Our New Boys

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

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

New Pictures Of Misha And Mikey

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

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!

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!

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"

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!

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

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

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!!!

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

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!

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

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

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

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!

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

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!

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!