Dear Friends,
Just like Paul, who heard about the Ephesians' faith and “love for God's people everywhere,” we have heard about your adoption of orphaned children and know that you have hearts full of compassion. And we give thanks, as Paul did, for the way you have answered God's call to care for the motherless and fatherless.
As you know, there are still many children at those orphanages, including Orphanage No. 4 in Zhytomyr where Last Bell Ministries has worked for several years. These children need your help.
Even though they have not been adopted, the kids at Orphanage No. 4 and in the Zhytomyr region have a chance to be part of a family, to learn and grow, to have a good future. The staff at Last Bell invite each graduating class at No. 4 to be “sons and daughters” at either Shelter or Haven, our two family homes. We have loved and cared for over a hundred teens as they made the transition from the orphanage to independent life.
Up until now, Last Bell's kids lived at their trade school dorms while visiting Shelter or Haven during the evenings and on weekends. But this is all changing.
The Shelter home is undergoing renovation right now. This summer we plan to take guardianship of up to 15 of the 8th and 9th graders from the Orphanage No. 4, which is closing on June 1st. All of the kids will otherwise be sent to orphanages in Berdichev and Radumishl, and will eventually attend rural trade schools, with little chance of receiving higher education or learning a trade they can actually use.
But those who come under our guardianship will be able to live at the Shelter under the direct care of Last Bell houseparents. They will be able to attend a regular high school, spend their last few teen years in a loving, caring family, and hear about the love of Jesus Christ every day.
This will only happen if we can complete the renovation of the Shelter. The government officials need to see where the kids will be able to live before they grant us guardianship.
The cost of renovating the Shelter plus other preparations is $65,550. This includes the constrution of an entire third story with bedrooms and bathrooms for the girls and single housemom; boys and houseparent couple have bedrooms on the second floor. The cost also includes a new roof, a new heating system and water boiler, the addition of an entryway, and the conversion of the current entryway into a living room.
Will you partner with us in providing a home for kids from Orphanage No. 4?
Many generous friends and churches have given or pledged $30,723 toward the Shelter Renovation fund. But we still need $34,827 in order to complete the Shelter and get guardianship of kids before the end of the summer.
You can give online by going to our website, www.lastbell.org, and clicking on “Your Response.” Or you can give via post by writing a check to Last Bell Ministries and mailing it to:
Last Bell Ministries
PO Box 247
Atlanta, IN 46031-0247
Thank you in advance for your generosity, and may God bless you as you continue serving Him!
Liz Millikan, Director
Last Bell Ministries
info@lastbell.org
www.lastbell.org
June 2, 2012
May 29, 2012
Ukraine Orphan Hosting Program
I'll never forget the looks on their faces as they came down the escalator at the Austin airport. They looked tired, scared and were bundled from head to toe in the only clothes they brought to America.
Her name was Oksana and she was coming to our house. She had the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen and she touched my heart the moment I hugged her. Little did I know that I would be on the journey of a lifetime. We had a heart for Ukraine after adopting our first daughter, Molly, just 3 years prior to that December night in 2007. The next three weeks were a whirlwind! We did all we could to advocate for these 6 little orphans and our appearance on a TV show led to the adoption of our youngest child. Oksana and her 3 brothers would later be adopted by an Italian family!
Two years later, we hosted a sibling set of sisters and would later return 10 months later to Ukraine to adopt them. We have seen almost 20 orphans come home to forever families after being hosted with Charis Orphan Care and Adoption Ministry. I founded the organization shortly after our adoption in 2004 after my heart grew more and more for the orphans left behind. I had no idea that there were over 143 million orphans worldwide at that time. The number has increased dramatically since that day.
Charis Orphan Care and Adoption Ministry has helped bring many children over since 2007 and is continuing their efforts across the United States. We invite you to visit our website by clicking on the link above. Please feel free to take a glimpse at the children available to come for summer hosting. The tentative dates are June 25-July 16. The cost, which includes everything (visas, medical, translations, transportation to/from airport, chaperone fees, airfare, and insurance) is estimated at $2300. We strive to only charge our cost to host as this is not a "money making" scheme. We work with reputable facilitators and an attorney in Ukraine to provide honest services. We look forward to our summer host trip and we are excited that 7 children, so far, are confirmed with willing families! We have many more that are available and we are praying that families step up to the plate and bring a child into their homes for three weeks this summer!
