Sara Maria, our oldest, turns 17 this weekend so we are celebrating tonight. Through the years we have developed birthday traditions that we all hold dear - siblings decorating the dining room, a special meal (Crook’s Corner Shrimp and Grits, Garlic Ginger Green Beans, and ooh-ahh … Flaky Biscuits from a CAN), and a special cake (Esther’s Orange Marmalade Layer Cake), but between dinner and cake, each member of the family shares what they appreciate about the “birthday girl or boy” and then give their present, or presentS.

In our family, Bill’s birthday is in December followed by Grace and Adelyn in January. So Katya has seen this routine play out several times already and has quickly caught on. We have seen that gift-giving is perhaps her highest love language as we have been the recipients of all sorts of presents in the past few months, so the excitement has mounted as she has plotted her birthday gift for Sara Maria this week.

Now, in order to understand Katya’s present to Sara Maria, I need to fill in a few details. First of all, Katya is successfully potty-training (Thank you, Lord) utilizing the tried-and-true behavior mod strategies of a sticker chart and prizes. Last week, she earned a big stuffed horse. Since Piper has been instrumental in Katya’s success, I brought her home a pack of Tic-Tacs - just to say, “Thanks!” Piper, in true Piper fashion, shared them with Katya who decided that Tic-Tacs were the perfect gift for Sara Maria and elicited my help in making a plan to secure said Tic-Tacs.

Secondly, Nana (my mom) who is the most organized woman on the planet and perhaps the most thoughtful as well, sent Valentine’s cards up for the family which arrived sometime around February 10th. Into my cubby they went awaiting our Family Valentine’s Celebration Dinner. (Can you tell we love a party?) Well, since I’m not the most organized woman on the planet, one of the kids discovered the cards just THIS WEEK. So, we got to celebrate Valentine’s Day all over again. In each card was $10. Katya immediately put it in her sparkly purse seeing this as the means to buy Tic-Tacs for Sara Maria, which leads me to the third factor.

We have been so blessed by our relationships with three young women over the past few years - Maddy, Molly, and Beth. These dear women are like daughters to Bill and me and like older sisters to the kids. They have eaten dinner with us, taught the kids music lessons, done laundry, stayed in our home when we’ve been out of town, helped me clean, fix dinner, and have drunk countless cups of tea around the farm table in our breakfast room. I’ve even road-tripped with them to PA where I spoke at a Women’s Retreat and they provided the music. So, when it’s time for them to clean out their closets, we are often the recipients of their bounty. When Molly moved to Kansas City as an IHOP intern this January we received several bags from her and in one was a sparkly purse, which Katya claimed for her very own. It has carried little Breyer ponies, Polly Pocket, and quite a collection of hryvnia, euros, pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, and now a $10 bill.

On Monday, Maddy arrived with bags and boxes from Beth who is preparing to head to Africa to serve with our dear friends, Eric and Holly and Special Hope Network. Now, all the girls are snazzy dressers, but Beth has some shoes. Like the sparkly purse, several particularly snazzy pairs were claimed by both Piper and Katya for what I thought was their dress-up collection.

Fast forward to today. As promised, I took Piper and Katya up to Earlysville Market to purchase the aforementioned Tic-Tacs. But, alas, they did not have the red and orange Tic-Tacs that I had brought home for Piper, and green ones just weren’t as appealing. BUT, they did have gum and Mentos. So, after much deliberation, Katya purchased a package of each with the intent to keep the gum for herself and give Sara Maria the Mentos.

So, tonight Piper shared with Sara Maria what she really loves about her sister and gave Sara Maria her gift (a book chair so that Sara Maria doesn’t have to waste unnecessary energy holding her books, and a pack of gum - also purchased at Earlysville Market) . Then Cameron shared what he really loves about his sister, and gave Sara Maria her gift (a Breyer “Minnie Whinnie” that he purchased from Shenanigans, and a pack of gum). Are you seeing the trend? By this time Katya was beside herself ready to give her gift. She brought over a gift bag which I knew was WAY to big and too full to hold a mere pack of Mentos.

Grace asked Katya, “What do you like about Sara Maria?”
Katya’s response - “I don’t know.”

We don’t have this part of the tradition down, but we definitely have the gift-giving. So, Sara Maria opens up the bag and pulls out a pair of cream and gold high heels. “Perfect for the prom!” Next comes another pair of black patent leather high heels. “Perfect for … something!” Now, you need to know that Sara Maria, up until last year was most comfortable in camo shorts and an over-sized sweatshirt, but she is transitioning into a young woman. However, Beth’s shoes are about two sizes too small …

But, here’s the kicker. I fully expected Sara Maria to next pull out the package of Mentos, but she pulled out … a stick of gum. I thought, “Isn’t that sweet. Katya gave her a stick of gum from the pack she bought for herself.”

