Day 4

Can you believe it, we all made it down to the lobby by 6:15 am? We even beat our guide today (this was a first). Maybe that's because we were all really excited about riding the bullet train today. And ride the train we did.


It was another amazing experience for ALL of us.


Riding anything over 240 MPH is fun for all ages.


Ok, except for this man who snored SO LOUD almost the whole trip!

It was such a great way to get to see the country side of China.


However, it was also an eye opening experience for me. I personally have never seen 1st hand that kind of wide spread poverty. So many of the homes didn't even have doors or windows, and the roofs were covered with whatever they could find. This was one of the better ones.


It being October, we got to see all the farmers out working the fields to bring in their harvest. I have NEVER seen so much corn in my life...and yes, I've been to Kansas and Nebraska both. To watch all the women work right along the men with their bare hands, a hoe, and a machete type knife to cut the stalks...and can you believe, not a John Deer in site. The amazing part is that you would have never guessed that most did not use a tractor by the perfect rows and clean harvest.


The other thing that we noticed is that most people do not have washer and dryers, no matter how nice the home. They just hang their clothes out the window to dry.


The best part is that it was a nice relaxing trip for us all...and very much needed!!!!!


We are all settled into the tinniest room in the world (after taking out 1/2 the furniture in the room...NO JOKE), and a diaper bag packed for our 9 am appointment to welcome Hannah into our lives. We are all getting very excited, and I admit VERY emotional. Just praying we can get some sleep tonight.

As I lay my head down on my pillow tonight (on the tinniest bed in the world...NO JOKE) I wonder if Hannah has any idea what tomorrow will bring? If I could talk to her tonight I would tell her that tonight will be the last night she will ever be referred to as an "Orphan", and that tomorrow she will take on a new title of beloved daughter, sister, grand daughter, niece, and cousin.

We are only miles and hours away now. I can not believe this day has finally come!

Gotcha Day Update

Well, so it sounds like we will have our Gotcha day as originally planned on Monday. This brings us SO MUCH relief to know we do not have to endure a day of rushing around all stressed out, to then go pick up Hannah who will also be stressed out. The calmer and more organized we are, then better we will all make that transition.

Now maybe I can nap on the train (cause I woke at 3 am today) instead of pack her a diaper bag and gather and check paperwork. Although, it's kinda sad to think she has to stay one more night. :(

Please pray God will give her the strength and peace over the next 24ish hrs. Also, pray she too will get a good nights sleep.

Thanks for all the prayer friends! BTW, we love hearing from each of you...kind of brings a feeling of home to China (which we sometimes need). The boys get SO excited when their friends or family leaves a little message for them too. So good to hear you really are praying...DON'T STOP!!!!!

~The Campbell Family

Day 3

Well, today was a bit of a hard day on all of us. 1) I seem to wake up hours before I need too (the rest of the family I think is now on China time). 2) We start our tours early in the morning and go ALL day, and went until late last night. Today was Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, The Summer Palace, and a traditional tea ceremony.



3) I had a hard time with lunch today, so I didn't get the boost I was really needing.

4) The boys I think hit a delirious wall today, which can be very taxing on a person already not in their best mind. :( To their credit...they did an unbelievable amount of walking, and listening to a bunch of stuff they don't care about (much less understand).

5) The "toilet situation". I think the picture says enough!

Tonight is our last night in Beiging. We leave tomorrow morning on the fast train at 8:00 (this means we have to leave our hotel at 6:30 am) for Hangzhou. We will finally be in the same province as our daughter. We are a little nervous about what we can expect once we arrive at the train station in Hangzhou, because our agent said they had a request to change "Gotcha Day" to Sunday at 2 pm...our train does not arrive until 2:30 pm. :-/ The last we heard they decided to go ahead and let the other families get their children, and we would keep to the original schedule of Monday. I just don't like the not knowing for sure. There are many things to get ready before we go get her, and that would make things very difficult to get any of it ready before hand.

So tonight we pack, and pray for a really good nights sleep.

Isaiah 40:31 But those who put their hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings as eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.

Day 2

Today was a magical day (yet very LONG and BUSY). To get to stand on the Great Wall of China was an amazing moment for ALL of us!


I had a hard time leaving this place. It really was a beautiful moment. Oh, and the weather could not be more perfect y'all! 70's I would guess, with blue skies...well I'm assuming they are. Hard to tell from all the smog. :( Those aren't clouds sitting on the great wall people.

