The Loux Family

Come Visit Us At Our New Blog Site!

2009-05-05T06:24:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for your patience with us! Our new blog site is up and running now. From this point on, we will be posting all new posts from the new site! Come visit us! Our new blog site is louxfamilyblog.com

Love and blessings and thanks so much for all your support! Your words of encouragement have been very uplifting!

Hugs from the whole Loux Tribe to all of you!

Daddy And His Boys

2009-04-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in getting our new blog up and running. It will be ready soon. Until then, I thought I'd post a little more on this blog.

We all have been so excited about the warm weather this weekend! We've all been out on the patio and in the backyard having a great time, playing with earthworms (eewwwww), squirting each other with the hose, grilling out and roasting marshmallows at the fire pit.

After church today, Derek took Ethan and Silas out on the patio with him. They did a fine job helping Daddy play his guitar! You should have heard the beautiful music! Here are a few pics of Daddy and his boys, along with two pretty tulips that snuck in the pictures as well (Leeann and Telma)! Don't the boys look great!? They've come a long way since their orphanage days! They are really thriving, curious and into everything!!! Praise God!

Our Blog Site Will Be Changing Soon!

2009-04-18T14:29:00.001-07:00

We are going to be switching blog sites soon, from Blogspot to Wordpress. Unfortunately, we won't be able to add all our previous posts to our new site, but you can still return to our old blog address (at this site) if you would like to view previous posts. Remember, if you would like to look at our last adoption journey, you can go to louxfamily1adoption.blogspot.com and follow along on our wild and wonderful adventure. Our new blog should be up and running by the middle of next week if not sooner. We'll keep you updated and will let you know right away when the change takes place. Thanks to all of you who have faithfully prayed and supported us throughout our adoption journeys. You are amazing! God bless you!

Beauty For Ashes

2009-04-13T06:15:00.000-07:00

After church on Sunday, our family went over to our brother and sister-in-law, John and Tracie's house for Easter dinner. Tracie and my Mom and I cooked up a storm to feed the masses :)! It was the first time all our children had been together for a meal, since John and Tracie came home with their two newest angels. There were 15 children under one roof! Wow! By the time the younger ones were all done eating, they looked like they had bathed in raspberry jello and gravy. Elia, my adopted niece, was parked at the plate of chocolate covered strawberries, taste testing them. By the time we caught her, she had a sheepish little grin on her face, proudly smiling next to several strawberries with chew marks in them, enjoying a little feast of her own. Tracie and I decided to put all the little ones in the tub and get them cleaned up! They had a great time and we got some great pics out of it.

As I was looking at all our children together, I started thinking about God's goodness to them and to us. I became overwhelmed with emotion, thinking about what it was like before our adopted children had been rescued. Now I was watching them running around together, happily playing and feeling loved and secure. The Lord has truly given them beauty for ashes and he's blessed us with the most precious little angels, revealing more of His beauty through the precious lives of these priceless ones!

Here are some pictures of our day together. God bless you today and may you feel his presence near you!

The Loux cousins

Our Ukrainian beauties! (From left to right) our little Ethan, John and Tracie's precious Aiden, our amazing Sasha, John and Tracie's beautiful Emma and our teddy bear, Silas

Ride em cowboys!

Our beautiful girls!

Sophia

Leeann

Keyolla

Telma

Michaela

Teyolla

The bathing beauties!

Christ Has Risen!

2009-04-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

I love celebrating Easter! To think about all Jesus did on the cross for us, giving his life, so that we could have hope and freedom in him, is just amazing to me! His love for us just blows my mind! I was reading Isaiah 53 tonight, reflecting on what Jesus did for us through his suffering and death. Many of you are familiar with this portion of scripture and know it well. In verse 5 of Isaiah 53, it says: " But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed!" Amazing!

Our beautiful Jesus, we thank you today for your precious gift of love to us. You suffered and died so we could be set free! We remember you and your sacrifice of love and we thank you for your goodness and faithfulness to each of us. We thank you that not one of us is forgotten by you. Everyone of us is on the forefront of your mind, never abandoned, never alone. You're never to busy to pour out your love on us. I pray that we would be the same. Help us to love you the way you love us.... with full abandonment... with a heart of passion! Help us to hunger and thirst after righteousness, maintaining justice, doing what is right, for your salvation is close at hand, and your righteousness will soon be revealed (Isaiah 56:1) Thank you for your promises and thank you Jesus that you mercies are new every morning!

There is none like you oh Lord, none in the heavens and none on the earth! We love you and thank you today for the cross, and for the empty tomb!

Derek's February Poland Trip

2009-04-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

Derek spoke at a conference in northwest Poland in February and was incredibly blessed by the precious believers there. The conference theme was "Adoption and the Father's Heart". Derek was able to tell the story of our entire adoption journey and share in depth on the theological foundation for adoption. Many responded to the message and began praying about and pursuing adoption. We love the Polish believers so much because they have an incredible spirit of strength, prayer, passion, and understanding of meaningful community. Each time Derek has the privilege of ministering there he feels he's made new lifelong friends. Here are a few pictures of his time in Gorzow . Thank you Pastor Bogdan for your incredible kindness, humility, solid leadership, and hospitality! We love you guys

Our New Niece and Nephew Are Finally Home!!!

2009-04-06T08:56:00.001-07:00

Mission Accomplished!!! Mama and Papa finally home with their two new little beauties!

Our nephew Taylor, looking on at his beautiful new brother and sister

The whole family finally together at last!

Our nephew, Nicholas, holding his new baby brother Aiden

Our daughter Michaela, kissing her new and very exhausted cousin

What a tribe!

Our niece Isabelle, holding her precious new little brother in her arms

Elia was so happy to see her Daddy again! She really missed him while he was away!

Daddy introducing his two girls to each other

Mama with her three princesses!

I am so excited to say, "Welcome home," to our new niece and nephew, Emma and Aiden! Our brother and sister-in-law, John and Tracie Loux, have finally arrived home from Ukraine with their new bundles of joy! We met them at the airport and had a great time celebrating, with lots of hugs and kisses! We are filled with great expectancy with all that lays ahead for these two new angels!

When our son Sasha, (whom we adopted from the same orphanage as John and Tracie did), saw Aiden and Emma as John and Tracie were carrying them off the plane, his eyes lit up and he got so excited! He kept saying their names over and over again.
We kept telling him the whole day that we were going to the airport to see Aiden and Emma because they were coming to America too! I think he was a little confused but when he saw their faces, he squealed with delight!

We are so thrilled that these two precious ones are finally home. They will be experiencing more love than they've ever known, in their new family and will be growing up in an environment where they will know Jesus' great love for them as well!

We love you Aiden and Emma and are so proud to call you "family!" You are so precious to us all! WELCOME HOME!!!!!

The Lord Is Faithful!

2009-03-31T08:24:00.000-07:00

Michaela and Sophia

Keyolla and Teyolla having fun with Silas

Amy Lingamfelter (family support staff and Derek's assistant) with Silas

Leeann swimming with Silas

Part of our tribe hanging out in the hot tub!

Sasha loved being able to float in the water!

Tiffany Larson (family support staff) and Silas

Gabrielle Spears (family support staff) with Ethan

Keyolla and Silas having a blast!

This past weekend we were blessed to be able to take our entire tribe of 11, and 3 family support staff helpers (who are quickly becoming like family now) to the Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park. We had a great time together and it was so much fun seeing our three new boys come alive as they experienced a water park for the very first time! Our girls loved playing with them and we all had a great time creating new memories!

It's been amazing to see the transformation of our 3 new little guys. They are all thriving and coming to such a place of life. Ethan, who was the very quiet, unresponsive one when we first met him, is now the wild one! He loves to get rowdy and he plays hard! Silas is still the ham and we found out on our weekend adventure that he loves corn on the cob! Wow, he dug into that cob like nothing I've ever seen before! We all laughed so hard! Sasha, loved floating in the water. He had a life vest on, so he was able to really enjoy himself!

Every time we have said, "yes" to adopting, the Lord has always provided everything we've needed... from finances, to strength, wisdom and guidance. We are so blown away by His faithfulness! It's a true testament of God's hand working on behalf of those who step forward and begin taking James 1:27 seriously. I am saying this to encourage any of you who are thinking about adoption to just go for it! Begin to believe that He will make a way where sometimes, there seems to be no way! He will move on behalf of the orphan and He will provide all you need as you begin to take these precious ones in to your family and make them your own.

In Isaiah 58 it talks about true fasting. In verses 6-11 it says this:

vs.6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

vs.7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

vs.8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

vs.9-10 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the noonday.

vs.11 The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

God bless you today and may He encourage your heart with his love!

Orphans No More.... Safe In the Arms of Their Father

2009-03-22T15:01:00.001-07:00

The pictures at the bottom of this post are of two orphans, Margarita and Katarina who were from an orphanage in Ukraine and have now have passed away. These orphans were two orphans who were on the Reeces Rainbow Adoption Site. This is the site run by our precious friend, Andrea Roberts. She is the one who has faithfully helped so many of us by making us aware of precious ones waiting for their forever family. Another one of our friends who works very hard, alongside Andrea, is Meredith Cornish. She is another amazing woman who does so much to support and encourage during and after the adoption process.
We are very proud to know her as well. She wrote the poem that accompanies the pictures below.

This coming Tuesday and Wednesday, our brother and sister-in-law, John and Tracie Loux, and our friends Chris and Mary Malone, are returning home from Ukraine with 4 more children (2 in each family), who have been rescued and have found their forever families. The three boys we recently adopted from Ukraine six weeks ago, were in the same orphanage as the four children coming home this week. My heart can hardly contain the joy I'm feeling right now knowing that soon they will all be home!

When Derek and I left the orphanage in Ukraine with our three boys, we were so excited! We couldn't wait to take them home to meet the rest of their new family and to get them the medical help they so desperately needed. At the same time we were so heartbroken to have to leave all the other orphans behind. I think of them everyday. Our family looks at the Reeces Rainbow site almost daily and we pray for all those left behind.

We desperately want to encourage you to remember the orphan. It would be so easy for some to go about their day, not even giving them a thought. Many aren't aware of the horrors that orphans face... some are aware but don't do their part to act. If some of you will go to the Reeces Rainbow site, you will read a verse at the top of the page that is such a good reminder of this very thing. It's found in Proverbs 24:12 and it says: Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know about what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know and holds us responsible to act. I encourage those of you who can't adopt, to help a family who is able to adopt, by supporting them financially. Those of you who have been thinking of adopting, please contact Meredith Cornish or Andrea Roberts at reecesrainbow.org and talk to them. They would be glad to help you with any questions you might have. Reeces Rainbow focuses on special need's children, and although we would encourage you to explore this as an option, they can also direct you to children without special needs. You would be sewing into the life of a child, in other words, doing your part to do James 1:27 (true religion that God our Father accepts is to care for the orphan and the widow.) We can all make a difference if we all work together! Thank you!