Thanks for reading!
Be Blessed!
Becca
Her name was Oksana and she was coming to our house. She had the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen and she touched my heart the moment I hugged her. Little did I know that I would be on the journey of a lifetime. We had a heart for Ukraine after adopting our first daughter, Molly, just 3 years prior to that December night in 2007. The next three weeks were a whirlwind! We did all we could to advocate for these 6 little orphans and our appearance on a TV show led to the adoption of our youngest child. Oksana and her 3 brothers would later be adopted by an Italian family!
Two years later, we hosted a sibling set of sisters and would later return 10 months later to Ukraine to adopt them. We have seen almost 20 orphans come home to forever families after being hosted with Charis Orphan Care and Adoption Ministry. I founded the organization shortly after our adoption in 2004 after my heart grew more and more for the orphans left behind. I had no idea that there were over 143 million orphans worldwide at that time. The number has increased dramatically since that day.
Charis Orphan Care and Adoption Ministry has helped bring many children over since 2007 and is continuing their efforts across the United States. We invite you to visit our website by clicking on the link above. Please feel free to take a glimpse at the children available to come for summer hosting. The tentative dates are June 25-July 16. The cost, which includes everything (visas, medical, translations, transportation to/from airport, chaperone fees, airfare, and insurance) is estimated at $2300. We strive to only charge our cost to host as this is not a "money making" scheme. We work with reputable facilitators and an attorney in Ukraine to provide honest services. We look forward to our summer host trip and we are excited that 7 children, so far, are confirmed with willing families! We have many more that are available and we are praying that families step up to the plate and bring a child into their homes for three weeks this summer!
Thanks for reading!
Be Blessed!
Becca
May 23, 2012
Experiencing God
I've had the privilege of doing the Experiencing God bible study over the last few weeks. I had no idea that God was preparing me weeks ago for what lie ahead in our lives right now. How I marvel that He brought me to this study so that I could know His is Sovereign over all and in total control!
Some great things I'm learning in this study that I want to share with you:
* when you get to a place in your life where you trust Jesus to guide you one step at a time, you experience tremendous freedom. If you don't trust Him to guide you this way, what happens if you don't know the way you should go with your life? You worry every time you make a decision.
* "It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Phil 2:13
* What is God's will for my life is NOT the right question. The proper question is...What is God's Will? The focus needs to be on God, not on my life.
* When you believe nothing significant can happen through you, you have said more about your belief in God than you have declared about yourself. You have said that God is incapable of doing anything significant through you.
*God never asks people to dream up something to do for Him.
*God develops character to match the assignment. But we don't want to give attention to the development of our character, we just want God to give us a big assignment.
*I will never look at my situation or my circumstances except against the backdrop of the Cross!
*God takes the initiative. He chooses is, loves us and reveals His eternal purposes for our lives.
So that sums up the first 3 units ;-)
I have no idea the plans for the Hill family but I do know Who created those plans from the beginning of time. I know Who holds our future and will seek Him! For He will see the work He has started to completion!
I am excited about what God is doing in our lives. It's been hard and the road has been extremely rocky and nothing I could have ever imagined. But my Creator holds us in the palm of His hands!
Be blessed!
Becca
Some great things I'm learning in this study that I want to share with you:
* when you get to a place in your life where you trust Jesus to guide you one step at a time, you experience tremendous freedom. If you don't trust Him to guide you this way, what happens if you don't know the way you should go with your life? You worry every time you make a decision.
* "It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." Phil 2:13
* What is God's will for my life is NOT the right question. The proper question is...What is God's Will? The focus needs to be on God, not on my life.
* When you believe nothing significant can happen through you, you have said more about your belief in God than you have declared about yourself. You have said that God is incapable of doing anything significant through you.
*God never asks people to dream up something to do for Him.
*God develops character to match the assignment. But we don't want to give attention to the development of our character, we just want God to give us a big assignment.
