Hannah Qingchu Campbell.
Just before leaving the hotel at 8:30 we stopped to take one last family photo of 4, wearing the new color coming into our house...PINK.
We all then boarded a bus to the government office where the "exchange" would take place.
We arrived at the government office and waited anxiously with 2 other families, full of nerves and every emotion possible.
We were literally counting the minutes away.
At exactly 10 minutes after 9:00 a.m. on October 10, 2011, the door opened and the first little girl was brought in.....and little Hannah Qingchu Campbell came into our lives!
And we all began to marvel.
At how beautiful and amazing she is.
And how happy she is.
And how amazingly easy the transition went!
And then the paperwork began....again.
Then she got her foot stamped in the China "red" ink.
Along with our thumb prints.
We cannot even begin to count the ways God revealed himself in this day. One of the things all four members of our family prayed fervently for was that she would recognize us immediately and not be afraid of us. We were amazed at how well she recognized us from a photo book we had sent a few months ago.
Hearing the boys say, "I love Hannah!" melts my heart every time.
And that, makes us a family of 5!!
And then, we took the poor child to McDonalds to celebrate with Happy Meals and meat filler! LOL!!!!
We THANK EVERYONE SO MUCH for your prayers for today! I can not count the times we looked at each other (with tears in our eyes) and said, "God answered our prayers". We are speechless at how great the day has been. We have only had a few moments where she seems scared and tries to withdraw (mostly when she woke from nap). But all in all, it was a FANTASTIC day!
Ephesians 3:20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.
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32 comments:
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
If there are typos in this post its because the screen is blurry from my TEARS OF JOY!
What an incredible blessing. I was {also} praying about her perception of the family and it is so great to see her reaction to y'all! What an amazing answered prayer!!! She is the sweetest, cutest most adorable little girl in all of China! It looks like you have known each other for years, not hours-God is great!
Still praying for health and that Hannah will continue to blossom!
(P.S. I love the transition from the clips to the cute white bow)
Hannah- I'm so glad you are finally in your mom's, dad's and brother's arms! I cannot wait to see you in person and give you a hug. I am looking forward to watching you grow & change for years to come. You have some wonderful big brothers that will protect you and love you. You have a wonderful mommy & daddy that will always love you, teach you about the Lord and help you find your identity in Christ. I am so excited to meet you. You are such a beautiful blessing!
Charles- I love the picture of Hannah in your lap. You are already such a wonderful big brother!!! I'm praying for you. Please give Hannah lots of kisses for me. Love you!
Mark-Wow! The picture of you & Hannah made me cry happy tears. It looks like you are such a great big brother!!! Please give Hannah lots of hugs for me. Love you!
Love Y'all!
Claire
I can't hardly read this for the tears streaming down my face....oh how precious!!!! God is so amazing!!!!
I pray the rest of your trip will go smoothly!!!! I CAN NOT wait to see ALL of you!!!!!
Miss Hannah,
I know you can't read, but one day you will. I know you don't know me just yet, but very soon you will!!! Even though we have not met yet, my love for you has already began!!! I have prayed for you a long time and you are finally here!!! You are a very blessed little girl, who God has watched out for & protected since the day you were born!!! He has a BIG plan for your life!!! My prayer is that you will seek Him & love Him with all your heart!!! He has given you a wonderful Mommy & Daddy and 2 awesome brothers who love you & will pray for you each step of the way!!!! Not to mention all of us, your extended family who are also, sooooo VERY HAPPY to have you as a part of our family!!!! I know you are going to be such a blessing to all of us....I can see it in your beautiful eyes!!!!
Hurry home!!! I can't wait to meet you in person!!!!! Tell your Mommy, Daddy & brothers to give you extra hugs & kisses for me!!!
I love you!!!!
