OUR JOURNEY, PART ONE

Sorry everyone for my very delayed blog post.  It is Saturday night in China around 8pm.  We are so happy to be here and very blessed for those who helped us to be here.  Our journey started at noon on Tuesday. We drove from Birmingham to Atlanta.  From Atlanta we flew Alaska Air to Seattle.  We had an overnight stay in Seattle (yay for frequent flyer miles! free hotel room).  We stayed at the Marriott close to the airport. For anyone coming behind us the Marriott has an airport shuttle that runs every fifteen minutes so extremely convenient!  We left Seattle around 1pm on Wednesday on our Hainan Airlines flight to Beijing.

With the time difference and crossing the international date line we arrived in Beijing after an eleven hour flight on Thursday around 3:30pm.  I highly recommend Hainan Airlines.  The plane was a Boeing 787.  We flew economy and had a wonderful experience. The flight attendants were more than attentive. Each seat had a screen with a handheld device.  You had your choice of movies, games, e-books, language instruction, tv shows, music, etc.  This was a HUGE blessing as it helped the girls with staying entertained.  Our girls all did fabulously on the flight.  Even little Maya Grace did well.  As we landed this emotional momma started crying.  My girls were back on the land that gave birth to them and their ancestors.  Thankful they can once again be "home".  A surreal moment was when we landed in Beijing and as everyone was unbuckling, standing, and obtaining their carry-one luggage music started playing on the airplane intercom! Nothing other than John Denver "Country Roads" started blaring!  I started cracking up.  I was delirious with exhaustion at this point so crying and laughing at once seemed normal.

We had a four and half hour layover in Beijing. The airport is massive and it is most interesting when you are probably one of ten non-Asians in the entire airport. You have your Asian child on a "leash" (ok it is a cute little stuffed doggie back pack with a plush attachment that you hold in your hand but still works as a "leash") to keep her from running away! We opted to not bring a stroller and only the "leash" and Ergo carrier.  Nothing like fully realizing the change in cultures when people literally stop and stand and just stare at you. Completely normal in the great P.R. of China!  Oh and I must mention that right before boarding - my child on a leash who has just become potty trained, Anneli, and I found a "family restroom".  We all pottied, washed our hands, and well then realized we could not open the door!! The door handle was broken.  As panic set it I started knocking on the door as loudly as I could.  A janitor type man started yelling in Chinese obviously trying to give me instructions.  He finally was able to get the door open! As I was knocking Anneli was scouring the bathroom for a "hidden passage".  Love that kid!

We also flew Hainan to Guangzhou.  Smaller plane but still wonderful service. We finally got to our hotel about 2am on Friday morning.  YAY for more frequent flyer miles from our last trip! We stayed at the Pullman Guangzhou Hotel which is connected to the Guangzhou airport.  It was very convenient IF you knew how to actually get to it! We could clearly see it from the airport but HOW to get there was the QUESTION of the hour!  Arriving so late/early whichever you chose to call it many exit gates were shut down.  The signage directed you to gates which were closed! Oh and then through in the construction which had areas blocked off.  We asked several employees how to get there and were given different directions by all.  Obviously the language barrier was an issue.  We were told to go "upstairs".  We did! A guard immediately stopped us as we were trying to exit the elevator and said "no". We finally found someone who could direct us after wandering with three extremely tired children at least thirty minutes.  We checked in at the hotel and got to the room to find that there was only one king size bed for five of us.  We were too tired to even care! A shower had never felt so good! I pulled the foot stool up to the chair in the room,  piled it with pillows and made Anneli a make shift bed.  The other four of us slept in the big bed.  Kudos to our adoption agency guide! We had only been in the room for about 15 minutes when she called to make sure we had arrived safely.  She had set an alarm to wake up and call us.  Sarah ROCKS!  We planned to meet her later in the day to visit Maya Grace's orphanage.
Photo in the hotel lobby - Everything is decorated for Chinese New Year and it is beautiful!

Next post - Maya's Orphanage Visit

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!

