Hill Family Adoption Update!

Hi everyone!! It's has been three months since our boys have been home and their progress is outstanding! So today we wanted to share these accomplishments with you...

1. They were scared to take a bath but today they LOVE the bath!
2. They did get car sick, but now no more car sickness.
3. They used to have nightmares, but today few nightmares.
4. They wouldn't sleep unless we were by their bedside, now they sleep without us by their beside.
5. The used to have trouble using their imagination, but now they don't!
6. The had trouble climbing up the stairs, now they don't.
7. They couldn't throw or catch a ball, now they can!
8. They had very week motor skills, but now they are on target for their age.
9. They were severely growth delayed, but now they are catching up!
10. They were malnourished & weak, but today the are nourished, stronger, and gaining weight!
11. They were fearful of noises, but now they are not.
12. The had never seen fireworks, experienced restaurants, or been in public places. But now they have done all that and more!
13. The couldn't speak a word of English or understand it, But today they speak some English and understand some of it as well.
14. They were scared of the dog, but now they are not.
15. They couldn't get themselves dressed, and now they can.
16. Brushing their teeth was a new concept, now its a routine.
17. They couldn't do focus tasks but now they can.
18. They talked very loud, now they know how to use their inside voices.
19. They were scared of their new surroundings & the new culture. Now they are not.
20. They never had sisters, now they have two sisters that they pester..already!
21. They have rarely been tickled & rarely laughed, today they love to be tickled and laugh ALOT!
22. They never had a loving family and now they do!
23. They never had kisses & hugs and now they get them daily.

This list of accomplishments could go on and on!! But what amazes me the most is that with just a little bit of love their entire lives changed in a matter of months... all because of LOVE! Can you image how many people we could affect simply by loving someone? When God said the 'the greatest commandment was love' he meant it. Because with love comes the power to heal someone from the inside out. Love transcends people, it's the universal language of the world. So my question is this, Is there someone God is calling you to love today? Your neighbor, your spouse, your children, or in-laws, a friend? Maybe it's someone who has hurt you or offended you, maybe even your enemy...but whoever it is, everyone needs love. So today, no matter who it is, lets encourage someone with this life giving gift called Love! Trust me it's worth it!

"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal... If I give all I possessed to the poor ... but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Cor. 13:1-3

"Let all that you do, be done with Love." 1 Cor. 16:14

“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12

Will you pray for us?

One thing we would love to ask of you, is for continued prayer for Shane, he is doing much better than before, but we still struggling with some of his eating habits. Other than that, we are still adjusting. So please continue to pray for our family as we get adjusted. We firmly believe in the power of prayer and would Love it if you prayed for us! As James 5:16 puts it, "..the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective!" So thank you in advance for your prayers!

"He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save." Psalm 72:13

Always,
The Hill Family

Adoption Update!

Hi everyone!! This past month has been completely amazing!! We got to witness our two sons with one personality upon arrival and today they are utterly different boys... and it's only been 7 weeks since their arrival!!


When we first met Ryan he was fearful of what it meant to be a part of our family. Ryan would throw temper tempers so loud that you could hear him from a mile away...I'm sure of it! He also would distance himself from us out of fear of what life held next. He was unsure, broken, hurt, and felt unloved from being in the orphanage. However today he has dramatically changed! With being in a home full of love, he now no longer feels the need to throw those temper tantrums but instead when he gets in trouble he runs with open arms to his mom and dad and embraces us for a hug! He is glued at my hip and for at least half the day he maintains a smile on his face and believe me when I say, that his smile can change the mood of a crowd! It's contagious and will grab the heart of any onlooker! At least twice a day he asks to be tickled...it's his favorite activity! And I don't believe he has ever laughed that much in his life. He just loves it...as do we!! Every morning when he wakes up he leaps into our bed and gives us 'that' smile! His eyes gloss over with as if to say "this is the happiest day ever!" There is so much love and excitement in him, it's heartwarming!! He is one happy little boy, not as broken, not as hurt, and not as sad as he once was. He is full of love and joy!


