She Wasn't Supposed to Know | Ep. 72

0:01Speaker 1:Even as a young child, Remy could feel she was no longer safe in a country where families were limited to one child and sons were prized above daughters. Her mother had wanted a boy. When Remy's baby brother was born, Remy was sent away and life with her mother ended altogether. This is the Miracle Files. I'm Emily Jones.

0:30Speaker 2:And I'm Holly Worthington. We're two sisters who love a captivating true story, but we're also seeking more light in our lives.

0:38Speaker 1:So we're on a mission to find and share unforgettable, uplifting stories of God's miracles. We hope you'll join us on this journey.

0:49Speaker 2:Welcome back to the Miracle Files. Emily and I live in different states, as a lot of you know, but we just had the best weekend together with our mom and our sister Julie, and our sister and Lama.

1:00Speaker 1:It was just so great. Yeah, it was so fun. And we just want to give a quick shout out to the amazing women in our lives because we love you guys so much. We do, all right, So today's story is so fascinating, and before we jump in, we just want to clarify something You're going to be hearing about a young girl named Remy, and Remy was not actually the name she was given at birth. She was given a different Chinese name at birth, but today she goes by Remy, So that's what we're going to be calling her in this story.

1:31Speaker 2:Yes, and we have so much to discuss afterwards, so make sure you stay to the end. We'll have some interesting information to share. But for now, let's get to the story.

1:40Speaker 1:Let's go for a time, Remy's world was small, peaceful, and safe. Remy lived the first few years of her life in China with her grandparents. Her grandmother cared for her in a way that made life feel predictable and secure, and in those early years, Remy had no question where she belonged. But that stability didn't last. When her grandfather died, everything changed. She and her grandmother could no longer stay where they'd been living, and the only place left to go was to Remy's mother's home. Remy's mother hadn't wanted Remy to begin with. In a country where families were limited to one child and sons were prized above daughters, her mother had wanted a boy. Remy simply by being a girl was not the child her mother had hoped for.

2:35Speaker 1:When Remy's baby brother was born, Remy was sent away. Having Remy back met her mother was in violation of China's one child policy at the time. This could lead to hefty fines known as social maintenance fees, and even job loss. Even as a young child, Remy could feel she was no longer safe. Her mother and unsympathetic, would place Remy on the top bunk of the bed with no rails, high enough that even small movements felt dangerous. Remy would lie awake, afraid to close her eyes. When the fear became too much, she would quietly make her way to her grandmother's bed, trying to find the same sense of security she'd once known. But those moments were long gone. Her mother would come in angry and force her back to the top bunk, and there were other times moments that felt like daggers in Remy's heart. Often in the middle of the night, while she slept, her mother would lift her from her bed, carry her outside, and leave her alone down the street. Then five year old Remy would wake in the darkness on the cold ground, realizing she had been abandoned and have to find her way back to her mother's high rise apartment on her own.

3:58Speaker 1:Around that same time, Remy remembers finding a couple of baby pictures in the apartment and asking her mother who the baby was. Remy knew the pictures weren't of her or her brother, but her mother's answers were inconsistent and didn't make much sense. Perhaps there had been another baby her mother hadn't wanted. If her mother could get rid of one child, would she also get rid of Remy. Any feelings of self worth that Remy once had shattered like jade thrown to the ground, but it would only get worse. Not long after her fears became reality, and life with her mother ended altogether, Remy's mother sent her to live in an orphanage. Even her grandmother could do nothing to help her. The pain was almost unimaginable, and Remy felt so alone. Eventually, Remy was placed in a foster home, but if she was hoping for kindness, she wouldn't find it there. Her The foster mother nicknamed Remy, the Chinese word for dog feces. Remy was never given enough to eat and was often very sick. When she got sick, her foster father would claim it was Remy's own fault because she was bad luck. It was a tough,

5:16Speaker 1:unrelenting life for a child that had already endured so much. But in time, there was one bright spot in Remy's life. Abby. She was a girl Remy had met in the orphanage. She was just a year older than Remy, and the two girls were placed in foster homes next door to each other. Neither girl felt safe or loved. Abby's home was even crueler than Remy's. Abby's foster mother would pinch her cheeks so hard that it left scars. But Remy and Abby had each other, and the two girls bonded over their shared experiences. Before long, they became best friends.

5:58Speaker 1:They walked to school together every day, both navigating a world where they didn't quite belong, and as the years passed, neither of them had any idea of what was quietly beginning to unfold on the other side of the world. Sandra Allen, who lived in Indianapolis, Indiana, was not looking for another child. She and her husband had already adopted multiple children and had reached a point where she felt her family was complete. She also understood all the adoption required the time, the financial commitment, and the emotional adjustment that came every time a new child joined the family.