While we were eating...
... they were hungry
While we were playing...
... they were restrained
While we were tucking our kids into bed...
... they were alone
While we turned up the heat...
... they laid in the icy cold
While we wrapped our children in blanket sleepers...
... they laid in their own excrement
While we sang songs and listened to music...
... they listened to the screams and cries of those around them
While we rocked our babies...
... they silently rocked themselves
While we hugged our kids...
... they scratched at their own faces and pulled their own hair for stimulation
While we cried over scraped knees...
... they moaned in their loneliness
While we brushed our daughters' beautiful hair...
... they had their heads shaven to stave off the lice
While we fought off the flu with love and nourishment...
... they got the flu and went Home.
No longer suffering... but so many more still are.
In memory of those that have never felt the love of a family, but have passed away alone.

By: Meredith Cornish

Margarita

Katarina

Mother Teresa

2009-03-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

If you can't feed 100 people, then feed just one.

Mother Teresa

Derek's Poland and Thailand Trips: God's Heart Is For The Orphan! Let's Do Our Part!

2009-03-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

Derek will be sharing with you about his recent trips in this post and in another post (part two) a little later on. Unfortunately he does not have any pictures of his trip to Poland. Our friend Joel Karum, was able to take pictures in Thailand so you will see some of the wonderful photos he took there.

Trip to Gorzów Poland

Three weeks ago I had the incredible privilege of traveling to Gorzów Poland and speaking at a conference. The chosen theme was “The Father’s Heart & the Spirit of Adoption”. It was the second time I have been asked to travel and minister an entire weekend on this subject. This coming weekend I travel to Ft. Wayne Indiana to speak at another “Spirit of Adoption” conference. Have there always been “Adoption” & “Justice for the Orphan” conferences? I sure can’t remember any over the years that I’ve been in the church and in ministry.

The Lord is clearly stirring this truth among His people in a global way. I love going to Poland. I love the Polish people. I love their history, their resilience, their faith, their worship, and their Grzeski’s (chocolate wafers). The Polish believers know how to love God and love people. They know how to worship and pray, but also how to love, eat, and fellowship in a way that is deep and meaningful. Some of the people I feel the most affection for in the world live in Poland, and this conference was a complete joy to do. The believers in Gorzów have such a hunger for the Lord and I believe were deeply stirred regarding the plight of the orphan, the responsibility of the church to care for them, and the need for modern day abolitionists to stand up and fight human trafficking and modern day slavery. The Poles are a people with a rich history of defying the encroachment and oppression of evil, and standing for righteousness. I believe as God raises up modern day abolitionists, and sex slaves in Europe are set free, that the Polish church will rise to be a place of refuge and restoration for the broken and demoralized. Thank you Pastor Bogdan and the saints in Gorzów! I was incredibly blessed to be with you and partake of the Jesus you reflect so beautifully!

Chiang-Mai Thailand Part 1
Three days after arriving home from Poland I led a ministry team to Thailand. Yeah, I know, not the most convenient thing to do right after you adopt three handicapped children, but let me explain (Renee did give me the green light – what an incredible woman!). The Lord has been orchestrating an incredible opportunity for OJC (Orphan Justice Center), to establish an orphanage house of prayer in the northern hill tribes, with the purpose of restoring orphans who have been rescued from sex-slavery. This story will be several years in the making, but the doors are swinging open, and so we are walking through them. I had to take the trip this month for a number of time sensitive reasons and so I unpacked from Poland, ignored jet-lag, played hard with the kids, re-packed and headed back for the airport.

While in Thailand, we split our time between investigating human trafficking in Chiang-Mai, and meeting with pastors and orphanage directors in the north. We spent a couple evenings sitting and interviewing prostitutes that were working the many bars lining the streets of Chiang-Mai. The girls we talked to all wanted to get out, but they felt trapped. Most come from poor families in the northern hill tribes, feel a cultural indebtedness to their parents, and so they move to the city to work as prostitutes, so that they can send money back home to help support their families. They all said that their parents didn’t know they were prostituting themselves and that if they had a legitimate employment opportunity, they would take it. We shared our stories with a few of them, telling them about our wives and families, and sharing the gospel with them. I looked into the eyes of these young girls (18-25) and I felt the grief of the Father’s heart for them. They weren’t dirty hookers, they were precious young women that were hurt and broken and desperately needed to know the love of the Father. I couldn’t hold back, I prophesied the heart of God to them and we told them how precious and valuable they were, and that God’s love wasn’t the kind of love that wanted to use them and then throw them away, but that he had paid the highest price for them and offered them life freely.

While walking these streets, we saw several westerners 50-60 yrs old, who were walking down the street pulling girls as young as 12-14 yrs old behind them. This was so nauseating. I felt the hot anger of the Lord when I saw this kind of abuse and perversion. There are brothels in Thailand where thousands of children are held prisoner and are sold over and over again for sex. Many poor parents sell their children to traffickers in order to buy food and basic supplies. These children are enslaved, raped, and abused 8-10 times a day, most of the time committing suicide or dying from diseases caused by the abuse. The Lord clearly told His church that it was their responsibility to take care of the orphan, and yet in virtually every nation the church has abandoned this role to the government.

We were just given information about some of the horrors that happen in many of the Ukrainian orphanages. Some of the directors themselves will pimp out the prettiest girls on the weekends. In Thailand police are involved in the trafficking and prostitution of children, and in America, children end up in one abusive foster home after another. At the same time, we ask God to end abortion and bring justice to our lands, yet we are unwilling to fulfill the simple and clear definition of true religion set forth by James the brother of Jesus; “to take care of orphans and widows in their distress”. We’ve handed one of the pillars of basic Christianity over to secular governments, and now 270 million orphans in the earth suffer. Beloved, it’s time to rise up, take our place as fathers to the fatherless, and bring justice to the orphan. Maybe then we would begin to enjoy the beauty and joy of pure and undefiled religion.

Just look at that smile

We rented these bikes and took a ride up the beautiful mountainside

A Buddhist temple

Derek joined a group of elderly musicians and added his own music to the band

Daniel Petrilli and a new friend

We had a wonderful time visiting with all of the children from this orphanage!

Mike Harrison and some of the children from one of the orphanages

The Myanmar border

A couple of the beautiful children we got to meet

A precious Thai believer we had the privilege of sharing a cup of tea with

Derek interviewing Pastor Chamnung

Daniel Petrilli and Mike Harrison

Dan Petrilli, Mike Harrison and Derek

A Thai believer who would like to partner with us/Orphan Justice Center in building an orphanage in Thailand

Some of the precious orphans in one of the villages we visited

Joel Karum, Dan Petrilli, Derek, Pastor Tawee, Mike Harrison, Judah Becker, Pastor Chamnung

Thank You!

2009-03-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I took Ethan to an Ear Nose and Throat doctor at Children's Mercy Hospital. They examined his ears and said that his ear canal is unusually small (narrow). After further examinations, it was determined that Ethan needs tubes surgically put in his ears. This surgery will take place in April. It's a same day surgery so he will go in to the hospital in the morning and come home that night! We're all happy about that!

Silas will have surgery to close the hole in his heart sometime in May or June. He will be in the hospital between 5-7 days.

I was having my time in the Word today and became overwhelmed by God's goodness to us and to our kids. By now, if Ethan was still in Ukraine, it's very possible he would not be alive today. He weighed 11 pounds at 5 years old, when we left the orphanage with him and he is now 20 pounds. He had pneumonia when we arrived in the U.S. from Ukraine and was breathing in a very labored way. Now he receives breathing treatments and was treated with good antibiotics and is doing 100% better. Sasha who once had horrible issues with fear and anger is sleeping through the night with only a small night light on. He doesn't scratch, bite, hit us or pull our hair anymore :). He is a child in a place of rest and peace. Silas will be having his much needed heart surgery in a couple months and will soon be on the road to much better health. Our boys are laughing and thriving! The Lord's hand of protection has been over these precious ones and even though they have some health issues to deal with, they are so happy and loved and living in a place where there is excellent medical care. They are learning to know Jesus' love for them and we are continually praying for their healing!

I'm just amazed and so grateful by all the love and support we've been given. Many of you supported us by providing us with dinners every night for over a month! Not just any ole meal, amazing meals that took much time to prepare. We are humbled, very humbled, by your love and support. We also have the most awesome family support staff, made up of people who are a part of our ministry here as well as very good friends. They show up everyday from 8:15AM-1:15PM and volunteer their time. They have a scheduled curriculum that they use to teach our three boys. They also play instruments and sing with them. They help clean up and help cook the boys their lunches. It just blows my mind. We are so blessed!

I also want to take time to thank our girls again, for all the love they daily show their brothers. There was an especially precious moment two nights ago that occurred as all of us were gathered in the boy's room playing with them. We put music on and the girls began dancing with the boys in their arms. Our oldest adopted son Sasha is 6 years old, and as most of you know, has spina bifida, and is paralyzed from the waist down. He army crawls everywhere. Our girls turned up the music and Sophia, our 11 year old daughter said, "May I have this dance Prince Sasha?" Sasha reached his arms up to her and she picked him up. She was dancing a ball room type of dance with him and as she would twirl him around, his little lifeless legs were hanging down like a rag dolls, flopping everywhere. My eyes filled up with tears as I watched our sweet Sophia twirling around with her brother. She treated him like a true prince and that night I know he felt like a prince being held by his beautiful princess sister! I am blessed beyond belief to watch our girls growing, maturing and giving out so much love to see their brothers healed and restored!

I am so blessed by so many of you who have pledged your lives to helping children without families of their own, by bringing them into your home and giving them a forever family of their own. They are being restored through God's love and yours! Thank you! Those of you who have faithfully prayed and/or financially supported those of us who have adopted, or are in the process of adopting, you are our heros! We couldn't walk through the journey of adoption without your support! Many of you have given sacraficialy to help financially, giving money you didn't really have to give, to see a child rescued. Those of you who have prayed, helped move mountains on our behalf. You were part of saving these precious children and I want to remind you of that, and to tell you that your love and passion for the orphan has been seen by God and will be rewarded by God. You will truly have more of Christ in you. Thank you for living out James 1:27! We love you and are so thankful!

