tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27112010562242968842024-03-19T00:43:09.872-07:00AdoptAfricaaliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-43506311091996827672012-12-02T15:54:00.003-08:002012-12-02T15:54:46.952-08:00No WordsSo, I know I am the worst blogger ever. I have sat down multiple times to try to write about my time in Africa, but the truth is I have no words that can express my experience. All I can say is it was nine weeks I will never forget. I wish I could tell you Gideon's story but I feel like that is his story to share one day, not mine. So, Mom and I returned home on November 9th and were welcomed by friends and family. Gideon did so well on the planes home. He was the star of each flight. We spent our first weekend home with Mom and Dad and my brother Matthew, Laura and their 4 children. Gideon had a blast with his cousins and fell in love with his Grandpa. We took him to the doctor the next week and he weighed 25 pounds and 30 inches long. The doctor thinks he is probably closer to 14 months old rather than the 10 we originally assumed. He is doing so well. He isn't crawling yet but he is trying so hard. He is a very vocal baby, he jabbers all day long. He can say mama, dada and bye bye but mainly just jabbers.<br />
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I am in love. I feel like I was made to be his mommy. I couldn't have asked for a sweeter baby. I wish each of you could meet him because you would see what I am talking about. He loves everyone he meets and wants everyones attention.<br />
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I am changed. Mom and I both are. I want to find a way to help the mothers I met over there who are working so hard to provide for their children, I want to help the lady who runs Gideon's orphanage and uses every bit of money she has on those children, I want to adopt one of the older children who may not be "attractive" enough to be adopted. I want to hurry up and get my nursing degree and go over there and help the people take care of themselves so they don't attract the many diseases that are so rampant.<br />
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This is my little man! I know cutest thing ever.<br />
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Thank you for your prayers and support while I was in Africa. Gideon has some physical therapy he is about to start and in 3 months we can start working to finalize his Adoption in the States and he will become a U.S. citizen!</div>
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Keep checking the blog, I'm going to try to figure out how to help some of the Ugandans I met while there. It will probably involve selling some of their goods and getting them the money. </div>
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Also, we still have Adopt Africa T-Shirts for sell and all the money goes to pay for our adoption. If you order one I will be sure to get it to you before Christmas!</div>
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Alicia </div>
<br />aliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-87500963836826893042012-09-11T02:12:00.000-07:002012-09-11T02:12:13.989-07:00We are Here!Well, right now I'm sitting in our hotel and Gideon is down for his morning nap. We got here on Sunday around 1 in the afternoon and went straight to pick up Gideon. They brought him out to us and he was just a little stunned. He smiled at Jeff and warmed up a little. We took him home and he really started getting comfortable. He is an incredibly happy baby. He laughs and talks constantly. He is very underdeveloped for his age. He can't roll over yet or crawl. He is a very fast learner though. We have been working with him and he catches on so fast. We are teaching him to put his arms out to come to you and to try to kiss you. He said bye bye today. He is really good at copying the things that you do. We are staying at a really nice little place that is gated. We can't leave the gates because we don't have custody of him yet so we are really confined. The lady that works with our lawyer comes by each day to make sure we are ok and to see if we need any food. Everyone is really nice here and making us feel very welcome. We have court next monday so right now we are just playing with Gideon and trying to learn a little of the local language called Lugandan. We have do know some of the language for court. Jeff and probably mom will go out and get him some cultural toys to take to court so we can show the judge we will not forget his heritage. On Thursday we will go to the Lawyers office and meet with them so they can prepare us more for court.<br />
We are absolutely in love with our baby boy and can't believe he is actually in our arms! He loves his daddy and just lights up when he walks into the room and somehow he knows I'm his mommy I just can't figure out how. He absolutely loves his Daisy.<br />
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He is having some physical problems. His neck has really been bothering him and we just can't figure it out. So please pray that we can figure it out and help him.<br />
Also pray that court goes well and that the Judge likes us!<br />
Pray that we don't go crazy being confined in this place!<br />
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This picture was taken the first night after he had a minor meltdown. I guess he realized he was with strangers but he finally let me rock him to sleep in my arms. That is the only time he has let me do that. He is not used to being held but now wants to be held all the time! He loves to snuggle and love.<br />
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Gideon just woke up so I better go. I'll post again soon!<br />
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Aliciaaliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-68485397758702088632012-08-29T12:24:00.000-07:002012-08-29T12:24:48.612-07:00Dear GideonDaddy and I are starting to get ready for our trip to see you. In a week and a half your world is going to change forever. You will be introduced into your forever family and Mommy, Daddy and Daisy will take care of you while we are in Africa. You will have to say goodbye to your home, your 26 friends, and your sweet caretakers. We know it is going to be overwhelming and we know that these people are all you have ever known and you have a deep bond with them. It breaks my heart that you, at such a young age have had to go through being moved around so many times. I promise that this is it. Once we get you, we will be your forever family. So, I pray with all my heart that you adjust well. That you feel the immense love we have for you. We will always have pictures of your caretakers and friends and one day I'm sure we will take you back to visit. I wish so badly that we could take some of your friends home with us, if it was possible we would take as many as we could. Maybe one day later we will. In your pictures I see how much the other kids love you. I see that they take care of you like you are their little brother. So, little Gideon we will get through it together. We are going to have so much fun playing and exploring Africa. We love you and can't wait to get our hands on you.<br />
