Full Circle awesomeness

Last week, it all came together.  The full circle.  The moment when the trajectories meet again.  When history and connections and memories show us that our decisions and lives can sometimes lead us back to someone from our past. I was talking to my dad last week about our Haiti adventures.  About our contact, Pastor Thomas Bernard and how much I have enjoyed emailed back and forth with him.
He was explaining to me some of the long family connections and in passing said, "you know some 20 years ago, Grandpa and Granpma sponsored Thomas when he was at the seminary." 
I said, "He's not that Thomas.  The "Israel and Thomas" Thomas!" 
Dad: "Yeah, he is."
Me: Laughing and somewhat in shock...
You see, I've met Pastor Bernard and I didn't know that was who I was communicating with.
If you remember back a few months when this adventure was starting for us I wrote about these 2 Haitian men that my grandparents had taking care of and how I loved them and they are who started my lifelong love for Haiti.  One of those men is Pastor Thomas Bernard and I didn't know it!  We just ALWAYS referred to them as "Israel and Thomas". No last names.
He and Israel called my grandparents, "mom and dad." We would often talk of them over the years and it just never occured to me that the Haitian Thomas that I knew was in fact, THIS Haitian Thomas that I was emailing.
Pretty awesome, right?
So here's a little family tree action...Pastor Louis and Luci started a Lutheran church in Haiti and my grandparents were missionaries there and stayed very close with Pastor and Luci over the years.  Thomas Bernard is Luci's brother.  He started a different Lutheran church 15+ years ago without much support from the states.  His sister-in-law, Josie, runs an orphanage.  An orphanage that I hope and pray we will be able to visit in August and talk with her about adopting from that orphanage.
The connections are pretty cool, huh?