Our Precious New Daughter Leeann

2009-02-28T13:58:00.000-08:00

We have some exciting news to share with all our blogger friends out there :). Many of you who know us well, know all about what we are going to share in this blog, but some of you don’t. For personal reasons, we were unable to post anything about Leeann until now. My husband Derek is going to be the one posting Part 1 and 2 of “Our Precious Leeann!”

Our Precious Leeann – Part 1

Last November Renee and I were waiting anxiously for an invitation to travel to Ukraine and begin our adoption of Sasha, Ethan, and Silas. At that time I was traveling three weekends a month, speaking and leading worship at conferences, churches, and houses of prayer. Because of that, I was home only one Saturday a month on the weekends. My rare and precious day to sleep in and kick back ... Ahhh. Well I got out of bed and went into the kitchen with the words “french press” on my mind. In a lifting fog, I groped for the coffee beans and grinder. As the the grounds met the boiling water in that urn of life and delightful caffination, the aroma began to rise and awaken my senses. I was inhaling this celestial mist when Renee and her mom entered the kitchen with suspicious looking grins on their faces. I’ve seen that look before on Renee’s face. It always means she is plotting to sneak another child into our family. I looked at her and said, “What are you up to?” She said, “Honey, just listen to me before you react”. Uh oh. That never sounds good. She proceeded to tell me that her brother Terry had called her from the Marshall Islands, and that there was a beautiful and precious 13 yr old girl that he knew who was in a very difficult place. Terry wanted to get her out of the country and to safety. He wanted to know if we knew any family at IHOP that may be willing to take her in. Through a nervous laugh Renee asked, “Honey, why don’t we just bring her into our family?” I reacted through a more nervous laugh.... “Are you crazy?” We are about to go to Eastern Europe and bring in three boys with special needs. Stop it! Leave me alone. I haven’t even had my coffee yet, and besides this is my one Saturday off every month and you’re meddling with my serenity.” She laughed and said I could drink my “joe” in peace and she’d check back later. As I sat drinking my coffee I started thinking about the fact that we did have one child who had their own bedroom, and we could easily put bunk beds in that room and have two kids in there. I thought about James 4:17 - Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. Man, that James guy is always messing with my life. I guess that comes with being the brother of God in the flesh. I believe that when we know that we can act and do good, and the way is clear to us (not easy, but clear), then if we don’t do it, we are in sin. I could see how we could bring in Leeann, make her our daughter and help her ... if I didn’t act, it would be sin. Within 10 minutes, I called Renee into the kitchen and said, “Ok, let’s call your brother and tell him we want Leeann. If he can get us custody, I will buy her plane ticket and get her here.” We then called Telma into the kitchen and welcomed her to the ministry. After some pastoral care (ha), she was onboard and willing to share her bedroom. :-) We called Terry and told him and he excitedly began to work hard on getting the proper paperwork in order. Well, three weeks later Leeann was on her first airplane flying over the Pacific ocean bound for Kansas City, IHOP-KC, and her first forever family. We were all very excited about this precious new daughter of ours!

Our Precious Leeann – Part 2

After purchasing Leeann’s airline ticket and making all the arrangements for her to come and be our new princess, we received our invitation from Ukraine and our appointment with the department of adoption in Kiev. Leeann was scheduled to land in Kansas City on December 3rd. We couldn’t believe it when we saw that our appointment date in Kiev was set for Dec 5th. This meant that we had to fly out of Kansas City on the morning of Dec 3rd. I thought, “Man Lord, You are bringing us children so fast, we can’t even meet them at the airport.” This was hard because we so badly wanted Leeann to know how excited we were to have her, we wanted to welcome her with a big celebration and a million hugs and kisses, flowers and chocolates. Fortunately, Leeann knew Renee’s mom and our daughter Telma. We also have lots of family in KC and they did a great job of meeting her at the airport, welcoming her into the family and making her feel loved. Our first trip to Ukraine lasted three weeks and we arrived home on Christmas eve. What an awesome Christmas present was waiting for us! An amazing, sweet, precious, and beautiful new daughter! It doesn’t get better than that. It has been such an incredible joy to have Leeann in our family. She has blended right into our crazy family and all her sisters absolutely adore her. Less than two months later we returned from our second trip to Ukraine with the three boys. What is so amazing to me is to see the way Leeann loves on them. She is an incredible big sister. It blows me away to look at our children who were suffering abuse and/or neglect in totally different parts of the world and see them together laughing and dancing and loving one another. It’s like catching a glimpse of that day when all tribes, nations, and tongues will be gathered together into one family, and they will sing together of the great love of the Father, who redeemed them from the ends of the earth. Now that will be something!

Below, are some pictures that Leeann's Aunt sent to us of Leeann! Thank you so much Mina! They are just beautiful! I also, want to thank my brother-in-law, Terry, and his wife Amy, along with Leeann's Aunt Mina, for all they did to care for Leeann and to help get her here to us. You guys are amazing! We love you and pray for you daily as you work so hard to help the people of the Marshall Islands! God bless you guys!

Leeann (on the far left), singing in a Christmas program at her church

Leeann with her friend and her cousin, dressed in uniform, preparing to sing in a program at church

Standing in front of the gorgeous Pacific Ocean

Just look at those beautiful eyes!!!!

Our Beautiful And Amazing Telma is 18!!!

2009-02-24T06:29:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that only 6 and 1/2 years ago, Telma came into our lives! Many of you know her personally and know what a gift she is to us and to many others! It's hard to sum up how proud we are of our precious daughter! Telma still has a real heart for the poor and she loves reading about Mother Theresa and her work in India. She wants to work with the poor one day. Right now, she's enjoying helping to care for her three new brothers and is still digging deep in the Word of God!

When Telma came into our family, she was almost 12 and tested at a 1st grade level. She's completed 2 years of schooling for every year she's been here. She recently took her SAT's and scored amazingly high! She has worked very, very hard in school
and her last day is this Friday! She is officially graduating from High School! I just want to honor her in this post and tell her how very proud her daddy and I are of her. We love you Sweetheart and we are amazed at all the Lord has done in your life! We can't wait to see some of the awesome plans that God has ahead for you! You are so precious and we love you!!! I can't believe you're 18! Our sweet girl is growing up so fast.

We love you Telma (Meemers)! You are so precious to our hearts!!

My Favorite Time Of The Day

2009-02-22T18:09:00.000-08:00

Every morning after we've all woken up, eaten and gotten dressed, we meet together at 7:30AM for devotions. It's my favorite time of the day. All 12 of us (including my mom) gather and sing and read the Word together. We drag out all the instruments in the house, including the toy instruments and most everyone plays something. There are toy pianos, flutes, recorders,tamborines, toy drums, shakers and Derek is on the guitar leading us all. I think he's the only one who is playing in tune. It can get pretty hilarious but it's awesome at the same time! Ethan is the only one who hasn't seemed like he's been engaged during our time together. He would just sit on one of our laps and look straight ahead. Last week when Derek picked up his guitar and began playing, Ethan crawled across the floor and rested his head on Derek's leg, totally engaged. He was watching Derek sing and he was looking at the guitar strings. It's been so precious and amazing to see the changes that Ethan's made! I just had to post these pictures for you to see. We are so thankful to Jesus for all the amazing work he's doing in Ethan's mind and body. It's truly a miracle! We were told by the doctor in Kiev Ukraine, where we adopted him, that Ethan would always be a very low functioning down syndrome child. Looks like the Master Physician has another plan for his life!

I have to brag on our daughters now! There has been so much attention given to our boys by friends and family, welcoming them home. We've been so blessed by the outpouring of love our three boys have received! Our whole world has been changed by these three little guys. Our girls love their three new brothers but have definitely given up some of the attention they were getting before. Don't get me wrong, Derek and I make sure that we are still spending quality time with our girls and that they are not suffering in any way in regards to our time with them, but, they definitely have given up some of the normalcy that we've had together, to help with their new brother's needs. Derek and I feel so blessed to have the daughters that we do. They are absolutely amazing! Sometimes I just stand back and watch them, how they interact with each other, and with their brothers, and it just blows my mind. They are all so beautiful, inside and out and I just want to say, "I love you girls and I'm so proud of all you are!"

It's A Choco Puddin Day!

2009-02-21T12:59:00.000-08:00

After seeing the nurtritionist at Children's Mercy Hospital, we were told that among the things that the boys needed to eat as a treat, was pudding. After the boy's afternoon nap, we drug out the chocolate pudding and here's proof that the boys had a great time with this new treat.

Rock On Silas!

2009-02-19T14:29:00.001-08:00

Silas passed out in his shark tent!

Sasha and Silas campin out together

One of our little guys that we recently adopted from Ukraine named Silas, loves to rock, his body that is :). The problem is this. When he rocks, his head bangs against anything that's behind him. This doesn't seem to phase him a bit! I think God must have designed him with an extra hard head. I'm always running around repositioning him so he doesn't hurt himself.

Our daughter, Michaela bought the boys a shark tent with money she had saved to buy them a present. Silas absolutely loves this tent. When he's inside it, guess what he does? He rocks of course! The cool thing about him rockin in the tent is that he doesn't hurt his head. In fact his rocking makes it looks like his shark tent is swimming. It's a pretty funny sight to see the tail of the shark swaying back and forth! He actually rocks himself to sleep at naptime sometimes, as you see in one of the pics above!

There is never a dull moment around here! I love it!

More Pictures

2009-02-16T13:26:00.000-08:00

I wrote a post with an update down below this post if you'd like to catch up with what's happening. I just wanted to post a few more pics for you all to see how healthy the boys are looking! We are so excited about all the positive changes. A good diet, lots of love and tons of prayer will do wonders!!!

Latest Update On The Boys

2009-02-16T12:58:00.000-08:00

DJ Sasha! He loves his music!!!

Brother Sasha and Sissy Michaela lovin on each other

Big sister Teyolla, holding Ethan and Silas (check out the peace sign from Ethan :)

Silas enjoying his after tubby time in his froggie towel

Friday, Derek and I took Ethan and Silas to Chidren's Mercy Hospital. We were there the entire day while many different tests were being performed on the boys. The most important test being an echocardiogram done on each of them. Both Silas and Ethan have a hole in their heart. The hole in Ethan's heart is not serious and he will be fine. Silas' on the other hand, is very serious and will require heart surgery in the Spring or early Summer. We are waiting to hear back from the panel of doctor's discussing Silas' case. Ethan and Silas will begin going to Orthopedic Therapy and Physical Therapy this week. We are excited that they got in to see all the specialists so quickly.