I was sad to leave, and really sad Hannah was not with us for this moment.

China Day 1 :o)

Ni Hao Y'all! (that's Hello for Chinese-Texan)

We've ALL been sitting around saying, "I can't believe we are actually here in China!" Very surreal! We arrived as the sun came up, and while walking through customs my heart did flip flops at the thought that Hannah and I will be enjoying the same sun rise for the 1st time...All smiles!!! :o) It feels good to be in her home country, and to know we are only days away now from meeting her.

We did survive (and very well I must say) our long adventure here. It was quite a journey over. The boys did great on all flights, and I wish so bad I had had a video camera to capture the boys expressions when we took off from DFW. The pure excitement on their faces was just priceless. Charles even let out a little squealing giggle as the plane lifted off. The long plane ride across the Pacific ocean went well, yet hard on all of us...there is nothing like the urge to want to stretch your legs up and out when you sleep. :~/ The boys had a good 8-9 hrs each, and the rest of us got what we could when we could (except Kevin who seem to be oblivious to the fact we were even on an airplane, and slept most of the trip). I have to say it was a strange feeling to be on a flight 14ish hours, and it was pitch dark every bit of that time.







Did I mention the pilots let the boys come up to the cockpit?













On a good note, we were very thankful for the AA Admiral Club passes one of our sweet neighbors gave us the night before we left, as well as the premium economy seats we decided to spend the money on last minute. We all felt like kings and queens and gratefully enjoyed every little perk that came our way like little children in a candy store (free snacks, cookies, cheese and veggie bar, warm towel-lets, house shoes, eye masks, ear plugs, little cute bags with mini lotions, toothbrush, toothpaste, combs, and hot meals with linens). We just thought we were going to get an extra 10 inches of leg room...which we were all so thankful for.




















On arriving in China we were greeted with yet another warm Chinese welcome, when a police officer in customs ran right up in front of me with his hand in my camera and said, "NO PICTURES" very sternly to me. Then he proceeded to tell us (after waiting in a long line) we needed to leave the line and not come back without a form filled out for every person in our group...reminded me of the good-ol Houston Chinese Consulate days...NO SOUP!

We did make it through customs (even with our "I am second" shirts on), and even had our first real Chinese meal in China (well, one of us anyway-note the spaghetti everyone but Charlie is having!).









Our last flight to Beijing also went very well, and we were all SO GLAD to finally be at our final destination (for now), and meet our guide for the next few days...His name is "David".



David took us straight to our 1st tour from the airport...Really, no hotel to freshen up??? He was not kidding! So, off to the Hutongs tour we did go, and it was AWSOME (just wish we all looked and smelled better).






Then we drug our tired bodies up 69 of the steepest stairs EVER! Did you know people have died coming back down these things? Just glad it wasn't us!





We are all SO VERY EXHAUSTED, and ready for a good nights sleep before we start our day of tours tomorrow morning at 8:15 am. :(

Goodnight to all our American peeps.Thanks for the prayers in getting us this far...God is good! Please keep praying for the health of everyone (the boys really need it)!

From China,
Charlie, Denise, Mark, Charles, Kevin, and Amanda

P.S. Sorry if these picture do not expand, or look grainy...too tired tonight to go the longer route to make them clearer. :(

Funny story...

Did I tell you about the time I thought it would be a fabulous idea to sign my whole family up for lessons on how to speak Chinese? I've always heard how hard it is to learn Chinese, but it was a class at our local library for anyone over the age of 6...perfect, my boys had just turned 6! If they can teach a 6 year old to speak it, then they can teach Charlie and I to speak it...right?

Oh, how wrong we were!!!! I'm not sure when during that 1 hr. class that we realized that this might be our last...could have been at any of the following times: 1) When the teacher began to introduce herself, and I leaned over to Charlie and said, "I can't understand a word the woman is saying. You would think she was talking in Chinese." Charlie said, "That's because she IS talking in Chinese!" I swear her English sounded just like her Chinese too...I'm not kidding y'all! 2) When the lady explained how important it is to SING the words in the proper tone, I looked at Charlie laughing and said, "Well, you might as well go ahead and leave!" :o) I love my husband, but he can't hit a proper note to save his life. 3) When I looked at my kids and found not one but both of them upside down in their chairs.