*I will never look at my situation or my circumstances except against the backdrop of the Cross!
*God takes the initiative. He chooses is, loves us and reveals His eternal purposes for our lives.
So that sums up the first 3 units ;-)
I have no idea the plans for the Hill family but I do know Who created those plans from the beginning of time. I know Who holds our future and will seek Him! For He will see the work He has started to completion!
I am excited about what God is doing in our lives. It's been hard and the road has been extremely rocky and nothing I could have ever imagined. But my Creator holds us in the palm of His hands!
Be blessed!
Becca
May 22, 2012
Persecution...
Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith.
1 Thessalonians 3:7
I don't know why I am amazed but I always find myself in awe at the beauty and blessing of the friends that God has put in my life! This road we are all on is not easy and we will all face trials and persecution, but its the faithful friends that lead us back to the Cross and encourage us that help us on our journey.
The comment that caused such an uproar was filled with ignorance and obviously the person that posted it has never walked a mile in my shoes. They have no idea what its like to sleep with one eye open and fear for what can happen to your child by the actions of another one of your children. No one knows what its like to see a rage so horrific that you could swear that it was not of this world and something so demonic that it terrified you more than you could ever imagine. For someone to be so derogatory towards our family for the healing and restoration that we have sought for Lizzie is just plain foolish. The Bible is clear that "We are not to answer a fool in his folly lest you become like him." Proverbs 26:4. So, as bad as I wanted to blast this person, I held my tongue from what was really in my head and that's a good thing.
I am so appreciative of the precious emails and texts that I have received from friends that love us and are so supportive of us. I am thankful beyond what words can express for the encouragement - you have no idea that it comes at such the perfect time. Aside from what was said on our blog, our family could really use your prayers. We are experiencing some life changing events and we need you to pray alongside us that God would reveal His plan for our lives in due time. Our God is rarely early but never late. He loves us and has planned out all of our lives since the beginning of time so I find rest and comfort on the pillow of His Sovereignty!
Thank you, friends! I love each and everyone of you! I pray that my blog and my open and honest view of life would be an encouragement to you!!!!
Be Blessed,
Becca
May 21, 2012
Time flies when you are on an island....
Talk about being a slacker in the world of blogging! My last post was April 2011 and there has been so much in our lives, that it would take a book, not a blog to document it all.
We are still enjoying life in the Keys. The weather has been amazing lately with the exception of an afternoon thunderstorm but we've enjoyed life outdoors. We have met some amazing friends and attend a small church in the community. We opted to choose a church here so that we could better connect with others. It was hard traveling to the mainland every Sunday and stay connected with members. We still consider that church family very special to our hearts and support their mission to reach the lost in South Florida.
We will be moving to a home on the water in August and can't wait to have a canal as our backyard. We are thankful for good swimmers in our family and look forward to lots of time on the water. We got a small boat that is perfect for us to take the girls fishing and Craig has really enjoyed spending lots of Daddy/Daughter time with his girls. We look forward to being on our rooftop to catch a glimpse of the beautiful sunsets, gaze at the amazing stars and look out over the vastness of the ocean!
The girls are still homeschooling and we have connected with some amazing homeschool families. I was shocked at the number of families who have chosen to pull their kids out of school and teach them at home. We have so much fun meeting up with these families to explore the islands. We have been to some amazing field trips at the Turtle Hospital, Dolphin Research Center and much more. I look forward to building these relationships and fostering the friendships that God has blessed us with here in the Keys.
Our life has turned upside down a bit and we are trying to make sense of it. In January of this year, after much prayer and seeking wise counsel, we chose to send Lizzie to a therapeutic home in Texas. After many months and thousands of dollars in medical expenses, we could no longer provide for her emotional needs. She was diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder last year and in the best interest of her and our smaller children, we decided to remove her from our home. It was, by far, the most difficult decision we've had to face as a married couple. But, we know that God is Sovereign and that He has allowed this to happen for His glory. We know that He loves Lizzie more than we could every imagine and that He has a perfect plan for her life. We had to remove our own personal opinions about what to do and only seek Him and His direction for our lives and her life. God led us to a wonderful organization that has been so supportive and helpful in the journey. We know things will only get better for Lizzie and for our family as she seeks healing and restoration in Texas. We trust that God knows what He is doing in her heart and we have to let go and let God do the work, not us.