Sasha is doing great! He is so happy! He's eating very well and isn't acting out with fits of anger like he did in the beginning. He still has his moments but we are working through those times with him, as best we can without knowing how to speak Ukrainian. He seems to have much less fear at night as well. We are so pleased with how far he's come in such a short time. We've only been home with the boys for less than a month and the changes are all posititve! Praise God!

We'll keep ya posted! Thanks to all of you who have faithfully continued to pray for our boys. We are so humbled by your love and your kindness!

May God wrap you in a blanket of His love today!

Precious Little Silas

2009-02-13T20:29:00.000-08:00

Today we were at the doctor's office for the whole day.

Yay For Good News!!

2009-02-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

Today we took all three of our precious boys to the doctor's office for check ups and thorough exams. As you know, Ethan went in to the doctor's a week ago and had gained 4 pounds since we brought him home. When we took him to the doctor's in Ukraine, he was 9 pounds. When we got him out of the orphanage and took him to Kiev to complete paperwork for his Visa, then got him home to the U.S., he was 11 pounds. Last Friday he was 15 pounds at his check up. Today he weighed 18 pounds! The doctor was quite impressed with his growth. She even said he looks ten times better. She checked his lungs and the pneumonia has completely cleared up and he is breathing very well. She also said that she thinks he can wait a little bit for his heart surgery. We were so excited about this great report!

Silas, Ethan and Sasha all had to have 4 shots each today because there were no medical records showing whether or not they had received any immunizations. They all had blood drawn too. Sasha was the first in line. He was terrified when he saw the needles but felt nothing since they gave him the shots in his legs (he's paralyzed). Later in the morning he had to have blood drawn from his arm and he cried and cried... poor little buddy. Silas was up next. He was completely hysterical. When the needles first went in to his legs, it took his breath away. He turned completely red and held his breath, then let out a real loud scream. Bless his heart. When Ethan got his shots, he yelled out a couple times and then he was fine! Wow, what a big boy!

On top of the great doctor's visit, we got to see a pic of our brother and sister-in-law, John and Tracie, at the orphanage with their new angels! How awesome to finally see them all together. We took many pics with their little Aiden while we were at the orphanage and we even played peek- a -boo with their new little girl! How fun is that! I can't wait to hold these angels in my arms again, here at home. We are so thankful that Aiden was there waiting for them and had not been moved like many of the children had. The Lord is amazing and He never ceases to blow my mind with his love and goodness!

I'm so thankful for all the Lord is doing in all our precious little ones. He is faithful! Thanks again to all of you who have been praying!

Silas Has The Chicken Pox!

2009-02-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

Sophia snuggling her precious little brother, Silas (who is now covered with red dots.... a picture of that to come)

Michaela, doing her part to fatten up her 5 year old brother Ethan!

Well folks, now Silas has the Chicken Pox and is covered in red dots, bless his little heart! He's not the happy little Silas we know. He threw up on me several times on Sunday in the middle of church (peaches and bananas everywhere). We didn't know that our pastor would be calling us up on stage. I was just getting Silas ready to go home when we were called up on stage. I had vomit on the sleeve of my jacket and running down my pants. I quickly brushed off the chunks of bananas and peaches and walked up front calmly as our new little fellas were introduced. It was humbling but hey, it's all about the boys, not me :). All three of our little guys have doctor's appointments on Friday. Other than the pox, things are going well for our three little ones. Ethan is still eating like a horse! Can't wait to see if he's putting on more weight when he gets weighed on Friday. We will know soon when Ethan and Silas' heart surgeries will be scheduled.

Please keep Sasha in your prayers. He has anger and fear issues, which is understandable with all he's been through. He scratches his face (just clipped his nails again today) and yells out. He loves to be held and loves to play with the CD player.
He turns the volume up and down and sways back and forth to the music. Sasha has been terrified of our doggies but is just now starting to be ok with petting them. He usually just says, "Go bye bye doggies, go bye bye!" He is such a precious little guy and we are praying that the Lord will massage his little heart and bring him to a place of joy and peace.

We are so excited because our sister-in-law, Tracie and Derek's brother John, are in Ukraine right now, getting ready to meet their two new angels tomorrow. They will be adopting one boy and one girl. We are so excited about all the Lord has in store for these precious ones. Walking with Jesus is such a grand adventure!

Thanks for your patience on the pictures we promised to post. We really will be posting some soon. We've just been overwhelmed with getting everything on a new schedule. It's going great but WOW! Need I say more?

Love and blessings to you all!

Update On The Boys

2009-02-02T07:58:00.000-08:00

Precious Ethan, covered with chicken pox!

Beautiful Sasha (just look at those eyes)!

Sasha loves tubby time! His sisters love to play with him!

Teyolla lovin on Silas!

Telma loves her new little snuggler!

Our little Ethan has pneumonia, a very enlarged heart and a hole in his heart. He is scheduled to see the doctor again on Friday morning. We will be consulting with a specialist to have a date set for surgery on his heart. We will have more updates after our visit with the doctor. Thanks to all of you who have been praying. This little one has been through a lot and on top of all that he's dealing with physically, he contacted the chicken pox from the orphanage he was in. Most of the children in the orphanage had chicken pox when we left Ukraine. We would appreciate your continued prayers.

Ethan weighed 11 pounds at 5 years old when we first arrived home from Ukraine a little over a week ago. After one week at home, he weighs a whopping 15 pounds!! We are excited about this and thanking the Lord for helping him to gain weight! Ethan still can't suck so we have to give him water and juice through a dropper. He's a good eater though and is showing improvement daily!

Silas is just Mr. Happy, all the time! He loves to dance, sing and play all his new little instruments! He's eating well, no problems at all, and enjoying all the love that he is getting from his new family! He has a doctor's appointment this Friday as well and we will be able to update you on whatever challenges lay ahead for this precious little angel!

Sasha would take over the house if he could. He is so funny. He loves to tell us what to do, even though it's all in Ukrainian. He's eating fairly well. Meal time can get pretty noisy around here, especially if Sasha doesn't like something. Sasha loves anything electronic and we are sure that one day he will be a scientist or an engineer! He is so bright! He loves to dance (with his arms, his legs are paralyzed). Our daughter, Teyolla has been teaching him a few smooth moves!

Our daugthers have all been amazing! They love caring for their brothers and loving on them. I love their hearts for these
little ones. Our three boys will never lack for love!

As soon as things get a little calmer around here, we will be updating all of you on what the end of our time in Ukraine was like. It was quite an adventure! We have lots of pictures to share with you too!

Thanks again to all of you who have been praying! It's making a difference!

Please Keep Ethan In Your Prayers

2009-01-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hi to all of you and thanks again for your patience in waiting to hear the latest of all that's going on. I will have an update later today. We are getting ready to go to the doctor's right now. Please keep little Ethan in your prayers. He's having a really hard time taking in fluids. We have to give him fluids through a dropper and he blows it all out like a little whale. We are concerned that he's really dehydrated and there is a possibility he will have to be hospitalized and put on IV fluids. Ethan is not sleeping well at all and is up most nights. I'll have an update for you all on little Ethan a little later today, as well as pics from our trip.

Thanks again for all your love and support! You guys are just amazing!!

Hugs and blessings to you all!

Adoption Blog Now Open For All Of You To Read!

2009-01-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

Hi to all of you who have so kindly and patiently waited for news on the adoptions of our boys. As I mentioned, we had to open a private blog during the time we were adopting, but now we are able to open it to all of you. We hope you enjoy reading along through our adoption journey and that you are moved by God's greatness and His love through it all. We arrived home, with our three new sons, last night at 7:30PM. It's been a whirlwind since we've arrived home! Our girls absolutely adore their new brothers and our boys are sure enjoying all the attention and love they are receiving from their new sisters! I will be posting pictures this entire week on this blog site.

If you would like to check out our adoption journey, please go to louxfamily1adoption.blogspot.com

Thanks to all of you who have prayed for our three sons and for Derek and I. God has been incredibly faithful and we are blessed! Our emotions are overwhelming. There are no words to describe what we are feeling right now. Ethan, Silas and Sasha have been saved by the very hand of God. He has walked with us every step of the way, given us the strength we've needed and the hope to see this through to the very end. We are so amazed at God's goodness!

God bless you!

Thank You For Your Patience!

2009-01-13T10:43:00.000-08:00

We have had to create a private blog updating our close friends and family on all that's happening with our adoptions. We regret that some of you have not been able to view this site. We will be posting all the current information on this blog within a few weeks from now. Thanks for your patience while we have kind of gone under the radar!

God bless you!

Finish Strong!

2009-01-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

Our New Boys

2008-12-14T06:05:00.000-08:00

Roman

Dimitri

Hi All!

Sorry it's been awhile since we've posted anything. Life has been very busy! I wanted to let you all know that our Misha was moved to an orphanage that we are not able to access so we are trusting that Jesus will provide Him with parents and a home where Jesus is Lord. This was a very hard loss for us, especially after finding out that Makar (one of our other boys) was adopted out to an Italian family. The Lord knows everything even before it happens so we know this was not a surprise for Him. He is in control.

We are now pursuing the adoption of two other boys along with our third boy, Sasha, who is still waiting for us at the orphanage. The two new boys whose adoptions we are pursuing both have down syndrome. Roman is a high functioning ds child and the Dimitri is a very low functioning ds child who is very ill and needs a miracle from the Lord!

The Lord has been speaking much to our hearts about His love for the orphan. Please join us in praying for our boys, that the Lord would flood them with His life and hope! We'll keep you posted on any new news!

God bless you and thanks for praying!

Our Adoption Journey

2008-12-01T09:09:00.000-08:00

We will be going to Ukraine sometime soon. We will be blogging our adoption journey on a private blog once we are in Ukraine. If you would like to receive an invitation to this blog, please email my sister-in-law Tracie at tracieloux@gmail.com. We have a lot going on right now and Tracie, in the middle of her busy life, has graciously offered to help us by screening emails and requests to follow our new blog page. Please let her know who you are and how you know us. Thanks so much and God bless you!

We were just given news today, from our adoption facilitator that Makar, the third boy who's adoption we were pursuing, is in the process of being adopted by an Italian family. We were so sad to hear this and yet happy at the same time that he now has a family. There is never a guarrantee, even when we commit to the adoption of a child, that we will be able to go home with that specific child. Whoever gets interviewed by the Adoption Authority there in Kiev first, can choose the child of their choice. So, we will be trusting the Lord to lead us to our third son. Please keep us in your prayers. Thanks so much!

Thank You Jesus!