Long story short...We flunked Chinese 101 (on the first night) in a library class, as a whole family. The nice lady said something (not sure, cause we couldn't understand her), and graciously gave us our money back. :(

We have decided to move on to plan "B"...I've downloaded a translator app on my iPhone. :o) If that doesn't work, we will try plan "C"...Talk really loudly, and use big hand gestures (learned that from my friend while on vacation once..."Hi Misti").

So, I think we are all set. Ready or not China, here we come!!!!!! :o)

This is the day that the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it!

Charlie, bar the door!!!!!

We just wanted to thank you all in advance for understanding our need of some alone time once we are home. I know how excited you all are to meet our precious gift from God (just like we are for her to meet all of you), but we also have to think about the emotional state she will be in and all the changes that will occur in such a short amount of time in this young little girl's life. Until she understands that we (her parents and siblings) are her permanent care takers, and that we are not going to leave her we will have to be very careful of how we introduce her to the rest of the world. We will also have to be very careful of who we allow in our home for the first several weeks. Please understand that this is nothing against any of you in any way, but about helping her establish a good secure level of bonding and attachment to us as quick as possible. Hannah will be almost 2 years old when we get her home. This is old enough to be very aware of all the changes and people coming and going in her life, yet too young to understand it all.

Due to us hoarding up in our home as much as possible, many of you have asked if you could come to the airport to greet us on the way home. The answer is YES...we would like to invite you (those who are able and want to) to come to the airport for a VERY BRIEF meet and greet before we head to the house and crash. Since the airport is already so full of people coming and going it would be better to do this there vs. our home. Please keep in mind that this will be a VERY BRIEF time due to the obvious. With all that said, we will eventually find our new normal, get her acquainted with life in the CrAzY Campbell family, take her to her new Sunday School class, and will soon have the chance to introduce Hannah to each of you...and we can HARDLY WAIT for that day to come. :)

Thank you all for your continued love and prayers for all of us. We could not do this without you.

Travel Itinerary....Where in the world are we going???

Isaiah 30:21 Whether to turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Tuesday, October 4          Flight from DFW to LAX (departs 5:15 pm-Central time)
Tuesday, October 4          Flight from LAX to Guangzhou (departs 11:30 pm-Pacific time)
Thursday, October 6        Flight from Guangzhou to Beijing (departs 9:00 am-China time)
Thursday, October 6        Arrive in Beijing (tours setup for Thursday-Saturday)
Sunday, October 9           Take Bullet Train from Beijing to Hangzhou
Monday, October 10        Gotcha Day!!!
Friday, October 14           Flight from Hangzhou to Guangzhou
Wednesday, October 19    Finalize adoption at U.S. Consulate
Thursday, October 20       Flight from Guangzhou to LAX (departs 9:00 pm-China time)
Friday, October 21           Flight from LAX to DFW (departs 1:55 pm-Pacific time)
Friday, October 21           Arrive back at DFW (6:55 pm-Central time) (Flight 2448 American Airlines)

How you can pray for us

We are so blessed to have so many people who care about us, and have offered to help in so many ways: from meals (once we are home) to clothes and furniture for her...really SO blessed! We are so thankful for each offer to help us out.

We have chosen to not have a baby shower for many reasons: 1) because this will be our 3rd child; 2) She is not a baby, so it would feel like registering for a birthday party vs. a baby shower; and 3) Because we do not know her sizes, personality, or interests I don't know what to ask for. In spite of all that, God has blessed us with little mini showers from so many of you showing up with clothes and gifts, and it's been such a sweet blessing and fun surprise.

The one thing we always tell people we need is prayer...and a lot of it. So I'm going to list out all the ways you can pray for us during the next few weeks as God brings us to mind (and I'm praying that will be a lot).

1) Pray for Hannah's transition from her foster family to the orphanage. We are not sure when this will happen; it could be any time during her last 2 weeks before we get her.

2) Pray for Hannah's health and the hole in her heart. The last info we had on her medical status was from last December. Pray with us that the hole has continued to close, and that she will not need the heart surgery. Her first doctor appointment is scheduled for November 8 at Children's Medical Center in Dallas.

3) Pray for Hannah's transition to us from the orphanage. Hannah's "Gotcha Day" will be on Monday October 10th (that's Sunday night for all our American peeps). Our greatest day, and her saddest day. We are all very nervous about this time for her.

