Well, what a busy week it's been! Jack Everett had his immigration physical on Monday 11/14 and we received word to request his Visa appointment as well! This was big news...we have been waiting to make this request for a while. It's one of those things you just highly anticipate because once this is done, you know you will receive a "travel date"...and we did! Jack Everett's appointment will take place on 12/7 at 8 am in Taipei, Taiwan!! What does this mean...it means we have started booking our trip to bringing our son home. We will leave Jackson on 11/30 and return home as a family of 3 on 12/8! Praise the Lord!! We could not be more excited and happy. Our hearts are bursting with joy!
We can't wait for everyone to meet him and we can't wait until we can post pictures of his sweet little face! Oh, he has his first tooth! A lot of you have asked about greeting us at the airport when we arrive home, and we would love this. However, we will not arrive home until 11:50 pm on the 8th....that's kind of late. But, if you want to come, then we will be happy to see you and I know you'll be happy to see Jack Everett too :)
Thank you all again for continuing to think about us and pray for us. We are so thankful to have such wonderful family and friends in our lives. We love you all! Please continue to pray for us as we make this journey to Taiwan.
I look forward to my next post including pictures of our trip and our new family of 3!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sherra
"I will give to the Lord the thanks due to His rightness and justice, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High." Psalm 7:17
Lilypie Waiting to Adopt tickers
Friday, November 18, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
To God be the glory!
So, as most of you already know, we received our final decree on Tuesday! Jack Everett Williams is officially and finally our son and we could not be more excited!! David's birthday was Monday...yes, he's a little halloween goblin, and what a wonderful birthday he had. Monday night we enjoyed trick-or-treating with our nephews and spending time with our family and friends. It was a great evening. To add to the great night, our dear friend Lenora who is in Taiwan visiting her son Asher sent us lots of pictures of Jack Everett, and even a video of him saying "da da"....what a sweet gift that was to both of us, but especially David! Lenora and her husband Chad, live in Tupelo and Lenora is in Taiwan on her way home from a mission trip to Malasia. They hope to travel very soon also. Please keep them in your prayers. David and I are so excited that they live in MS and look forward to getting together with them for play-dates with our two handsome boys!
Now, what happens next? When will Jack Everett be home? Great questions, that we wish we had a for sure answer to. BUT....now we...guess what?...WAIT. Yes, the infamous words of adoption...wait, wait, and wait some more :) We are waiting on Jack Everett's immigration physical to be scheduled and then we will be able to request our immigration appointment. We are still hopeful to be with him by Thanksgiving, but of course would love to board a plane any minute now.
It is so hard for David & I to express the true amount of excitement we have inside of us about this whole journey. Even though, sometimes it is not easy, we could not be more thankful to our Father for choosing us to adopt His children. We were just talking about this today...adoption is so special to us and the feeling I get inside of me when I talk about it or even think about it, is an emotion of so much excitement, that I feel like it could burst out of me! It's such a powerful emotional feeling! As a friend of ours said to me not too long ago, it's a God thing, and it truly, truly is. He has been with us the whole time and will continue to be. He has already led us to this journey and we could not be more thankful to Him for that. We have met so many great families and we look forward to the future with them. The bond we have is so special! We feel He will lead us to others whom He as also placed adoption on their hearts...in fact, He already has.
At first, I didn't talk much about what all we were doing, because I just didn't want so many people a part of such a personal journey. The day we ran all over Jackson on our notary journey, I felt a strong urge to post our picture at the Sec. of State office. I thought to myself that maybe there are other families thinking of adoption, and don't really know how to start the process....We sure didn't. Mississippi is such a small state and you just don't hear much about adoption, especially International adoption. So, I decided to start "blog stalking" and came across a wonderful blog that caught my attention. I facebooked the guy that writes the blog and he became our saving grace. It is because of him and his wife, whom share the same passion we have for adoption, that David & I were able to purse our private adoption....and we are forever grateful to them! They are such a precious family, and their 4th son was just born last week...we will get to meet him when we travel...he's an absolute doll :) All of that to say, once I posted on facebook about our adoption, immediately I had a few people contact me about also wanting to adopt. This Friday night, we look forward to meeting with one of these families and sharing our story and journey thus far!
I want to thank all of you for praying for us and sharing in our excitement. We are constantly asked about Jack Everett and we can not wait for all of you to meet him. He is one special boy, and is loved soooo much. I can't wait to see what God does with his life and what He continues to do with ours!
Thank you Father for everything you do! Even though it may not be clear sometimes and sometimes we don't understand, we know that you always know! We trust in you and believe in you! Thank you for loving us unconditionally!!
Blessings,
Sherra
Now, what happens next? When will Jack Everett be home? Great questions, that we wish we had a for sure answer to. BUT....now we...guess what?...WAIT. Yes, the infamous words of adoption...wait, wait, and wait some more :) We are waiting on Jack Everett's immigration physical to be scheduled and then we will be able to request our immigration appointment. We are still hopeful to be with him by Thanksgiving, but of course would love to board a plane any minute now.
It is so hard for David & I to express the true amount of excitement we have inside of us about this whole journey. Even though, sometimes it is not easy, we could not be more thankful to our Father for choosing us to adopt His children. We were just talking about this today...adoption is so special to us and the feeling I get inside of me when I talk about it or even think about it, is an emotion of so much excitement, that I feel like it could burst out of me! It's such a powerful emotional feeling! As a friend of ours said to me not too long ago, it's a God thing, and it truly, truly is. He has been with us the whole time and will continue to be. He has already led us to this journey and we could not be more thankful to Him for that. We have met so many great families and we look forward to the future with them. The bond we have is so special! We feel He will lead us to others whom He as also placed adoption on their hearts...in fact, He already has.