2008-11-29T17:16:00.000-08:00

I am continuously left speechless by the Lord's goodness, His grace, provision, love and faithfulness. Even in our weakness, He remains strong and He truly works on behalf of those who love Him! This weekend, I've been pondering some of the things I have asked the Lord to do in my life, to make me more like Him. Some of the journeys we've gone on together have taken me to some dark valleys and some have had me soaring on mountain tops.... all of it good, because it is producing more of Christ in me.

I've been re-reading a book my father wrote in 1991, called "The Potter's Touch." It's a book that has really ministered life to me. I have been challenged through this book, to yield to and endure the process of being thrown on the Potter's wheel, fired in the heat of the kiln and becoming more and more like Jesus in the process. Whew, this can be so painful to the flesh can't it? As I fall more in love with Jesus and understand more of His love for me, I can also pour out to others who are in such need of Jesus' love and hope. I need Him in my life. I need God's wisdom, His strength. I need Him to open up the eyes of my understanding, so I can know what's on His heart and not run everything through my own grid.

We are not self-made men and women of God; we have been formed by the nail-scarred hand of a loving Savior who had a purpose in mind when He placed us on the Potter's Wheel. What we look like is less important than what we contain. There are those in our lives who will judge us by how much money we make or don't make. Some will judge us by our size; are we fat or are we thin? Are our clothes fashionable enough? Are we cool (in the world's eyes) or a little odd? The truth is this; the only opinion that should matter is God's. He measures us on a much different scale. Isn't that awesome?! His love for us is unending, it's faithful and it's strong.

There's a poem in my Dad's book, written by Beulah V. Cornwall. It's beautiful and I pray that any of you who read enough of this post to get to the poem below (sorry, I get a little long winded sometimes), will view yourself the way God views you. You are a vessel of clay and God is molding you more and more, into His image, as you seek Him and ask Him to work more of Himself into you. You are precious and so priceless to Him! Don't give up! He will finish the good work He has started in you! As you pursue Jesus and come to know this amazing God who dances over you with joy, your life will begin to reflect more of Christ and He promises that He will give you all you need to run this race with victory!

The Potter's Vessel

The Master was searching for a vessel to use
on a shelf there were many,
which one would He chose?
Pick me, cried the gold one,
I'm shiny and bright. I'm of great value,
and do things just right.
My beauty and lustre will outshine the rest,
and for someone like you, Master, I would be best.

But the Master passed on with no word at all,
He came to a silver urn, it was narrow and tall.
I'll serve you, Dear Master, and I'll pour your wine,
and be at your table whenever you dine.
My lines are so graceful and my carvings are true,
and my silver would always compliment you.
Unheeding, the Master passed on to the brass,
it was wide mouthed and shallow and polished like glass.
Here, here, cried the vessel, I know I will do,
place me on your table for all men to view.

Look at me, cried the goblet of crystal so clear,
my tranparency shows my contents are dear.
Though fragile am I, I'll serve you with pride,
and I'm sure I'd be happy in your house to abide.
But the Master came next to a vessel of wood,
Polished and carved, it solidly stood.
Use me, Dear Master, the wooden bowl said,
but I'd rather you'd use me for fruit, please, no bread.

Then the Master looked down and saw a vessel of clay,
empty, broken, it helplessly lay.
No hope had that vessel, that the Master might choose
to cleanse and make whole, to fill or to use.
Ah, this is the vessel I've been hoping to find.
I'll mend it and I'll use it and I'll make it all Mine.

I need not a vessel with pride in itself,
nor the one so narrow who sits on the shelf,
nor the one who's big mouthed and shallow and loud,
not the one who displays it's contents so proud,
not the one who things he can do all things just right,
but this plain earthen vessel filled with My power and might.

Then gently He lifted the vessel of clay,
mended and cleansed it and filled it that day.
He spoke to it kindly, there's work you must do.
You pour out to other's and I'll pour into you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

I love Thanksgiving, and not so much for the turkey and trimmings. Thanksgiving is a day that I wake up and just feel happy and blown away by God's goodness to our family.

Sophia Turns 11!

2008-11-25T16:40:00.000-08:00

It doesn't seem that long ago, that Derek and I were in the hospital and I was giving birth to our little Sophia, and yet, we just celebrated her 11th birthday! Her birth was like a kiss from God. After our heartache in the loss of our precious Josiah, the Lord brought us so much healing through the gift of our Sophia. I was only in labor for 3 hours before her grand arrival! I had the same doctor during my pregnancy with Sophia, as I did in my pregnancy with Josiah. When he held her up in front of me, after helping to deliver her, he looked at me with tears running down his cheeks and said, "Look at her, she's beautiful!" He had walked through much with us, and even though no child replaces the beauty and uniqueness of another, we all were celebrating the life of our new little princess, who was healthy and whole. Sophia has always had a real love for her brother, Josiah, even though they never knew each other. Because of his life, which she only knows through videos and our stories, Sophia has fallen in love with special need's children and has great compassion for children who suffer or are physically/mentally challenged in anyway. Sophia is a gem and we are so proud of the amazing young lady she is blossoming into.

We love you precious Doodles! You bless our lives in more ways than we could ever begin to tell you. Thanks for all you mean to us and so many others. You are beautiful, inside and out!

The Maas Family

2008-11-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

While many of us will soon be celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas with our families, I would like to bring to your attention a precious family who has recently suffered a devastating loss! David Maas, the husband of Joy and father of Jonathan, Desiree, Berea and Perazim, passed away very unexpectedly.

The Maas' were in India, ministering to orphans, when David began to feel very sick and went to see a doctor. The doctor told him he had food poisining. He went back to the place they were staying and began having seizures, followed by two heart attacks that led to his death. David was very healthy and had never had health problems, so, his death came as a complete shock to his precious family.

We recently had the Maas' over to our home for dinner. As you can imagine, Joy and their children, Jonathan, Desiree, Berea and Perazim are heartbroken over their loss.

I would like to ask you to seriously consider helping this precious family financially this Christmas. They have many needs! If you would like to help, you can either write a check, paid to the order of Joy Maas and sent to the Orphan Justice Center at P.O. Box 259, Grandview, MO 64030, or, you can give through our PayPal account on this blog. If you give a gift through our PayPal account, please inform me at thelouxfamily1@yahoo.com, that the gift is for Joy and family.

I know this is a very busy season and a financially challenging time for many of you. I would like to encourage you, in the midst of the challenges, to take time to bless this precious family with whatever you can give, and through your giving, to experience the joy that comes from being the hand of Christ to a very hurting family.

Thank you so much and God bless you!

The Maas Family

2008-11-17T07:38:00.000-08:00

The Maas family is very precious to our hearts. They have had a traumatic and painful year because of the unexpected loss of their precious father/husband. The Maas family were traveling and ministering to orphans in

Coconut Soup!

2008-11-08T07:40:00.000-08:00

Our friends Rachel and Marcus Meier, have a family tradition of making sauerkraut. Rachel recently blogged about the fun they just had as a family, canning 60 jars of it! It's a great read! You can check it out at rachelmeier.blogspot.com

The Meiers like sauerkraut and the Loux's like coconuts. My Mom recently moved in with us about 7 months ago from the Marshall Islands. Anytime any of our family members comes to the states they bring island food with them. Our girls miss coconut and bread fruit the most. They can still get sushi and sashimi (raw fish) in the states so they're hapy about that.

When my mom arrived from the Marshall Islands, she brought with her, tons, and I mean tons of cut up "U" from a bunch of young coconuts out there. When coconuts are not fully mature with their hard white meat, they have a large, round ball of spongy coconut meat in the middle of them. This is what is used to make some Marshalese favs! Our girls were so excited when "Grandma" showed up with this yummy treat, and they couldn't wait for the big day when I made fresh hot coconut soup, otherwise known as "IQ." There is also a cold dish made from the same ingredient called "Lukor."

My kids were begging me to make these Marshalese dishes for them. So, I set out on what was to be a big adventure in cooking. You see, these dishes have always been made for us by the awesome Marshalese people that are our friends and family. I had never once attempted to make them myself. So, with fear and trembling I grabbed the recipe cards and went for it. I knew I had to succeed or my kids would be so bummed! They all waited with anticipation, saying things like "How's it going Mama?" and "Oh, I can't wait!" The pressure was on!!!

As I began mixing all the ingriedients for these two dishes, I noticed that the batch of IQ and Lukor was getting larger by the minute. I knew this was going to make a lot! I began picturing Jesus feeding the 5,000 and wondering if I would be doing the same with this coconut soup! I was really getting nervous. My mom and I began laughing hysterically. It was quite a sight to see! The kids started coming up to me wanting to taste the end result. I prayed and I prayed hard. "Oh God, please do whatever you need to do to change the end result and make it what it's suppossed to be!" It was finally time for all the taste
testing to begin. My heart began to beat a little faster as I lifted the spoons to each of our kid's mouths! I started hearing the words, "Oh wow this taste great!" and "Yum!" I felt such relief and was thanking God that my big day of experimentation turned out a success! The kids love this stuff and we've frozen a bunch of it just in case the 5,000 do show up :). HA! Quite another story for the memory books! P.S. Hey Marcus and Rachel, we'll trade ya a bowl of coconut soup for a jar of kraut! :)

Our Beautiful Daughter Telma

2008-10-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

Our daughter Telma is precious! We are so proud to call her ours.
When we adopted our amazing twins, Teyolla and Keyolla, from
the Marshall Islands, we met Telma. She followed us around and
we saw her everywhere we went. One day, she ended up on the
doorstep of the apartment we were staying in. It was about 6AM
and my Mom walked out the front door and saw her sitting there.
Telma asked if she could come in and play with our kids. My Mom
said, "Sure!" So she came in, ate breakfast with us and slept in
our apartment for the next two weeks! We got to know her
pretty well and just fell in love with her!

After we finalized our twin's adoptions, we were getting ready
to fly off island. I kept looking at Telma and my heart just sank.
I thought, 'How can we leave this precious girl here, knowing
she needed so much help?' I had a knot in my stomach and
a lump in my throat. I knew we had to do something. She had
severe scoliosis (a curvature of 115 degrees), was breathing
very heavy and labored and yet had a smile that just lit up
her world! I knew she was special and I knew we had to get
her help! I called my husband, who had just flown back home
with our two youngest children. I thought about how I was
going to talk to him about taking in another child when we had
just adoped two! I was nervous to say the least! When I got on
the phone with him and told him about Telma, he said, "Honey
I need to get you off that island before you come home with a
whole shipload of children!" He was amazing! He told me to
just bring the twins home and we would find a way to get
Telma to the U.S. to get her the help she needed. We got
Power of Attorney and she was in our home 5 months later.
My mom had been looking after her while she was still in the
Marshalls so we knew she was safe!