ONE week from today we begin our journey to China to bring home Allyson Kate JingXin Campbell!  She will officially join our family on 2/10.  She will make #7 for our family! She is officially the caboose of our nuclear family.  I have said that before but sure of it this time. We will be complete.  My husband had NO idea what he was getting into when he married me in June, 2000.  He had one daughter then and now will have 6 daughters and 1 son and four grandchildren!

We need many prayers and positive thoughts sent our way.  Jing Xin lived at an orphanage from the time of her birth until she was three years old.  She was then sent to live at a group home where she remains.  She will be taken away from every single thing she has ever known.  We do not know anything about the home where she is living so we do not know the type of care she has been given.  She will be taken away from her caregivers, housemates, classmates, friends, familiar food, sights, smells, language, faces, etc. - anything that is current "security" to her and "familiar".  She will enter an unknown world. I look at my Anneli who is only eight months younger than Jing Xin and picture this happening to her.  I can't even imagine the grief, trauma, confusion, and turmoil she would experience. A part of me feels like I will be "kidnapping" her from her life.  In spite of this I know that God fully intended for her to be a part of our life.  There was clearly divine intervention with us being led to her.  I have shared the details with those very close to me. We know this journey in the beginning will not be easy.  We do not pretend that it will be.  We know that God will equip us with what we need.  Leigh Anne if you read this we will likely be calling you friend for professional guidance.  Mrs. Sue we will likely need you on speed-dial for translation.

We need prayers for patience.  We will be traveling with our three girls and then adding Ally Kate. As many of you know Billy's mother passed away while we were in China adopting Maya Grace in December, 2012. Since we did not have Maya Grace's visa to enter the USA yet and to change our airline tickets would have been astronomical he was not here for his mother's funeral.  He said his mother was gone and he knew she would not want him to leave us alone in a foreign country. He was raised in a single parent household and was extremely close to his mother.  To say he "worshipped" her is not an understatement.  He is still grieving her death as we were not able to have closure as most do when someone passes.   I wanted to travel alone with one of the big girls to China to bring Ally Kate home but he stated that he could not emotionally handle being separated from any of us for such a great distance. He said that he could not risk something happening to one of us and him not being there.  He said we would all go or no one would go.  Due to his strong feelings it was a battle I chose to not try and fight with him. We will be on planes, trains, and automobiles in a very crowded country and in one hotel room which will be very crowded!  I am thankful that my girls will have the opportunity to once again visit their native country and immediately begin the bonding process with their new sister.  We feel it will also make Ally Kate's transition easier by having them there.  We have plans to visit Maya Grace's orphanage the day we arrive in China since it is near the Guangzhou airport.

As most of you know as well this was a HUGE MAJOR leap of financial faith for us.  There are not sufficient words to express how thankful we are for those who have helped us to work toward the $30,000 that was needed to bring Ally Kate home.  We are proud people and do NOT ask for help at all.  We are very self-sufficient.  This process has been extremely humbling and totally out of our comfort zone.  I worked as a social worker for 17 years.  I am the GIVER and not a TAKER.  I have had to realize this is NOT about us at all.  It is about a little girl who has lived almost 9 years without a family. It is about a little girl who has no future in her home country due to her disability. At this point we have everything we need except for $6200.  We started our fundraising efforts in June, 2013 and to be in need of only $6200 is a testament of God's provision.  So many have helped us in various ways - financial donations with a very large one being given by a complete stranger last Friday, donations of items for our auctions, consultants have given us their profits from direct sale on-line events, bids in our auctions, a sweet friend sent me a box of new clothes for Ally Kate, many bought our T-shirts, dollar drive, etc.  Billy worked extra jobs.  I did craft fairs, sold my Usborne Books, Thirty-One, Trades of Hope, and Young Living Essential Oils, etc.  Little by little the money has come.  I compare it to the five loaves and two fish in the Bible that God multiplied to feed a crowd.  Matthew 17:20 also comes to mind "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."  The money to bring Ally Kate home was our "mountain" it has been moved. 


