Last Night on the Mainland

Tonight as I sit in bed and think about what the next couple of days hold, there is a lot of traveling ahead.  Tomorrow morning we take a van 3 hours over to Hong Kong where we will stay one night and also get to meet up with a friend from our days in Shanghai.  Then early Saturday morning we will begin the grueling travel back to Orlando.  We take a 4 hour 30 minute flight to Tokyo where we will have a 3 hour 35 minute layover. From there we take a 11 hour 30 minute flight to Chicago where we will have another 3 hour 35 minute layover. Finally we will take a 2 hour 30 minute flight to Orlando for a grand total of 24 hours 40 minutes of travel! This will be a real test not just for Promise but also for both of us as parents.  To say we will need lots of prayer is an understatement!

Promise showing a little sass in her new dress before
we go to the U.S. Consulate.

With that said, the last few days have been unforgettable. We have been Guangzhou, China so we could take the final steps with the U.S. Consulate to get Promise home. Yesterday was an awesome time as we actually went into the U.S. Consulate and Promise was on U.S. owned property for the very first time!  While in the consulate we took an oath for us as parents. It was a very special moment as we thought about the life ahead for us as parents and the life ahead for Promise in a Christian home! We were once again flooded with emotions as we thought through the last 16 months as we prepared to bring Promise home and how God, time and time again, provided. As always, He has continued to show Himself faithful.

Today was a great day of enjoying mainland China one last time before we head to Hong Kong tomorrow morning.  To think back to what life in this country has meant to us over the years is hard to put into words.  We have seen so many lives and so many families changed! There have been more people come to Christ than we can count and swimming parties (baptisms) to go along with them! We have seen one young lady come to Christ and in turn lead her husband and best friend to Christ. We saw a college student believe and lead a house church and his friends to grow in Christ. We have seen discipleship take place to the 3rd and 4th generation and a house church started and continuing to thrive!

Having some fun in the hotel room. Her laugh
and smile are such a joy to have in our family!

And now we get to see our family changed in a new way forever with our daughter! After just two weeks with her we never could have imagined the amazing impact she would have on us! It is like one of our close friends said, it is hard to remember having experienced life without her.

Our prayer for her is that she too will believe in Christ and follow Him with all of her heart, soul, mind and strength as so many of her friends here in China have.  That she will be a great warrior for His kingdom all the days of her life. That she too will have a heart for the nations. That when she stands before the Lord one day He will say to her, "well done good and faithful servant." We truly believe that God will not only answer those prayers but will do far more than all we can think or imagine. After all, God promised her and we know that she belongs to Him first and foremost!

Overall it has been an amazing 2 and half weeks in China. We were definitely reminded of the heart God has given us for the people here and we are once again going to miss many things about life over here.  At the same time, we are excited for our life as a family of 3 in the U.S.  We know there are some major trials and bumps ahead as new parents and with Promise's medical condition, but we also know God has amazing things in store for Team Hill too!

Of course we will continue to post here but not quite as often as we did while here in China. We hope that you will continue to follow us as we strive to glorify God by giving a picture of God's story in how it relates to mankind in His adoption of us.  We also pray that many of you will gain the same heart for orphans and adoption as God and that you will begin supporting orphans in one way or another. We also hope and pray that you would even consider adoption for your family one day. No matter how old or young you are, our dare to you is this: pray and ask God to show you His will for adoption in your family and be obedient to whatever He leads You to do!  Don't worry about the logistics of it all because, "He who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23).

The families of our travel group with CCAI

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. 

- James 1:27