We are in the process of change in our home. We can't disclose too much but we covet your prayers. We know and feel God working in the lives of our family and its an amazing feeling! To be totally dependent on the Lord and seek Him first in all we do, is a great place to be! I've been doing a bible study on my own called "Experiencing God" and I am in awe at what God is teaching me. Its so wonderful to be drawn to Him by His own choosing and to know that He has initiated a love relationship with me - little ole' me! Its humbling to say the least and I look forward to where He is leading us in the next chapter of our lives.
I hope to start writing more about our lives in the Keys and hopefully spend a lot less time on social media (FB). I hope that this will be a way to keep in contact with family and friends because quite frankly, I can get sucked into FB within a matter of minutes :-)
I look forward to more writing and sprucing up the blog but I may need some pointers from some of you out there!!! I still haven't figured all the ins and outs of the Blog World!
Thanks for stopping by!
Blessings,
Becca
We are still enjoying life in the Keys. The weather has been amazing lately with the exception of an afternoon thunderstorm but we've enjoyed life outdoors. We have met some amazing friends and attend a small church in the community. We opted to choose a church here so that we could better connect with others. It was hard traveling to the mainland every Sunday and stay connected with members. We still consider that church family very special to our hearts and support their mission to reach the lost in South Florida.
We will be moving to a home on the water in August and can't wait to have a canal as our backyard. We are thankful for good swimmers in our family and look forward to lots of time on the water. We got a small boat that is perfect for us to take the girls fishing and Craig has really enjoyed spending lots of Daddy/Daughter time with his girls. We look forward to being on our rooftop to catch a glimpse of the beautiful sunsets, gaze at the amazing stars and look out over the vastness of the ocean!
The girls are still homeschooling and we have connected with some amazing homeschool families. I was shocked at the number of families who have chosen to pull their kids out of school and teach them at home. We have so much fun meeting up with these families to explore the islands. We have been to some amazing field trips at the Turtle Hospital, Dolphin Research Center and much more. I look forward to building these relationships and fostering the friendships that God has blessed us with here in the Keys.
Our life has turned upside down a bit and we are trying to make sense of it. In January of this year, after much prayer and seeking wise counsel, we chose to send Lizzie to a therapeutic home in Texas. After many months and thousands of dollars in medical expenses, we could no longer provide for her emotional needs. She was diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder last year and in the best interest of her and our smaller children, we decided to remove her from our home. It was, by far, the most difficult decision we've had to face as a married couple. But, we know that God is Sovereign and that He has allowed this to happen for His glory. We know that He loves Lizzie more than we could every imagine and that He has a perfect plan for her life. We had to remove our own personal opinions about what to do and only seek Him and His direction for our lives and her life. God led us to a wonderful organization that has been so supportive and helpful in the journey. We know things will only get better for Lizzie and for our family as she seeks healing and restoration in Texas. We trust that God knows what He is doing in her heart and we have to let go and let God do the work, not us.
We are in the process of change in our home. We can't disclose too much but we covet your prayers. We know and feel God working in the lives of our family and its an amazing feeling! To be totally dependent on the Lord and seek Him first in all we do, is a great place to be! I've been doing a bible study on my own called "Experiencing God" and I am in awe at what God is teaching me. Its so wonderful to be drawn to Him by His own choosing and to know that He has initiated a love relationship with me - little ole' me! Its humbling to say the least and I look forward to where He is leading us in the next chapter of our lives.
I hope to start writing more about our lives in the Keys and hopefully spend a lot less time on social media (FB). I hope that this will be a way to keep in contact with family and friends because quite frankly, I can get sucked into FB within a matter of minutes :-)
I look forward to more writing and sprucing up the blog but I may need some pointers from some of you out there!!! I still haven't figured all the ins and outs of the Blog World!
Thanks for stopping by!
Blessings,
April 5, 2011
Conflict....who really wins?
