And we're off!

Our formal application has officially been approved! (we had just been waiting on the background check)  So now we are on to the next step: the home study.
We went to our first education seminar last night in Holland where we met our case worker. We are required to go through education/training through each of the three stages (home study, wait for a referral, and before travel). I believe during our home study we just need to complete some training online, but we want to get as much information as we can to try to prepare ourselves for the road ahead. Last night we talked about things adopted children wish their adoptive parents knew and then a group of women who were adopted internationally shared their stories and experiences. A common theme of the night was learning how to support your child while they grieve the loss of the life they left behind. While we know that adoption can be a beautiful thing, we know we need to prepare ourselves for the unique challenges it also brings.So far, we are extremely thankful for the support, encouragement, and all the information Bethany has given us!
We shared before that we were deciding between Columbia and Ethiopia (these were the two countries that we qualified for and we felt most comfortable with). We are strongly leaning towards Columbia, but I don't think we are quite ready to leave Ethiopia out of the picture- I think we are just waiting for that last push from God on where he wants us!

update: if you want to contribute to our adoption story, please send it to Harderwyk Ministries (1627 Lakewood Blvd, Holland MI 49424) with "Koster Adoption" in the memo line. We want to assure you none of it goes to us, but solely to the adoption costs. If there is more than we would need, they will forward any balance to a general adoption fund for other families.