Short, but Sweet Adoption Update

First of all, thanks for all the questions about our adoption.  I hate to always be so vague, but still at this point, we have to be.  Nothing is for certain in a Zambian adoption, until you are on the plane leaving for the U.S.!  So this will be short and sweet because that is all we can give right now.  I mentioned the two brothers in a previous blog, and these are the two boys we feel God has for our family-after much wrestling with God about my inability and inadequacy to have 4 children, ages 3, 3, 4, and 4!  And three of these children being boys!!!  Yet, they have captured our hearts and there is no denying our love for them and our desire to raise them as our own, no matter what the cost.  
Here is where we are at with adopting them.  Their mother has passed and has family 11 hours from here, but no one has come forward from that family to care for the boys.  We still may need to get a relative to sign a paper saying they give up all rights.  Our social worker is working on that right now.  We are hoping we don't have to make an 11 hour drive-if you think that drive would stink in the U.S., you have no idea how bad it would be here!  Roads are not what you call straight, nice, necessarily safe or lined with food/bathroom options. :)  We will do it if need be though.
The father has given us permission.  He wants us to care for the boys and is excited for their opportunities with us.  He is very sick and doesn't have much time left, and also says even if he wasn't sick, he doesn't think he could care for the boys.  
Here is where we had a wrench thrown at us.  We took the boys, our kids, and our social worker to see the dad the other day so he could sign the paper, since he had already agreed and all he had asked was to say good-bye to his boys.  We are sitting there outside with all the neighbors in this little shanty neighborhood and they are all so happy and thanking us for wanting to care for these boys, when along comes the dad's sister.  
She hears what we want to do, and basically says no, I don't think so.  She says she doesn't think her brother is in his right mind to decide this.  At first, Mickey and I are thinking, wow, this would be a hard decision for an aunt.  She must really love them and will miss them.  But oh no no no!  This is not the case-come to find out (even though it was kind of difficult since they were all speaking Nyanja), that she never cared for the boys when they were living with their father, she doesn't even help her brother now when he is so sick, and the boys walked up and she didn't even acknowledge them!  The neighbor ladies were trying to convince her, the dad was upset, even our social worker was getting frustrated.  
So, now what?  Well, remember that whole, wait and pray blog?  Yep, back to that.  She wants to talk to her family and says she will let us know on Wednesday.  In the end, her decision may not matter since the dad is giving us permission, but the problem is he is so sick and may not be able to go to court and she would have to represent him.  
There you have it, like I said, short and sweet.  We are resting in God's providence for our family.  We love these boys and want to bring them home with us, but we know that if God has something else in mind, then we will need to be at peace with it.  
Again, thanks for questions, concerns, and prayers.  Please continue praying!  We will update again soon...

Proverbs 19:21

There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.