4) Pray for us as Hannah's new family to be able to provide and quickly understand her needs...y'all she's almost two and speaking another language. We are going to need all the help we can get.

5) Pray for Charles who was diagnosed over a year ago with a skin disease called Granuloma Annulare which we were told there is no known cure for. He was also diagnosed with several food allergies (egg, dairy, wheat, corn, beef, etc.). These allergies can also affect his skin (we really think this is what is causing the skin disease). When he is on a strict diet his skin clears up, and we need clear skin so we do not face another staph infection while in China (it was scary enough when that happened in America). His Doctor has given us permission to do what we can while in China, but to also eat what we have to eat as well (i.e. McDonald's and Pizza Hut). So please pray we are able to keep his skin under control, and find enough foods for him to eat while away.

6) All the last minute details of packing and getting our family ready to be gone for 2 1/2 weeks. Please pray we have everything we need (medicine, food, proper clothing, and all paperwork that will be needed).

7) Pray for planes to not have any delays, and for all of our luggage to get to China...and back.

8) Pray for our boys to enjoy (quietly) their 1st plane ride 1/2 way around the world...Oh, and their 1st plane ride ever. :o) If you are a parent of young children (or ever have been) then I will just let your knowledge of things to pray for on that take over. One of the three planes we will be taking that 1st day will be 13 1/2 hrs. :(

9) Pray for PATIENCE for Charlie and I with our children, and each other while we are dealing with so much, sleep deprived, jet lagged, on a new time zone, in a foreign country, and our whole family is living together in one small hotel room...Maybe that should have been #1 on the prayer list...LOL!

10) Pray for our 6 year old boys to be able to handle all the changes once Hannah comes into our family. We have talked a lot about her possibly crying a lot in those 1st few days and needing A LOT of attention from us as parents, but until you are in the moment you really don't know how one will handle that. Pray they will somehow see their new roll in this, and be a source of comfort to her.

11) Pray for all the in-country travel we will be doing. We will be in 3 different cities from top to bottom on the east coast while in China (this also means 3 different hotel rooms, and having to pack and unpack all of us up over and over. :-/

12) Pray for all paperwork, interview, and swearing in to go smoothly. After everything we've been through with paperwork, I'm starting to feel nervous about this.

13) Please pray for our travel back to the States. We leave China on October 20th (coming home with 3 children). Pray Hannah can sleep most of the trip back, and that she will quickly learn to trust us (whether she likes us yet or not) to be able to keep her calm during that long flight.

14) Pray for ALL the changes Hannah will be faced with once she is in her new home on Friday October 21st (different sights, smells, sounds, language, foods, home, bed, people, and time zone). This is when we will finally begin to feel a sense of normalcy, but for her it will be a VERY SCARY time. Please continue the prayers for her once we are home...she is going to need it for awhile.

15) Last and certainly not least...Please pray for our sweet friends Amanda and Kevin Dearing who have taken 2 1/2 weeks out of their own lives to travel to the other side of the earth to help us out in any way we may need. They both have already been SO UNBELIEVABLY patient and understanding with all the changes in just getting to this place in the adoption. We are so thankful God placed them in our lives when He did. This will not be an easy trip for them either. Pray that we always make them feel welcome and part of our crazy family. We are excited about all the fun they will bring in those crazy upside-down moments (these people are CrAzY y'all) but feel even more blessed to have such a Godly couple who love the Lord with all their hearts to walk this journey with us.

Ok, so I know I have given you a long list, but really there is one more I've been debating putting on my list because it's kinda personal...but here I go, cause it really is a fear that is going to need some prayer.

16) Pray for the potty situation in China...Yes, I said potty! In most public areas (even airports) we have heard they have just a whole in the ground...and sometimes NO TOILET PAPER. :( I'm sorry, but for a girl who CANNOT cop a squat, this is not going to be easy. I have been known to pass out at dirty hospitals, so a dirty (hole in the ground) bathroom freaks me out. I know with everything else, and the bigger issues in my life at that time this should seem really small, but it just wont shrink. :-/

So, there you have it. We really do appreciate any and all prayers. It truly is the best gift!!!!

Philippians 1:19 For I know that through your prayers and God's provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened (or will happen while in China) to me will turn out for my deliverance.

Thank you Claire!

Just wanted to give a little shout out to one of the best babysitters in the world, amazing friend, Godly young lady who loves the Lord more every day (who is also very much available gentleman), soon to be the sweetest nurse in Texas, and now a fantastic blog designer...Claire Asbell.