Our intention was to bring Telma to the states, get her the
help she needed, and get her adopted out to a wonderful
family. Instead, we absolutely fell in love with her and
ended up adopting her.

Telma is a beautiful young lady who loves the Lord deeply and
has a real heart for the poor and needy. When she was living
in the Marshall Islands, there were unkind children who made
fun of her and even threw rocks at her. She experienced a lot
of cruelty and I'm sure that has softened her heart to those who
are in great need!

When Telma prays over people, you will often see tears rolling
down her face. She has a very compassionate heart and is filled
with the love of Christ towards those who are in a difficult place
in their lives.

We adopted Telma when she was 12 and she will be 18 in February!
We love how the Lord weaves his plans together! The end result
is so beautiful! His ways are perfect and there is truly no one like
our God!

Telma has had four surgeries on her spine. She got an infection over
two years ago, due to the hardware that was in her back. All the
rods and screws holding her spine in a straighter position had to
be removed. Her spine surgeon will not operate on her again. He
said it is too risky. We have been waiting for an appointment with
a spine specialist in St. Louis. This specialist is booked years in
advance and we are praying for a miracle. Please keep our precious
Telma in your prayers. She is still in pain daily and we need a miracle!

Despite Telma's physical trials, you will always see a smile on her face. She has an amazing spirit that has truly conquered much! What a gift from the Lord she is to us!

Teyolla And Keyolla's Biological Mom, Rosalie

2008-10-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

Some of you have been curious to see a picture of Teyolla and Keyolla's biological mom. Her name is Rosalie. We pray for her every night, that the Lord would reveal His great love for her and that she would feel hope in her life. My brother Terry and his wife Amy, took in our twins (before we adopted them) and their siblings, when they had been abandoned. They gave them a safe home, food and love. They also taught them about Jesus' love. It's wonderful that Teyolla and Keyolla's siblings and one cousin are all in the family!

We are one of those families who have chosen open adoptions, meaning that we keep in touch with our adopted children's mothers. We send them birthday packages, as well as Christmas and Mother's Day presents and cards. The girls call their moms and tell them that we are praying for them, and they update them on what's going on in their lives. We also send them new pictures of our girls several times a year. Derek and I feel that it's important to not cut off contact between our children and their biological moms. We know there are some situations where this would not be a healthy thing and we don't assume that all parents who've adopted can do this. We are thankful that this has worked for us.

God is good and so faithful! He's brought much healing to our adopted girl's lives. They are in a great place emotionally and spiritually and they've learned how to forgive, in a huge way! That in itself really accelerated the healing process!

Our Twin's Biological Mama

2008-10-21T14:36:00.001-07:00

New Pictures Of Misha And Mikey

2008-10-20T11:56:00.001-07:00

Here are some new pictures of Sasha and Mikey! They are such little beauties! We can't wait to hold them in our arms and bring them home! These little guys are priceless!

This is a picture of Misha and Meredith. Meredith and her husband went to Ukraine and adopted their precious little Emma there. They met Misha while at the orphanage and took the pictures of him that are on this post. Thanks Meredith! What a blessing it is to have these pictures!

Little Mikey

You are on God's heart everyday and His plans for you are awesome little love ((Jeremiah 29:11)!

Nothing can ever separate you from the love of God little one (Romans 8:38).

Your smile melts my heart!

Update On Our Ukrainian Sons

2008-10-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Misha, Sasha and Mikey! As most of you know, there were delays with our adoption paperwork, which caused a delay in an invitation to travel to Ukraine to meet our boys for the very first time! We
are so sad about this but we know the Lord is in control and His timing is perfect. Right now, there is a chance we won't
be able to meet them until January. SDA shuts down in Ukraine for the whole month of December, and because we had to re-do
our paperwork, there were more delays.

We are still believing for a miracle, that our boys will be in our arms and home by Christmas!

Thanks again for your prayers!

Worth it all!

2008-10-15T12:14:00.001-07:00

Most of you have seen the pictures of the three little guys that we're adopting. These are the only pictures we have of them,
so that's why you keep seeing the same ones over and over again. I've posted an update of where we are at in our adoption process below the pictures!

Sasha, is our little one who has hydrocephalus and is also crippled. There is a chance that with surgery, he might be able to walk. His eyes have always drawn us to him. What a beautiful little angel he is!

Precious little Misha has Down Syndrome. What a little love! We'll get you in some boys clothes soon little buddy :)!

Little Mikey has cardiomyopathy. We can't wait to sweep him up in our arms and hold him tight! We're coming soon little love!

We've had some set backs with the adoptions of our three little guys. There were some things that happened with our adoption paperwork in Ukraine that caused delays. That hold up caused delays in SDA clearing our paperwork, thus causing us delays in getting an invitation date to meet our little angels. We were all so sad! We were asked to get all our paper work re-done because the setbacks caused our paperwork to expire (it's valid for 6 months). Wow! That was a bit like a punch in the stomach... because we had worked so hard on getting all the paperwork completed! We gulped really hard and got back to work. We just completed all our paperwork for the second time around today! It's all been notarized and apostiled and will be off in the mail and on the way to Ukraine again, by 4PM! What a relief!

Our boys are worth any challenge that comes our way. They are worth fighting for! Please keep them in your prayers.
We want to be sure that because of the delays that occured, they will not be sent to the institution, while they wait for us to bring them home! That's one of our biggest concerns.

God bless you all and thanks again so much for those of you who have faithfully prayed for us and the precious boys we are
trusting and believing will be ours very soon!

Falling In Love With South Korea!

2008-10-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

My husband has been ministering in Korea a lot this past year. Our daughter, Michaela and I were blessed to be able to join him on one of his trips. Michaela asked me if I would share a few of her adventures, through her pictures, on my blog, so, that's what this post is about. Be prepared to view A LOT of pictures (not normal for a blog), because Michaela wanted to be sure I posted all of these!

We absolutely love the Korean people. They are some of the kindest and most hospitable people in the world (and we've traveled to many places). The people in the churches we ministered at, have such a love for Jesus and are very committed in their faith!

Our daughter, Michaela, loved her trip to South Korea and was treated like a princess by her precious Korean friends. What an awesome adventure it was for Michaela to be able to meet the people, eat their food, sing in their language and learn more about their culture. She got to shop in the open markets and eat all kinds fun new food. She got to hear Korean choirs and couldn't believe how high some of the sopranos in those choirs could sing. She loved being able to practice the Korean words she had learned along with her Daddy and I.

One of Michaela's favorite Korean treats is called Kim Chee. It's very hot and spicy marinated cabbage. She couldn't get enough of it and ate it at every restaurant we went to. The restaurant owners and staff were shocked to see this little blonde 8 year old girl, chowing down on Kim Chee (not the norm for most American kids for sure)!

Michaela got to visit the ancient King's Palace. She saw the changing of the guards and loved the beautiful colorful designs in the painted ceilings of the palace. The artwork was amazing!

She was very sad to leave all her friends but knows she will return to Korea again on another trip, one day soon. Enjoy the pictures!

Michaela standing with one of the Palace Guards.

Flashing the "Victory" sign with the school children.

Changing of the guards at the Palace. The colors of the guards uniforms were so rich and beautiful!

Starbucks!

Our friend, Bora. She is so sweet!

Yummy food on a stick!

Have you ever seen a real live Persimmon Tree? This was beautiful.

A variety of dried fish. Have you ever had dried squid? Neither has Michaela. She had to pass on this one. Lot's of people loved it though!

Michaela's favorite! Kim Chee!

Hey buddy, do you know Dorothy? Am I in Korea or Kansas?

Shopping at one of the outdoor markets

Having fun at one of the restuarants we ate at. Michaela was very intersted in helping this new friend cut up onions!

The South Koreans have won our hearts!

From The Book "Gifts"

2008-10-07T07:46:00.000-07:00

Life is so generous a gift
but we, judging it's gifts
by their covering,
cast them away as ugly
or heavy or hard.

Remove the covering
and you will find beneath it
a living splendor,
woven of love, by wisdom
with power.

Fra Giovanni

Teyolla and Keyolla turn 17!

2008-09-30T07:31:00.000-07:00

Wow! Hard to believe it but we just celebrated Tey and Key's 17th birthday! I remember the day Derek called me from the Marshall Islands to tell me that he had just held the most beautiful twin girls in his arms! This was only a couple days after they were born! Derek and I were engaged at the time. He was in the Marshall Islands, completing a one year teaching commitment. Little did we know that these two beauties would be our daughters 10 years later! The story of how the girls became ours is truly amazing!

Tey and Key are such a huge blessing to us! We are so proud of them and are so blessed to call them "ours!" Not only are they beautiful on the outside, they are on the inside as well!" I can't imagine life without them! They bring much laughter to our household and much love to all they know!

We love you sweet girls!!! Thank you for the beauty of your lives! You're the very best!

Happy Birthday!

For those of you who still can't tell our girls apart :) ...Teyolla is on the left, Keyolla is on the right!

Camille's Children-Thirty One Miracles and Counting

2008-09-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

I met a wonderful new friend named Athena last night. She told me about a book that she was reading. It's a first person story (from the mom's viewpoint) of a woman and her husband that adopted 31 Down Syndrome kids. Amazing! I'm buying this book right away! Here's a quote that Athena highlighted for me.

"Love isn't a pound of meat that can be weighted or a truckload of bricks that can be counted. Love isn't finite and measureable, bound by logical rules. Love is illogical and irrational. It is bottomless. There is plenty to go around, whether there are two children or thirty-one children. -Camille Geraldi's response to a criticism that she couldn't possibly love thirty one-children well.

The title of this book is the title of this blog.

In the arms of Jesus

2008-09-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

Our friends, Daniel and Levi Lim, along with their young son Samuel and baby daughter Emma, left Kansas City a couple months ago, to fly to their homeland in Myanmar (Burma). They went there to help with relief efforts in the aftermath of the cyclone that hit their homeland in May of this year. There were over 15,000 deaths as a result of the Cyclone. Many children were left orphaned and this is the main group that Daniel and his family were helping.

Daniel and his family were due to return to Kansas City in just a couple of days, when their baby Emma, who was almost 1 year old, came down with a very high fever. She also had complications with her breathing and was put on a respirator and then eventually had to be put on life support. She passed away in the night and is now in the arms of Jesus. Our hearts break for their loss, as my husband and I know the great pain of losing a child. Our only hope with pain that runs this deep, is that we will see our little ones again one day, in a place where there are no more tears and where death is no more, in the arms of Jesus.