There are those who disagree with fundraising in adoption.  This was posted today and I love the words - 
 “When a family seeks help in raising funds for an adoption, it’s not like asking people to pitch in toward a new boat, or help pay for a vacation. What they are doing is committing to heal, with God’s help, a child who has suffered the profound damage of being unwanted and unloved. They are obediently living out the command given in James 1:27 to care for the orphan, clothing the gospel of Christ’s redemption in flesh and blood and now. When they ask for the body of Christ to come alongside them financially and prayerfully, they are giving us the opportunity to be a part of the miracles God works through obedience.” -Ashley Paradis Moreno


We are still in need of $6200 to be fully funded. Adopting two children in a span of 14 months has cost $60K.  Our yearly income is only slightly over that amount.  We live extremely frugally and can easily absorb the cost of caring for another child on a day to day basis but the amount to bring them home has required us to call on our "village".  If anyone who reads this would like to help us reach our final need  by making a tax deductible donation you may do so here - http://reecesrainbow.org/63380/sponsorcampbell-2 . A direct donation may be made to our paypal account at ajajd464@bellsouth.net . We are not told who donates into our Reece's Rainbow FSP so if we do not thank you personally please do not be offended.  Blessings to all of you!

Ally Kate/Jing Xin - We will see you in less than two weeks!!

December/Early January Update

Sorry for the late post from December.  Life... well ... life was a little crazy.  My two older girls danced in a Nutcracker performance which took up many days and nights.  We fundraised with a T-shirt sale and auction.  Then our sweet Maw-Maw (my former mother in law) passed away the week before Christmas.  She was the grandmother two my two older children and a major grandmother presence in my younger children's lives.  We greatly miss her but know she is in a better place.  We know she this is just a brief separation and that we will see her again one day! 

MAJOR progress in our journey to Allyson Kate! We received a copy of our pdf and approval from the National Visa Center.  This approval plus a form called the DS-260 was then sent to the Chinese Consulate in Guangzhou.  This requires an approval which is to be picked up on 1/7.  The final step will then occur. We will await travel approval from China! At this point we are expecting travel in early February. Chinese New Year occurs on 1/31.  This is China's major holiday so we will have to avoid that travel time due offices being closed. Beside that it is said that Chinese New Year is the largest migration of people in the entire world each year.  Think us slow moving Southerners need to avoid that too! 

We sent our Chinese visa applications off last week.  We should have those back the week of 1/12. Sending those off REALLY made it seem REAL! We also were able to send a care package to Ally Kate last week. We can't wait to hear that she has received it and knows that we are coming for her. This sweet little one will have lived eight years and 11 months without a forever family.  

We ask for prayers for Ally Kate aka Jing Xin and for us as well.  Ally Kate will leave everything she has ever known in her life. She will leave her group home, foods, friends, school, language, smells, sites, etc. She will see new faces, a new country, a new language, different food - every single thing in her comfort zone and in her life will change.  While we have been preparing months for her and anticipating the excitement of her joining our family she has been living her life as she knows it.  We pray that God will prepare her heart to receive us and that her grief will be minimal.  We pray for wisdom, patience, and understanding as we walk with her on her grief journey and adjustment to all of the upcoming changes in her life.  

I will not list our fundraising link efforts on this post but do want to thank those who have reached out to help us.  While we can easily absorb the day to day cost of caring for another child we did not have the $30,000 in fees which are required by various entities to adopt her.  We have been BLESSED with $5,200 in grants - $4200 from our agency and $1000 from Trades of Hope.  We have been BLESSED with Facebook friends who have offered to do direct fundraisers for us and donate their profits. We have been BLESSED with friends and family who purchased items through these direct fundraisers.  We have been BLESSED with donations into our Reece's Rainbow FSP and in our Project Hopeful account.  One sweet former homeschool friend sent us a check for $100! We were BLESSED and surprised the week of Christmas with a monetary gift from local homeschool friends which allowed us money to pay for our Chinese visas.  We were BLESSED with those of you who donated items to our auctions and those who bid on these items! We were and are being BLESSED by those of you ordering T-shirts.  Yesterday a box full of new clothes from Crazy 8 for Ally Kate showed up at my door which were sent by another China adoptive family!  This family recently lost one of the children that they adopted and are grieving.  For them to reach out to us really touched my heart.  I am BLESSED by those who ordered through our Amazon Affiliate link.  I am BLESSED that my husband will work every second of the day that he is given the opportunity to provide for our family.  I am BLESSED that my girls are willing to make material sacrifices to help bring their newest sister home.  I pray that they will always keep their servant's hearts and be mission minded. 

