Giving Thanks

As I write this post, I am seriously hoping someone knows what Aiden is up to because I can’t see him. So I’ll type fast and hope for the best. Elia and Emma are happily cleaning the family room sliding doors with baby wipes.

Yesterday was a day for giving thanks. I may not have verbalized my thanks as loudly as some, but the gratitude that was swelling in my heart was loud and clear. I am so blessed.

I am blessed that we stood hand to hand in a very large circle with friends who are a true gift from God to our family. It used to be 13 of us. The Bohlender 6, Grandma B, and The Loux 6. Now we stand hand to hand with 7 extra sets of little hands that make our circle bigger and our hearts so much richer.

The feast went down something like this.

Complete with Toddler Table.

And the Twinnie Station.

A couple of cool teenaged boys who are not usually in the pictures because they are taking them.

Now if we would have told them they had to play here, they would have had nothing to do with it, but this playpen (who may never be the same) kept them occupied for a few minutes.

This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “The Toddlers”. In 3 years, these 6 children have come into our lives through adoption. And for this I give thanks.

(This post has come to an abrupt end for reasons beyond my control)

Six Reasons to be Thankful

Aiden’s first Thanksgiving Day snack.

Trying to get a Toddler shot is not an easy task. Aiden always has fun posing though!

Another try. *Elia has  a mouth full of crackers in case you were wondering.

Beautiful Girls and Aiden the show stopper!

Our six incredible reasons to be truley grateful this year.

Thankful

The little ones were up starting at 5:20AM this fine Thanksgiving morning. Amazing how it can be 8:40AM and feel like half a day has passed already. I am feeling so very thankful today as I consider all that we have been blessed with this year.

I’m thankful that at 5:20AM a little girl named Emma wandered into our bedroom knowing that it was a safe place, a place she would find love.

I’m thankful that at 6:00AM a little girl named Elia snuggled in bed with us singing her ABC’s and stroking her daddy on the face.

I’m thankful that at 7:15AM a little boy named Aiden was carried down the stairs in his daddy’s arms, delighted beyond measure to find an enormous blueberry muffin waiting on his plate.

I’m thankful that at 8:45AM my beautiful Isabelle came in to greet me with her sparkling blue eyes, kindness and compassion dripping from her countenance as she told me a cute little story about her tiny siblings.

I’m thankful that at 8:50AM I found my handsome son Taylor curled up under a cozy red blanket enjoying the bliss of Thanksgiving morning. I’m thankful that this is his favorite time of the year, and that his 14th birthday is just around the corner.

I’m thankful for the amazing Nicholas who is still nestled all snug in his bed, because he’s 17 and because he can. I’m thankful for all the surprises that God is lavishing on him in this season of growing up. Thankful for all that is ahead for him.

I’m thankful for my amazing husband who is my partner and best friend in this crazy life we live. I’m thankful that we’ve walked through life for 20 years and are more in love than ever.

I’m thankful for family and friends who have surrounded us this year with love and have partnered with us to see Emma and Aiden rescued and brought into our family. Thank you for rejoicing with us and sharing in our journey.

I’m thankful that the Father made a way for me to be adopted into His family. I am thankful that He paid the price to redeem my life with the life of His very own Son. I am thankful that He calls me His daughter. I am thankful that He loves me and pursues my heart even though I fall short so many times. He is a good, good Father.

Haiti Adoption Update: The Kallinen’s

I wanted to give you a quick update on the status of Betty Kallinen and her girls home coming. Earlier in the week Betty was diagnosed with Typhoid. As you know this is a serious illness, and Betty is not doing well. The tickets had previously been purchased for her to fly with the girls to Florida where her husband, Brion would meet her and they would drive home together.

Because of Betty’s illness, a wonderful friend who was adopted from Haiti, James Adams, will be flying to Haiti to assist Betty and the girls in flying home immediately. A new set of tickets had to be purchased this time with the full flight to Kansas City. Because of this unexpected emergency, they are still in need of additional funds.

I wanted to get the word out in case there was anyone who wanted to give previously who was not able to at the time, or didn’t because we thought the need had been met.

It may be more expeditious this time to write checks to Brion Kallinen and stick them in the mail to me, or contact me if you are local (the transition of funds from Paypal to my bank account and then to the Kallinens was a bit longer than I expected):

Tracie Loux

12312 Askew Street

Grandview, MO 64030

AND ABOVE ALL PLEASE PRAY FOR HEALING FOR BETTY and PROTECTION for the GIRLS!