Please pray for this precious family, that God's grace would be with them and that they would feel His love as they walk through this very hard time.

Thank you.

INS Approval!!!

2008-09-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

We are so excited! We received the letter we've been waiting for from the INS, approving us to adopt three special need's boys instead of two. This means we have been approved to adopt little Mikey as well as Sasha and Misha! So, now we are just waiting for our invitation from Ukraine to go and meet our little fellas! YAY!

Beautiful Elia Jane

2008-09-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

My awesome nephew Nicholas, took these beautiful pictures of his sister, my niece, Elia Jane. Elia, as most of you know, is the little beauty that my sister-in-law, Tracie, and brother-in-law, John, adopted.

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain on the widow pane and to the birds singing. I started thinking about my little LiLi (Elia) and about how the hand of the Lord rescued her and set her in her "Forever Family." Her story is another miracle of God's goodness and His grace.

There are some days that we get so busy, we don't take time to hear the sound of the rain, or the birds, or, to look at the intricacy of how God created each of our children. Sometimes we don't even take time to dwell on the goodness of God. He is amazing in all his ways! When He created each of us, he had a plan, a wonderful plan, beyond our wildest dreams. If we could learn to rest in who we are, and in the beauty of who our amazing God created us to be, our lives would be much happier! YOU are beautiful, and just like my little Lili, you have been set apart for a special purpose, only you could fulfill. Your life matters, in a great way! Be blessed today as you ponder your value in the eyes of a perfect God!

The Amazing Koth Family!

2008-09-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

These are our precious friends, Chuck and Jane Koth and family! As you can see, Chuck and Jane have a really big heart for children. They have three biological children and 10 adopted children! They also take care of beautiful Sharon, Chuck's sister, who has Down Syndrome. Chuck and Jane recently returned from Ethiopia with their three newest little blessings, Pinieal, Dagmawit and Hallelujah! Please keep the Koth family in your prayers as they are all on another great adventure! We love you Chuck, Jane and family and pray the Lord's most precious blessings over all of you!

Mikey

2008-09-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, we are in the process of adopting Misha and Sasha from Eastern Europe. With much prayer and thought, we've decided to pursue the adoption of another little boy in the same orphanage. His name is Mikey and he is four years old. He has cardiomyopathy and possible Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, although the FAS hasn't been proven yet. All three boys are little buddies and we are excited about being able to give them the love they so deserve! We are waiting for the approval from INS to be able to adopt Mikey.

Please pray that all will move quickly and that we will get an "Invitation Date" to go to Eastern Eurpoe to meet our boys soon! We
don't want Mikey to be sent to an institution while we are waiting to get approval on his adoption. He is so precious and he's been through enough trauma already.

Thanks so much!

God bless you and have a great day!

Cast all your care on Him; for he cares for you

2008-09-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

I woke up today with an overwhelming sense of peace! The Lord is amazing! What seems to be a crushing burden to us at times, is really like a little dust on the scale to Him. Jesus truly never forgets about us. We need to not doubt His grace in hard times. He loves us as much in seasons of trouble as he does in times of happiness. His eyes are fixed on us. He will always bear our burdens and will always meet our needs. What a faithful God we serve!

Our circumstances can sometimes rule our lives. I think if we all remembered to leave our concerns in the hands of our very gracious God, our lives would be much happier!

Have a blessed day today and remember that you are loved, very much!

Aiden

2008-08-28T19:16:00.000-07:00

Our sister-in-law Tracie, and Derek's brother John, have just committed to adopting this precious little guy. His name is Aiden and he has Down Syndrome. He is so beautiful! When his adoption is finalized, John and Tracie will name him Aiden Joseph. Aiden means "little flame" and Joseph means "he will enlarge." We believe that his life will be a light to many and that he will be used to bring greater understanding and value to the priceless treasure called "adoption." Baby Aiden is from the same orphanage in Eastern Europe, that we are adopting our boys from. Derek and I will get to hold him and love on him when we go to pick up our boys! We are so excited! Please visit little Aiden's new blog site at thelouxfamilyadoption.blogspot.com. John and Tracie will need about $2,000. within the next two weeks to take care of immediate adoption costs and a total of around $22,000. to complete this adoption. If you would like to contribute to their adoption, please visit Tracie's personal blog site at tracieloux.blogspot.com and you can donate through PayPal.

God bless you today and may you feel His presence near you!

Make a difference in the life of a child!

2008-08-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

American Express is giving away a 2.5 million dollar gift to different organizations who are doing charitable work and who also get enough nominations to qualify to be chosen for this project. We need 700 more votes to help qualify a very important organization called Reeces Rainbow. They are doing a tremendous job of helping orphaned Down Syndrome children through their adoption agency. This is the agency that we are adopting our precious Misha out of. If Reeces Rainbow were to win this gift, this would enable them to adopt out almost all of the waiting DS children with full grants!

You DO NOT have to own an American Express card to vote. Just sign in as a guest and remember to vote for Reeces Rainbow.
It will only take 1 to 2 minutes of your time and your vote could make it possible for an orphan to be placed in a forever family. Thanks so much for considering this wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the life of an orphan.

Please log on to www.membersproject.com/project/view/H1LEJo

God bless you!

The Marshall Islands

2008-08-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

This picture and the one below are of the beautiful Marshall Islands, where I grew up for 10 years. This is also where we adopted our three older girls, Telma, Teyolla and Keyolla. The water is so beautiful there! The Marshalese people are very gracious and have such precious hearts.

My parents, Sam and Florence Sasser, were missionaries in the Marshalls Islands, serving together for over 11 years. They planted churches and built and directed a Bible school called Calvary Bible Institute. When they first arrived in the islands, there was no running water and no electricity. The planes that landed on the island had to fly over the grassy landing field twice before landing. Once, to scare off the pigs and chickens on the landing strip and the other to land! Life was truly a great adventure there.

After 11 years of service in the Marshalls, Mom and Dad moved to Hawaii, pastoring a church on the island of Oahu for 5 years and ministering all over the South Pacific after their time in Hawaii. They were still involved for many years in helping the Marshalese in many practical and spiritual ways. They visited the islands often and when my father passed away in 1995, his heart was buried in the Marshalls as he had requested in his will. He loved the Marshalese people with a passion beyond words.

My mom, along with my brother Terry Sasser, returned to the Marshall Islands after my father's death. She remained there for another 11 years, serving the people a combined total of 22 years. In April of 2008, Mom moved from the Marshalls and in with our family. She is basing Charismedia Ministries (the name of her ministry) out of Kansas City. Mom is still helping the Marshalese people by translating important materials into the Marshalese language. She also travels to churches both nationally and internationally, bringing awareness to the needs of the Marshalese people. Mom also travels frequently to Springdale Arkansas where she is involved in helping the Marshalese community living there. There are over 20,000 Marshalese who have settled in Springdale, making that the largest Marshlaese community in the United States.

This picture of me, my brother Terry Sasser and my mom, was taken at the airport in the Marshall Islands. I joined my mom in the Marshall Islands and flew back home with her to Kansas City in April.

My brother, Terry, and his wife Amy, both live in the Marshalls and have four children. They adopted our Teyolla and Keyolla's siblings. Terry and Amy love the Marshalese and have done so much to help them. They write grants that benefit the islanders and help the schools there with supplies and after school programs. They built a Science Center there that includes all types of sea life, everything from live sharks to turtles, various types of salt water fish and giant blue star fish. They also work alongside the Marshalese government in many different areas. They have provided much help to the islanders in regards to issues such as teen pregnancy and awareness about Aids and STD's and are now planning to build a home for girls who have been abused.

As if Terry and Amy didn't already have their hands full...they formed an Olympic staff and got the Marshall Islands into the Olympics for the very first time this year. The Marshalese are competing in swimming, Tae Quon Do and track and field events. We are excited and we know the Marshalese are having a great time being involved!

Mom, visiting the grave where my dad's heart was buried.

Joanna and her mom, Marso, live in the Marshall Islands. Joanna was born with no eyes, only eye sockets. This was very traumatic for Joanna's mom Marso, and Joanna's father Solomon, as they are very poor and are not able to get Joanna the help she needs. Joanna and her family live in a tiny shack with many children. Joanna also suffers with swallowing and sensitive stomach issues. She chokes easily on food and many times her parents have to massage her throat to get her food to go down properly.

My husband Derek and I are going to begin raising money to bring Joanna and her mother to the states in February to get Joanna some of the help she needs. If any of you are interested in helping this precious family financially, please contact me at reneeloux@ihop.org and we will be more than happy to provide you with a tax receipt. Also, if any of you know of an Oncologist who might be willing to donate their services to help Joanna, please let us know. Thanks in advance for considering the needs of this precious little one.

Joanna's little cousin has such a precious little spirit and she sure loves her cousin, Joanna!

Thanks to all of you who read our blog and who faithfully pray for us! You are a blessing! Have a wonderful day and God bless you!

2008-08-18T18:20:00.001-07:00

2008-08-18T17:12:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of the Marshall Islands, where I grew up and where we adopted our three older girls. Isn't it beautiful!?! In
the '60s my parents, Sam and Florence Sasser, moved to the Marshall Islands as missionaries. Ever since then, our entire family has been involved in one way or another with the Marshalese people. They are truly "our people."

After returning from the Marshalls in the early '70s, my parents continued traveling and ministering around the globe, as well as taking many trips back to the Marshall Islands. When my father passed away in 1995, my mom returned to the Marshall Islands as a missisonary for another 11 years. She recently moved in with us this past April. We are so blessed to have her in our home. She will continue to work out of Kansas City, interpreting valuable teaching materials for the Marshalese people as
well as sharing the needs of the islands to various churches worldwide. The largest stateside representation of Marshalese people are in Springdale Arkansas. There are over 20,000 living there!

My brother and his wife, Terry and Amy Sasser, along with their four children, continue to live in the Marshall Islands, working in community efforts, helping to raise the standard of living in a land where there is an 80% unemployment rate. Their focus is especially in educational and medical areas. They rely on grants to help them in their incredible work. They are a tremendous help to the people and I'm so very proud of them. My brother also, recently, got the Marshall Islands into the Olympics this year. They will be competing in various swimming events, Tae Quon Do and Track and Field events!

Rich In Love

2008-08-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

Derek and Teyolla are on a ministry trip, along with a bunch of FMA students that we absolutely love! Wow do we
love them! They are truly the best of the best! Sophia and Michaela (KK) are still at their Nanny and Poppy's and Telma is
still in D.C.