Those of you who know me personally  know that I worked 17 years as a social worker. I am a GIVER.  Being in the TAKER role is NOT anywhere on my radar.  I started supporting myself when I was 18 yo and  have very rarely in my life asked anyone for anything.  I am fiercely independent.  God has shown me that it is "ok" to lean on others through Maya Grace's adoption and this adoption of Ally Kate. It is difficult for me and so very humbling.  I have set my humility aside so that this orphan can have a forever family. God placed her before us and we are obeying His calling.  We know adopting an older child will be a challenge.  We do not pretend that it will not be.  We know God's grace and mercy will get us through whatever we face. We thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers and support.  Blessings and Happy New Year to you all! 

MAJOR PROGRESS!

For those of you who missed my Facebook post yesterday I will share here.I received an email yesterday (which also by the way was my husband's birthday!) from our agency!  The email stated that our dossier had been reviewed and that our LSC (Letter Seeking Confirmation) also called LOA (Letter of Approval) had been issued by China and is on the way to the USA!  This means that China has officially approved our family to adopt Ally Kate!  Once again God's perfect timing - to learn of this news on Billy's birthday!  Billy Daddy is going to have to start getting the bunkbeds ready!  He is looking at plans to build some!

For those not familiar with international adoption proceedings I will describe the next steps.  The official LSC will arrive at our agency.  We sign it and a copy along with the proper form is forwarded to USCIS.  There are two steps with USCIS.  The first is permission to bring an orphan into the country.  Then once you are officially matched by China to your child then you ask to bring the specific child into the country.  We will do this latter step now. Once USCIS approval is received this is forwarded to China.  At that point China will issue TA/Travel Approval.   An appointment is made with the US Consulate and plans to travel are made.   Chinese New Year is 1/29/14 and travel around that time is very expensive.  We will work our plans around that date to travel during the most economical time frame.

As most of you know this adoption is a huge leap of faith for us financially.  If you feel led to help us we have the following on-line fundraisers going on now.  You order directly through these links and items will be shipped directly to you.  Great time to get some Christmas shopping done!  Humbling to ask others to help us but it is about this little girl having a home and a forever family.  We have had to put our pride aside.  And everyone has to shop somewhere right?

1) Usborne Books - https://w3493.myubam.com/25448 (ongoing)

2) Trades of Hope - http://www.mytradesofhope.com/parties/1433 (ongoing)

3) Thirty-One - http://www.mythirtyone.com/35081 (ongoing)

4) Scentsy -  https://melissamichele.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Home?partyId=206098212 (ending 11/30)

5) Young Living Essential Oils plus other organic products - https://www.youngliving.org/ajd464 (ongoing)

6) Wildtree Organic Food Products - http://www.mywildtree.com/shop/catalog.aspx?eventId=E96653&from=DIRECTLINK (ending 11/26)

7) Just Love Coffee - https://justlovecoffee.com/toguangzhouwego (ongoing)

8) Pasta Fundraiser - http://www.funpastafundraising.com/shop/adoption-fundraiser (ongoing)

9) Tastefully Simple - Food Products to lessen your time in the kitchen - https://www.tastefullysimple.com/secure/pomm/SpecialInvitation.aspx?pxid=3574383&key=9170776c-352c-4cd2-aad3-cae5a796a761 (ending end of November) 

10) Tupperware - http://order.tupperware.com/pls/htprod_www/!twx$eparty_ctl.p_guest_welcome?pv_eparty=d66b60404384b1d6a7fff1436849b222 (ending 11/30)

Wow! Did not realize there were so many! Coming in December - Lilla Rose Hair Jewelry Part Deux! Paprazzi Jewelry! Ava Anderson! Custom Designed Adoption T-Shirt Fundraiser! 