I've had the honor of doing a 40 days of prayer guide through my church. It never ceases to amaze me at God's timing! Every day I open this little booklet, its exactly what I needed to hear that specific day!
After being down in the Florida Keys for a few months, I've had some time to reflect on my life the last ten years. I have definitely made some choices that have affected my life in trememdous ways. One of those choices, is how I handle conflict. To be quite honest, I'm not really good at it. Actually, I can get pretty defensive when I am being attacked and one of my BIGGEST pet peeves is to be accused of something I have not done. Not to be prideful, but I do usually tell on myself before being busted (just ask my mom).
So, I've thought a lot about the conflict in my life and relationships lost because of that conflict. Its been hard lessons to learn but ones that I feel make me who I am today. It gives me great teaching material for my girls during homeschool. Not sure if that is what God was doing in some of those conflict situations but He has taught me to teach my girls about dealing with it.
I opened my 40 days of prayer last week, only to find the title "Living in Conflict" at the top of the page. "Of course," I said out loud to God. What better topic of discussion than the one thing I struggle with the most. Then, today I open it to "Resisting Opposition," and the first line reads "We pray 'Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven...' but often we experience conflict that stems from people's opposition to God. It occurs in several arenas. Many Christians have found conflict in places that they considered to be the most secure: at church, home, even family or friendships..places they believe to be outside the battle zone. Not so!" I sat there for a minute soaking up that statement. It then occured to me that maybe I had viewed conflict wrong all along. I viewed it as an attack on me, personally, rather than an attack in the unseen world. "It is the unseen world where our real enemy lies. He will try to damage wherever he can." So, that's it! I was giving way too much credit to those around me that were attacking me and my family. We recently had a situation that I will not go into detail. But, we were attacked by people we claimed to be friends and brothers/sisters in Christ. We weren't sure where the attacks were coming from and we were quite frankly completely blindsided. We (Craig and I) became very defensive and to be quite honest, a spirit of bitterness welled up inside of me. I felt like when we left our home of 10+ years, things were left unsettled and a lot of questions unanswered. It brought me back to another time in my life, where I lost a very dear friend of mine to a series of arguments, arrogant attitudes and deadly defensiveness. The hurt began to grow again inside of me and the best thing I thought could happen was to escape my life in the one place I felt such opposition.
For whatever reason, God did choose to move us away from Texas and away from close friends and also those that were no longer friends. It grieved me to leave the home I had known for so long and the friends that I held so dear to my heart. It also saddened me of the things that were left undone and the reconciliation that had yet to take place. But, at times, I wonder if in God's perfect timing, He did remove us so that I could see and learn from what we had been through as a family.
While reading my devotion, I came to realize that as long as we harbor bitterness, unforgiveness and resentment in our hearts, we allow the enemy to come in and steal, kill and destroy. When we choose to allow the opposition of others to dictate our lives and then, in turn, become defensive and hateful - guess who wins? Yep, the enemy. We are falling into his perfect trap of deception and its a downward spiral from that point. Its scary to say the least!
You know, my brother, Michael is a great example of a duck. When he is attacked as an individual, he really lets things roll off his back. We recently had a great discussion about this very thing. We were part of a situation that involved the two of us. I made a couple of comments and then later had to apologize. His response, "I was over it a long time ago." And, rest assured, he was! I wish I could be more like my brother.
So, what have I learned this week:
The greatest arena of spiritual warfare occurs in our heads.
A stronghold is an attitude or mindset impregnated with despair that accepts as unchangeable anything that is contrary to the will of God.
Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads (that's just a funny church sign I saw before I left Texas)
Am I a tool in the hands of the enemy? By accusing falsely, by spreading gossip, by bringing damage to others' lives?
My prayer is that God would change my mindset. I pray that I won't view conflict as a personal attack on me but rather its a battle that rages around me in the spiritual realm. When someone opposes me or persecutes me, how will I handle the conflict?
As I type this, the radio program is on "forgiveness." Hmmm, how fitting :-)
Blessings,
Becca
After being down in the Florida Keys for a few months, I've had some time to reflect on my life the last ten years. I have definitely made some choices that have affected my life in trememdous ways. One of those choices, is how I handle conflict. To be quite honest, I'm not really good at it. Actually, I can get pretty defensive when I am being attacked and one of my BIGGEST pet peeves is to be accused of something I have not done. Not to be prideful, but I do usually tell on myself before being busted (just ask my mom).
