I get struck by lightning

    So I checked my facebook account and I had a message from a stranger? Ms Erika says hi, Ricky (remember the other stranger that donated to the yard sale?) told me you guys were adopting. I have adopted four children from EASTERN EUROPE through REECES RAINBOWS! Say what?! that was our original plan. My heart was still in Eastern Europe but we were told it was a terrible place to adopt from. She also says Forever Families is a great home study agency, which we had also heard but didn't choose them because they were not accredited to do Chinese adoptions. I felt the little hairs on the back of my neck go up. This had to be GOD! I called Joey immediately and asked "what does this mean?" He tells me the minute I called he was sealing the envelope for the home study with Datz Foundation. Well, what do you think we should do? He says as he has repeated to me multiple times during this adoption journey, "it doesn't hurt to wait and get more information." We decide to not send the application in and I will talk with Erika.
     I then sent Erika the craziest message ever. It was a rambling of a million emotions. Thanks so much for messaging, your timing couldn't have been better, I have so many questions, we heard Eastern Europe  is terrible to adopt from, we heard you only get older children, we heard you don't get the child you pick, and on and on. Sweet Erika replied back, Call me. I then did something I never do, I called her, in the morning with all my kids running around. Erika was also trying wrangle her children (she home schools as well) they were headed out for a field trip but she graciously talked to me for over 30 mins. She described her adoptions and Eastern Europe with great love. She said many times she would and will adopt through Eastern Europe again. They have gone twice adopting two children each trip. Unlike what we had heard, they were able to adopt the children they had chosen. The process was cheaper and timeline shorter then what we had been told. There were young children. She not only told me her story, but listed at least 10 other families that had had the same experience. As I paced and listened (while my kids followed me around "she hit me" "he called me stupid" "I need a band aid" "mamamamamamamam" "is it lunchtime yet" "I need to poop", now you know why I don't make phone calls unless it is naptime) I became more and more excited! I couldn't wait to talk to Joey. I called him right after hanging up with Erika and told him everything she said. He agreed that this sounded exactly like what we originally wanted to do.
    One of the major things we also felt convicted about was adopting a downs syndrome child. I had originally felt God calling us to that, but when Joey wasn't sure, I just let it go. All of Erika's adoptive children have DS and she was even so bold to say she sometimes wishes all of her kids had DS. She explained what a wonderful addition her kids were to her family. Joey admitted later that night that although he felt a hesitation with a DS child it was more the long term issue. These children will probably live with us the rest of our lives, or need some form of financial assistance. However, he said after looking through all the medication conditions for the China adopting (missing limbs, cleft lip/palate, and crazy long words like arthrogyposis) He had the most peace with DS.
   We felt like we were starting over but in the right way. As I drove to work that night with lightning flashing all around me (I later learned I probably drove through a tornado) I praised God for working through these "strangers" to show us His will for our adoption. I was totally energized, I felt like I had been struck by lightning. That night at work I was able to browse the Reece's Rainbow site. There are about four little beauties that Joey and I are inquiring about. We are waiting to hear from the Eastern Europen facilitator to see if any of the little ones are in the same orphanage, if so we will commit to two.   I have never been more at peace and excited about our adopt. I can't wait to hear back and see which little ones will soon be our little blessings to love. For now we begin again filling out mountains of paperwork.