We flew to Corrie's birth province, Jiangxi, into the capital city of Nanchang. (Corrie was actually from a different part of the province called Shangrao, but it was hours away, so we did not get to see it. Maybe someday...) We drove through the countryside, surrounded by beautiful, green terrain and hills. It is a mountainous region. I was kind of disappointed that our helpful guide from our agency kept talking while we drove--I wanted to watch the scenery while we had the chance before we entered another busy city!
Our guide informed us that Corrie and her ayi would probably be waiting in the lobby of our hotel, as they had taken the overnight train and would have already arrived. Sure enough, we saw them as soon as we walked in! We didn't go over to them immediately, though. We freshened up in our room a bit, and then came down for the big moment!
Corrie was so excited to see us. Of course she knew us from the day before, and she had loved playing with Scott so much! I knew she was going to be happy to see us. I didn't know how she would do saying good-bye to her ayi (auntie in Chinese.)
We had prayed and prayed countless days about this moment. We had prayed that Corrie would feel at peace in her heart and just transition into our family like she had always been part of us. I don't know what was going on in her little mind, but that is exactly how it seemed. She came right to us with a smile on her face and never looked back. I hoped her ayi wouldn't feel bad.
Her ayi was so sweet and wonderful. She gave us Corrie's things she had brought--some clothes, snacks and a few things that were special to her, answered a few more of our questions through our guide as an interpreter, posed for some pictures with us, and tearfully stepped aside. She thanked us for adopting Corrie. We were so thankful to her for loving her and the other babies at Morning Star. She seemed like such a sweet lady. I wished I could have spoken to her with no language barrier.
After that, we took Corrie upstairs to our room and began our new life together! She never cried or seemed sad, although when we were showing her pictures that we had taken of her ayi, she looked around and toward the door, no doubt wondering where she was. That was the last time we showed her those pictures or any of her at Morning Star. We'll pull them out again after she's been with us for a little while.
"I'm so happy to see this guy again!!" :)
This picture is kind of funny, but it captures pretty well just how excited she was to see him!
Forever Family!!!!
Tender good-bye...
We are so grateful for this lady and the others who cared for Corrie during her first 6 years. God has special blessings waiting for those who care for orphans!
Checking out the picture book of our family
Bubbles are always a hit, and this time proved to be no different!
Fun stuff!
And, yes, I was there having fun, too!
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