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
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