Aunt Donna
WOW , WHAT A BEAUTIFUL AND HAPPY LITTLE LITTLE GIRL. Hannah welcome to our family!!! We can not wait until you get to the DFW airport. We are so excited to have you in our CRAZY family!, We have been praying for you for almost a year now. God has blessed you with a Godly Mom and Dad and two wonderful BIG brothers. We are looking forward to meeting you at the airport the day you arrive HOME. Denise, Charlie, Mark, Charles and sweet little Hannah, we send you MUCH love, hugs and kisses. We are so happy words can not begin to express how we feel!!,
Granny & papa Sims
Yippee! Welcome Hannah! I know your mother, father, and brothers have anxiously awaited this day and praise God you are all together now! Congrats Campbell family...she is absolutely beautiful and we will continue to pray for her transition!
The Mains
Hi, Hannah!!! I am so excited to see you!!! You are sooooo cute!!!! I can't wait to meet you!!! I can't wait to play with you!!! Tell your brothers I said I love them & miss them!!! We all are going to have sooooo much fun together!!!!!
I love you, Hannah!!!
Love,
Your cousin Emily :D
See you soon!!!!
Hannah it has been a blessing and a privledge to walk with your mama and daddy over the last 15 months. And today a new journey began that will last a lifetime. The Lord, in His amazing and perfect plan for your life, placed you in a pretty amazing family, sweet girl. They have worked very hard to bring you home. Your mama's fears all seem to have melted and she is radiant! Enjoy getting to know your family, and happy Gotcha Day, Hannah!!!!
This is my favorite post EVER! We all looked at all the photos and laughed and cried! We love you precious Hannah!:O) God is so good to make this transition start so smoothly.
Mark: "I hope you have a good time with your new baby sister!" Love,Jacob
Charles:"I hope you have a fun time playing with your new little sister!"
Hannah:"I love you and I hope you have a fun time with your family!" :)Love, Jacob
We love you guys and can't wait to meet the newest member of the Campbell Family!
Love,
The Campbells :)
Dearest Hannah,
You're one of the sweetest answers to prayer that I've ever seen! What a blessing you are to your family and will be to all who meet you. May God be with you all of your days.
It's beyond words to see the happiness on your four faces, of the family next door, as you welcome the fifth member into your warm embraces. I'm so happy and excited for all and look forward to seeing y'all soon!
Much love and many prayers,
Letha
(guess I'll stop posting anonymously) :)
OH! She is precious and a beautiful smile. I have tears as I write and know that truly God has prepared the way. I have continued to pray that God would prepare Hannah's heart as well as he has you all. I knew Mark and Charles and you both were ready. Now, we see how God has worked in Hannah's heart and praise HIM!!! Also praise that she has been shown your photo's what another HUGE blessing! I am sure times will come, but that is normal with any 2 year old, but she looks like she has been a Campbell and was just waiting for you to get to her! I can hardly type as my tears keep getting in the way. Mark and Charles we are so happy for you to have a new sister to play with. She is going to love you so much and want to do everything you do! You are now her teacher! So, teach her well. Tyler says oh sheis so cute! We have a holiday today so Kayleigh isn't up yet and then I will post her comments. I am going to go show Stephen now.I had to write first. Tyler was with me when I opened up. Can't wait for you all 5 of you to be back! Welcome to toddlers again Charlie and Denise!!! GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!!! Will continue to pray the process all goes well and all 3 children stay healthy as well as you all. Keep us posted. I love knowing what is happening. Pray you all get good rest tonight.
Rejoicing with you as you welcome your daughter/baby sister into your family! Our own China doll eagerly looks at all of your pics as I read your daily posts to her. Your trip has mirrored so much of ours up to this point thus bringing back many memories of three yrs ago. May the LORD continue to bless as your family walks the path which HE has led you too. Prayers for continued health as you embark upon more of your journey. CONGRATS!
Rick, Kim, Daniel, Nathan, Micah and Abigail MeiLi DeSpain
Congratulations to all 5 of you!! She is beautiful!! I'm so happy that the transition went so well. We've been praying for you all. Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip in China and return safely. She looks so happy with you!! Reading about your McDonalds trip cracked me up this morning!! lol Break her in early!! Well, congratulations again to you all!! Love you guys!!
