Back in March, we went to Disney World. Of all the amazingly fun things we did, one of the kid's favorite things was spending an evening playing on a beach at the Polynesian Resort on our last night in Florida. They loved it! The officer decided we need to take the kids to a real beach.
In May, the officer talked to his lieutenant at work. He was discussing going to Destin, Florida or Corpus Christi, Texas. The officer's lieutenant suggested another beach that wouldn't be as commercialized as Destin. He suggested Dauphin Island, Alabama. It's a 14 mile island just south of Mobile Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. If you're looking for a place to shop and do touristy things, this place is not for you. If you are looking for a nice place to relax and play on the beach, it's perfect. The beginning of Jne, the officer booked a house.
Two weeks later after the officer booked our beach vacation in Alabama, I received several comments from a man named Dale on my blog. He was trying to get into contact with me on behalf of his wife, Nikki. Nikki and I were in the same orphanage, Ilmagwon, in South Korea at the same time. You can read how Nikki and I first started communicating here. As we started emailing back and forth, Nikki told me she lived in Alabama. A couple of weeks after we started emailing, I wrote to Nikki and said, "We are going to be in Alabama in September. Maybe we can try to get together." And that started it. Plans were made.
We left on Sept. 11 to visit Ma and Pa in Texas for a couple of days. Our plan was to leave Texas and drive to Meridian, Mississippi to stay the night. Nikki, Dale and their boys would drive down to meet us for dinner. The officer drove the whole day. We got to the hotel around 3:30 p.m. We were supposed to meet them at 4 p.m. I got a text stating they wouldn't arrive until 4:30 p.m. The officer decided to go to a local Harley store. I received another text saying it would be closer to 5 p.m. I thought it gave the officer plenty of time to go to the Harley store and come back. Then I got a text stating they were 18 miles out. I texted the officer and said, "Get back here they are almost here!" I'm a little giddy with excitement. Another text: 4 miles out. Yay! The officer came back with his Harley t-shirt (apparently you have to purchase a Harley t-shirt from every Harley store you visit).
The phone rang, "We are here!" We go down to the lobby to meet them. I first see Nikki walking through the doors. She is followed by her husband, Dale, and two boys. I notice the boys looked like they could be my nephews. They are cute! I give Nikki a hug. People who know me know I don't hug just anyone. It so nice to see her in person after all our emails. Nikki and Dale were bearing gifts. They gave us wonderful cupcakes, delicious bbq sauce, and each of the kids a sack full of snacks. So thoughtful.
We decided to go eat at a local restaurant called Weidmann's.
The restaurant was busy. They were having some kind of show inside the restaurant. The hostess told us they two tables available upstairs, outside on the balcony. It was a little warm and sticky outside, but we said yes. The kids sat at one table and Dale, Nikki, and the officer and I sat at the other table. The waitress passed out the menus. The children's menu was called the Treasure Chest Menu. :)
We ordered our meal and enjoyed visiting. The food was good. Nikki and I took our first picture together. I think we actually look a lot alike. Well... except that she is 5'8" and completely buff. Seriously. How many Koreans have you met that are 5'8"? I'm not even 5'5" on my tippy toes. I can only dream....
The kids got a little antsy, so we decided to go back to our hotel to let them swim. They changed into their swimsuits and we gave them glowsticks to play with in the pool. The pool was small, but they had it all to themselves. It really doesn't take much to entertain the kids. The adults went out onto the patio to visit more.
Dale and Nikki shared more of their testimony. It is not my story to share, but it's amazing. Their story is a story of sin, repentance, forgiveness, mercy and grace. Of course, their story is my story. Their story could be everyone's story. We are all full of sin, but we can receive forgiveness, mercy and grace from God. It was wonderful to hear how God has worked in their lives.
Nikki and I have emailed back and forth several months. We have shared a lot, but she saved one story for when we would meet in person. Nikki said, "Okay my mom told me a story I wanted to share with you. She said when your dad had to go back to the United States your mother stayed in Korea with you. However, your dad wanted her to come back to the US. After a bit, she had to return. Your adoption papers were not finished. Your mom asked my mom to watch you for a few weeks and to bring you back to the US with us. You lived with us for several weeks."
She had already told me her mom remembered my mom and myself, but "What?"
Two little girls from the Ilmagwon Orphanage in Gunsan, South Korea (6,787.2 miles away) born in the early 70s chatting it up on a patio of the Hampton Inn in Meridian, Mississippi 41 years later. Pretty awesome in and of itself. Then you throw in that fact that I actually lived with them for a few weeks.
I spoke with Nikki's mom. She told me basically the same thing. She told me when my mom had to go back to the United States but my adoption papers were not ready. She said she couldn't remember who contacted her, whether it was my mom or the orphanage, but they asked her to keep me for a few weeks and bring me back to the United States. Nikki's adoption papers were close to being ready. Nikki's mom said yes. I lived with them for three weeks. Nikki's papers were ready and they had to come back to the United States. Mine were not. I had to go back to the orphanage until my mom came back. Nikki's mom said it broke her heart to have to take me back to the orphanage.
My mom had told me during that time I had regressed. When she came back, I was 15 months old. I couldn't sit up or stand and I cried a lot. I had boils on back and bottom and I still have scars to this day from those. Before she left, I could at least sit up and had no boils. My mom came back in the fall of '73 and we came back to the United States in late '74.
So there you have it. We were sisters at the Ilmagwon Orphanage. We lived together for a short while. We are sisters in Christ. That is one of the first things Nikki told me about herself. She wrote "we are born again evangelical Christians and so to hear that you were also just made my heart leap with joy." For some astonishing reason, we have found our way back to one another. Our relationship has been one of encouragement. It has also shown me that God ways are mysterious, but always for our good.
My favorite scripture:
Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans for good, not evil, to give you a hope and a future."
See? Now you know why I call her a "sister from another mother."
We talked and shared until about 10 p.m. when their youngest son came outside and said, "Mom, I am really tired and getting sleepy!" They had over an hour drive back home. The time went by so fast. Too fast. The kids changed their clothes and we went to the lobby to take a family picture. We asked the hotel lobby lady to take our picture. I'm sure she thought we were a little strange asking her to take 6,000 pictures with our phones and cameras. Dale told her, "They were adopted from the same orphanage and are meeting 41 year later!" She was amazed. As I still am.
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