At first, I didn't talk much about what all we were doing, because I just didn't want so many people a part of such a personal journey. The day we ran all over Jackson on our notary journey, I felt a strong urge to post our picture at the Sec. of State office. I thought to myself that maybe there are other families thinking of adoption, and don't really know how to start the process....We sure didn't. Mississippi is such a small state and you just don't hear much about adoption, especially International adoption. So, I decided to start "blog stalking" and came across a wonderful blog that caught my attention. I facebooked the guy that writes the blog and he became our saving grace. It is because of him and his wife, whom share the same passion we have for adoption, that David & I were able to purse our private adoption....and we are forever grateful to them! They are such a precious family, and their 4th son was just born last week...we will get to meet him when we travel...he's an absolute doll :) All of that to say, once I posted on facebook about our adoption, immediately I had a few people contact me about also wanting to adopt. This Friday night, we look forward to meeting with one of these families and sharing our story and journey thus far!
I want to thank all of you for praying for us and sharing in our excitement. We are constantly asked about Jack Everett and we can not wait for all of you to meet him. He is one special boy, and is loved soooo much. I can't wait to see what God does with his life and what He continues to do with ours!
Thank you Father for everything you do! Even though it may not be clear sometimes and sometimes we don't understand, we know that you always know! We trust in you and believe in you! Thank you for loving us unconditionally!!
Blessings,
Sherra
Friday, October 28, 2011
Impatiently Waiting...
As you all know, we received our first decree (the judge's ruling) on our case on October 6....22 days ago. We were told that from this ruling to the final, which makes Jack Everett 100% ours, there is a 10-20 day wait....this wait only counts business days and it starts once our birth mom signs the certified registered mail notifying her of this ruling. Well, unfortunately we have no idea when this was signed, so it is hard for us to calculate what day it is.
You all know from reading previous posts, that I am somewhat impatient :) And boy have I struggled so hard with patience during this wait! I can hardly sleep, because each night I lie in bed with anticipation of receiving the news that all is FINAL! I know that this is just another test in my trust in the Lord. I know for certain that He is the only one that knows the exact day and time that we will have JE in our arms....I ask myself why I even worry? I do trust in Him and have faith in Him. He is the reason this has all happened...He wouldn't leave us now. I pray day and night for Him to give me strength and take these worries from me, for they are only distractions. David, as always has been so patient and continues to be my support, lifting my spirits when they are down!
Even though my struggles with patience continue, I know that through them, my faith and love for the Lord contine to grow! And that, I am thankful for!
"But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12
Please continue to be in prayer for our family. Pray with us that we hear news on our case soon, pray for Jack Everett and those taking care of him, and pray for all the families that are awaiting to hear news on their first decree's and those awaiting upcoming court hearings.
Blessings,
Sherra
You all know from reading previous posts, that I am somewhat impatient :) And boy have I struggled so hard with patience during this wait! I can hardly sleep, because each night I lie in bed with anticipation of receiving the news that all is FINAL! I know that this is just another test in my trust in the Lord. I know for certain that He is the only one that knows the exact day and time that we will have JE in our arms....I ask myself why I even worry? I do trust in Him and have faith in Him. He is the reason this has all happened...He wouldn't leave us now. I pray day and night for Him to give me strength and take these worries from me, for they are only distractions. David, as always has been so patient and continues to be my support, lifting my spirits when they are down!
Even though my struggles with patience continue, I know that through them, my faith and love for the Lord contine to grow! And that, I am thankful for!
"But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31
"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12
Please continue to be in prayer for our family. Pray with us that we hear news on our case soon, pray for Jack Everett and those taking care of him, and pray for all the families that are awaiting to hear news on their first decree's and those awaiting upcoming court hearings.
Blessings,
Sherra
Thursday, October 6, 2011
First Decree!!!
Last night at 10:30, we received a phone call from our contact with the most wonderful news....the judge has made his ruling on our case and we have a first decree! What joyful news this is! We now have a mandatory 10-20 day (business days) waiting period, until we can receive our final decree. The final decree means that Jack Everett is 100% ours!! Once we receive final decree, our decree will have to be translated into English and mailed to Taipei, to AIT. After it arrives, we will then have to wait for our AIT appointment to be scheduled...this appointment date, is the date I have previously referred to as "going into labor!" This date will determine when we will travel to Taiwan to bring Jack Everett home :)
We can't express the amount of excitement we have in our hearts right now!! We love JE so much and can not wait to have him in our arms!! God is so good and faithful, and through this journey our faith has grown so much stronger...what a blessing that is!!
On a side note...JE has had a mild cold & fever. Please pray with us that he gets to feeling better and that we will receive word of our final decree soon! Thank you all so very, very much for your prayers! We are grateful to you all :)
Blessings,
Sherra & David
We can't express the amount of excitement we have in our hearts right now!! We love JE so much and can not wait to have him in our arms!! God is so good and faithful, and through this journey our faith has grown so much stronger...what a blessing that is!!