6:40Speaker 3:So I had no plans to adopt at the time. And I have a friend named Robin, and she was wanting to adopt from China. And Madison Adoption Associates in Delaware had started a new program with China to try and find homes for older kids because the fort was mostly just like base, these are small kids. But they decided to try to get some homes for older orphans and they had about thirty older kids and they had the kids standing all of a room with a microphone and through a translator answer questions. So Robin, you asked me to look at these kids because she was wanting to adopt. So I was like, okay, I'll look at the kids. Which it's hard to look at kids if you're not like one on adopting, because you do feel sorry for the kids. But anyways, I was like, okay, I'll to be supportive of Robin.

7:34Speaker 1:Sandra and Robin watched a video of the kids. One by one, they stood in front of a microphone, answering questions through a translator, doing their best to present themselves to families they might never meet. It was difficult for Sandra to watch. And then she saw Remy, a shy ten year old girl, and.

7:55Speaker 3:I did feel sorry for her because she just looked so scared and timid and like she was trying really hard to do a good job, but yet you could tell she wanted to cry.

8:05Speaker 1:A couple of days later, Robin, Sandra's friend, said something simple, you should adopt her. I'm going to adopt her best friend. Under normal circumstances, that kind of suggestion would have led to a long conversation, careful consideration, and probably hesitation. Sandra had always been intentional in her decisions, especially when it came to adoption, but this time her response came immediately.

8:35Speaker 3:I know it was God because I said okay. That's all I said, was okay, And it was like, so not me.

8:42Speaker 1:When Sandra's husband, Mike came home from work that night, Sandra brought it up to him, expecting a long, difficult discussion. Instead, his response was as unexpected as her own had been.

8:55Speaker 3:And he goes, I'd ask, he goes, nobody else will do it, And they turn that we're out of the room, and I was like, wow, I think that was a yes. Like I was shocked and that was it.

9:08Speaker 1:The next day, Sandra called the agency and committed to adopting Remy. At almost the exact same time other decisions were being made. Sandra's friend Robin had changed her mind. After praying about it, Robin felt a clear answer come. Abby was meant to go somewhere else. Robin was not going to adopt her after all. Sandra's friend Robin had changed her mind. Abby was meant to go somewhere else. Robin was not going to adopt her after all. This news stunned Sandra, and she wondered if she should still go through with her own adoption, but she felt she'd received an answer from God that Remy was meant to come to her home, even if Robin wasn't going to adop adopt Abby. At that point, Remy and Abbey's paths were set to diverge. The two girls who had been so close, who had loved each other when no one else would knew the time was coming when they would be forced to say goodbye to one another. The agency facilitating the adoptions was in Delaware. Children from that program were placed with families all over the United States, and there was no reason to think Remy's and Abbey's lives would ever intersect again. Time passed and the day grew

10:32Speaker 1:closer to when Remy and Abby would be adopted. And then one day, Sandra got thinking about the daughter who was soon coming to be a part of their family. A question lingered in her mind. Sandra decided to join the adoption agency's private Yahoo group to see if she could find out who was going to adopt Remy's best friend Abby. She typed the question on the screen. The response came quickly. A woman named Jan said she was adopting Abby.

11:00Speaker 3:And I'm like, okay, I'm in Indiana. Where are you?

11:03Speaker 1:Sandra wasn't even sure why she asked it. She knew Remy's best friend would likely live hundreds of miles away, but something compelled her to do so, and the response stunned her. Jan wrote back, she was in Indiana too, What were the chances?

11:20Speaker 3:And I go We're in Plainfield, which of course is the suburbs of Indianapolis, And she goes, well, you're gonna love this. I'm in Monrovia. Monrovia is like twenty minutes from Plainville.

11:32Speaker 1:Both women sat at their computers, shocked to discover that they only lived twenty minutes apart. Remy and Abby, the two best friends who were coming from the other side of the world, had been placed unbelievably close, and it felt like more than coincidence. Jan brought Abby home first. About two weeks later, Sandra returned with Remy. When Remy arrived at the airport, Abby and her family were there to meet her. Grateful to see a familiar face, she was also exhausted, overwhelmed, and trying to process everything that had just changed in her life. Sandra brought Remy home and introduced her to her new family, and in an instant, Remy was dropped into an entirely different world, new culture, new school, even a new language, and while she was grateful to be treated kindly and to go to bed with a full belly, it was still a lot to adjust to. At the same time, Abby was adjusting to her new family as well. Nearly a year passed without much interaction between the two girls. Being placed so close to each other began to feel more and more like just a coincidence, and then one night, thousands of people

12:46Speaker 1:had gathered for a fourth of July fireworks display in Plainville, Sandra and her family found a spot and settled in for the evening. One of Sandra's other daughters pointed out that Abby's family was there too, not across the park, not on the other side of the crowd, right behind them. Out of a crowd of seventeen thousand people, the two families had ended up sitting within a few feet of each other. They all moved their blankets closer, spent the evening together, and watched the fireworks side by side.

