It Begins . . .

. . . the home study, that is. We mailed the application (and fee) to the agency that will be doing our home study. There are still some things that need to be accomplished, like fingerprints (Ralph, Edward and me -- yes, Edward, too since he is now 18). We are waiting for one reference letter and then I think that we have all the paperwork that we need to get going. Our social worker's name is Roberta Kalmar and she has been extremely helpful so far via email and the phone. We will schedule our first visit when we return from vacation and Johannah has returned home from her summer ministry at Pinebrook Bible Conference. Since our children fully understand what we are doing, Roberta must talk with them, too. I'm not worried about that at all, since both of our children are in favor of the adoption. I'm more concerned about the dog and what Roberta will require us to do with him. It may mean a vet bill of several hundred dollars to make sure that he is up to date on his shots, etc. We will see!!

BTW, we were able to get the reduction in the fee (see my last post). Praise God for His love and watch care over us and the finances!!