So, I've thought a lot about the conflict in my life and relationships lost because of that conflict. Its been hard lessons to learn but ones that I feel make me who I am today. It gives me great teaching material for my girls during homeschool. Not sure if that is what God was doing in some of those conflict situations but He has taught me to teach my girls about dealing with it.
I opened my 40 days of prayer last week, only to find the title "Living in Conflict" at the top of the page. "Of course," I said out loud to God. What better topic of discussion than the one thing I struggle with the most. Then, today I open it to "Resisting Opposition," and the first line reads "We pray 'Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven...' but often we experience conflict that stems from people's opposition to God. It occurs in several arenas. Many Christians have found conflict in places that they considered to be the most secure: at church, home, even family or friendships..places they believe to be outside the battle zone. Not so!" I sat there for a minute soaking up that statement. It then occured to me that maybe I had viewed conflict wrong all along. I viewed it as an attack on me, personally, rather than an attack in the unseen world. "It is the unseen world where our real enemy lies. He will try to damage wherever he can." So, that's it! I was giving way too much credit to those around me that were attacking me and my family. We recently had a situation that I will not go into detail. But, we were attacked by people we claimed to be friends and brothers/sisters in Christ. We weren't sure where the attacks were coming from and we were quite frankly completely blindsided. We (Craig and I) became very defensive and to be quite honest, a spirit of bitterness welled up inside of me. I felt like when we left our home of 10+ years, things were left unsettled and a lot of questions unanswered. It brought me back to another time in my life, where I lost a very dear friend of mine to a series of arguments, arrogant attitudes and deadly defensiveness. The hurt began to grow again inside of me and the best thing I thought could happen was to escape my life in the one place I felt such opposition.
For whatever reason, God did choose to move us away from Texas and away from close friends and also those that were no longer friends. It grieved me to leave the home I had known for so long and the friends that I held so dear to my heart. It also saddened me of the things that were left undone and the reconciliation that had yet to take place. But, at times, I wonder if in God's perfect timing, He did remove us so that I could see and learn from what we had been through as a family.
While reading my devotion, I came to realize that as long as we harbor bitterness, unforgiveness and resentment in our hearts, we allow the enemy to come in and steal, kill and destroy. When we choose to allow the opposition of others to dictate our lives and then, in turn, become defensive and hateful - guess who wins? Yep, the enemy. We are falling into his perfect trap of deception and its a downward spiral from that point. Its scary to say the least!
You know, my brother, Michael is a great example of a duck. When he is attacked as an individual, he really lets things roll off his back. We recently had a great discussion about this very thing. We were part of a situation that involved the two of us. I made a couple of comments and then later had to apologize. His response, "I was over it a long time ago." And, rest assured, he was! I wish I could be more like my brother.
So, what have I learned this week:
The greatest arena of spiritual warfare occurs in our heads.
A stronghold is an attitude or mindset impregnated with despair that accepts as unchangeable anything that is contrary to the will of God.
Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
Forgive your enemies - it messes with their heads (that's just a funny church sign I saw before I left Texas)
Am I a tool in the hands of the enemy? By accusing falsely, by spreading gossip, by bringing damage to others' lives?
My prayer is that God would change my mindset. I pray that I won't view conflict as a personal attack on me but rather its a battle that rages around me in the spiritual realm. When someone opposes me or persecutes me, how will I handle the conflict?
As I type this, the radio program is on "forgiveness." Hmmm, how fitting :-)
Blessings,
Becca
March 4, 2011
Where has the time gone.....
I never thought I would be one of those adoptive blogging parents that would slack off from keeping everyone updated once we returned home. But, here I am eating my words!
We arrived home on November 3 as a family of 6! Its still hard to believe all that took place from the day we first hosted Stephanie and Lizzie in December 2009. With no desire to adopt and no money, we never thought we'd walk down that road! Plus, all the comments about disturbing the birth order really had me freaked out. Even though I had two precious friends (Stephanee and Camille) that had gone before me, I just knew that older child adoption was NOT for me! But, here we come down the escalator in the Austin airport with four girls in tow and in that mix - a teenager!