I Cor 1:26-31

I received this email from a blog/facebook friend today and wanted to share it with you all as you continue to pray for Emma:

Tracie,
I wanted to thank you for your transparency on your blog. Your post about Emma and FAS really stuck me. I wish that I could fully explain my thoughts and feelings. I found myself praying in my kitchen about Emma and I was completely frustrated. I felt overwhelmed by the fact that God so loves Emma and her birth mother and you all at the same time. It was perplexing because my heart was breaking for Emma and her birth mother and you all at the same time. I guess I want it to be more cut and dry. Anyway, I was wrestling with this and other similar situations and I found this verse and I immediately wanted to share it with you.

1 Corinthians 1 (Message)

26-31Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.”

The part about exploits and abuses hit me. His ways are not our ways. I have a long way to go to understand His ways more. Just so you know you’re not alone in these feelings or in prayer. Thank you for sharing!

Sarah True

Justice

I just discovered a couple of posts that are reactions to my post on Emma and thought I’d share them with you.

Justice for Emma a post by my dear friend Dorean Beattie

Injustice for Children a post by the one and only Sean Henry

 

 

I Can’t Fix This

I like to fix things. I like to solve problems. I like a challenge. I find great reward in figuring things out, making things work, and finding solutions. But I can’t fix this.

Emma has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. I knew this from day one, but it was confirmed yesterday at our appointment with Genetics. Emma does indeed have FAS. With all my heart, I wanted it to be something else. I wanted it to be something I could fix. I called John as I was leaving the hospital after a 2 hour evaluation. I told him, “She has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, not that we didn’t already know that.”

And then I got mad. I cried and I ranted on the phone, “This isn’t her fault. She didn’t deserve this. This is the result of someone else’s sin. She was abused before she took her first breath. God didn’t create her this way. I wanted it to be something I could fix!!!”

The genetic specialists sat down with me after the evaluation and told me what I already knew. They knew I wasn’t surprised. They knew I knew. They asked me if I had read much about FAS. I told them I had quit reading. Everything I had come across was written to scare women out of drinking while pregnant. I told them that I had yet to find one website that was actually helpful. I was tired of reading about “irreversible brain damage.”

I didn’t do this to my daughter. Another woman did. And yesterday I was angry.

So you can pray for us. Pray that we will get to know Emma is such a way that we can help her compensate for or overcome any of the issues she has related to FAS. Pray that she will be healed. I reminded myself yesterday that her name means “total and complete restoration.” I know that it is no mistake that the Lord named her Emma Anastasia.

Today I want to forgive. Today I want to move forward and get to know my daughter in a deeper way. I want to learn what makes her tick. I want to learn the things that will make her thrive and to become everything the Father dreamed up when He wrote the story of her life. I want to one day marvel at the way He redeemed and restored her life.

Will you pray for Emma? Will you pray for me?

 

YOU DID IT!

I love watching the Body of Christ at work. Thank you for giving and for praying!!!!

Yesterday within minutes $1200 came in. 3 hours later the total was nearly $3,000. As of this morning, the total giving for the Kallinen adoption has totalled $3932.73 (NEARLY $4,000!!!!!!!)

I am so thrilled that you have chosen to partner with this precious family in their journey to bring these beautiful girls into their family. I will be getting a check to the family so that they can purchase the tickets needed to fly home. The additional money will be used for the travel from Florida to Kansas City, and to get whatever else they still need for their girls.

Thank you so much for stepping up to the plate and practicing true religion!

Help Get this Family HOME!

Our friends Betty and Brion Kallinen have adopted 3 beautiful girls from Haiti. This precious family is part of IHOP here in Kansas City. This has been a two year process and the family, with unexpected delays and expenses along the way. Finally the girls adoption has been completed, they have visas and are ready to travel. The only thing hindering now, is that they have spent every penny that they have and are $2000 short to purchase plane tickets to get home. If you would like to help please use the PAY PAL link in my side bar and clearly mark your donation as “Kallinen Adoption.”

I am fully confident that we can raise this money in a few days, so that the can purchase plan tickets and get these girls home. And I am shamelessly asking you to help. Let’s do James 1:27 today!

Adoption is for Everyone

I’d like to write a really long post some time soon about our OJC family support staff, but for now I’d like to invite you to read a blog post by one of our awesome staff, Lauren Gribsby. (More on Lauren and the rest of our team later).

Adoption ministry is for everyone. I mean EVERYONE. You can be too young to adopt, too old to adopt, not married but longing to adopt and STILL get involved with adoption ministry NOW! Adopt an adoptive family and become part of the restoration of orphans!

Look at the impact it has had on LAUREN.

To be continued……