounded like a true Russian; I had several people stop me and ask me where to go.  Surprisingly, I was able to help!!

                After five weeks of living in a group home with 13 teenage girls, I moved back into the actual orphanage I lived in 10 years ago.  Of course, it was strange walking the same stairs, looking out the same windows and seeing some of the same staff, but what an experience; I looked at everything with a different perspective.  No longer was I one of the orphans running around, but I was someone that has a family.  It made me realize again how much God has blessed me and how I now get to share the blessings and love I've received with these children.   For a moment, I saw myself as one of the missionaries that came out to the orphanage when I lived there.  What a role change!!

                I was assigned to work with the 4-6 year old.   They are so precious!  We bonded the moment I walked in.  In the mornings, I helped feed them, bathe and dress them.  In the afternoons, I played with them or accompanied them on outings.  In the evenings, I tucked them in and read bedtime stories to them.  Some even started to call me mom- it’s heart breaking to see such beautiful, young children lacking a mother’s attention.  Constantly, they drew  pictures of their family being all together once again.

                One boy, in particular stood out to me; his name was Donya.  At first, he was distant and shy, but the more we spent time together, the more I fell in love with him. He was the youngest one there, and if I could, I would adopt him in a heartbeat!  When I would pick him up he’d say, “My mom thinks I’m too heavy, but you don’t.”  So much need expressed so simply made it hard to ever put him down.

                Every one of these ‘little snowflakes’ has a special place in my heart:  precocious Lada, curious Sveta, happy Nikita, soulful Polina, precious Alona ...   I will never forget their hugs and kisses.   I will never forget the moments I walked through the door and hear them all screaming “Yay! Aunt Ana is here!.” I will never forget the times we sat around and talked about how great our Heavenly Father is.  I truly felt used by God and blessed for the opportunity.  This time and these precious little ones are one of those treasures I’ve stored in my heart and stored up for myself in heaven.

Sweet Home California!

Just want to really quickly let you know that  I am  back.
I left Russia with many tears but once I landed in California I felt home :)
I am really sick so not in the mood to write all about my trip but stay tuned in for more posts. I have a lot to share with you!!!<3 p="">

How are you?

Many of you are asking me how I am doing...

The easy  answer would be that I am doing wonderful......Just fantastico! 

But let me be honest, open and transparent with you.... 
This trip has been extremely difficult, physically, mentally, and emotionally on me.


Visits to my biological mom have been the hardest...
I am a very emotional person. 
My adoptive mom always says to me,
"Ana, your emotions are a good thing, you just need to learn to control them." 
I know that being able to cry  with someone that's crying and laugh with someone that's laughing is a gift, but I often feel too much for the other person. I let my feelings take a hold of me and run me.

That is what happened with my biological mom. Seeing her in the condition she is in, breaks my heart. Although, I choose not to share publicly everything about her, I can tell you this; after I see her I leave with a heavy load. My heart aches for her... I try to get through to her but it's not working. She is a very ill  woman and is slowly killing herself by her actions. 
If only I didn't feel her pain, loneliness, guilt, and troubles. I would be much happier... I want to cry but I cant...I must stay strong.. I am on a verge of a break down but somehow God is holding me together.   
I love my mom, I want to see her healthy.. Why has God not healed her?
He has done so much for me, why can't He do this?  

LORD,  it's not that I doubt you, I'm just in a lot of pain.

I need Your help!

I know with You all things are possible...

But why isn't my mom accepting You?

Why haven't you healed her?

I know YOU CAN!

Jesus I beg you... calm my heart. Bring Your peace on me.

I beg You start YOUR work in my moms life. 

Please God!!! Please!!!

I love You Jesus  and need Your help.

In Your name Amen

Please join me in my prayer for my mom and well for me as well. 
Coming back to my childhood has been harder than I expected.

Working with troubled children but being troubled myself is difficult...
Having so many errands to run in a city I've forgotten is over whelming...
Having 6 weeks full of school work on top of all of this is plain  A LOT!!
Feeling guilty for not being able to accomplish all that my adoptive parents are expecting of me on this trip is tearing me down.

So how am I doing?

Well considering all of this, and the fact that I  still get up in the morning and have strength to  love the children. I think I am doing okay.
Although inside I am all messed up, I know God has kept me equipped for the children of the orphanage. 

I am absolutely confident in my work with them. I know God's mission for me was done with the older girls.  I have not failed God in any way!! :) And  now I'm working with the little kids and I love it!! They bring me joy. 


So after reading all of this I do not want you to feel bad for me because I am still standing; I am okay. I just need prayer.. God is teaching me something in this trial... I am growing wiser and closer to Him.  I thank Him for that. 

Captions

I have so much to tell you!!!

Let me start with a really good day I had last week...

I sat down  for a coffee with  Vladislav Mikailovich Nikitin, the director  of  House of Mercy. He is a great man who truly cares for the disadvantaged children. He was very much interested in my thoughts on the girls group and what could be better.   

In addition he recorded my thoughts on international adoption for his future lectures.   It was a very pleasant time to also learn about different aspects of running a social rehabilitation center.

