[mikeintexas]

I just had to post this interesting story that happened to my wife the other day.

She was in the post office with two of our three kids, including our new daughter Julia who we just brought home from Ulan-Ude (in Siberia).

While waiting in line, this man and wife couple were off to the side madly taping up these really big boxes.

The lady from this couple asked my wife if our two kids were twins (indeed, my 2 year old son is as tall as Julia who is almost 6). My wife told the nice lady that they weren't, and in fact the girl was 6 and was just home from Russia.

The lady asked about what region Julia was from.

My wife told her it was way over in Siberia, in Ulan-Ude.

The lady smiled really big. And her husband looked up and smiled.

Turns out, her husband was also from Ulan-Ude!

On top of that, remember those big boxes they were taping up? Well, they were packages for the orphanage that Julia came from!!!

Now... what are the odds of this happening by chance? We live in a college town a bizillion miles away from Ulan-Ude. Unbelievable.

The couple, after years of infertility, is trying to adopt from this orphanage. Wow.

Quite a story... just had to share.

Mike

[SingleMama2B]

WOW - MIKE! See, you just never know! The World is a smaller place then we think! I have not had such a cool experience as your wife did, but I have been able to OPEN some people's eyes to ADOPTION, and explain how wonderful these children are. I will send up a prayer foro this couple that their dream comes true!

[kimber413]

Wow, what a coincidence! Hope you got their names so you can keep in touch. Wouldn't it be fun if they ended up adopting a child that Julia played with at the orphanage?!

[mikeintexas]

Yes, my wife exchanged information with this family. They were still pretty early in the process and hoping to do an indy adoption (which, in Ulan-Ude, is preferable at this point because the local MOE isn't requesting databank slips for nonaccredited agencies). But it would be awesome to have someone in town who she knows.

Mike

[Gina3735]

It is a great story!!!! God has put this couple in your lives for some reason, it would really be amazing if they adopt one of Julia's friends from the orphanage.

[Schnooks]

WOW - that is amazing!
We moved to our neighborhood a little over a year ago - We just "happen" to have a family across the street that adopted 3 from Russia-found out AFTER we decided to adopt from Russia. Then a couple started going to our church and just completed their Russian adoption!

Blessings.
Schnooks

[Vicki H]

Wow, that is so great. I agree I would definately keep in touch with them.

Vicki

[drazil65]

I love stories like that and its amazing how many people come out of the woodwork with some connection to Russia or Russian adoption after you open that door! I agree that there is some reason your wife was at that particular place at the same time as this couple.

[nungesser]

Mike that is truly remarkable. That is really great!!

I had couple of similar things happen, not as dramatic or as close to home or your orphange.

My DW and I hired our egency early in 2004. A few months later I learned that a colleague of mine two floors up was between trips one and two with the same agency. I'd worked with her a little in the past serveral years ago and she is certainly a no bulls&!t operator. When she said great things about our agency, I was more confident that we'd made the right decision.

Just this past Friday I came home from mork and my DW told me that while she was shopping at the Oakbrook Mall outside of Chicago, she ran into cherylanderson3 in one of her favourite stores. What are the odds of that?

Nungesser

[Schnooks]

Hey Nungesser...

How about the odds that I used to work with and now live in the same town as one of your co-workers who I recently told that we were doing a Russian adoption.. hence, he mentioned you (not by name)...

From reading your journals... I put two and two together.. saw him more recently.... asked if "this coworker" just got back from Russia.... and figured out you're the same guy!

Funny!

Schnooks
from Chicago

[Ktates]

Those stories are too cool - it really makes you believe that everything happens for a reason!

[Kendal]

Mike your story gave me chill bumps. Amazing

[mikiment]

Great story! Reminds you of the Red Thread connection spoken of most often in connection with Chinese adoptions, but I think the same principle holds true. We are all connected, and people pass in and out of our lives for a reason. Probably many of us have found out that once we became aware of adoption, we met wonderful folks who could share experiences and info.

Hope you will stay in touch with these folks. I think it's a wonderful added experience when our kids are able to meet/stay in touch with people who have links to their same orphanage. We were fortunate enough to meet some great folks (aclaire) during our trips to Russia (our children came from the same baby home,) and we hope to always stay in contact not only because Stacy and Roman are great people, but also so their Andrew and our Christopher and Alexandra can have the experience of growing up knowing someone else with their same background/roots.

So cool! Thanks for sharing.

[Sally26]

How Awesome!
God works in mysterious ways!

[nungesser]

Very cool. This is like six degrees of Russian adoption, I can't wait to run into Kevin Bacon.