We also have an Amazon Affiliate link. We receive at least 4% of any order placed on Amazon through the link.  http://www.amazon.com/?&tag=aredthrandthr-20&linkCode=wsw&

If you do not need any of the above and would still like to help us we have two tax deductible donation accounts:

1) Project Hopeful - https://www.egsnetwork.com/gift2/?giftid=B7E6A0CFFC21463

2) Reece's Rainbow - http://reecesrainbow.org/63380/sponsorcampbell-2

3) Paypal - ajajd464@bellsouth.net 

Thank you all for your support and prayers!  If anyone reading this needs help fundraising please let me know and I am happy to help you.  

VITAMIX GIVEAWAY!!

I have many friends who LOVE their Vitamixes and/or would love one that I decided to allow one of them to have the chance to be blessed!  For a $10 donation you will receive 1 entry,  2 for $15, and 3 for $20!  Drawing will be held on Sunday, 11/24/13 at 9pm Central.

                Vitamix TurboBlend Two Speed

Color: Black

Super-efficient 2 peak horsepower motor Oversize, 64-ounce container Locking lid design for easy removal Patented tamper tool for processing thick ingredients and to prevent air pockets from forming Full color recipe book with over 160 recipes This machine runs on 120 volts I will have this shipped directly to the winner!  How to Donate - You may donate via paypal - ajajd464@bellsouth.net.  You may make a tax deductible donation to our Reece's Rainbow account here - http://reecesrainbow.org/63380/sponsorcampbell-2  or to our Project Hopeful account here - http://projecthopeful.org/matched-families/campbell-family/ . If a donation is made into one of the two accounts please forward the receipt to me at ajajd464@bellsouth.net . I am not notified when a donation is made so this is the only way I will know.   Please Note - In the event there is not enough money donated to pay for the item the winner will receive an Amazon gift card in one-half of the total amount collected.  Thank you to my friend Lisa Tucker for offering this suggestion!

UPDATE ON ALLY KATE!

We had asked for an update on Ally Kate in July and just received it on Monday night.  We are so excited to have updated photos of her.  I want to go get her TODAY!! I will share photos first and then will share the written information.

If there was any doubt that she was NOT meant to be our child this statement about her should remove all doubt! "Her most favorite activities are DANCING, ......".  Yep, she is our child.  My other girls live and breathe ballet.  Interesting that Maya Grace's paperwork said, "She loves to dance.  She hears music she starts to dance".   She is a tiny little one for her age as she will be 9 yo in March.  She only weighs 37 pounds and is 45 inches tall.  In comparison Anneli is eight months younger than Ally Kate and she weighs 52 pounds and is 48 inches tall.  Anneli is slender and small related to her American counterparts.  It was also reported that  - She is going to the 3^rd Grade and she received award for high scores in Chinese and Math final tests last fall. She only knows the 26 English letters. She has just started taking English class.

At this point we are estimating travel in February! Please keep us in your prayers and sending positive thoughts our way.  We are praying that God will prepare her heart to receive us as her family.  Imagine taking your eight year old child away from everything he/she has ever known and suddenly placing them in a completely new country, different food, language, all new people, etc. She will have grief. Also praying for God's provision as this is a huge leap of faith for us financially. 
 

DTC - For Those Who Do Not Know DOSSIER TO CHINA!

We learned on 10/3 that the needed updates for our dossier were sent to China on 10/2!  This means that in 1-2 weeks we will receive a LID (log in date).  The next step will be for China to send us our LSC (Letter Seeking Confirmation) which gives us official approval to adopt Ally Kate.  We are praising God for each step ahead!  Guesstimating travel in February!

We continue to have on-line only fundraisers to assist us with fees.  For those who are interested I will list a few below:

1) NEW - Pasta Fundraiser  - You have to take a look at this site! They have the cutest and most unusual pasta shapes which would make a meal event especially fun! We receive 40% of all purchases! http://www.funpastafundraising.com/shop/adoption-fundraiser

2) NEW - Discovery Toys - Awesome developmental toys for all ages! Perfect for holiday gifts!  http://www.discoverytoys.com/publicstore/event/16985/AM/default.aspx

3) NEW - Lilla Rose Hair Jewelry - Perfect time to purchase hair accessory items to dress up your holiday outfits and for everyday wear!  These would make great birthday gifts and stocking stuffers too! http://www.lillarose.biz/parties/2687