When we first met Shane he was crying out for attention with his actions and very lost in thought. He was sad, hurt and broken from his time in the orphanage. However seven weeks later he has reached mile stones!! He no longer cries out for attention with his actions but instead his personality has been shinning through like never before! One of his favorite activities is repeating daddies words. Darryl will say some funny slogan and Shane repeats it. He will giggle and laugh for at least half an hour and repeat the slogan throughout the day. He also loves to ride in the car. As we drive he yells mommy, daddy, and of course we respond, but he just laughs and giggles. One of the most precious things is does is every time he gets a 'bobo' he asks mommy and daddy to pray for him!! It is a beautiful thing! He too is glued at my hip and becomes so heartbroken every time we leave the room. He loves to cuddle with us when it's bedtime and wants us at his side. It just melts my heart! There is much love and excitement in him. He to is not so broken, not so hurt, and not as sad as he once was. He is loved!

Speaking of a life changing moment. This reminds me of what God has done for me. I was once broken, hurt, sad and bound in my sin; but God changed all of that in me! He brought me from darkness into his marvelous light!! Jesus is the true light, sent from the Father, that we might have spiritual enlightenment. He is the morning star, who has come: "To give light to those who sit in darkness... to guide our feet into the way of peace" (Luke 1:79).

As for the girls they are doing very well also!! Tessa loves to push her brothers around in the stroller and to read to the boys. Ayva would sing and dance to her brothers for hours if she could. Both of the girls are bonding well and just enjoying their time together.

As for us... well we are doing good also. At first it was a little hard because of various obstacles, but with time things have gotten so much better. We are still in awe with what the Lord is doing and in Love all over again!! Our boys and girls all bring such joy and happiness into our lives and our family just would not be complete without them in it!! Love is pouring out from both Darryl and I and there is no way to stop the flow!! It's a wonderful thing!!

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate." Psalms 127:3-5 ESV

Breaking the Language Barrier...

As for the language barrier, the boys are picking up some English already!! Little Ryan has managed to teach himself the alphabet!! Yes I did say that right!! We have a toy that plays the alphabet song and today he can sing the entire song to you!! It's AMAZING! He is very smart and I am convinced he can learn anything through song!! (Which will help a great deal when we homeschool). He not only learned the alphabet, but also the days of the week, and twinkle-twinkle, little star, all because he heard the songs play a few times!! Its great!! As for Shane he also is very smart and has also learned parts of the alphabet as well. His new favorite word is,"pizza, pizza!" (thanks to a friend of ours...wink, wink). He can repeat almost any word we say and loves to make up his own words for things.

Will you Pray for us?

One thing we would love to ask of you, is for prayer for Shane, he is doing so much better than before, but we still struggle with trying to get him to eat. He is not eating enough for his size. He is very underweight and undersize. So please pray that God would intervene. Thank you so much for your prayers.
Other than that, we are still adjusting. So please continue to pray for our family as we get adjusted. We firmly believe in the power of prayer and would Love it if you prayed for us! As James 5:16 puts it, "..the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective!" So thank you in advance for your prayers!

"He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save." Psalm 72:13

Thank You,
The Hill Family

Today I want to share a few of our struggles with you. So that when other adoptive families make the journey to adopt, they to, know that struggles are a part of the process.

To tell you the truth. These first few weeks have been a bit of a struggle. In the beginning when the boys arrived at the apartment in Bulgaria a series of doubt hit me like a whirlwind. It scared me. I'm sad to say that I began questing myself, "what have I done?" I even began to think that if I shared my love with these boys then I was betraying the love I had for my two daughters. If I am to be completely honest with you this was how I felt. I knew the adoption would be hard, but not like this. Our agency had warned us that sometimes it takes a while for not only the child to bond, but the parents as well. I always thought I was 'above this' and that I would bond with my sons no problem at all. But here I was failing at the one thing I thought I could manage... God had shown me that I cannot manage on my own, but with Him I could manage.