After listening to Mike's awesome message this morning, my mom, Keyolla and I went home, sat down for lunch and noticed all the empty chairs around the dining room table. We sure miss our family! It's just not the same without them here.

I miss Telma's high pitched laugh that seems to go on forever, Tey's little one liner jokes, Sophia's dancing and swinging from anything that's in her path and KK singing at the top of her lungs!
Of course I miss my husband's great hugs, talking over a cup of Starbucks (is there any other coffee?), beating him at Scrabble (now the world knows Baby), beating him at Scrabble (oops I already said that didn't I ... hee hee) and just talking about how awesome Jesus is to us! Are we rich in love or what?!!!

So, in honor of my precious ones that are all gone from home right now, I've posted a few pics below, with a little somethin about each of my loves under their pic. Unfortunately I don't have a new pic of Derek with all his spikes (hair) in place
so you'll have to look to the right to see his handsome face. Isn't he gorgeous?!!!! I love you baby! You are simply the best!

This is Pal, our faithful doggie. He loves to just hang out and is happiest when the whole family is home at the same time! Aren't we all? Needless to say, he's missing everyone, so, the wag in his tail isn't to happy right now!

KK is our hambone. Can you tell? She's provided Derek with many a story for his messages! We miss your beautiful songs sweet darlin! What a voice! Wow!

Sophia, is such a delight! She has a tender heart and a sweet spirit. She is also a master tree climber, the greatest of all monkeys! She'll be up in a tree so high, looking over the city and I'll shout out, "Ok, darlin that's high enough." Derek will shout up to her and say, "You can go a little bit higher love." That my friends, is the difference between a mom and a dad! We love you Doodles!

Our twins, Teyolla and Keyolla, keep us laughing all the time. They are so awesome! Keyolla has decided she wants to grow her hair long again because she misses being able to fool people. Everyone can tell them apart now. Aren't they just awesome?!!! Our girls are beautiful inside and out!

Our Telma loves books! She devours them! What a love! Her laugh is infectious and her heels are really high... ha! I miss you darlin and we are still believing for the big miracle! We are so proud of you!

Last but not least is our little Rudy. He is Derek's biggest thorn in the flesh right now. Rudy thinks he's my son. At first, he didn't like anyone but me. In fact he looked at everyone else like they were monsters. He was terrified! He has warmed up to Soph, KK and Telma and so they are now on his "love list." My Mom however, literally crawls around on the floor under the table trying to get him to warm up to her. She deserves a medal for trying the hardest to win his love. We actually thought one could find a sermon in there somewhere.... God faithfully pursues us until he wins our hearts! Here's the biggest miracle of all... Rudy actually licked Derek's face the other night, he licked and licked and kept on lickin. Derek's left cheek looked like a raisin by the time Rudy was finished with him! Could revival be on the horizon for this little guy? We all hope so!

I didn't include a picture of my mom in this post because she is who I will be featuring in my next blog in the next couple of days. I'll include pictures of our trip out to the Marshall Islands and a story and pictures of a special little blind girl named Joanna that we are trying to get help for.

All photos above are courtesy of Shelley Paulson! Isn't she amazing? Take time to look at her site (shelleypaulson.com) and call her up for a photo shoot. You won't regret it!

Update on our adoptions

2008-08-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

First, I would like to thank all of you who have faithfully been praying for the two boys we will be adopting. It means so much
for us to know that we have so much prayer support and we want
you to know that we don't take that for granted!

It looks like the date we will be traveling to get "our boys" has now been changed to sometime in October. Our wonderful stateside adoption facilitator, Andrea Roberts, told us that the adoption office in Ukraine will be shut down for the month of August so this will cause some delay. We are bummed for sure but we know the Lord's timing is always best and we will keep trusting that He is in control!

If any of you would like to become acquainted with some beautiful special needs children that need a "forever home," be sure to go to the adoption website, reecesrainbow.com. The precious children on this site have been diagnosed with either down syndrome, or other special needs conditions. Some of you might feel led to adopt one of these "priceless ones." For those of you who may not feel led to adopt, would you prayerfully consider giving a donation to one of these children's adoption funds, to help someone else to be able to adopt them? If so, there is a place to do that through PayPal on this adoption website. Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

In Proverbs 24:12 it says this. "Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act."

God bless you today, with an even greater understanding of His awesome love for you!

Rudy and Pal

2008-08-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

These are our two bow wows, Rudy and Pal. Pal is the loyal, loving and faithful buddy that we've had for 8 years. He is a Border Collie-Akita mix (the black and white dog in the picture below). He loves it when our entire family is home at the same time. He lays down in the middle of all of us and just wags his tail with delight :). He's such a lover!

Rudy, is our Bichon Frise. He's only 1 1/2 years old and is full of energy. He loves to chase and wrestle Pal. If Pal gets tired he gives Rudy a gentle warning bite and Rudy knows that's his clue to stop. Rudy is having potty training issues right now and Derek is not very happy with him. He's warned Rudy that if he doesn't change his ways, it's out the door he goes. KK our youngest, responded to Derek's statement with one of her own. "Daddy, if you give Rudy away, I'm afraid I won't talk to you for a week!" Derek then had to talk to KK about respect/disrepect, KK apologized and proceeded to tell "Dadddy" why she thought everyone should have a little more patience with Rudy.

Last night Derek and I were laying down and reading. Rudy jumped right between the middle of us and started licking Derek's hand nonstop. It was getting pretty funny after awhile and Derek finally rolled his eyes and stroked Rudy's head. Then, Rudy proceeded to lick Derek's face for a long time until Derek finally patted his head gave him a couple strokes on the neck. Our twins think revival has taken place... ha! At any rate, if any of you have any ideas on how to get Rudy to do his business outside (all the time), we would welcome your wisdom! He's getting some extra training this week.

(photos of Rudy and Pal courtesy of Shelley Paulson)

Off to TheCall D.C.

2008-08-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Telma took off in one of the IHOP shuttles, packed with other awesome people, who are also going to be serving at The Call D.C. She is really excited. This is her first out of state trip without us. I'm super excited for her! I know she'll have some life changing experiences. She promises to report in with some of her awesome adventures!

If any of you would like to watch TheCall DC live, you can do so online, on August 16th from 10AM to 10PM on God TV.

We love you Meemers! It's pretty quiet around here without you, Soph and KK! Have a blast! We're praying for you!!! Remember Psalm 91. You're the best Sweetie!!

2008-08-06T14:58:00.000-07:00

The Shack

2008-08-05T16:54:00.000-07:00

For a couple months now, my mom has been trying to get me to read "The Shack."
I finally read it and was just blown away by the deep truths in this book

2008-08-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

Sophie, Isabelle and Maggie Sue

2008-08-04T15:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a sweet picture of Sophie, our 10 year old and her cousin, Isabelle. Our
friend Shelley Paulson invited them to ride her horse, Maggie Sue. They had a
blast together and here's one of the pictures from that special day.

We miss you Doodles and Ruby Lips!

2008-08-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today, our two little darlins, Sophia (Doodles) and Michaela ( KK, also known as Ruby Lips) left with their cousin, Isabelle (Belly Boo) for a two week visit with their Nanny and Poppy (Derek's parents). Mom and Dad Loux (Nanny and Poppy) drove all the way from Indianapolis Indiana to pick them up. Dad Loux actually sold his truck to buy a van so he could fit in all his grandchildren. Not many grandpas would do that! Of course at the rate that his grandchildren keep multiplying, he might need to buy a bus pretty soon... ha!

I know our kiddos will have a ton of fun at Nanny and Poppy's! Mom and Dad Loux are amazing and have always been so loving and supportive of our family! We are thankful for you and we love you Mom and Dad! You are such a blessing to us all!

We love you Doodles, KK and Belly Boo!!! Have a great time in Indy you three little beauties! Smooches, smooches and tons of love!

We are blessed!

2008-08-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today is mine and Derek's 16th wedding anniversary!! I started thinking about all the years we've been together and how much I love my husband and 5 daughters! We have walked through so much and have so many memories! The Lord has been the foundation of our
home and our marriage and I truly believe I have the best husband on planet earth! He is kind and gentle, but strong. He's an amazing father and a man who runs hard after the things of God. I love his passion for Jesus. He leads us well as the spiritual leader of our home and keeps us laughing all the time! Life is never dull at the Loux home! Oh the stories..........

So much has happened in the last year! The Lord has proven himself to be faithful in more ways than we could even begin to express. We are beginning a new adoption adventure and are so excited about this!!! As many of you know, we have two biological daughters, Sophia and Michaela who are 10 and 8 years old. We also have three adopted daughters from the Marshall Islands. Their names are Teyolla, Keyolla and Telma. Teyolla and Keyolla are twins and will be 17 years old in September. Telma will be 18 in February. All our girls are awesome and we thank Jesus for each of them!

We are also in the process of adopting two special needs boys from Eastern Europe. We will be traveling in September to meet them for the first time. Their names are Misha and Sasha. Misha is 4 and has down syndrome. Sasha is 5 and is crippled. We can't wait to learn more about their little lives. I know they will be pretty curious when they meet this new fella they're going to be calling Daddy, spikey hair and all! I will just be holding back tears the entire time I see these little angels. It will be so wonderful to finally get to hold them in my arms! Our 5 girls will spoil them rotten! What an honor it will be to nurture and love these precious ones. So much has led up to our love and passion for special needs children and it all started with the birth of our first child.

Our firstborn son, Josiah Samuel, passed away when he was 2 and 1/2 years old, of complications that came with having a serious birth defect known as spina bifida.
He was a beautiful child who taught us so much about what true love is. In many ways, the Lord used our little "Siah" to help root us and ground us in the knowledge of God's goodness and in his sovereignty. Some of you may wonder how God's goodness can even be seen in the death of a child? Those who have lost a child and hung on to Jesus will be able to relate to what I'm saying. God reveals a part of himself that is so precious...so tender...and even when you're walking through a dark time in your life that seems unbearable, and you feel that your spirit will be crushed, Jesus comes through in the way only he can. He is the only hope for those who have experienced this pain. Derek and I wouldn't be celebrating another anniversary today had it not been for God's faithfulness to both of us. He carried us through so much and we are eternally grateful. My heart is so full of love and thankfulness tonight.

Well, it's time for me to round up our "tribe" now and get everyone tucked in bed. Nighty night, sleep tight and as our little KK says, "and don't let the crockodiles chew on your buns!"
Another KKism we will never understand.... she's just so cute!