Thank you Claire for making my blog so cute, and helping it come to life with music (if you've been reading my blog with your sound off, you are missing out...Ok, except for Reba talking). You will never know how big of a blessing you are to me and my family. We are so thankful God placed you in our lives 6 years ago. You are truly one very amazing lady, and we're proud to call you our friend.

Love You,
Denise, Charlie, Mark, and Charles

Things we know about our daughter

We were given a mini update on Hannah last night, and when you add it all up this is what we know about her...WARNING, it's not much. :(  This update may have also come due to the fact that she was just placed back in the orphanage. :(  Hey, the bright side is that 1 week from today we will be heading half way around the world to finally get her! That makes me very happy, and very excited!!! :)

-She is 22 lbs.
-32.3 inches tall
-Walking...even running
-Talking (keep in mind all Chinese words)
-Still on a bottle 3 times a day...bitter sweet
-Very attached to her foster mother
-Very scared of strangers...Us
-Has never seen a foreigner...Us (that she may remember)
-Has had 2 foster sisters her age, and 1 foster brother (who they do not think will be adopted because he has downs...Any takers???) in her home during her stay with foster family.
-There has been NO update on the hole in her heart since last December (almost 1 year ago). We are still praying and believing that this is still trying to close on its own, but you can imagine how anxious we are to have American doctors look at it. Her continued growth leads us to think it has at least closed some.

...and that's about it! Less than 2 weeks and I'll have lots more details, and pictures with her new family...Us. :o)

We have a travel date!

Well after another crazy ride, we finally have a travel date! YEE HAA!!!! We got word last Thursday, but before I could get all excited our agent began to take the wind out of my sail by telling me we may have to travel in a few days vs. weeks...yep, I'm suppose to have all 5 of us packed for a 2 week trip to another country in a matter of days. All of this was due to upcoming Chinese holidays, and the consulate shutting down for the 1st week in October. If we did not get the early date, then we would have to wait several weeks and travel during the big trade fair that goes on for over a month and causes the travel rates to sky rocket (by that I mean: what was $150 per night per room becomes $750 per night per room...and we need 2 rooms!). So, instead of jumping for joy and feeling all excited, my heart sunk and I felt a little overwhelmed. :(

Once I recovered from my shock we decided it didn't matter if we only had a few hours to pack, we would make it happen to get to our daughter. We were told to expect a call on Tuesday that would tell the date of our consulate appointment and confirm if we would travel within 36 hours or less. So we pulled up our bootstraps and worked hard over the weekend to get ready for that possibility...crazy times people!

Finally at around 5pm tonight we got the email we would NOT travel this week, but we would have to wait until October...UGH!!!!!! Yes, this is still during the trade fair and the high prices on hotels, but we are assured we will not have to pay $750 per night rooms (agency is still working on that one). The worst part is really that our sweet little girl will have to wait several more weeks to have a family (and we have to wait to get our daughter)...that really stinks. We are SO READY emotionally and physically (really, we were ready to go). I know God has a better plan for us and her, so I choose His plan...but my heart is still sad. Please pray for Hannah as she spends her last few weeks in her home country (as the boys prayed this morning, "Send someone to love her"), and for our patience as we wait to travel over to get her.

Tomorrow we will begin to make plans, book our flights, and we will be one day closer to our date (yes, a real date) and I know the joy will come with all of that. We could use a little joy tonight. It will be nice (now that everything is done) to spend these weeks with our little family of 4, and to make sure our boys' hearts are full and ready for all the changes coming our way. This is going to be a hard trip on all of us. I kind of feel like this is our calm before the storm, and I plan to enjoy every minute of it.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding. That was the scripture of the day that God gave to me today. It was written on the back of a car window that pulled out in front of me this afternoon....I think God is trying to tell me something. :)

Let the count down begin! :o)

Hearts are changing!

With each day that passes, we can understand how our hearts continue to grow to love Hannah more every day (even though we have never met her), but when God started changing the boy's hearts in such big ways it really shocked us...in a good way.