On a side note...JE has had a mild cold & fever. Please pray with us that he gets to feeling better and that we will receive word of our final decree soon! Thank you all so very, very much for your prayers! We are grateful to you all :)
Blessings,
Sherra & David
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Update
Hi everyone! So sorry for the delay in posts recently. I've had lots of you ask about the blog....thank you so much for reading and keeping up with our journey to bringing Jack Everett home!
There really isn't much news to post. We did receive an update this morning however, but it really didn't tell us much. This is the part of the journey, that I like to describe as "waiting to go into labor!" Our missionary contact did tell us that we should expect our first decree sometime in mid October. After this decree, she says it "could be" another 20-25 days before we have a final decree. Once we receive the final decree...Jack Everett is legally and officially our son! BUT...we will then have to wait to receive our appointment with AIT (American Institute in Taiwan). This could happen soon, or it could take another 3-4 weeks. This appointment date will be our "going into labor date"...we will schedule our travel time around this appointment!
In the meantime, we continue to get JEs nursery decorated and organized. We had our first shower to celebrate him on September 18 and have another shower this Sunday! It's so fun receiving all the wonderful gifts and seeing the excitement on everyone's face when they see his picture! Since we can't post his pictures on our blog or facebook, we have decided to take a framed picture of him to our showers to show him off! We think he is an absolute doll, and we are sure everyone else would agree :)
I hope to soon have David upload pictures of JEs room and pictures from his showers, so we can share those too! Again, thank you all for being a part of our journey. Please continue to be in prayer for us and with us. We pray that our "guestimated" time of travel happens much sooner than December, but most importantly, that it happens on God's time. Right now, we continue to hold tightly to His hands!
Blessings,
Sherra
There really isn't much news to post. We did receive an update this morning however, but it really didn't tell us much. This is the part of the journey, that I like to describe as "waiting to go into labor!" Our missionary contact did tell us that we should expect our first decree sometime in mid October. After this decree, she says it "could be" another 20-25 days before we have a final decree. Once we receive the final decree...Jack Everett is legally and officially our son! BUT...we will then have to wait to receive our appointment with AIT (American Institute in Taiwan). This could happen soon, or it could take another 3-4 weeks. This appointment date will be our "going into labor date"...we will schedule our travel time around this appointment!
In the meantime, we continue to get JEs nursery decorated and organized. We had our first shower to celebrate him on September 18 and have another shower this Sunday! It's so fun receiving all the wonderful gifts and seeing the excitement on everyone's face when they see his picture! Since we can't post his pictures on our blog or facebook, we have decided to take a framed picture of him to our showers to show him off! We think he is an absolute doll, and we are sure everyone else would agree :)
I hope to soon have David upload pictures of JEs room and pictures from his showers, so we can share those too! Again, thank you all for being a part of our journey. Please continue to be in prayer for us and with us. We pray that our "guestimated" time of travel happens much sooner than December, but most importantly, that it happens on God's time. Right now, we continue to hold tightly to His hands!
Blessings,
Sherra
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Court Hearing
Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in my post! We've had so much going on lately, that when I finally sit down...I'm exhausted! Jack Everett's first court hearing took place Tuesday, 8/23 at 3:50 am our time (4:50 pm in Taitung). Needless to say, I did not get any sleep Monday night when I went to bed. I think it was around 1:30 when I dozed off and then set my alarm to wake-up at 3:30 to pray for JE, the staff, the judge, and his birthmom. I could not go to sleep after that, as I was anxious to hear from our adoption contact. And, we did at 5:15 am...court went great! JE's birthmom arrived, they were able to apply for his passport, and the judge did not request any other information from us. The only thing we are waiting on now, is for the social work report for our birthmom. Once they receive this, it is estimated 4-8 weeks before the final decree..at which time we can travel!
We received a picture of JE last week with his adorable friend Amber Joy and it is the cutest picture! He is changing so much and is the cutest little thing! He now weighs 12 pounds and the doctor says he is growing perfectly! I hope to post some pictures on here soon of JE's room. My sister-in-law is making his drapes and covering his cushion for the glider in his room and his bedding should be done within the next couple of weeks...it is all starting to come together :)
David & I are so thankful for all of our friends and for all of your support and prayers. Please continue to pray with us and for us!
Blessings,
Sherra
We received a picture of JE last week with his adorable friend Amber Joy and it is the cutest picture! He is changing so much and is the cutest little thing! He now weighs 12 pounds and the doctor says he is growing perfectly! I hope to post some pictures on here soon of JE's room. My sister-in-law is making his drapes and covering his cushion for the glider in his room and his bedding should be done within the next couple of weeks...it is all starting to come together :)
David & I are so thankful for all of our friends and for all of your support and prayers. Please continue to pray with us and for us!
Blessings,
Sherra
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Oh Happy Day!
Big news for the Williams household....we have a court date!!! This morning at 5:30 we awoke to a text stating that on August 23 at 2:20 pm, our first court hearing will take place. This is such joyful news!! We entered the courts last Friday and were expecting our first court hearing to take place somewhere in mid September. It seems the courts may be moving a little faster than anticipated and it is with high hopes, that our other hearings will move swiftly as well!
