May 2011 Life Update

As you can see, I sadly haven't posted in a long while. I hope one day to start blogging about life in the Hill house again, but this season of life and year of transition hasn't allowed for much of that. Maybe this summer?

Here's a brief update on the Hills:

After I graduated from Denver Seminary in May 2010, we moved back to NC and landed in Greensboro. We love GSO and it already feels like home with great friends and community. We're so thankful. Its been such a blessing to be near family too!

DREW

I'm working part-time at Church of the Redeemer , an Anglican Mission church, as the Family Ministry Pastor (birth-high school). We love being there and the richness of the church history and tradition we get to celebrate. Its a church plant, only a couple years old, so its still small enough where we can know everyone, but growing weekly. I get to lead worship some and cherish the opportunity to love on the kids. We have a great staff team that oozes grace and constantly reminds me of the good news of the Gospel.

I also work part-time as the Interim High School Pastor at Green Street Baptist Church in High Point. They initially hired me to speak to the high schoolers for a month last August, but I've hung around there all year while they continue to search and pray for a full-time person. It has been a blessing to have the opportunity to get to know those kids and speak on a weekly basis.

My costume for a
YL "Find Your Leader" Hunt

After 7 of the last 10 years on staff with Young Life, I'm now a volunteer leader again for the first time since college. I'm leading at Northwest Guilford High School, Go Vikings! (Some of my high school friends won the state championship in Lax this weekend!) It has been eye opening to be leading as a volunteer again and has given me great appreciation for the 30,000 volunteer leaders across the country (and world) that give their lives away to teenagers for the sake of the Gospel. This new perspective has sent me on a new blogging adventure, which is one of the reasons this blog has not been updated. In January, I started keeping a blog for YL leaders around the country to provide helpful resources, current ideas, and encouragement. It has been a fun project and one I'd like to invest more time and energy in. I've been encouraged by the response it has received and how many leaders it seems to be reaching. I'm all about sharing ideas and working together, after all, creativity is just forgetting where you stole it from. (I made that up, if I remember correctly.)

I continue to dabble in other side projects like selling Human Slingshots, occasionally shooting photos with Lifetouch (I shot the NW prom this weekend), and performing with my fairly new children's party band, "The Go Bananas Band." Silly Stan the Banana Man actually has a concert for 50 two-four year olds tomorrow (end of the year preschool party!) True story. Let me know if you need to hire some high energy entertainment for kids. The more $ you pay me, the more fun the party.

NATALIE

Nat finished her last seminary class this week! Its been a long journey towards her Masters in Counseling, but she's almost there! She needs 200 more internship hours and 2 short independent studies and she'll graduate from Denver Seminary in August!

She started her counseling internship at Moses Cone Hospital's Behavioral Health Center yesterday and is privileged to be a light in that dark place. She is primarily counseling patients struggling with suicide and could use all the prayers you could give her. I can't think of anyone better to be around when feeling so low and I'm confident that God will use her joy, laughter, education, wisdom, gift of discernment, and incredible southern accent to bring life to folks facing death.

One of the highlights of Nat's year has been the chance to lead a College Life (YL for college) Small Group of freshmen ladies from UNC-Greensboro. The group has bonded in a unique way and Nat's excited about journeying with them through these years of college. They even had a sleepover last week! I wasn't invited.

Natalie just wrapped up her 3rd Mother's Day (1st one was while Honey was inside) and really has found her sweet spot in being a mom. It's amazing to watch her and Honey. They have a bond that makes me tear up just thinking about it. Nat spends most of her days at home or at the park with Honey and all their new friends. We love being parents and we're thinking it's about time to start shooting for round two.

HONEY
Although her daddy slipped and dropped her when spinning her around at the park this weekend (and she got 6 x-rays and spent 4 hours in doctor's offices but is only bruised up, no broken bones!), Honey has had a pretty fun year. She turns 2 on July 19, 2011 and is looking forward to her pool party. (We have a pool in our townhome complex!)

Her favorite things are puppies, splashing in water, Barney, markers, playing the guitar, painting her toe-nails, and dancing. In Target yesterday she about had a cow to try on a pink tu-tu bathing suit, so mommy gave in and stripped her down right there in the store and put it on her. She proceeded to spin around while saying "rina." She loves Angelina Balle-rina. I have a feeling I need to start saving $ for dance classes.

She had a verbal explosion recently and can now carry on a conversation with us. It's amazing to see how much she understands and picks up on. I've got to stop cussing so much in front of her. Probably our favorite thing about being parents these days is listening to Honey sing. If God even feels half the joy hearing us (His children) sing to Him as we do listening to her, then wow....just wow. I'm going to keep singing my heart out!

We cherish your prayers as we daily depend on our Father to teach us how to parent. It's the hardest, most awesomemest, and most important thing we've ever done.

Lolli & Pops with Kessler & Honey

Honey, Kessler, & Courtney

If you read all this, go buy yourself a Coke Zero. You deserve it. All that Coke taste with zero calories. You can't beat it. Seriously.


(This blog is sponsored in part by The Coca Cola Co.)