Found this in today's (Aug 4, 2005) Contra Costa Times, it a feel good story: Posted on Thu, Aug. 04, 2005 Newly found sibling thrills adopted girl, couple By Jackie Burrell CONTRA COSTA TIMES BERKELEY - Call it kismet or maybe an irresistible alignment of stars and planets. How else to explain the circumstances that placed two Kazakh orphans -- sisters abandoned at birth with no idea that the other existed -- in the same Berkeley home this summer? John and Robin Dalrymple call it a miracle. "It's all so sudden and miraculous," said Robin, an art teacher and mother of four. "They just hugged each other and cried and cried." Robin and John, the executive director of the Contra Costa Central Labor Council, already had two grown children and a young soccer-loving daughter when they adopted Olya from a Kazakhstan orphanage three years ago. Olya's long blond hair, impish dimples and glowing smile were certainly obvious, but information about her background was scant. There were names on the birth certificate, but no details other than that this was, supposedly, her mother's first pregnancy. "All the records said, 'No siblings,'" said John. "She had no family." But she did. In a staggering twist of fate, 12-year-old Raisa arrived last month to spend the summer in the Dalrymples' Berkeley home through KidSave International's Summer Miracles -- the same program that brought Olya into the Dalrymples' lives three years ago. The family stepped into the breach when the mother of Olya's KidSave host family fell ill. Olya moved in, and that was it. "She decided the day she came that this was where she'd live," Robin said, with an affectionate glance at her daughter. "And we fell in love." Olya learned English, forgot her Russian, and thrived with her new family. Best of all, she had a new sister, Cody Dalrymple, who was the exact same age. Fast forward to summer 2005, when KidSave and the Kazakhstan orphanage were trying to find summer homes for several older children. Coincidences began to unfold. "My wife wrote back and (mentioned) Olya," said John. "They said, 'That's interesting. One of the girls has the same last name. Maybe they're cousins.'" Photos changed hands. "Gosh, she looked familiar," John marveled. Robin was stunned. "If you don't believe in miracles, which I don't, it makes you re-think things," she said. It was goose bumps when Raisa arrived. The resemblance was unbelievable. The hair and eye color are different, but the heart-shaped faces, the dimples and grins are identical. The DNA results were 99.99956 percent certain: Olya and Raisa are sisters. "The DNA guy said you can't have a more conclusive test," John said. "We brought a translator in and told them they were sisters." During the ensuing family celebration, Olya and Raisa disappeared into the bedroom they have been sharing for the summer. John and Robin followed quietly to make sure they were all right. The girls were sitting on the bed, tears streaming. "But they were holding these (Kazakh) dolls," John said, his voice breaking. "One holding the Mommy doll and one holding the Daddy doll, crying their eyes out." A week later, emotions are still running high. Raisa's eyes brim with tears when strangers visit. The rest of the family tries to reassure her, but language is a problem. "She thinks they're going to take her back home," Olya explains. But outside in the sunshine, Raisa's tears evaporate as she plays with Olya and Cody. She has had an endless summer of swimming at Strawberry Canyon, soccer practice and family fun. And if all goes well, Raisa will soon have two sisters. There will be mountains of paperwork. The finances are a big problem -- foreign adoption is expensive. The house is already full. But the alternative is unthinkable. "We're going to keep her," John said. "This is just too much of a good thing." A broad grin crosses Olya's face. "I begged and begged to adopt her," she said, in tones of sheer delight. "And my parents fell for it." Reach Jackie Burrell at 925-977-8568 or [email protected] SUMMER MIRACLES For information on KidSave International's Summer Miracles, which places Russian, Kazakh and Colombian orphans in U.S. homes each summer for a six-week taste of American family life, visit http://kidsave.org. George --------------------------------- Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page