In the very beginning of our journey, our dear friend Jeff (whom we are forever grateful for!) introduced us to a couple that lives in Nashville that had received their referral for a daughter around the same time we received ours. Since the moment Stephanie and I were introduced, we have developed a life-long friendship! We talk weekly and it is so good to have her with me in this journey. Although we have never "physically" met, we have held eachother's hands throughout this emotional and joyous journey and it is so nice to have someone to talk to that is going through the exact same thing at the exact same time. She and her husband, Justin, received their court date this week as well and it is scheduled for August 18th! We are so very excited for them! David & I look forward to meeting them very soon and we look forward to the future when Jack Everett and Amber Joy can meet for play dates. We consider them girlfriend/boyfriend already...hehe!
During this journey, God has opened our hearts and our lives to so many new people! Bringing Jack Everett into our lives has hands down been the best thing that has ever happened to us and we cannot wait to see what else our awesome, loving Father has in store for us! Thank you all for continuing to follow us and for your prayers! Please be in prayer for us and for the Miller's, that our court dates will move swiftly and that the judges will have what they need to make our first ruling. Please pray for safe travels for each of our birthmothers, as they do not live close to Taitung and will have to travel for court. Pray for those taking care of our sweet children and the ministry they provide in Taiwan. Pray for their mission work to lead others to Christ and His love.
Blessings to you all!
Sherra
In the very beginning of our journey, our dear friend Jeff (whom we are forever grateful for!) introduced us to a couple that lives in Nashville that had received their referral for a daughter around the same time we received ours. Since the moment Stephanie and I were introduced, we have developed a life-long friendship! We talk weekly and it is so good to have her with me in this journey. Although we have never "physically" met, we have held eachother's hands throughout this emotional and joyous journey and it is so nice to have someone to talk to that is going through the exact same thing at the exact same time. She and her husband, Justin, received their court date this week as well and it is scheduled for August 18th! We are so very excited for them! David & I look forward to meeting them very soon and we look forward to the future when Jack Everett and Amber Joy can meet for play dates. We consider them girlfriend/boyfriend already...hehe!
During this journey, God has opened our hearts and our lives to so many new people! Bringing Jack Everett into our lives has hands down been the best thing that has ever happened to us and we cannot wait to see what else our awesome, loving Father has in store for us! Thank you all for continuing to follow us and for your prayers! Please be in prayer for us and for the Miller's, that our court dates will move swiftly and that the judges will have what they need to make our first ruling. Please pray for safe travels for each of our birthmothers, as they do not live close to Taitung and will have to travel for court. Pray for those taking care of our sweet children and the ministry they provide in Taiwan. Pray for their mission work to lead others to Christ and His love.
Blessings to you all!
Sherra
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Patience Is A Virtue?
So, I am sure that we have all heard the phrase "Patience is a virtue," Right? As I sat here trying to think of what to title this post, this is the first thing that popped into mind. As you all know, I tend to lean a little more toward the impatient side of things. During our adoption journey, this struggle to gain patience seems to be a little more challenging....well, A LOT more challenging! I wanted to look up the exact meaning of the above mentioned phrase and this is what I found: The phrase "patience is a virtue" is just a way of expressing the importance of being patient. A virtue is a trait or quality deemed to be morally excellent and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. Patience is to tolerate delay, implying self control and forbearance.
The past few weeks have been really hard on me and my struggle with patience has seemed to have grown! Last night, my women's circle group at church met and I told them I sort of feel like a drug addict (what I think they must feel like, anyway)...with every step we take and accomplish...I find myself wanting MORE! Getting our paperwork to Taiwan was a HUGE deal and it arrived 2 weeks ago. We are now waiting to hear when our first court date will take place.....the court dates have now become my newest "addiction." There will be 3 rulings and I feel like if we could just get that first one under our belts, I will be satisfied...but, probably not!
Back to "patience being a virtue." The page I found the interpretation was titled "Walk In Jesus's Footsteps" and below the defined meanings, they quote scripture from the book of Romans, and it says: 3 not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. During this journey, I have known for certain that the Lord is with me always and that He will take care of David, myself, and our sweet son, Jack Everett. Although it is hard at times and struggle and worries sometimes consume my inner being, I am gripping tightly to His hands and pray daily for His love, patience, and strength.
Jack Everett turned 2 months old on Saturday! Please continue to be in prayer for him and his caregivers; please pray that our documents will enter the courts soon, so our first court date can be scheduled. Thanks to all!!
Blessings,
Sherra
The past few weeks have been really hard on me and my struggle with patience has seemed to have grown! Last night, my women's circle group at church met and I told them I sort of feel like a drug addict (what I think they must feel like, anyway)...with every step we take and accomplish...I find myself wanting MORE! Getting our paperwork to Taiwan was a HUGE deal and it arrived 2 weeks ago. We are now waiting to hear when our first court date will take place.....the court dates have now become my newest "addiction." There will be 3 rulings and I feel like if we could just get that first one under our belts, I will be satisfied...but, probably not!
Back to "patience being a virtue." The page I found the interpretation was titled "Walk In Jesus's Footsteps" and below the defined meanings, they quote scripture from the book of Romans, and it says: 3 not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. During this journey, I have known for certain that the Lord is with me always and that He will take care of David, myself, and our sweet son, Jack Everett. Although it is hard at times and struggle and worries sometimes consume my inner being, I am gripping tightly to His hands and pray daily for His love, patience, and strength.
Jack Everett turned 2 months old on Saturday! Please continue to be in prayer for him and his caregivers; please pray that our documents will enter the courts soon, so our first court date can be scheduled. Thanks to all!!