I will be completely honest and will not sugar-coat anything. The first couple of months were VERY tough. Lots of tears, lots of confusion, lots of stress, lots of fighting, lots of doubts, but LOTS OF PRAYING! That is the only thing that got us through those months. My poor friends probably thought I had fallen off the deep end. There were days when I questioned what we had done bringing these girls to America. What had I done to my existing family? Had I ruined the lives of Molly and Madeline forever? What had we done to our marriage? But, I kept being encouraged by my sweet friends, Stephanee, Camille, Hollie, Colleen, Lynne, Cindy and many more that have gone before me with teenagers. I received great advice from Cindy one evening over dinner. She said "Don't assume the worse in her. Don't assume she is doing anything bad. Let her live a little. Trust God with her life." I chewed on those words for days. And, that is exactly what I have done - put my trust in OUR Heavenly Father - not trusting in my ability to parent a teenager.
We have continued to homeschool and that has been another challenge. Its like teaching three 1st graders to read. Right when I was at the end of my rope, my precious Molly (diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder and not able to read) picks up "Cat and the Hat" and starts reading - ON HER OWN! God knew I was at a breaking point and for whatever reason, He chose to extent His grace and mercy to me that day and perform a miracle! Molly loves to read and I catch her reading to her two older sisters quite often! School is going well and with the help of the owner of My Father's World and his wonderful advice, we are on the road to a great school year! The best is hearing my girls tell Bible Stories to one another and being able to answer questions from the Shorter Catechism! I stand in awe at the work the Lord is doing in their lives!
Well, the big news of the year so far is - WE ARE NOW FLORIDIANS! It has been a big desire of ours to move to Florida. We were here in the summer of 2009 and God shut the doors of that business opportunity. We have prayed for years that God would give us the desire of our hearts and move us there and we had to fully trust in His timing. When we returned from Ukraine, a series of events occurred that allowed Craig to sell his business to our dear friends. It was an amazing opportunity for the two of them and we are grateful that God provided that relationship. After selling his firm, he made a call to a friend in South Florida to notify him of the sale of his business. The friend says, "Funny that you should call today. I came in on Saturday to get your resume. I need to move back up north to take care of my daughter and her son. You are the only one for my job." And, less than a month later, on January 10th, we loaded a Penske and moved to Key Largo, Florida!
Key Largo is wonderful! We have met some amazing homeschool families and attend the same church we did in 2009. We weren't sure where we would go to church and visited several before sensing that God was leading us back to Redlands Community. We love it! Its a Presbyterian church and is so focused on community and missions as well as disciplining the flock. Its a GREAT balance and we feel so at home there. We have already met some amazing friends at RCC and look forward to how God will use us to serve Him there in that congregation and in our community.
I've attached some photos of our life in the Keys. We are so blessed to be here and there are days when we wake up pinching ourselves that God gave us the desire of our hearts! He is simply amazing!
We look forward to our journey here and welcome all of you to come visit us! We have our first set of visitors next week as Craig's parents will be coming for his birthday! My mom is coming the first part of April for Madeline's birthday and to watch me run in the 7 Mile Bridge Run in Marathon, Florida.
Things to pray for:
My mom desperately wants to be close to us. Please pray that her house sells and that she can find a job in South Florida. Pray that God would comfort her during her time away from us. Its been hard on her emotionally and physically to be away from her grandbabies!
Craig's work at Community Bank. This is a praise! Craig is so busy meeting with clients. Craig is so gifted when it comes to Financial Planning and he is finally getting to really use this talents!
Homeschool for us. We are still working on getting into a set curriculum for the girls. Pray that we will find what works for all of us. Pray for patience and endurance for me! Praise that we have met a huge community of homeschool families in the Keys - who knew!
Blessings to all of you!!!!!
