Final Home Visit

Yay! We are almost finished with the home study process!!!

Joe ended up having to go back and redo his fingerprints. We thought it was because of his sweaty hands, but the guy there said it was because Joe works so much with his hands that the lines are hard to read. If everything is turned in by others soon and the prints are good enough, our home study should be complete by the end of next week!

We are meeting with Promise686 this weekend, hopefully. We are excited to get plugged in and also start fund-raising. God has really worked on my heart about pride. I am seeing the blessing that others get when we let them help. We both enjoy the blessing when we help others, so I don't know why it was so hard to receive. I guess I don't want anyone to feel pressured. So, if you would like to get a fund raising letter, let me know. We definitely need prayer warriors. So don't feel bad if that is what you can contribute. Prayers are very valuable!!!

The next step is to work on the dossier. I'm still not sure of what all that entails, but it looks like there are at least 2 forms we have to fill out. One of them is for immigration. We will have to get our finger prints done again, only this time in Atlanta. The cost of the form is $670 and $80 a print. It is pre-approval to be able to bring our baby back to the states with us. The other form is for the US. In their words, "This form is required for most family-based immigrants and some employment-based immigrants to show that they have adequate means of financial support and that they are not likely to become a public charge." This form looks long and complicated. But, there are LOTS of pages breaking it down. I wish they had a Turbo tax-like program for it. HA!

I guess I'll find out more once the home study is complete and we can officially start working with the adoption agency. So, Joe and I get a little break before another phase of paperwork and meetings come along. This is actually great timing, because Joe needs to focus on seminary more, and I am getting to the point of the school year, where I have a LOT of assessments and paperwork to do with my students. Even though this time of year for us teachers is crazy busy, I actually LOVE the time I have with my students. Once the assessments are done, we can slow down and enjoy each other more before they leave me and move up to another grade. It is bitter-sweet.