13:18Speaker 3:I ended up taking a bunch of pictures that night of Ramy and Abbey together once again.

13:24Speaker 1:The situation itself was hard for Sandra to ignore. Two girls who had known each other in China, who had shared a difficult childhood in the same place, had somehow both been adopted into families close enough to run into each other at a local event without planning it. It felt remarkable, but it wasn't until later that night, when the house quieted down and Sandra began looking through the picture she had taken, that everything came into focus. As Sandra clicked through the images one by one, something about the girls sitting next to each other stood out more than it ever had In the moment, it wasn't just that they looked familiar and friendly with each other. It was something more. The realization rushed into Sandra's mind and heart as a cascade of emotions washed over her.

14:12Speaker 3:I download the pictures and it was just like Claire'sabel. Remy was upstairs. I call her down. I go Remykmara, I said, Remy, Abby is your sister.

14:23Speaker 1:The four simple words echoed across the room like a cannon. Remy looked at the pictures, quiet and unreadable. At first, she didn't respond. Instead, she turned and started back up the stairs, as if the statement hadn't fully landed. But a few steps up she stopped. She turned back, looking again, and something in her expression shifted. When she spoke, her voice was soft but steady.

14:52Speaker 3:And she turned back around and she goes, that's the baby. She had this really soft voice with an absent still she goes, that's the baby.

15:04Speaker 1:The room went quiet in a different way after that. For Sandra, the resemblance had already been enough to convince her, but Remy's response brought something else into it, something that reached further back than anything Sandra had known. Remy began to explain slowly, in a way someone does when they are often pulling together a memory that suddenly makes sense. She talked about the pictures she had found when she was younger, the ones she had asked her biological mother about the answers that had never lined up.

15:36Speaker 3:When she told me the story, she said, I find picture she's talking about they'll living with a refman. I find picture. I say, who's this baby? My mom say that's you and Remy say, I know, not me, And she said she had on like a blue bunny outfit. She goes, I find another picture later she's like of a baby in a yellow bunny outfit and I say, this me, who's the And then her mom said that's the neighbor. So Remy had these memories. So when I said, that's your sister, that's why she said, that's the baby.

16:11Speaker 1:Details that had once felt small and confusing now seemed to have a place. Could it really be true that Remy and Abby were sisters? Sandra believed it completely, but it took time before Abby's family was ready to pursue testing. Life continued, with the girls growing into their new environments, building strong relationships with their adoptive families while this possibility remained in the background, but it also didn't go away.

16:39Speaker 3:So after that, I just started telling everybody, like their sisters, I know their sisters. And I was telling Abby mom. I kept saying for like it was late two years. I kept saying their sisters, their sisters. But Abbie's mom Jan did not want to get them tested, like she never would go for it. And so after two years, three year, we were at a Chinese New York party for Chinese adopted kids, and I was sitting next to Abby's dad, Greg, so I'd tell him this whole story.

17:11Speaker 3:I'm like, I know their sisters. So we went home that night. Jane called me and she says Greg said to have him tested.

17:22Speaker 1:Sandra and Remy waited anxiously for the results, and then they came back there. It was undeniable the results. Their hearts had already confirmed.

17:34Speaker 3:And then we tested them and they're like hundred per sisters and they're full sisters. And when you look the pictures, you know their full sisters.

17:42Speaker 1:The miracle of it all wasn't lost on Remy, Abby or their families. Two girls born in China, separated early, raised without knowing the truth of their connection and placed into a system where that relationship could have disappeared entirely, but it didn't. Instead, they find each other anyway, not as sisters, but as friends. They build a bond without knowing why. It feels natural. Then they're separated again, sent across the world through an adoption process that could have taken them anywhere, anywhere, and instead they end up twenty minutes apart, close enough to find each other again, close enough for the long lost truth to finally come to light.

18:29Speaker 1:They're bond unbreakable sisters. For Sandra. There isn't a version of this story that feels like coincidence.

18:38Speaker 3:And nobody knew they were sisters. There was no reason to keep them together because nobody knew they were sisters, so they could have went anywhere, and then they're twenty minutes apart. I mean, I wouldn't even know how to do the math on that. But there's like to go from Guan Joe, nobody knowing their sisters, be given to an agency in Delaware, and then they end up in the suburbs of Nianapolis. I mean, it's just it was God doing it.

19:05Speaker 1:Even the first part of the story would have been enough two best friends from China reunited in America, living minutes apart. That would have been extraordinary. That wasn't the whole story. The deeper truth was something no one had been looking for, something hidden inside a childhood memory that didn't make sense until one July night. Remy and Abby had found each other again and again. And for Sandra, the house and whys may not make a lot of sense, but one thing she knows for sure, it's a miracle from God.