Blessings,
Sherra
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Out of Our Hands
So, this past week was somewhat of a roller coaster. As you know, we recently finished up our paperwork and sent it immediately to Taiwan via FedEx. David and I were stuck like glue to the FedEx tracking page...we tracked our package non stop day and night....and finally it said DELIVERED on Tuesday! BUT, when I looked at the delivery city it was not Taitung City, rather it was Taipei City. My heart immediately stopped and shear panic took over. I called FedEx and they informed me that once it arrives in Taipei, it then has to be shipped by the Taiwanese postal service to its final destination and there is no way to track it from that point on.....WHAT?! Immediately I felt a sense of loss of control. How come this was not explained to us before...Don't they know these are the most important documents ever and they must get to Taitung City as soon as possible?! I quickly called David and informed him about all of this chaos. As usual, he was very reassuring and positive...I just love him for that! He is always my strength when I am weak and always knows just what to say. He told me "don't worry, our papers are being hand delivered by God and they will arrive safely." After hearing that, I was able to calm down and take a deep breath. I prayed and asked God to take my worries away, as I know He will take care of us.
Wednesday morning came and I checked my email first thing...this has become the routine to the start of my days. Our documents had arrived safely! It was probably about 530 in the morning when I was reading the email...but I instantly ran into the bedroom and jumped on the bed to let David know. I was so overcome with excitement! And....attached in the email was a picture of JE and a video! He is growing so fast! What a joyful way to start the day :) Friday morning brought even more pictures and a update on JE from his check-up. He is now 10.5 lbs. and is 21.2 inches long. He is eating 4 ounces every 4 hours and loves to be held! This was the first email that contained information about him other that just pictures. It was so nice to hear about him growing and a little about his personality. We sent him his second care package last week as well and in it we included a recordable book that we were able to record our voices as we read it. We have read that this will help him to recognize our voices when we meet him. What a great idea! We also included disposable cameras and asked his nannies to take snapshots of him throughout the days....we plan on sending a couple with each care package so we can include these pictures in his baby book! His package should arrive on Monday or Tuesday.
What do we do now?! We wait! We are hoping that this week we will receive a court date for our first ruling. We are praying that this court date will be sometime in August! After the first ruling, we will have two more before we are able to travel. Please continue to be in prayer for Jack Everett and those taking care of him and that the courts will move swiftly!
Blessings,
Sherra
Wednesday morning came and I checked my email first thing...this has become the routine to the start of my days. Our documents had arrived safely! It was probably about 530 in the morning when I was reading the email...but I instantly ran into the bedroom and jumped on the bed to let David know. I was so overcome with excitement! And....attached in the email was a picture of JE and a video! He is growing so fast! What a joyful way to start the day :) Friday morning brought even more pictures and a update on JE from his check-up. He is now 10.5 lbs. and is 21.2 inches long. He is eating 4 ounces every 4 hours and loves to be held! This was the first email that contained information about him other that just pictures. It was so nice to hear about him growing and a little about his personality. We sent him his second care package last week as well and in it we included a recordable book that we were able to record our voices as we read it. We have read that this will help him to recognize our voices when we meet him. What a great idea! We also included disposable cameras and asked his nannies to take snapshots of him throughout the days....we plan on sending a couple with each care package so we can include these pictures in his baby book! His package should arrive on Monday or Tuesday.
What do we do now?! We wait! We are hoping that this week we will receive a court date for our first ruling. We are praying that this court date will be sometime in August! After the first ruling, we will have two more before we are able to travel. Please continue to be in prayer for Jack Everett and those taking care of him and that the courts will move swiftly!
Blessings,
Sherra
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Hurry up and wait!
Where do I start? Well Thursday was crazy (Got all of our legal documents notarized at the local and state level)...and then came Friday! All of our legal paperwork had to go to Houston, Texas to TECO (Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office).
There are a number of TECO offices across the U.S. but Mississippi is designated to Houston. Once the paperwork is there, they will verify that all of the paperwork is legit and all of the notaries, local and state notaries, are correct. IF we would have sent the paperwork via FedEx...it could have taken more than a few days for them to verify it once they received it. So if we would have sent it FedEx there, the time it would take TECO to review and notarize the paperwork, and then send it back to us....would have taken TOO long! (Not to mention the website specifies that they are not responsible for lost documents!) So we decided to take the documents to TECO and personally deliver it to them. This process only takes a few hours! Sherra dropped me off at the airport around 6 Friday morning and my flight left at 7:10. After arriving in Houston at 8:30ish, I picked up a rental car and drove directly to TECO (found it with no problem!) Oh, this was my first trip to Houston and that city is just HUGE!Everyone at the office was extremely nice. I was told that the paperwork would be finished around 11:30 so I could wait there or come check back then. Lucky for me I decided to pack my running gear just in case I had to wait...so I went for a run. I really enjoyed running through downtown Houston (it was very flat) and found a nice neighborhood to run through. I made it back to the office at 11:20 and it was almost exactly 11:30 when she gave me the paperwork. Now my flight was scheduled to head back to Jackson at 8:40 pm. Luckily I contacted Mrs. Jo Ann (who set up all of my flight and rental car) and she informed me that there was a 3:00 flight heading back if I made it in time. I called and verified the flight change and made it back to the airport with plenty of time to spare (after getting lost a few times on the way back...did I mention Houston is HUGE?). My flight made it back safely and boy was I tired. I slept late Saturday morning, which I do not usually do, and then we set out to FedEx. The documents were sent to Taiwan Saturday morning...so now we wait and pray that they make it safely! From there everything goes to the Taiwan courts and we wait some more! Oh the waiting......