-Bethany
What a wonderful day & beginning for all of you. From the beginning of time, God had this day planned. May His blessings continue to pour out over your beautiful family! Much love from all of us... Charlie, Paula, Jacob, Kegan, Brant, & Allie
I'm so excited for y'all!!! I've had to come back and look at those sweet pictures of your happy little girl three times this morning!! Denise, don't tell Charlie-as far as he's concerned I'm hard at work :)! Hugs!!
Cried seeing how wonderful the transition went and seeing those big smiles on all your faces. What a beautiful and precious family God has created!
God is indeed so very good!
When Kayleigh woke up she came into my room with her computer and beaming from ear to ear!! She said she is so adorable and happy. Stephen thought she was beautiful and knew prayers have been answered. Okay now for more information. What size is Hannah wearing? She is a girl so she need plenty of outfits and bows! Let us know. Tell Amanda and Kevin hey too! Mark and Charles, Tyler and Kayleigh said to remember everything you have seen and done because they can't wait to hear about your adventures.
This post literally had me in tears! I am soooo happy for you all! Hannah is beautiful and I know that she is so blessed to have you for parents! Such an answer to many many prayers!!
Blessings,
Corby and Lia Joy
Hurry, more pictures. We can't get enough. I love the one where she looks so happy looking over your shoulder. She looks happy to be where she knew she belonged. Give her lots of kisses for us too!!!
Good Morning from Emma! Here is her message:
"I love you, Hannah! I like your new shirt and white bow! I am sooooooo glad they didn't shave your hair! I am anxious to meet you:) Did you like McDonalds? Have fun on the airplane to your new home!"
"Mark, Hi! What's up? You have a new sister! Congratulations! Now you are a BIG brother!"
"Charles, Hi! How's China? Congratulations on being a BIG brother to Hannah!:)"
"Aunt Denise and Uncle Charlie, I love you and can't wait to see you and Hannah and Mark and Charles!"
Love,
Emma Campbell
No words can truly express the overwhelming joy I have in my heart for you and for sweet Hannah. There is one less orphan in the world Praise the Lord! Praise Him for His faithfulness, for your answering the call to adopt, and for Hannah's adjustment to be going so well! She looks just like a Campbell! I can't get over how incredibly beautiful and precious she is! WOW! God is so good! She is now part of a family and will forever have a place to call home! You are the perfect family for her and she is the perfect child for you. A match 100% made by the King of Kings! I am sure you are still pinching yourself wondering is this for real! Well, yes it is for real!!!! I'm sure all the ick of the last 10 months withered away in just a moment as all that was well worth the little 24 pound blessing you are holding now. You have traveled the adoption road with such grace and surrender to His plan and His way even when it wasn't comfortable or convenient. Your faith on this journey is such a testimony and I am praying you have lit a fire in others to travel this same road....the beautiful blessing road of adoption.
Hannah---your friend Myla is here looking at your picture and saying your name over and over. She can't wait to play with you!
Mark and Charles--you should have seen Zoe's eyes when she saw Hannah! I wish I had a picture. She loved seeing each of you with your sweet sister. You are already the best big brothers EVER!!!
Ethan came up to me last night at about 8:30 pm and said "30 minutes ago Hannah got her forever family!" Super sweet as it had been a little while since I had said something to the kids.
Our entire family is rejoicing with you and praying for continual bonding, good health, good sleep, and lots of FuN CrAzY memories to fill your time the next two weeks.
Hugs,
Gina, Shane, Ethan, Nicholas, Zoe,
and Myla (our Chinese princess)
Tears are streaming down my face. What an amazing God to bring you all together with so much joy and peace. I am in complete awe.
It has been a blessing to watch your journey and get to pray for your sweet family.
Hannah, you have the most wonderful family in the world!!!