Later that day, I got  interviewed for the news about the ban of Americans adopting from Russia.

Sadly, the government prohibited that segment, but I still got to talk about my mission at House of Mercy. Click Here to see the news.... Fast-forward it towards the end-ish.

Girls Group

So I lay down and close my eyes, when I open them I am back in my big bed in California. I 'm feeling something unusual… I'm sad and wanting to go back to St. Petersburg. I’ve missed my girls already… Suddenly I feel a kiss and think it’s my mom. I wake up and see Dasha’s face. “Good morning Miss Ciano!” she says. 
Oh the joy I felt.. 
I was still here (:
Don’t get me wrong I do miss my home and family in California..But I know this was a message from God to enjoy every single moment I  still have here with sisters! ♥

To the right is a photo of Dasha. Please keep her in your prayers, she just got transferred to an orphanage and is almost 18 years old. I pray that she will have a place to go to after she ages out. 

I have been able to share the Gospel with each girl. I don't know why  but it still surprises me when someone never heard about Jesus. Pretty much to every girl this was all news.

I thank God for using me to plant His seeds in their lives.

Polina, Katya, Tanya, Katya K, Nastya, Dina and Nadya asked Jesus to be part of their life!!!

Katya K, was filled with so much joy that moment. This girl never EVER cleaned up or helped anyone unless she was forced to. But just seconds after she accepted the Lord she helped another girl clean up a spill! Even the caregiver noticed and mentioned it to me...  Praise God. 

With Nastya I especially felt the Holy Spirit in the room, she couldn't wait to invite Jesus into her heart. 

Tanya started to come up to me and ask more and more about God:)

I pray God continues His work in all these girls, keeps them strong and grounded in their new found faith! 

Thanks to my mission sponsor Frank, I was able to give a Bible to every girl. They were very grateful for it. Many girls made presents and wrote thank you notes to me.

Today however was a really sad day; I had to say goodbye to them. The girls left for camp and I moved to work with the little kids.

Last 4 weeks have been such  indescribable experiences. I have grown so close to my sister and it's hard to say goodbye. I hope to stay in contact with them through email and ect..

I have learned SO much from them about the mind of an orphan; their needs, why they act the way they act and so much more!!! 

There were good and bad times, rough and easy, boring and fun... But in the end God's will was done, HE kept me strong and equipped.   

The Harbor

Tens of thousands of orphans in Russia are moved out of state institutions each year at age 17. Most of these orphans enter a cycle of self destruction, often falling into a life of crime. Many of these stories end in suicide. The founders of The Harbor recognized a profound gap exists between the orphanage and life outside. The Harbor fills this gap by placing orphans in residential family-style communities, giving them an education, and teaching them skills necessary to maintain a home and thrive in Russian society.

http://www.theharborspb.org/

During my stay in St. Petersburg,I was hoping to help out at The Harbor. But life got a little too crazzy for me here. I did  though meet with Luba Yarovaya, the National Director of The Harbor. She took me on  tour of the girls apartment. The Harbor is an incredible ministry!  Check out this video...

I gave The Harbor Ministry a donation that came out of the funds I raised towards my trip. They used it to buy groceries and other  necessities  for a single mother trying to raise 3 children. Olya absolutely didn't have anything to feed her kids and the holidays are in the air. I'm glad God used my connection with The Harbor to bless this women with supply of food for 14 days. I also want to thank all of you who contributed financially towards my mission here. This is also a present to Olya from you!

Now I'm working with children from 4 - 6 years old.  

 JOY THEY ARE!!!!!

God is in Control

I am going on my third week with the girls and to be honest it's harder than I thought it would be to live here.  The director was right in the beginning to warn me about how difficult they are, but I thought I'd seen and experienced it all and was ready. 

The deal is that I came here with a passionate heart to serve,  to love,  to bless, and to share the Gospel with them, but as time went on I started losing that desire. It had to do with just the whole atmosphere in the apartment; the constant yelling, cigarette smell, selfishness and evilness in the air. The girls are so misbehaved that the caregivers have lost all hope in them. They say it’s useless to try to help them, they won’t change. I guess I started believing that too. 

I have not yet given them their presents because the caregivers believe they  don't deserve them… So I’m saving it for when they start to behave better or for New Years.

Even though the girls respect me, I can’t stand how they act towards the caregivers. They practically spit in their faces and couldn't care less about what they have to say.  It’s hard to love them and want to help them because they are SO ungrateful and you feel that anything and everything you do is worthless to them.

As you can see, I had a rough patch last week with my emotions towards the girls. But like usual God came to the rescue with the scripture. He reminded me that I must keep my faith IN HIM strong...“If your faith is not strong, you will not have strength enough to last” Isaiah 7:9b With God all things are possible; I must believe in what HE can do, NOT in what I can do. 

"You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." Mathew 17:20

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.seek his will in all you do,and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

⁶ 

Jesus has me here for a reason and I mustn't lose sight of that for a second. He specifically placed me to work with these girls… I was originally going to come to Russia during the summer (these girls weren't here) but due to my Russian passport renewal process, I couldn't.  Then I requested to work with the little kids, but there was no room there. The administration here told me that this group of girls is the hardest they have ever had…God made it obvious that He wants me here, at this time, with these girls.  

