Happy Accidents #088 - How a Facebook Post and Suitcases Connected the Dots

This week I've got two incredible (almost unbelievable) stories to share with you. Both about how Serendipity seems to have its way of weaving people together when you least expect it.

These stories involve me my wife Cindy and orphanage in Honduras and a couple of totally random (yet deeply connected) encounters that left us speechless.

It's all about serendipity small world moments and the magic that happens when you're least expecting it.

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Let's dig in, shall we?

SETTING THE STAGE

This is the part of every Happy Accident story where we see every successful outcome starts with the person putting themselves in a favorable position. They work hard, they try new things, they meet new people. They're not just sitting around 'hoping' to be successful some day.

A few years ago, we got involved with Friends of Honduran Children, sponsoring three children at the Nuevo Paraiso orphanage in Honduras.

In 2022, we joined their yearly Brigade to visit the orphanage. The experience would change us forever.

Two of the girls that we met on our first evening there (Nancy and Angie) had graduated out of the orphanage and were now on their own, struggling to get through university. We were having dinner with them and several other kids who had graduated out of Nuevo Paraiso.

Cindy and I were so taken aback by how creative and how joyful they were despite their situation. They were smiling from ear to ear while making incredible origami crafts out of the placemats and napkins at our table at the restaurant. We thought to ourselves, wow these girls are incredible, only to find out how much they're struggling their way to try and make it through each week.

Little did we know how our lives would soon intertwine.

At the orphanage, we were profoundly impacted by the children's love and happiness. Reflecting on our experience, we wondered how we could help beyond sponsorship and brigades.

Then an idea struck.

We decided to partner with Nancy and Angie, helping them start a greeting card business. They'd create handmade cards, which we'd sell in Canada, with profits supporting their education and living expenses.

Then, serendipity took over…

HAPPY ACCIDENT #1

This is the part of every success story where there's a chance encounter, a serendipitous moment, an unintentional discovery (or Happy Accident) that paves the way for the next steps. In some cases, a Happy Accident can even be disguised as something bad in the moment.

Months later, I posted about the cards on Facebook. Surprisingly, someone who I did not know, (but living just blocks away) commented on my post:

Mind-blowing, right?

Someone so close had been to the same orphanage and met the same girls!

Obviously we reached back out to this lady and arranged for when she could come and pick up some cards. She started showing us pictures of Nancy and Angie when they were little girls and told us she was actually there the day that Nancy and Angie and her sister came to the orphanage!

How incredible is that?

HAPPY ACCIDENT #2

Fast forward to 2024. We're preparing for another brigade in December (you can help sponsor our brigade here. Any amount is greatly appreciated!)

During a planning meeting, someone suggested using old suitcases to transport the supplies we collect for the trip. A new brigade member loved this idea and reached out to a random person selling suitcases on Facebook Marketplace.

Again, serendipity was a play…

First of all, how incredible is that?

She just reaches out to this random person who is selling some suitcases. That same person has actually been on nine different brigades down to Honduras through the exact same organization! Again, this very small one employee organization!

That same suitcase she's getting from her (now for free) will now be on its fourth trip to the exact same place!

Wow! Again my mind was blown.

I immediately thought I need to share this feelgood story with all of you everybody reading this newsletter.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Just an incredible turn of events since we've been involved with Friends of Honduran Children. We're just seeing a more and more people coming out that have been involved, sponsored children, or even visited the orphanage on a Brigade.

It’s been fascinating to see Serendipity at work throughout this journey and now it kind of makes me wonder, what's next? What else are we going to encounter? What other strange little threads of randomness and serendipity are we going to witness? What others dots are we going to be able to connect?

I hope you enjoyed this story and can appreciate the incredible awesomeness of both of those happy accidents.

Two examples of chance and serendipity at play. Or maybe not? Maybe something else something bigger? Something divine?

Either way, I hope these stories remind you that sometimes the most meaningful connections come from the most unexpected places.

Happy Accidents Podcast

I shared these exact stories on the Happy Accidents podcast last week. You can tune in and watch them here if you prefer…

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