March — August Newsletter

Hi from Mr. & Mrs. Hill…

     I walked obliviously by someone who called me by my new name at our wedding.  I need a little time to get used to it.  :)  This spring and summer have been busy and eventful with a wedding and two receptions to plan.  All were successful and we had a wonderful time.  (More on the last page)   Now things are finally beginning to settle down and feel normal and my thoughts turn to writing you.

Thank You!

      We are excited to discern what God wants for Hope for Tomorrow in this new season.  

      I last mentioned we would take a year to adjust to married life without traveling - yet you will see in this newsletter we are raising funds for orphanage projects. We’ll travel to the orphanage once the funds are raised and kick-off the project. I can’t stay away.  I miss the kids and Drew is excited to meet my “family” there.

     Your support and encouragement always arrives just when I need it!  Thank you.

A Critical Need

Leaky roof collapses ceilings.  

    Before I left in the winter, I asked the orphanage director for a large need.  A new roof resonated with me, because I am up-close-and-personal-familiar with the roof problems.

    Once an abandoned kindergarten, the orphanage sat empty years before it began.  In 2004 they patched huge holes in the walls, floors and ceilings with a mud-straw mixture.  Unfortunately at that time, the cheapest roofing materials were bought and the roof has constantly cracked and leaked since then.   They annually patch the roof.

The mud and straw used to repair the ceilings is applied 3-4” thick and is not as durable as western materials.  When it gets wet it crashes to the floor.  Once I was walking down a hallway and a two foot chunk of ceiling fell, narrowly missing me. 

Close Call

     Last year “Mama” (the Director) told me a harrowing story.   It was 4 am.  She was reading a book I’d given her and she was at a really suspenseful part.  Needing a bathroom break, she walked in the dark, and just before she got to the door she heard a sound like something had fallen.  One of the children is narcoleptic and she assumedshe had fallen asleep and fallen off the toilet.  Fortunately, rather than first walking in the bathroom, she put her hand around the doorframe and turned on the light.  There was a HUGE explosion.  She stood for a minute, thinking that the light switch had shorted (in a big way), but when the dust cleared, she realized that the entire ceiling had collapsed.  Had she been in the bathroom, it would have fallen on her.  The bathroom is large, and the finished ceiling (below the patches) is very large and she or someone else could have been really hurt.  We’re grateful it happened in the middle of the night and no one was hurt.

Hoping to Raise Funds for Repairs

    Since we aren’t spending as much time at the orphanage this year we are taking on projects that meet critical needs ensuring the long-term viability of their ministry.  Drew has construction experience, which will help.  The orphanage has a lot of building needs and gave me a document listing the supplies needed to repair the roof totaling $10,000 US.  We hope to raise the money then Drew and I will ensure the supplies are ready, purchase everything, and the orphanage and volunteers will construct the roof.  

We Still Need a Roof!

    As I was finishing this newsletter I had a thought . . . what if the orphanage had found a sponsor for the roof and didn’t need funds?  I asked the other day, and this is what they said:

    Oddly enough, right now a steady rain is falling on my house.  The soothing pitter patter on the roof reminds me of their predicament and I am extra thankful for a good roof.  We are blessed to have sturdy homes with reliable water and electricity.  Before agreeing to help with the roof, I asked God what He was leading Hope for Tomorrow to do.  I felt a peace about the roof and believe He will supply and we will find honest suppliers and good quality roofing so they too can smile when it rains.  

Another Project if There are Extra Funds 

    One need in particular on my heart lately has been to purchase all new textbooks.  Many of the textbooks are from the 1980’s, almost every page is ripped, taped and re-taped, and most are missing many pages (i.e. 20 pages).   

I get frustrated trying to help the children with their English homework.  For example, when I have them look up a word in the glossary, the pages with words beginning with “D” through “T” can be missing.  I have bought them a few textbooks through the years, but really, they all need to be replaced.  That is one of many projects I’d like to do if there are any funds left.

Wedding

    After more planning than I’ve ever done in my life, Drew and I had a wonderful wedding day.  During the planning stages, neither of us was sure it would be worth the time and energy, but it was.  As I previously wrote, Drew’s father and his wife live in a schoolhouse that Drew’s great, great, great grandfather built which they have converted into a lovely home.  30 years ago the bell that called the children to school was removed.  Drew’s brother designed and built a belfry for it, and he and Drew installed it so the bell could be rung after our wedding.  

A handful of friends and family were there, and afterward a reception where I met more of Drew’s family and friends, then two weeks later we had a southern one where he met mine.  We count ourselves blessed to have such wonderful friends and family – including you!

Surprise Gift

    One day we went to the lake to play.  The children fought over who would pull me on the sled on the ice and I ended up being pulled the whole time we were there.  Now I understand why. 

While I was being pulled, Mama and the little children were gathering pebbles, which they painted and made into this sweet bride and groom wedding gift which we featured on a table at our wedding reception.

You Can See Our Wedding!

    . . . thanks to Cheree and Brian Givens.    We asked them to do a video.  It turned out beautifully.  I translated the spoken parts into Russian and sent it to the orphanage so they could see it.  The video is about 5 minutes long and we would like to share it with you too.  Click on the picture below to play the video.  We hope it blesses you.

Housekeeping

    In May, the board of directors and I decided to change my compensation while Drew and I spend our first year of marriage stateside. Since June, most of your support for Hope for Tomorrow has been dedicated toward critical orphanage projects and now my compensation is project-based by the hour.  Looking to the future when Drew will be travelling with me, he will be raising support as well.