I am here doing His work… planting seeds… It is not my job to change them… God is in control.   If I don’t see change in them by the time I leave, it’s okay for I know I have not failed God. He has a plan and I am just one of His instruments.  I thank God for this mission because I am growing closer to Him  and learning a lot more about myself.

I do love these girls!!!!  God has restored in me the desire  to serve,  to love,  to bless, and to share the Gospel with them.

THREE GIRLS ACCEPTED THE LORD AS THEIR LORD AND SAVIOR. 

Dina, Polina and Katya... 

Please keep them in yours prayers as they begin their  new life with Jesus:)

Feeling Fresh..

Hello there! Yes I am alive and well(: 

I am having a great time getting to know these girls. Last week I learned about some of what they like, what they are in need of and  their personal  stories. It was interesting to just sit back and  observe them. One of the things I noticed is that they need confidence. They are very beautiful, capable young ladies but don't believe that or try to succeed in school or anything else for that matter. 
So I thought about myself and what gives me confidence and motivation in life, and of course  its in the knowledge of that I was made wonderfully by God and for His purpose.  I find self assurance in His Word.
But I know these girls are not yet on that level with God.  So I thought of a more practical way that helps me feel more confident. When I am all put together: hair is brushed, clean, nice clothes, smell good.. etc.. When I feel good about my appearance, I feel good about myself therefore have more confidence and even want to go out there and do something....(to show off my outfit;0)... 
Anyways, this weekend I went shopping for some presents for the girls and I decided to give them something for their hair, personal hygiene, face, some winter things like gloves and socks etc...
I hope and believe that this will start to help them feel better about themselves. 

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

                                                               Ephesians 2:10

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.          

                                                      Psalm 139:13-14

Being confident of this, that he who began a good

 work in you will carry it on to completion until the

 day of Christ Jesus.

                                                 Philippians 1:6

The Hidden Truth

House of Mercy isn't technically an orphanage; they call it a social rehabilitation center. The kids’ parents here are in the process of either getting their child back, or losing their parental rights. That being said, most children at House of Mercy want to go back to their parents rather then get transferred to an orphanage.  And that being said…

 I asked each girl about how they got here, and most answered, “I just skipped too many days of school, or my apartment was a mess when a social worker walked in.” Surprised, that no one said it was because they weren't being taken care of at home; I further asked, “Were you treated well at home?” And the most common answer was, “I was beaten, but I got used to it, so it’s alright.” Each girl hopes to return home no matter what the circumstances are. They believe that it is their own fault that they are in here. One girl said, “If only I would have gone to school and cleaned up the apartment, I would be with my dad now.” Another girl told me that her mom put her here as a punishment for skipping school and when she is 18 she can come back and apologize.  From everything else I heard, I could tell that’s just her moms’ excuse to not raise her child, but Sveta is blind to that truth.

These girls are in major need of acceptance, attention, faith and love. They are not worried about going back to their broken homes as long as they belong to a… “family”…  The reality is that they get teased and looked down upon everyday at school for being the “orphanage kids.” So if going back to a violent   home will make that nickname “orphan kid” go away, well… then be it!  That’s the way they think.

 It’s a sad truth, but I too, once thought and felt that way, I wanted to go back to my mom…I understand them so I can connect with them, but it breaks my heart to know their pain.  I’m almost re-living it with them. There is a light in that dark tunnel though, I found it in Jesus.  I hope to guide them to that light as well... With God all things are possible! He can heal them, He can find them a place where they will be truly accepted and loved. I know there is hope for each one of these girls and God has a plan for them. I pray He uses me greatly and His love through me would be the key to their healing, wholeness and hope.

Note: Childrens names were changed.

Girls, Girls, Girls..

I made it to St. Petersburg! It is so beautiful here. Everything is covered with snow, I'm in  winter wonderland. I arrived here with a a peaceful heart, feeling ready for whatever awaits me. Yesterday I started my work at House of Mercy, social cohabitation center. 

The Director placed me to live in an apartment with 15 girls, ages 11-17.  He warned me that these girls are very difficult and have a lot of problems, and that I need to keep all my belongings locked up. I definitely feel the  hurt, abuse, and neglect from the past, on their faces...  Today, I walked some girls to school because yesterday they ran off. They told me that the other students at school were bullying them (pulling on their hair and bra straps, and one girls even got hit in the eye.) This is their reality everyday... 
Last night two phones were stolen right out of the caregivers desk and last week a girl was sent to a mental health institution. Even though living here is difficult, I fell in love with these girls. They are so in need of love, warmth, attention and faith.  They hug me non-stop and  one girls even asked me to tell her that I love her.
I have already shared my story about how God helped me,with couple girls, and they were very interested  and one girl said,   "I read my Bible today." I am excited to work here, I think  its funny that they call me Miss. Ciano.. But more importantly I am their friend.

Ps. there is no WiFi at the apartment, I'm at McDonald's right now.. So I will do my very best to keep you updated.