19:47Speaker 2:Wow, what an amazing story. That still gives me chills when I think about these sisters who had gone over seven thousand miles away and found each other.

19:57Speaker 1:I know at some point it stops feeling like coincidence and you just know there's something more. Yeah, and Remy and Abby they're still best friends today. You may be wondering why we didn't have Remy on the show, and it was actually Remy's mom who reached out to us, and Remy's very shy, she didn't feel comfortable coming on a podcast, but she was happy to have her mom share this story. And she also gave us a statement about what her relationship with Abby means to her. And so, Holly, will you read that sure.

20:28Speaker 2:She has always been a sister and a close friend to me, even before we found out we are biological sisters. God is amazing and has kept us close even halfway across the world. I don't think our relationship has changed much since finding out we are biological sisters, since we have always felt that way.

20:45Speaker 1:About each other. Isn't that so sweet? My gosh? I love that.

20:50Speaker 2:It's like they always knew and it's kind of like, as we know, Emily, there is just something about that sister bond.

20:57Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I love that they were friends first. It's like you and I. We are sisters, but we are genuinely friends, and we have so much in common. You know, we eat the same foods and we do we have the same sense of humor. We're both diet coke addicts, both have ADHD. Sorry y'all, it is true, but it makes it like, Honestly, I'm like, if you didn't know we were sisters and we happened to meet on the street, would we figure it out?

21:22Speaker 2:I think we would?

21:23Speaker 1:Actually, Like how could we not? I don't know.

21:27Speaker 2:But what I think makes this story even more miraculous than that they found each other is how they found each other and that they had been part of each other's lives all along.

21:36Speaker 1:Yeah.

21:36Speaker 2:I just think that it's such a sweet mercy from God.

21:39Speaker 1:Yeah. You know, something that I was thinking about is that Sandra's friend Robin, she was the first one to have this feeling like she was going to adopt Abby. Yeah, and then she didn't end up adopting Abby, And I'm like, well, why did she have that feeling? But I really truly believe she had that feeling about Abby so that she could bring Sandra to Remy. And then I also believed that Abby ended up with the family ultimately that she was supposed to be with.

22:06Speaker 2:Yeah, Sandra, I think just needed to have that little nudge and initially to adopt Remy.

22:12Speaker 3:Yeah.

22:13Speaker 2:And then Jan who ended up adopting Abby, had a powerful experience helping her know she was supposed to adopt her. And initially Abby's name in the orphanage was Misty. So here's what Jan said happened.

22:27Speaker 3:She said she was in the shower and she prayed, God, if I'm supposed to get Misty, show me a miss And nobody knew she had prayed that. Jane said her son came running in the bathroom and said, mom, Mom, you got to come out and see the sky. And she said she went outside and saw the weirdest miss in the sky she'd ever saw, and that's why she got Missy Abby.

22:51Speaker 1:It's amazing. I mean, both of these girls went through so much and I'm just grateful that they both have such amazing families.

22:58Speaker 2:I'm so grateful too, and they did. They experienced so many hard times as orphans in China. And here's something that's just is heartbreaking that Sandra shared with us about the perception of orphans in China.

23:12Speaker 3:In China, you're looked down at as an orphan. You're looked down on, like even the teachers think they're bad luck.

23:19Speaker 4:There's parents that don't want their child to sit next to an orphan in class because they think they're bad luck. So Abby and Remy in China, being both orphans, you know, they had that. Remy told us that one time she got the best grade in the class one day and it made the teacher so mad because she was an orphan. He twisted her ear tilt blood.

23:44Speaker 1:So heartbreaking. I mean, imagine being told you're not even allowed to succeed and that you're unlucky. Yeah, it would be so hard been told you're bad luck.

23:54Speaker 2:But it's so beautiful that both Remy and Abby are doing well now and they are successful and are well adjusted. And I'm just so grateful that their mothers listen to God so that these two girls can be together again.

24:08Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree. All right, Well, thank you everyone for joining us today. If you have a sister, pick up your phone, center text, give her hugs, end our message, share this episode.

24:19Speaker 5:Well, and brothers too. We love our brothers too. They're cool too. Brothers too. Yes, we love our brothers too. And make sure you guys subscribe so you never miss an episode. We'll see you next time.

24:32Speaker 2:Thank you for joining us. If you have a miracle to share, contact us at the Miracle files dot com or find us on social media. We release new episodes each Monday.

24:42Speaker 1:Yeah, so don't forget Miracle mondays. Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube for amazing video content as well.

24:50Speaker 2:Join us next time as we discover more of God's miracles, and don't forget to look for his light in your own lives