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Starting to Get a Glimpse of the Light
Hey guys! Today has been an exciting day for us! Yesterday, we received all of our paperwork from Taiwan....yippee! David & I immediately blocked our work and school schedules for today so we could begin the notary process. We started our day off with a nice, relaxing run this morning, which I needed because I did not sleep a wink last night! Running is always a good way to relieve stress.. at least for me anyway! Not sure about David...I think I slow him down quite a bit when we run together..but he's such a good sport and always provides me with words of encouragement during our runs :)
We immediately came home and got dressed and headed to the bank....1st stop for notary..thanks Ms. Janice! Following this, we headed downtown to the Secretary of State office for our second step in the notary process. As I told you guys in a previous post...this is a very meticulous process, but it is all so worth it! Tomorrow morning, David will fly to Houston to hand deliver our papers to the Taiwan officials at TECO...this is the final step of the notary process....woo hoo! You have the option of sending the papers through mail, but we are so ready for Jack Everett to come home and decided to hand deliver them ourself! This will take about two hours (if all goes as planned) and then he will fly back home tomorrow afternoon. We will immediately send these documents back to Taiwan and hope to be entered into the courts sometime next week. IF this happens, then it should be about 4-6 weeks until our first court hearing!!!
Please pray for a safe day of travel for David tomorrow! Thank you all for your prayers and kind words...Jack Everett sure has a lot of love to come home to!
Many Blessings,
Sherra
We immediately came home and got dressed and headed to the bank....1st stop for notary..thanks Ms. Janice! Following this, we headed downtown to the Secretary of State office for our second step in the notary process. As I told you guys in a previous post...this is a very meticulous process, but it is all so worth it! Tomorrow morning, David will fly to Houston to hand deliver our papers to the Taiwan officials at TECO...this is the final step of the notary process....woo hoo! You have the option of sending the papers through mail, but we are so ready for Jack Everett to come home and decided to hand deliver them ourself! This will take about two hours (if all goes as planned) and then he will fly back home tomorrow afternoon. We will immediately send these documents back to Taiwan and hope to be entered into the courts sometime next week. IF this happens, then it should be about 4-6 weeks until our first court hearing!!!
Please pray for a safe day of travel for David tomorrow! Thank you all for your prayers and kind words...Jack Everett sure has a lot of love to come home to!
Many Blessings,
Sherra
Friday, July 8, 2011
Growing In Love & Faith
Tonight we enjoyed what has come to be, our weekly dinner at Mr. Chen's. When we are there, it makes us feel as if we are in Taiwan and that much closer to Jack Everett. As we sat down, I looked over at the table next to us, and there was the cutest Asian family enjoying their delicious meal. They had a son who was probably about 4 years old, and I could not keep my eyes off of him. My mind was overcome with thoughts of Jack Everett soon sitting there with us! As each day passes, my love and hopes for him grow stronger and stronger!! David and I began to talk about our love for him and our love for God, and how since we began this journey our faith has exploded! We know, 100% that this is the plan He had for us all along and we are more than honored that He chose us to adopt one of His children! We are excited to walk in this journey with Him and throughout our lives and can't wait for Jack Everett to join us! It is unimaginable to truly understand the love He has for us!
So, what has been going on this week?....A LOT! Our final homestudy was sent to Taiwan and will be FedEx'd to us on Monday. We are hopeful to receive it by Wednesday, along with other legal documents that will undergo an extensive notary proces. After this takes place (which will probably take about 2 weeks), we will immediately send it back to Taiwan and within 48 hours, be entered into the Taiwanese courts. On Wednesday, we sent in our USCIS application. This is immigration paperwork that must be done for Jack Everett to become a U.S. citizen and usually takes one-three months to be finalized. We aren't as rush, rush on this paperwork, because it is one of the final things that needs to be completed....BUT, of course we would like to have this done as soon as possible!
The next and most popular question we are asked is...when will y'all be bringing him home?! We wish more than anything, that this question had a "final" answer...but unfortunately is does not. We did receive an email today with a "guestimated" travel timeline that suggests November. Please continue to be in prayer for Jack Everett and those taking care of him. Please pray with us, that our paperwork will be completed very soon and entered into the courts.
Blessings,
Sherra
So, what has been going on this week?....A LOT! Our final homestudy was sent to Taiwan and will be FedEx'd to us on Monday. We are hopeful to receive it by Wednesday, along with other legal documents that will undergo an extensive notary proces. After this takes place (which will probably take about 2 weeks), we will immediately send it back to Taiwan and within 48 hours, be entered into the Taiwanese courts. On Wednesday, we sent in our USCIS application. This is immigration paperwork that must be done for Jack Everett to become a U.S. citizen and usually takes one-three months to be finalized. We aren't as rush, rush on this paperwork, because it is one of the final things that needs to be completed....BUT, of course we would like to have this done as soon as possible!
The next and most popular question we are asked is...when will y'all be bringing him home?! We wish more than anything, that this question had a "final" answer...but unfortunately is does not. We did receive an email today with a "guestimated" travel timeline that suggests November. Please continue to be in prayer for Jack Everett and those taking care of him. Please pray with us, that our paperwork will be completed very soon and entered into the courts.
Blessings,
Sherra
Thursday, June 30, 2011
One Step Closer...