And then Sara Maria does not pull out a PACK of Mentos, but one Mento, then a second Mento, then a third. Instead of the PACK of Mentos, she has given Sara Maria three INDIVIDUAL Mentos!

This explains the surge of energy observed about 5:00 this afternoon … Surprise!

Sometimes, He brings ridiculously lavish fun into our lives in the midst of heartache pointing toward the reality that He is, in His nature, a happy God.

On Christmas Eve our family was gathered at the table finishing up Bartholomew’s Passage when the phone rang. Not wanting to pause our reading, this guy left us a message …

Hi. This is Sid. I’m one of the elves at the North Pole, but I’ve been out with swine flu. I’m just making deliveries now. Check your front porch.

With supernatural self-control, the kids stayed in their seats and let Bill check out the situation. In he comes with an overflowing bag of gifts, not from Sid, but from God. The tags actually said, “From God!”

One by one the children opened the gifts - each one perfect for their style, their personality, their size! However, Grace didn’t have a gift. The other girls realized it and shared their bounty with her. But the next day, at some point, another bag was delivered - more gifts with a special one for Grace. The note on the outside read,

Sorry, this one fell off the sleigh. ~Sid

What lavish FUN through the hands of our God who offers us HIS joy that our joy may be complete.

These past several weeks have been hard. In some ways the transition to having Katya home has gone much smoother than what we imagined, however the honeymoon is over, the adrenalin has worn off, and reality of the long-haul has settled in. Food hiding, treasure stealing, picky eating, potty-training, ear-splitting squealing, sibling wrangling, and more keep us hopping and hoping as we prayerfully try to walk the balance between compassion for Katya, desire to see her experience healing, and the need to continue to offer stability and consistency for the rest of the family. We are feeling the build-up of stress from the year-and-a-half process topped off by the intensity of the past four months as we traveled to Ukraine, once with the whole family, once for four weeks leaving the children in the U.S., and then once more for me all by myself to bring Katya home. We’re recognizing that we have neglected to adequately care for our own hearts and to appropriately cope with pressure. We have kept too many plates spinning and between life pressures, adoption pressures, and financial pressures of our church and family … and we hit a wall.

Our church so graciously has given and continues to give us time to rest, to recover, and to reflect on which plates need to be put down so that we can run well and to address the issues of our hearts. People both inside and outside our church have come alongside us giving us help, wisdom, support, prayer, encouragement, gifts, and fun. In the midst of it all, the Lord knew we needed “Sid.” He urged someone(s) to give lavishly and specifically.

In the midst of this “now” of our lives, we have hope, and this is a hope that does not disappoint.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5:1-5

So, “Thanks, Sid to you, your underlings, and your reindeer!” for being part of God’s work to point us to God and His delight in us.

This from a letter on The Loux Family Blog announcing that this father of 10, 3 of whom are Ukrainian children with special needs whom Derek and Renee adopted last year, was killed in a car accident early on the morning of December 23rd. He was traveling home from Colorado where he was participating in a conference receiving training on how to minister to victims of human trafficking.

Derek is in the presence of the Lord, but his wife, Renee, and their children are here.

My heart aches for this wife and mother of many and I find myself praying for her often through the day. Because of what I see in this family’s life as I observe the testimony of their faith through their blog, have watched Derek lead worship at IHOP, and have seen them join with other families such as John and Tracie Loux and Randy and Kelsey Bohlender in living out their James 1:27 passion to care for orphans, to adopt children who would otherwise be aborted, to rescue girls and women who are victims of human trafficking, and more, I am confident that Renee will find in Jesus her “hope and stay.”

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Christ alone is the solid rock. There is no other ground on which we can stand. While I am confident that Renee is resting in the unchanging grace of Christ, finding Him to be her hope and stay, and looking forward with a hope that does not disappoint to the Day when Christ shall return and she will be forever worshipping the Lord with Derek, I am still compelled to pray for her. Would you join me in lifting up Renee, the children, John and Tracie, and the many others who are personally connected with this family?

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

In Odessa, they are experiencing unusual snowfall as well. However, for our friends, for the kiddoes we left behind, and for the numerous orphans in villages all around Odessa, the hardships are potentially much more dire.

Dear friends !!!

We have an urgent prayer request! As you have probably heard that there is a huge snow storm in Odessa and its region. This means that many villages are left without electricity and food. The trucks that deliver groceries to the village stores just cannot get through. This also means that the orphanages that are located outside of Odessa are left in desperate needs for food as well.

Please pray so that the weather would go better soon and the trucks with food would be able to get to far away places.

Blessings,

Have a wonderful and blessed day,
Slavik and Alyona

Yes, Jesus loves …”

For years, when each of the children were young, I have sung this familiar song to them as part of our bedtime routine believing that getting a grasp of the love of Jesus revealed in the Bible is a foundational piece of developing a vibrant faith. And, when we get to the “Yes, Jesus loves me” part, I always fill in the children’s names and occasionally pause so that they can fill in their own names, the names of their siblings, “Mama,” “Daddy,” etc.