The week before the boys started 1st grade (sniff, sniff) one of them said, "Mommy, I can't wait until school starts!" When I asked him why, I totally expected them to say it was because they were getting excited about seeing all their friends...but I was wrong. Charles said (with pure excitement), "Because after school starts then it will almost be time to go to China!" Then I asked what part of going to China they were most excited about, now totally expecting to hear: 1) Flying on a plane (which they have NEVER done); 2) Staying in a hotel for 2 1/2 weeks; or 3) Daddy not having to go to work (This is definitely on the top of my list). When the answer came out I was shocked; they both answered (in a DAH tone), "Because we get to get our sister!" Oh what sweet words those were to my ears. Just another sweet blessing in all of this. :o)

As the next few days passed God continued to show us how he is working on their hearts. The boys had gift cards to spend at the book store, so the day before school started I took them shopping. They each had enough for 2 books, but as they made their selection and we made our way to the checkout Charles had a change of heart. He passed a jewelry section were he found a little panda bear box with a little panda bear necklace, and he HAD to have it. I tried to talk him out of it, but then he said (looking up at me with tears in his eyes), "But Mommy, I want to give this to her to help remind her of where she came from...I'll put one book back." Well, I had to let him. So with his own money he bought his little sister this sweet gift.



The other change we've seen is how they play. Always walking around with their swords and bow and arrows (ok that's no different than any other day), but now they pretend they are "Hannah's Protectors".



Now if that doesn't make your heart melt then you need to see a cardiologist!

OK, this one is just because it's funny...y'all pray she likes silly boys! :o)

Lemonade Stand

We let the boys have their 1st lemonade stand to help them raise their own spending money for our trip to China.

Oh, the fun they had!

It was SO cute watching them get so excited and wave (with all their hearts) when a car would drive around the corner, and so sad when a car didn't stop...I mean what's wrong with these people who don't stop for two little boys out in this AWFUL Texas heat trying to sell a cup of lemonade for $0.50???
It didn't take long for some of our sweet neighbors to come over with full pockets of money. Now we are in business! :o)

 Oh, the fun they had. We were so proud of them for sticking it out for almost 2 1/2 hrs. during the hottest part of the day (not sure just how hot, but it was definitely over 100 degrees). :~(
It was really cute watching them count their money and get so excited as the tally got higher.
 

The boys made almost $40.00. Divide that by 2, set aside 10% for tithe, and I think they are ready to do some shopping in China (we hear $1.00 can go a long way there).
I think the best part of the experience was listening to the kids talk about how God really blessed them for all their hard work. Mark's exact words, "Mommy, God really does bless you when you work hard, and have a good attitude about it...cause He sure did bless us today!" Love their little God hearts.
What a great memory none of us will ever forget...Thank you God! :o)

Again, we cling!!!!

Psalm 63:7-8 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. My soul CLINGS yo you; your right hand upholds me.

Not sure why we have moments like this, and not really sure sometimes if they are more about me or her. Since last night, I feel those overwhelming emotions bubbling up inside me. Everyone expects us to be over-joyed with excitement for the weeks ahead (and we are), but only those who have gone before us or are in our same boat truly get it. I find myself holding back my true feelings and emotions for fear that someone will think that my faith is weak, that I'm always seeing the negative side, or that I need a pep talk to cheer me up. Have you ever heard that a mother's heart is only as happy as her saddest child? Well, sometimes that's how I feel...for a child I have never met on the other side of the world.

What our daughter will SOON go through is not something you would ever wish upon your child, not to mention what she has already been through. These things are not something I'm worried might happen, but something that has already happened and will continue to happen over the next few weeks and months to come.

True, we sometimes do need to remember that God is in control (He knows and sees ALL); but I still find myself dwelling in those negative and untruthful thoughts even when I know better...but what kind of mom would I be if my heart didn't break for my daughter who will soon be ripped from the only home, "family", "sisters", and bed she has ever known to be put back into an orphanage in the next couple of weeks. We are told this is to help the child have time to disconnect from the foster family, therefore she will bond and connect to us easier when we get her...I see the silver lining there, I really do...but oh how I can't hold back the tears and emotions when I think of it (like right now).

There are a few blogs we follow when I get the chance (which is not that often), but seeing the fear in these little faces, and hearing their cries when their adoptive families come to get them is just heart wrenching. I think to myself, "Who are they crying for?" Sadly, I don't think most of them even know, but they do know that it is NOT for the people who are there to take them...people like us. It's crazy to think that our day of joy we have been waiting and praying for will be her saddest day...more tears. Those of you who have given birth can remember your children coming into the world with a big screaming cry (our's certainly did...especially Mark), but then they are given to their mom and they are instantly calm, secure, and quiet. Well, that is usually the opposite of an adoptive child at the age she will be when we get her (21 months).