This has been a week filled with good news! On Tuesday, we received updated pictures...3 of them and a video of Jack Everett playing! What a blessing that was! David & I were so anxious to receive more pictures of our sweet boy. He is just absolutely beautiful & we can't wait to share his pictures with everyone. Today he also turned one month old...Happy 1 month JE....our hearts are overflowing with love for you and we can't wait to have you in our arms!
Today, we received wonderful news...our FBI checks have been cleared and are in the mail to us!!!! This is such joyful news, because as soon as we receive these in our hands, we can send them to our social worker so she can sign off on our homestudy! So, what does all of this mean?? It means, it will then be COMPLETE...we will send it back to Taiwan so the translation can be finished and it will then be sent back to us...in Chinese! We can't wait to see it...our life story.....in Chinese. After we receive it, it will have to be notarized three times. Once in Rankin County, then by the Secretary of State, and then again in Atlanta...what a process! The adoption world is definitely not green, there is TONS of paperwork :) Of course, it is all worth it! Once all of the notary paperwork is done, our homestudy will go back to its final place...Taitung, Taiwan and go before the courts! We are praying that this process will not take too long.
I have talked to other adoptive parents and have read many blogs, and now understand the feelings they have shared with me about waiting on bringing your child home. When you first begin the adoption process you are consumed with completing paperwork and gathering many documents....this keeps you super busy! After this work is done you begin the wait for referral stage. Once you receive your referral (your child), this is where it really becomes difficult. One of my weaknesses, is that I am not very patient. My mind right now, is only focused on bringing our son home as soon as possible. It is so hard, because we have no control over what happens from this point forward. Our work is done...now we just wait on others to do their work...this is what I find to be the most difficult for me right now. I have NO control. I pray daily for the Lord to take this feeling away from me, as I know that He will bring Jack Everett home according to His time...not mine. Please pray with us, for our son to be home according to God's plan and pray for the staff that is taking such wonderful care of him.
I hope that you all have a wonderful Fourth of July! Happy Birthday, America!
Blessings,
Sherra
Today, we received wonderful news...our FBI checks have been cleared and are in the mail to us!!!! This is such joyful news, because as soon as we receive these in our hands, we can send them to our social worker so she can sign off on our homestudy! So, what does all of this mean?? It means, it will then be COMPLETE...we will send it back to Taiwan so the translation can be finished and it will then be sent back to us...in Chinese! We can't wait to see it...our life story.....in Chinese. After we receive it, it will have to be notarized three times. Once in Rankin County, then by the Secretary of State, and then again in Atlanta...what a process! The adoption world is definitely not green, there is TONS of paperwork :) Of course, it is all worth it! Once all of the notary paperwork is done, our homestudy will go back to its final place...Taitung, Taiwan and go before the courts! We are praying that this process will not take too long.
I have talked to other adoptive parents and have read many blogs, and now understand the feelings they have shared with me about waiting on bringing your child home. When you first begin the adoption process you are consumed with completing paperwork and gathering many documents....this keeps you super busy! After this work is done you begin the wait for referral stage. Once you receive your referral (your child), this is where it really becomes difficult. One of my weaknesses, is that I am not very patient. My mind right now, is only focused on bringing our son home as soon as possible. It is so hard, because we have no control over what happens from this point forward. Our work is done...now we just wait on others to do their work...this is what I find to be the most difficult for me right now. I have NO control. I pray daily for the Lord to take this feeling away from me, as I know that He will bring Jack Everett home according to His time...not mine. Please pray with us, for our son to be home according to God's plan and pray for the staff that is taking such wonderful care of him.
I hope that you all have a wonderful Fourth of July! Happy Birthday, America!
Sherra
Monday, June 27, 2011
Dinner With Mr. Chen
Well Sherra and I just finished a fantastic dinner at Mr. Chen's Authentic Chinese Cooking. If you have not tried Mr. Chen's, you must! It is my new favorite place to eat! It also has an Oriental Supermarket connected. The Supermarket has an abundance of authentic Oriental foods (rice, noodles, desserts, fresh seafood...just about everything you could imagine) and other Oriental products. So back to our meal....tonight we had the Kung Pao shrimp, shredded curry chicken, spring rolls, and crab rangoons. All of the food was great but we particularly liked the Kung Pao shrimp and I absolutely loved the crab rangoons! After we finished our meal we walked into the market to look around. Of course what does Sherra want to look at....the SWEETS! While we were shopping we met this nice older gentleman who gave us many suggestions on the best sweets to buy! He said that he was not supposed to eat many sweets, but his shopping cart was FULL! We ended up buying four different sweets/desserts to try out. White Chocolate Yogurt Wafers - we noticed after we left that these are made in Taipei, Taiwan. They are very good and probably my favorite...Grape Gummy candy...Pocky which is Chocolate cream covered biscuit sticks, very good also...and Taiwanese homemade almond cookies, very good too, I think these are Sherra's favorites. Going to Mr. Chen's and the market makes me feel like I am in Taiwan. It makes me feel closer to Jack Everett. I guess because they are both authentic Oriental establishments and we are eating and shopping with Asian families, I tend to feel as if I am a part of the culture. Needless to say...we are excited about our son!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Getting caught up to speed
Hey guys! David & I have decided to start this blog together, so each of us will be able to share our thoughts and our journey with you. Today, I will start. First, I will catch everyone up on our story. Our adoption journey started years ago. Since I was in college, I have had a passion to one day adopt a child. Lucky for me, the Lord led me to David, who also shared in this passion. We were married in March of 2003, and of course everyone soon after began asking..when are y'all going to have children? Since we were only 22 years old at the time we were married, we were absolutley in no hurry to do such a thing! We both agreed that we wanted to accomplish our educational goals first, so we finished college and last year we both enrolled in graduate school. David will graduate in August with his Master's in Education Administration (way to go Dave!) and I am scheduled to graduate with my Master's as a Family Nurse Practitioner in May 2012.
