The peace of God

I, Matt, left Ethiopia last night. At 10:05 my mother-in-law, my mother, and myself boarded a plane to come back to the US without our 4 new children. Behind we left my wife and father-in-law who are waiting to bring the children home. Today as I am writing this the birth mother is awaiting her interview at the embassy. It is to be at 6:00 AM our time Wednesday morning. (Prayer point #1) Once that is completed the embassy will finish their evaluation of the case which we pray happens quickly. (Prayer point #2) We will schedule an interview with the embassy as soon as possible. (Prayer point #3) After the embassy appointment is set up Chandra and her father wil take custody of the four children (Prayer point #4) and they will attempt to move the flight up. (Prayer point #5). This will be a significant challenge as moving up 1 ticket is foreseeable, moving 6, must be of God. We started this second trip to Ethiopia knowing full well that we could come home without the kids as there were so many loose ends to tie up. But we knew it was of God. Why, you ask? Why would it be of God to leave your six children at home with friends and family to pursue the other 4 children? Simply put, it comes down to the peace of the Lord. Three years ago we were in a similar situation with Jeremiah's adoption. All air traffic had been shut down in and out of Europe so we had to make a quick decision. Do I go by myself, leaving the rest of the family behind to bring home a baby from across the world knowing I would be late for the embassy appointment even after our own agency had advised us not to go? The peace of God said "Yes, go." In Jeremiah's case the peace started with me. After prayer, I had a compelling from the Holy Spirit to go by myself. After i discussed with Chandra, she agreed and both of us shared this peace. In the fource's case Chandra led out with a nudging from the Spirit that it was right to go. After prayer, I agreed. So, here we sit in the middle of that step of faith waiting for God to move and pull all of the pieces together. But what if He doesn't? What if everything falls apart and all of our best laid plans fail? Was going not of God? Do we judge the truth of the call based on the outcome? Surely not. If the birth mother interview fails, the embassy appointment doesn't happen right away, the plane tickes cannot be moved, or if, God forbid Chandra and her father come home without the children, how do we respond? We will mourn. The depth and breadth of our mourning will be felt by those closest to us but... we will not question what God has laid on our hearts. Whatever occurs mourning or rejoicing we will give God the glory for His purposes have been completed in our lives. Please pray for those areas listed above. God is moving.