We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chris Beaucher. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chris below.
Chris, we’ve been so fortunate to work with so many incredible folks and one common thread we have seen is that those who have built amazing lives for themselves are also often the folks who are most generous. Where do you think your generosity comes from?
I have always considered myself a giving person, until I saw what true sacrificial giving was. My daughter Kristin was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was 2 1/2 years old. She only had a 13% chance to live, and was told her road to recovery would be very long and difficult. With the help and healing from the Lord she superseded all expectations, and beat her disease after 18 months of Chemotherapy and 6 weeks of radiation. All the while trying to help others even though she was the one in need, even at such a young age.
Her being so young, and everything being so hectic, there was not much time to relax or slow down to reflect on what was happening. Most times it seemed like a blur, with everything all happening at once. After almost 2 years worth of surgeries, hospital stays, Chemo, radiation, sicknesses, and medical trials, Kristin was considered done with everything and the wait began. The trips back to the hospital for testing to check on the status of her previous diagnosis were long and stressful. Waiting for the results to let us know if she was still doing good and nothing had returned, were sometimes as painful as when we were going through her treatments.
But at last after 5 years, Kristin was considered cancer free and was able to try and start getting her life back and enjoy being able to be a normal kid. Kristin grew up much faster than most children because of what she went through. Because of that and her hanging out with Adults most of her life, she didnt really know how to be a child. Kristin grew up pretty fast, but her love and generosity for others grew as well. Looking back now, I can say I was blessed to be able to witness such sincerity and genuine love coming from her heart.
As Kristin got older her gifts that she had been given by God became more and more abundant and a pleasure to watch blossom. As time went on things went back to normal and that part of our life got further and further behind us. The further it got the easier it was to try and forget what we experienced. We became more focused on ourselves again and the things this life had to offer us. Forgetting all the wonderful lessons we were taught by the Lord and through Kristin.
As time went on life happened. Along came all the selfish decisions, mostly by me. Causing problems with the ones I loved and separating me from them. And then one day I heard the most selfless and sacrificial prayer I had ever heard. I listened as my 8 year old daughter Kristin, prayed for her cancer to come back, because that was the only way her daddy would come back home. I can’t even put into words what that felt like or how hard that hit. But it was her love, her selflessness, her generosity to give everything she had to give to help someone else. Even if it meant her life. Her relationship with Jesus was one like I had never seen with my own eyes. After her prayer we were back at the hospital and her life was now coming to an end, as mine was just now beginning!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I have been very blessed to have been placed around so many wonderful people. At a time that was so difficult to navigate through after my daughter had passed away at the young age of 9, what I was able to learn from Kristin was far more than any adult had ever taught me in my entire life.
I started on my relationship with Jesus and working on my spiritual journey. While there were many bumps in the road. I was so excited to be able to share in and use all the wonderful things I got to experience with Kristin. Love, Kindness, Compassion, Mercy, Forgiveness, and Giving were just some the things that I got to witness that are now some of the most important things we can focus on. These characteristics bring hope and Joy and happiness, even in times of trouble or despair. These things bring healing to troubled and heavy hearts. Anytime you can bring a smile to a persons face who is carrying a heavy heart, the blessing and honor fells like it is all mine.
After Kristins passing we were blessed to be a part of Be Jesus Ministries. A 501C3 Non profit that we were able to be with from its beginning to do just those things. Helping people who are in need. In whatever it is they are needing. It could be fixing things at their home that are broken or just visiting someone who might be lonely and needing a friend, to bringing groceries if there is not food to eat. There is really nothing that the Lord can’t provide to those who are in need and people we get to be blessed by from meeting.
Through the years we are so thankful for all the wonderful things we have been able to be a part of. We have just started a new business this past June. It is called Kristins Bugs. We sell feeders for reptiles. It is a very different business and one that we have been called to do. It is not something most people are familiar with, when you say you grow bugs to sell to people who have reptiles and other exotic animals as pets, most people are taken back. We founded this company to not just sell bugs, but to help those people who might be dealing with something in their life that might be hard or difficult. So we shared a small part of Kristins story and we wanted to let people know they are not alone and dont have to deal with such terrible tragedies all by themselves. Helping people to heal is the biggest honor for us at Kristins Bugs. We have had such a huge outpouring of people just wanting to talk and share some of the things they have been dealing with and helping to heal from some of the difficult things they have had to go through. It has been such blessing to be trusted to have them open up. and share. We are just getting things started and ramped up at kristinsbugs.com, what an honor it is to be able to be a part of.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Love, kindness, and relationship with Jesus. When you are going through any aspect of your life you have these three things at the forefront of your mind, you can never go wrong in your words or actions. Everything you say and do with the guidance of the Lord will help you help others in every situation. And allow you to share those awesome characteristics with those around you, that will bring hope and joy and encouragement. Thus helping in the correct way in whatever situation you are in the midst of.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
There have been two books that played a huge role in my development as a person and spiritually. The Bible is the first and most important. The second book is called: Loved by an Angel: The story of a 9 year olds lifelong battle with cancer, but never her Faith!
Kristin passed away on December 6th 2009. I started writing that book on the 26th of that same month, and finished in February. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. Reliving every moment in complete and precise detail to share with people I have never met before. Being completely honest and vulnerable, not leaving anything untouched or left to the imagination. I can remember typing and typing and not being able to see the computer screen because my eyes were swollen from the tears pouring down my face. The flood of emotions causing me to loose my breath because of the images that went along with the experience I was writing about. I wasn’t even sure the reason or full scope of why I was even writing the book.
After I got the book published and people started reading and giving me feedback, it was very much inspiring. You see I have not been able to reread but 1 chapter of that book since I finished typing. I was having to ask my friends and family to help me make sure everything looked and sounded professional and easy to understand. Because I write like I talk, and that is not always easy to understand 🙂 I sent it to the editor and waited with anticipation to hear her report. When she called me, she had just finished reading the book and could not hold her emotion over the phone as she tried to speak. She told me two things, the first was that I referenced something in one of the chapters that I did not explain earlier, and the second was she would not change a thing. That the only thing she did was go through and fix my grammar, because I wrote like I talked.
As people read the book I began to see how impactful Kristins story was to those that read it and could relate to what we went through, or something tragic that they had been through in life at some point. I heard pastors tell me that after reading it they were able to counsel people better, because I was able to paint a clear picture of how we navigated through each and every part of the process for them. That they themselves felt what I felt while reading it and went through the process even though they were not there.
The Bible teaches us to bear each others burdens in Galations chapter 6. This book has allowed me the wonderful honor and blessing to be able to relate and help those who are ready to share what they have been through like we did. Caring for those who are carrying a burden that is so heavy they can’t go anywhere or accomplish anything. There are so many of us who have had things happen in life that steal our joy and hope. Helping to bear the burdens of those that share their story, allows them to start the healing process, and to begin a new season of freedom in their life.
So what are some nuggets and wisdom I have learned through this journey:
1-Live everyday like it is our last, helping those that are in need.
2-That the things that are most important in this life, are the things we can’t alway see.
3-If we always remain completely focused on the end result, we will miss all the things along the way that will help us to get there.
4-The Love we show to others, we might not get to see the affect it has on that person, but the ripple effect that can come from it can last for generations.
Contact Info:
- Website: kristinsbugs.com
- Facebook: @kristinsbugs.com
- Other: We have Tik Tok @kristinsbugs We are just getting started with our social media and trying to expand our customer base and reaching those in need. I apologize I dont have more of these. I am not very social media savvy 🙂