So, today, I cling with everything in me to God's promises has given to us -Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." That is what God is doing for her now, so I continue to pray for her and all the changes coming her way. Oh, how I long to see that first smile, hear a big belly laugh, see her hug her big brothers on her own, kiss her daddy, and hear her say that one word that makes me melt, "Mommy" (Chinese or English I don't care) while reaching for me...Me! Until then, please forgive me if I am not as excited as you think I should be...God is just changing my heart to match hers.

Sorry this is not a "feel good" post, but it's what we are experiencing right now.

She has a name, and we have LOA!!!

Well, we FINALLY decided on our daughter's name. :o) Charlie was able to get in touch with a Chinese professor at TCU, who was kind enough to check into the meaning of her name. After looking up the characters in her name, this is what he found: "Qing" means a color like blue, but the Chinese believe it is more beautiful than blue (probably like an aqua blueish-green color). "Chu" means pretty/beautiful.

We were relieved to find out that it had a sweet and kind meaning, yet we had not had the time to think and pray together over whether or not to use it as part of her name. Since we had this last minute trip (just the two of us) coming up, we decided to think it over individually and try and make a final decision when our minds were free to think more clearly.

July 7th we headed to the beautiful Kennebunkport, Maine. Oh, what a blessing this trip was to us in so many ways!

On our last night there we (I mostly, since Charlie was already there) finally got the peace we've been looking for. So here is Charlie and I writing her name for the very 1st time.

Hannah QingChu Campbell. QingChu will be one word (which is how most people do it). "Hannah" means favored by God; Grace, or merciful. It feels really weird to call her Hannah now, yet there is a sweet peace in it too. Yeah, one more major hurdle behind us! :o)

I've been saying all along that God will not grant us our LOA (Letter of Approval/final approval from China) until we come up with a name. We have been waiting on this a bit too long. Well, I was right! Between flights on our way back to Texas July 11th (the following day after agreeing on her name), we got the call from our agency, "Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Campbell, you have been given LOA!" What perfect timing! We were SO EXCITED!!!! This is us getting that call and looking at our approval form online for the 1st time.

We were told to get everything ready because we will travel to get her in 6-8 weeks from now. So, that puts us the last week of August, or the 1st of September. Hearing this semi-final date sent our heads spinning. Not really sure why, it's not like we didn't already know this general time frame. The mental list of all the things still to do before we go began to flood our excited minds. Oh how sweet God was to provide a time of rest and togetherness before we begin this final count down. "We're coming Hannah!"

Changes and decisions. Oh, the decisions!

It's starting to look like another girl will soon be living here. If you ask Charlie he will tell you that his wallet looks like another girl already lives here...but nobody's asking him.

She now has a bed, mattress, bookshelf (our family is obsessed with books), bedding, fabric to make curtains and accent pillows, and a few clothes (sure wish I new her size). It's been a busy last 2 weeks, yet there is still so much work to be done in a very short amount of time. I'll post pictures when it starts to all come together. :o)

Now, the part we could use a little help on is naming this sweet child. We have narrowed down to a couple of names, but the hardest part is whether we keep her Chinese name as her middle name or not. This is a very difficult decision for us since we are having a hard time figuring out the full meaning of her Chinese name (apparently the characters of her name can change the meaning), and not sure if her name was given to her by the orphanage or her birth parents. We are waiting to hear back from an organization who will try and make a call to the orphanage for us with a list of questions. Unfortunately, any day now we must write her new name down on some immigration forms. Most people keep the Chinese name for the middle name, but we have also met people whose children's names meant something really sad. We have no problem giving her a whole new American name....remember that Jesus gave new names to some of his disciples when they began to follow Him. And there were so many others in the bible who received new names from God at a pivotal moment in their life. This is a forever decision and we just want to do the right thing...whatever that is???

Please pray we get answers A.S.A.P.

Our first "Family Photo"

On the last week of school Charles brought home our 1st family photo with his soon-to-be sister in it, so I thought I would share it with you. :o)

Just in case you are wondering, we are baby sea turtles trying to find our way to the ocean. :o) What a beautiful family we are. It's good to see the boys are processing this adoption in their own way. I think they are getting more excited with each day that passes...OK, maybe we all are.