As each year passed....and they pass much quickly these days, we began talking more and more about our family. We knew we wanted to adopt and have biological children...we just didn't know what the Lord's plans were for us and how we would have a family....sometimes our plans and HIS plans are so different :) We prayed over this for many years, and knew that He would bless us with children (whether biological or through adoption) according to His plans and at the time He had planned for us. We feel certain, that all along, His plans have been for us to adopt our children and we cannot express the excitement we feel that we have been chosen by Him to do so!!
David would agree with me, when I call myself somewhat of a "control freak"....I don't mean in a crazy way, but I do like to be in control of things and am very much a planner. In Sunday school today, we talked about how much we as a society try to control everything and how hard it is to stop the worrying about tomorrow, and just let our Father take care of us. He knows what we need, before we even ask and He will always take care of us. One of my favorite bible verses, Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I have a bracelet that I wear daily that has this enscribed, it is my reminder to let go and let God.
So, about our adoption...I am kind of a rambler, so I will work to keep my thoughts clear for you guys! Ok! After years of not knowing how we would have children, our prayers were answered in January. We were at church one Sunday and were singing the opening hymn, when I felt a strong feeling in my "gut"(an overwhelming sensation went through my body) that it was TIME...I was 100% ready to start this journey! As we sat down after singing, David leaned over and whispered in my ear..."I am ready to adopt"....I wanted to shout with excitement, because little did David know, that the Lord had just spoken to me as well....our God is awesome! I could hardly wait to tell David after church that I too was ready!
And so, after weeks of praying and asking our Father to lead us to the country of our child, our prayers were answered in February....Taiwan! We received our referral on June 10th for a healthy baby boy. We are honored and overcome with joy as we announce that we have been chosen to be the parents of the most precious boy...Jack Everett Williams! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Where are we now? Right now, we are awaiting our FBI background checks to be completed...it has been 3 weeks and the wait time is estimated to be 7 weeks. I called Friday and have requested them to be expedited, because as soon as we receive these, our homestudy can be finalized and we can hopefully receive our first court date!! If you don't know what a homestudy is, it is your life story (ours is 13 pages!) that is presented to the courts. It is THE document! The sooner we can have this document finalized, the closer we can be to bringing Jack Everett home! Right now...it is "guestimated" to be Novemeber when we will be able to travel to Taiwan and bring him home. However, with the adoption world...anything can happen! Please keep us in your prayers as we embark on this journey!
Many Blessings,
Sherra
As each year passed....and they pass much quickly these days, we began talking more and more about our family. We knew we wanted to adopt and have biological children...we just didn't know what the Lord's plans were for us and how we would have a family....sometimes our plans and HIS plans are so different :) We prayed over this for many years, and knew that He would bless us with children (whether biological or through adoption) according to His plans and at the time He had planned for us. We feel certain, that all along, His plans have been for us to adopt our children and we cannot express the excitement we feel that we have been chosen by Him to do so!!
David would agree with me, when I call myself somewhat of a "control freak"....I don't mean in a crazy way, but I do like to be in control of things and am very much a planner. In Sunday school today, we talked about how much we as a society try to control everything and how hard it is to stop the worrying about tomorrow, and just let our Father take care of us. He knows what we need, before we even ask and He will always take care of us. One of my favorite bible verses, Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I have a bracelet that I wear daily that has this enscribed, it is my reminder to let go and let God.
So, about our adoption...I am kind of a rambler, so I will work to keep my thoughts clear for you guys! Ok! After years of not knowing how we would have children, our prayers were answered in January. We were at church one Sunday and were singing the opening hymn, when I felt a strong feeling in my "gut"(an overwhelming sensation went through my body) that it was TIME...I was 100% ready to start this journey! As we sat down after singing, David leaned over and whispered in my ear..."I am ready to adopt"....I wanted to shout with excitement, because little did David know, that the Lord had just spoken to me as well....our God is awesome! I could hardly wait to tell David after church that I too was ready!
And so, after weeks of praying and asking our Father to lead us to the country of our child, our prayers were answered in February....Taiwan! We received our referral on June 10th for a healthy baby boy. We are honored and overcome with joy as we announce that we have been chosen to be the parents of the most precious boy...Jack Everett Williams! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Where are we now? Right now, we are awaiting our FBI background checks to be completed...it has been 3 weeks and the wait time is estimated to be 7 weeks. I called Friday and have requested them to be expedited, because as soon as we receive these, our homestudy can be finalized and we can hopefully receive our first court date!! If you don't know what a homestudy is, it is your life story (ours is 13 pages!) that is presented to the courts. It is THE document! The sooner we can have this document finalized, the closer we can be to bringing Jack Everett home! Right now...it is "guestimated" to be Novemeber when we will be able to travel to Taiwan and bring him home. However, with the adoption world...anything can happen! Please keep us in your prayers as we embark on this journey!
Many Blessings,
Sherra
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