The Freels
What a sweet thing to see her smiling so much! I was hoping the event would be as peaceful as possible, despite the flurry of emotions in Hannah's parents! I just know that her smiling and not resisting the whole time had to make a HUGE difference. Although I'm sure you were prepared to set your own desires and feelings aside for her, I love how God comforted all five of you. Yea, God! Yea, Cinco Campbells! --Jennifer
Praise the Lord!! I have been praying for you ALL as you have made your journey to bring this sweet girl into your lives! It is only possible because of the Lord! What a loving and mighty God we serve! I will kepp you in my prayers as you transition to a family of 5! Much love to you all!
Diana Hill
Hannah is so beautiful! I love the family pictures!
I randomly though of y'all yesterday. I wasn't sure exactly where you were, if you had met Hannah yet, or if you were still traveling; but I started praying for all of you, and especially for a smooth, fearless transition for Hannah. Sure enough, about 10 minutes later I got a text from Claire saying "only 3 and 1/2 hours until the Campbells meet Hannah!" I was pretty amazed at how the Lord brought you to mind at exactly the right time. I'm so happy to see the big smile on Hannah's face! What a blessing!
Prayers now shift to safe travels home, for a smooth transition for Hannah into her American life, and for your transition into a beautiful family of five!
Congratulations!
Love,
Sarah Peltier
I am overwhelmed with tears of joy seeing the precious pictures of your family. I am so thankful to hear your story and see how God has worked in your lives. I pray God will continue to bless you with all of His best.
Praising God,
Dempsey Dearing
(Kevin's mom)
I've now had the pleasure of showing off today's photos three times and yet I still keep going back to bask in all the glowing smiles, all five of them! Everyone thinks Hannah is a beautiful little girl with such a sweet smile!
Can't wait to read about and see pictures from the rest of the Campbell's adventure in China. I especially can't wait until you're home....
Praying for y'all!
Letha
Reading your blog reminds me of being there less than two months ago. We have such brave girls. Glad to see another Hangzhou friend be united with her sweet family. Praying for y ou all.
Well, this is now the 5th time I've read this post. I'm finally commenting because this is the first time I've finished it dry eyed! What a BEAUTIFUL little girl!!! She is perfect and already looks so at home with all of you. (and you all look perfectly adjusted to her as well.) I can't wait to share this with Keith. Praying the rest of your trip is as wonderful as Gotcha Day was. Can't wait to have you talk me through all this when you are home and settled.
The Campbell Family :) The Cisneros family posted a blog to you on October 9...regarding Hannah. Can you imagine that? We were just so excited we didn't know we had the wrong day! So check out October 9th, (can't you just see 2 little Cisneros boys eagerly waiting to type something to the Campbells. I only see Eric's post but Alex stated that he bet you all were very happy!!! I will let them post again tomorrow. Hannah we are so HAPPY that you are a part of the Campbell family! We can't wait to meet you! We are praising God for such a successful trip and will pray for a safe, healthy, and happy adventure back to your new home in Texas with your new family! Love The Cisneros Family
Charlie & Denise!!
Congratulations!! So thrilled for you guys and can't wait to catch up and hear about her. And I'm sorry I've done such a terrible job following your blog...I'm really bad with blogs unless they post automatically to FB. But we've been thinking of y'all and praying for you and wishing we could be there to meet this new little Campbell. Miss you guys!! And CONGRATULATIONS again! Tell the boys we said hi!
~Kathleen
Every time I look at these pictures I'm moved to tears. What a wonderful answer to prayer! God's timing is perfect and His blessings are overwhelming! We will pray for this trip till you reach Texas soil. What an exciting new chapter in the life of your family.
Please tell Amanda and Kevin we miss them greatly and look forward to hearing all the stories.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Terry Ingram
Welcome to the family little Miss Hannah! You are just beautiful and I can't wait to meet you. You are so blessed to have such a loving mommy, daddy and two big brothers! God has a very special plan for your life and I am so excited as we watch His plan for you unfold. Hi Mark and Charles - You look like you are having a great time on your journey to China and you did a great job by picking out the very BESY little sister! Charlie and Denise, thanks for all the pics and stories. We are so enjoying each day's updates. Thoughts and prayers are with you all and can't wait until you are ALL safely back home! Love you all - Aunt Cel
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