So, last night, gaps in Katya’s understanding were revealed as she and Piper went back and forth listing those whom Jesus loves.

“Yes, Jesus loves Katya”
“Yes, Jesus loves PIper”
“Yes, Jesus loves Cameron, Josiah, Adelyn, Grace, and Sara Maria”
“Yes, Jesus loves Mama and Papa”
“Yes, Jesus loves Tanner and Topsy”

Okay, but not in the same way that He loves you, Katya, and all of our family.

“Yes, Jesus loves bunnies and foxes”

Hmmm…Well, yes, but …

“Yes, Jesus loves Bert”

Bert. Okay, so you need to know that on the airplane from Frankfurt to Washington, D.C., Katya did not sleep until we were beginning our descent. Not only did we watch several hours of Leapfrog Phonics Videos, but we also watched Up - twice. And then, since I was so charmed by the movie (even twice), I rented it for the all the kiddoes to watch a couple of nights ago while Bill and I had a “stay-home date.” Then, since all the kids were completely taken with it as well, last night they watched it again, but this time with Bill alongside.

Now, for those of you have seen Up, you’re wondering what Bert has to do with anything. Kevin is a female snipe who is “discovered” by Russell, the 8-year old wilderness explorer who ends up tagging along on Carl’s, 78-year old widower, pursuit to live out the dream he once shared with his soulmate, Ellie. Carl is less than pleased with Kevin’s arrival on the season and most often calls her “Bird.” So, in the trials and trauma of Kevin’s persistent devotion to Russell, Katya consistently expresses, quite emotively, her deep concern for “Bert.”

So, tonight as Katya sang out …

“Yes, Jesus loves Bert,” Piper smiled, Katya smiled, and I smiled while I noted the gap and prayed for Katya to come to understand that God’s love for her is so much greater than His love for foxes, bunnies, or an animated snipe.

So I asked my mom if I raised $20,000.00 could we go get Darya ourselves and be her family. My mom said yes, if I raised that much money she would know it was from God, but she said she didn’t think I could do it because that is a whole lot of money. I told her I was going to try my best and nothing is impossible with God.

Well, let me just tell you that the Lord has moved mountains and over $26,000 has come in to adopt Darya. This family will use $20,000 to bring this one lamb home and donate the rest to Reese’s Rainbow for the rescue of another.

The Finley Family is thanking the Lord for the miracle He has done beneath our own roof and for the one He has done toward bringing home Darya.

Because of God’s crazy love for us, we have the freedom to love others with wild abandon trusting that the One who is leading us will NEVER leave us or forsake us. Would you join Lydia in loving boldly? Remember, the Jordan didn’t part until those priests dipped their toes in the water!

Today, after playing in the woods behind our house with Josiah for a couple of hours, Katya came running into the house. “Katya see Josiah’s …” and then eyes looking at the ceiling, searching her word warehouse, finger tapping on her chin, mouth screwed to the side, and then the lightbulb turns on … “BUNNY! Katya see Josiah’s BUNNY!”

But, this is my favorite. As she has been introduced to new foods like vegetarian chili, black bean soup, and lasagna, old familiars remain the favorite - anything with ketchup, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, and of course potatoes. However, yesterday I went to the grocery store for the FIRST TIME since I returned last Wednesday, thanks to the AMAZING support we have around us and a superb husband who made sure the refrigerator was well stocked, and I brought home bananas. This morning Katya saw them for the first time and eagerly declared, “Katya is like 100 bananas!”

Since I’ve heard this phraseology when she sees the aforementioned favorites, but without the “100,” I easily understood her to be saying that she REALLY likes bananas.

“Katya is like … ” We’re treasuring these “Katya-isms,” soaking up the moments, learning her “likes,” and watching with wonder as this precious lamb becomes part of our family.

We cannot even begin to express how thankful we are to the multitude who have stood with us and continue to stand with us in this journey to welcome Katya into our life. I wish that I knew all the individuals who have supported us so that I could write you each a personal note. Meals, clothing, caring for the other children, helping with school, running errands, phone calls, emails, and so much more you have all poured out. And most of all, we are thankful for your prayers. This homecoming has been a work of God and you have partnered with us. Thank you!

Since we’ve been home, life has been sweetly full as I have enjoyed my husband and children, between the pleasures of drinking water straight from the tap, flushing toilet paper, and putting wet clothes into the dryer. I plan to post some pictures soon and have quite a few “untold stories” from the past several months to tell. However, since we’re no long “welcoming Katya,” I’m praying about the future of this blog. If you have thoughts, I’d love to hear them.

And now, I’m off to make hot chocolate for some wet children after I hide the dog food from my newest daughter who loves “training” Topsy and Tanner.

As Katya says, “WOO-HOO!”