I heard recently that in the Hebrew language there is no word for coincidence. Sometimes in life, there are things that happen that seem to be orchestrated by God, rather than just coincidental. This picture is an example of one of those times where there are too many commonalities for it to be labeled coincidence.
During our adoption process, I began praying that God would connect us with other families who were also adopting from Rwanda. Keep in mind, there aren't that many people yet who are adopting from Rwanda as it's a relatively new program. In fact, Mike & I are the fourth couple from our agency to ever adopt from Rwanda. Our adoption agency is not even remotely close to our home, so the chances of another family working with this same agency seemed remote. Nevertheless, I prayed that God would link us up with other families so that we could encourage one another during the ups and downs of the adoption process, and also so our kids could grow up together.
Shortly before we sent our dossier to Rwanda, our agency started a chatgroup so the families could get to know each other. I signed up enthusiastically. Soon there was a handful of families in our chatgroup, but two stood out to me because they lived a couple of hours from us. Soon our dossier went to Rwanda. Then these two families, our "neighbors", ended up being the next in line to send their dossiers. We waited together and sent encouraging emails to each other through the long days of silence from across the sea. Then, all of us received approval in March, and even more joyous- referrals in April! We are all adopting sons from the same orphanage! The chances are good that we will be traveling together next month to Rwanda. (We are all awaiting court dates and approvals.) How cool is that?
So, we made plans to finally meet these families who've become friends. On Wednesday, we got together for a BBQ and had a wonderful time. The guys seemed to get along well and chatted about sports, books, and movies. Meanwhile, the three mommies, (Mandy, Kelly, & I) talked almost non-stop for hours about our adoption experiences thus far, our preparations for travel, and the longing we have to bring our children home. What a blessing to share this journey with friends!
Thanks Kelly & Corey, and Mandy & James for such an awesome time of fellowship! We're hoping and praying that we'll get to travel with you to Rwanda. And thank You, God, for bringing us together for such a time as this. I am humbled by how abundantly you have answered my prayers.