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

“O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” Jeremiah 10:23

On our way back to America from Bulgaria I was almost fearful of how my daughters would react to my sons. But the minute I saw the look on my girls faces I knew it was okay to share my love, because they had already given theirs. Peace hit me like a flood. You see, God had been working on my heart and here He showed me something I will never forget. The light, the love, the joy, the excitement on my girls faces as they meet our sons! They were already in love and here I was hoarding it. It was at this moment that God showed me my heart, and it was at this moment the doubt left. Praise God!! I will admit that things can be hard, but I know I love my boys! Just today I was rocking little Ryan to sleep and I could hear his little heart beat next to mine. It was as if our hearts were being bonded at that moment. I can't even describe it...it was wonderful! And just hearing my little Shane mumble the words "MaMa" just melts my heart! I thank God for putting them in my life! I cannot image, not even for a moment, the two of them sitting in that orphanage with no love, with no tender care, with no mom and dad. Our two sons came home sick, weak, and broken. It is heart breaking knowing what they went through and oh how I wish I could remove them from their hurting past. But you know God has a plan for them and He will use it. For He is faithful and just to complete a good work in us, and I can't wait to see the work he completes in my boys...as well as my girls. :)

If you are thinking about adoption. I want to encourage you. Our sons have only been home a week and yet seem not to even think about the orphanage. Instead, they want to be with us 24/7 and seem happier than ever before. Today there are over 100 million orphans worldwide... and they need homes. IF only, you could only see the difference it makes in their lives! It is a blessing to be used of God in such a way.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

We love you all and I hope we can encourage you on whatever journey God leads you to.

Always,
The Hill Family

So many things have happened these past few weeks that I almost don't know where to begin. When we first meet the boys it was wonderful! They were sitting in their little chairs having lunch, just as they had done every other day before. Except today was different; today they were about to take a journey of a lifetime!

Our adoption agency had warned us that when some of the children leave the orphanage they panic. This is because they might have fear of the unknown, or fear of the car itself (because many have only been in a car a few times, if ever), and many other various reasons. But this was not the case with our two sons. They came ready and willing! In fact they were excited to leave and since then, they have seem to forgotten about the orphanage.

As we traveled from the orphanage to our apartment. The boys became very car sick. Bless their hearts! But soon after the first car ride was over, little Shane was asking to go in the car again! Since then he has not stopped asking us to ride in the car. Who would have thought?

During our stay in Bulgaria we have a series of 'encounters'. When we arrived at the apartment we had the 'lovely' opportunity of sleeping by black mold along with many 'other things' and the power went out three times. However each time something took place, we thanked the Lord all the more for the blessings He has put in our lives. Sometimes its easy to forget just how good we have it. We also had a lady thank us for giving the boys an opportunity to 'live the dream' by coming to America. Again we were reminded just how blessed we are!

"...For I have learned, in whatever state I am in to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-13

So What's Happening Now?

Since we arrived we have had a series of emotions. From one minute to the next our feelings have jumped from nervousness, to excitement, to joy, to fear and back to excitement! Our two little sons have so many new things to take in. Considering they lived a life of seclusion in the orphanage, then immediately being exposed to the outside world; everything is new to them. They have never heard the sound of a washing machine, dryer, blow-dryer, dish washer, and many other things. These are things you and I would not think twice about. It is a unique experience for Darryl & I and it's a blessing to see their little eyes get excited over the smallest things.

As of now, the boys are LOVING the new found attention! Each morning when the boys wake up they pop their little heads up from their beds to see if momma and daddy are still here. To their amazement we are! Then their little eyes light up with excitement and soon they are running over to our bedside yelling, "Ma Ma, Ma Ma! Da Da, Da Da!" It melts our heart! Little Shane is attached to our hips and Ryan has discovered the dinner table! Every time he is hungry he plops himself on the table and asks for food, regardless if anyone else is at the table or not. He is one hungry boy!

As for the girls when they first meet the boys it was love at first sight! I can't even begin to explain the expressions I saw on their faces. It was a new expression that we had never seen before. One full of light, excitement, amazement, and love! I believe it was a moment in time that they will never forget.
Will you Pray for us?

Other than that, we are still adjusting. So please continue to pray for our family as we get adjusted. We firmly believe in the power of prayer and would Love it if you prayed for us! As James 5:16 puts it, "..the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective!" So thank you in advance for your prayers!

Always,
The Hill Family

Hill Family Adoption Update!

Hi everyone!!! Can you believe it! It's time for our beloved sons to come home! The anticipation is just mind boggling! Tick tock, tick tock! The day is almost here! I mean, it is somewhat surreal, after years of waiting we are now but days away from their arrival! We are going to see them face to face and then bring them to their forever home! Praise God!

