A God Story

Ok y'all, I have been sitting on a story here, waiting until the right time to tell it. I had to wait until I shared it with my church before I blogged about it. 

This is single-handed one of the coolest things I've seen God do in both my adoption journeys.

Here's the story:

I am about two months away from traveling to get Fu Chao and Lulu. I have a binder that I have used for both Johnny and Lily's adoptions from almost two years ago, and am now using for Fu Chao and Lulu's adoption as well. That binder has all my step-by-step instructions for my entire adoption process, so I refer to it all the time. 

In that same binder are pictures from when I had sent a cake to Lily and Johnny while they were still in their orphanages. The picture I have of Lily shows her receiving her cake on her birthday in China. She is seated with her foster mother, so that picture has always been precious to me. In the same binder are pictures of Johnny receiving his cake in his orphanage. He is seated with about 6-8 friends. I have asked Johnny many times over the past 1 1/2 years if he knew any of the children in this picture. He always says that he didn't and that the orphanage workers just gathered some of the kids up from the orphanage and brought them in for Johnny's party. 

I haven't really looked at these pictures for a while because I've been busy with our current adoptions. Recently though, I had to refer to this binder for something and one of Johnny's cake photos fell out. I was looking at all the children in the photo, hoping they had all been adopted. When I came upon one child seated next to Johnny, I did a double take, then a triple take, then just stared in shock...he looked just like Fu Chao, who we are adopting in two months. 

I kept thinking...NO WAY...that's not possible...I must be imagining this! I mean...they are seated right NEXT to each other! I showed it to my husband, and although it looked like Fu Chao, we just knew the statistical odds were: 

NO WAY!!!

What are the odds that we would adopt from the same province again, from the same orphanage, from the same gender, age range, and that our future son would happen to be in the same room on that same day, seated right NEXT to my current adopted son (his future brother) and that we would have a photo of this moment????

I emailed my agency and they were skeptical as well, until I emailed the photos to them. Clearly in one of the pictures, the boy next to my son is missing a tooth, and in the referral pic I have of Fu Chao, he is also missing the same tooth. That picture by itself is what made me think that it was more than "kind of looking alike." My rep said the whole office was gathered around her computer and they thought it was worth checking on. She told me there were enough similarities that they would ask the orphanage. They emailed the picture to their in-China rep who then forwarded it to the orphanage staff. 

About a week had passed and I was busy in Tennessee at a Pastor's conference with my hubby. I was sitting in our hotel having breakfast with my husband and some friends when my cell phone rang. It was my adoption agency calling. The minute I saw it was them, I knew. 

I answered the phone and Candy said, "Lisa, we just got confirmation from the orphanage...it's him."

Thank God for a Christian agency because immediately we all saw God's hand in this!!!!

My agency said they had never heard of this. 

I am amazed that God did this...not surprised...amazed...at His goodness...not for me...but for Fu Chao and Johnny. He did this for them. To prove Himself to them, that He is faithful, that He cares for them, He's looking out for them...and that He was putting them together even back then. 

Look at these pictures! If you don't believe in God after seeing this, then there's something something seriously wrong with you!! God's not in the business of coincidence...only providence.

Here is the first picture I ever saw of Fu Chao...see, he is missing that top tooth?

These are Johnny's orphanage pictures from 
Luoyang taken in Jan 2012. Johnny is obviously the one with the birthday hat on, Fu Chao is the one in the orange shirt with yellow striped arms (clown outfit, ha ha)...notice the missing tooth?

Isn't this precious? Fu Chao has his arm around Johnny, so happy for him on his celebration day, not even knowing this was his future little brother and that they would be reunited two years later!! (Btw, that boy in the red jacket...wow, talk about adorable)!!!

How amazing that Fu Chao was seated right by Johnny!! Coincidence? I think not...that's God!!!

I am anxious to see if Fu Chao remembers Johnny at all, or has any stories to share of his time at the orphanage that might include both of them together. But for now, this moment is enough for me!!

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.