If it's meant to be yours, it will come back to you.

Each night after that, I opened my computer to input grades for school, only to end the evening with long, meaningful online conversations with the older brother of the two children I lost. Before I knew it, he took center stage in my world.

“What kind of job do you have?” He wanted to know all about my job, my class, and our family.

“I teach bilingual education. I work with second graders the same age as your sister. I have two older brothers, one that lives close by and one that lives far away in another state. My parents live kind-of far, too, in another state.” I asked all about his life, and he enjoyed telling me about himself.

“I am in high school, and I will graduate in November. I also take classes at a local college to learn about the manufacturing of leather goods. I love art, and I want to study fashion design. I am seventeen years old, so I probably won't live here much longer.” He had less than a year left in his orphanage until he began life on his own.

Over the following three weeks, Julian and I grew closer than ever. Each of us thanked the other for loving his siblings. He couldn’t express enough how much they still loved us. He filled in gaps for me, missing pieces of the story. He also let me know about Juan David and Viviana’s progress since everything fell apart, the two children I finally accepted I would never know another thing about.

The kids and I even sent simple greetings to one another once again through Julian.

“Please tell your sister I said hi and give her a hug from me.” And he did.

“My brother wanted me to tell you hello for him. He misses you.” Those words warmed my heart.

Letting go -- if it's meant to be yours, it will come back to you.

When I finally let them go, God gave them back to me. But now instead of two, He gave me three. Abraham's sacrifice came to my mind when God asked me to give them back to Him. Now Abraham's story (Genesis 22:1-13) came to my mind again as I recalled how God gave Isaac back.

“Your full purpose in their lives has not yet been fulfilled. I am not finished with this story. Keep holding on, my dear child.”