The girls themselves can't wait to be united with their brothers. Just seeing the excitement in their faces is such a blessing! Tessa has been trying to learn Bulgarian with me so that she can talk to the brothers...bless her heart! Little Ayva is so excited that she has upped her prayer time for them...they now get prayed for during every meal, school time, and right before bed! They both have colored numerous pictures and written many letters which they have hidden away in the boy's room...(supposedly unbeknownst to us!). They are just as excited as we are and oh what a blessing it is!

Psalm 127:3, " Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.."

So What are We doing Now?
For the next couple of days we will packing, packing, and doing more packing! I have made a list of some of the things that we will need while in Bulgaria. Including clothes, toys, shoes, sippie cups, books, DVD's, diapers, wipes, carriers, and so much more! I have to say that it is such a unique feeling to be packing for our boys when they are not even here yet. It's one of those experiences that I can't even begin to explain! Its unique and its GREAT!!

Will you Pray for us?
Please pray for us as we travel and as we meet with our sons. Please also pray for the changes ahead as well as for the girls while we are in Bulgaria. We firmly believe in the power of prayer and would Love it if you prayed for us! As James 5:16 puts it, "..the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective!" So thank you for in advance for your prayers!

We Love you all and can't wait to share more as we once and for all are united with our sons!

"He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save." Psalm 72:13

Thank You,
The Hill Family

Just waiting.

These past few weeks have seemed so long in passing, but God is good through it all! Will you join us in a Psalm of praise to the King of all Kings...as we wait together for our Gift's from above...

Psalm 146. . .
"Praise the LORD.Praise the LORD, my soul. I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth,the sea, and everything in them— he remains faithful forever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD."

AMEN!!

Love you all,
The Hill Family

Hill Family Adoption Update!

Since our last update there has been a few changes. Originally we were supposed to be traveling sometime in April to pick up our sons. However due to a few delays with "Vesta" (the adoption agency in Bulgaria), this will not happen until the first week of May. BUT the great news is we have our travel dates!! Which means we will be flying out the first of May to bring our boys Home!! This is date is scheduled, ticketed, and ready to go! So if all goes as planned our boys will be home the second week of May! God is good!

Now I have to say that at first, I was a little saddened about another delay, but God is His Grace has perfect timing!! The neatest part about this date is that it is the last day of school for my girls! Meaning, we will not have to deal with homeschooling the girls after the boys arrival. So the blessing of this is that home school will be done for this session and we can simply focus on bonding the family! Maybe God's timing is not 'soon enough' for me...BUT His timing is ALOT better than mine!! God is Good!

Habakkuk 2:3, "But these things I plan wont happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surley, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. It seems slow, wait, patiently, for it will surley take place. It will not be delayed."

On another note, Darryl, Tessa, Ayva and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our sons! The room is prepared and ready to go! Closets and dressers are filled to the brink! We are ready and are but moments away from making the trip to 'snatch up' our boys from the orphanage. At this moment our two sons are blissfully unaware that in a matter of weeks they will be swooped away from that place and brought to a far, far better place then where they are now! Oh what a thrill!!!

You see, Christ to wants to swoop you away and take you to a far, far, far better place than where we are now! He is preparing a wonderful place for those who love Him. The time is at hand, He is coming and but moments away from snatching up all those who Love Him!

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught-up (RAPTURED) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.

As a thief comes in the middle of the night, Christ to will abduct us unexpectedly! And Oh what a thrill! To be abducted, not by a stranger, but by the one who love us so much that he gave his life for us!

Our boys may be blissfully unaware of our arrival, but like our Heavenly Father, we are excited, anxious, and full of love for our boys! Whom we can't wait to 'snatch up' and bring to a place we have prepared for them!! And it's all in the timing of the Most High God!

"... "Surely I am coming soon.".. Come, Lord Jesus, Come!" Revelations 22:20

Are you ready for his arrival??

Thank you all again for continuing to embark on this journey with us. Please remember to keep our family in your prayers. Please pray for safe travels, as well as, our sons, the girls, and us as we become a new family.

"He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save." Psalm 72:13

Thank You,
The Hill Family

“Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35