The Hills from Florida :-)
We arrived home on November 3 as a family of 6! Its still hard to believe all that took place from the day we first hosted Stephanie and Lizzie in December 2009. With no desire to adopt and no money, we never thought we'd walk down that road! Plus, all the comments about disturbing the birth order really had me freaked out. Even though I had two precious friends (Stephanee and Camille) that had gone before me, I just knew that older child adoption was NOT for me! But, here we come down the escalator in the Austin airport with four girls in tow and in that mix - a teenager!
I will be completely honest and will not sugar-coat anything. The first couple of months were VERY tough. Lots of tears, lots of confusion, lots of stress, lots of fighting, lots of doubts, but LOTS OF PRAYING! That is the only thing that got us through those months. My poor friends probably thought I had fallen off the deep end. There were days when I questioned what we had done bringing these girls to America. What had I done to my existing family? Had I ruined the lives of Molly and Madeline forever? What had we done to our marriage? But, I kept being encouraged by my sweet friends, Stephanee, Camille, Hollie, Colleen, Lynne, Cindy and many more that have gone before me with teenagers. I received great advice from Cindy one evening over dinner. She said "Don't assume the worse in her. Don't assume she is doing anything bad. Let her live a little. Trust God with her life." I chewed on those words for days. And, that is exactly what I have done - put my trust in OUR Heavenly Father - not trusting in my ability to parent a teenager.
We have continued to homeschool and that has been another challenge. Its like teaching three 1st graders to read. Right when I was at the end of my rope, my precious Molly (diagnosed with Auditory Processing Disorder and not able to read) picks up "Cat and the Hat" and starts reading - ON HER OWN! God knew I was at a breaking point and for whatever reason, He chose to extent His grace and mercy to me that day and perform a miracle! Molly loves to read and I catch her reading to her two older sisters quite often! School is going well and with the help of the owner of My Father's World and his wonderful advice, we are on the road to a great school year! The best is hearing my girls tell Bible Stories to one another and being able to answer questions from the Shorter Catechism! I stand in awe at the work the Lord is doing in their lives!
Well, the big news of the year so far is - WE ARE NOW FLORIDIANS! It has been a big desire of ours to move to Florida. We were here in the summer of 2009 and God shut the doors of that business opportunity. We have prayed for years that God would give us the desire of our hearts and move us there and we had to fully trust in His timing. When we returned from Ukraine, a series of events occurred that allowed Craig to sell his business to our dear friends. It was an amazing opportunity for the two of them and we are grateful that God provided that relationship. After selling his firm, he made a call to a friend in South Florida to notify him of the sale of his business. The friend says, "Funny that you should call today. I came in on Saturday to get your resume. I need to move back up north to take care of my daughter and her son. You are the only one for my job." And, less than a month later, on January 10th, we loaded a Penske and moved to Key Largo, Florida!
Key Largo is wonderful! We have met some amazing homeschool families and attend the same church we did in 2009. We weren't sure where we would go to church and visited several before sensing that God was leading us back to Redlands Community. We love it! Its a Presbyterian church and is so focused on community and missions as well as disciplining the flock. Its a GREAT balance and we feel so at home there. We have already met some amazing friends at RCC and look forward to how God will use us to serve Him there in that congregation and in our community.
I've attached some photos of our life in the Keys. We are so blessed to be here and there are days when we wake up pinching ourselves that God gave us the desire of our hearts! He is simply amazing!
We look forward to our journey here and welcome all of you to come visit us! We have our first set of visitors next week as Craig's parents will be coming for his birthday! My mom is coming the first part of April for Madeline's birthday and to watch me run in the 7 Mile Bridge Run in Marathon, Florida.
Things to pray for:
My mom desperately wants to be close to us. Please pray that her house sells and that she can find a job in South Florida. Pray that God would comfort her during her time away from us. Its been hard on her emotionally and physically to be away from her grandbabies!
Craig's work at Community Bank. This is a praise! Craig is so busy meeting with clients. Craig is so gifted when it comes to Financial Planning and he is finally getting to really use this talents!
Homeschool for us. We are still working on getting into a set curriculum for the girls. Pray that we will find what works for all of us. Pray for patience and endurance for me! Praise that we have met a huge community of homeschool families in the Keys - who knew!
Blessings to all of you!!!!!
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