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Love, Mommy and Daddy<br />
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Our hearts are overwhelmed with sadness for the other children in the orphanage. I feel like that bad person in the movies who comes and picks the younger cuter baby and leaves the older ones. I do know that God has a plan for the other kids and that they may have sweet parents picked for them. That is my prayer.aliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-11225456821993280752012-08-20T19:43:00.001-07:002012-08-20T19:43:23.854-07:00Baby Name<br />
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So, I'm finally out of the daze I was in when we found out. Today I really started working on his room. When I finish I'll post a picture. We are going to put scripture on his wall. This is it:</div>
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The Lord your God is in your midst,</div>
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a mighty one who will save;</div>
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he will rejoice over you with gladness;</div>
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he will quiet you by his love;</div>
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he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:7</div>
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So, we have been going back and forth on the baby's name for a while. Originally we were going to name our son Jeremiah. Jeremiah is Jeff's favorite prophet and we both just like the name. But when we got the referral we found out the orphanage named him a biblical name: Gideon. I really wanted to keep his name. To me these sweet ladies have literally been by his side from near death until now he is a thriving baby boy. They named him Gideon and I wanted to honor those ladies and keep his name. So we decided to for sure call him Gideon. Now we just had to decide on a middle name. We went back and forth, but finally decided on Matthew Gideon. If you know my family Matthew is my middle brother and a great person for our son to be named after. My brothers have all named their kids after each other which I think is so great. If you know me you know how much my brothers mean to me. They all play a different role in my life. Brian is the oldest, he is my protector and I have always been his little girl, he has always had my heart. Matthew is the person I call when I'm upset. He is the one who comforts me when something is wrong and who has always given me Godly wisdom when I needed it. He and Laura have also been a huge support during the last several years. Jarred is my bud. I love going home and staying up all night with him just hanging out. I would do anything for the men in my life. </div>
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So Matthew Gideon Audirsch. If Gideon turns out half like his Dad and his namesake he will be an incredible man of God. </div>
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I will post a picture of the room soon! I have a church shower next week and I am so excited. I can't even begin to express the love and support we have received from our church family. It is more than we could have ever dreamed of. </div>
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Oh yeah, I have a feeling Gideon will mostly go by G Man, G dub, little G, or whatever else Jeff comes up with! </div>
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Alicia </div>
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P.S. Jeff parked in the Expectant Mommy's spot at Kroger tonight. haha</div>
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aliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-65670137122832596932012-08-16T16:24:00.002-07:002012-08-16T16:27:19.293-07:00I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane...... Going to get G man!Yes, we leave in less than a month! We will leave on September the 10th to go to Uganda to get our baby. I can't believe it is here! I really didn't think our court date would come this fast. Today I have been in a daze. It feels like the day we got our referral, I am literally so excited I don't know what to do. Finally, the day I get to hold my child is within my grasp. I have been dreaming about this for so long. This morning I got up and pleaded with God to get us to Africa soon. I had no idea I would check my email and would already have a date!<br />
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So this is what will happen. We will go to Africa and meet G and spend about 5 days just getting to know him and bonding with him. He will probably get to stay with us at our hotel. We will probably play with the other children at the orphanage and hopefully site see. We want to get a good feel of Uganda and plenty of pictures for G to look at when he gets bigger. We will then go to court on the 17th of September. The Judge will have all our paperwork and witness reports and he will look through them and also look at how we have bonded with the child. We will come back within a few days to the court ruling. Since Jeff has 2 jobs, he will leave after court and my mom and I will stay behind with G. After the ruling mom and I will stay for who knows how long. It could be 2 weeks it could be 2 months. We will be waiting for the government to get his visa so we can take him to his embassy appointment. After we go to his embassy appointment we can then bring him home. <br />
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We appreciate your prayers during this whole process. Please continue to pray that travel and court goes well. We still have a lot to go through before we get to bring G home.<br />
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Aliciaaliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-57155221910002424502012-08-11T10:56:00.001-07:002012-08-11T10:56:14.664-07:00Happy 7 Months G man!G, <br />
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Today is your 7 Month birthday. Your dad and I bought you your first few little outfits yesterday. Dad picked out a spiderman shirt for you. We are so excited to meet you. We wish we had been there the first 7 months of your life, but we promise we are coming to get you soon. The past 2 months of waiting have been the longest of our lives. We think about you all day everyday. I wonder what you are learning to do. They told us you smile all the time and that you are very interested in all the other children in the orphanage. I wonder if the kids play with you and teach you things. I wonder what it is like to be the youngest of 27 children. So many things I can't wait to find out for myself. Dad mainly thinks of ways he can fix your hair. He wants you to have a cool hairdo, so I'm sure some of his students will be coming over trying to braid your hair or do something crazy with it. <br />
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Since we saw your picture that day 2 months ago we have been getting ready for your arrival. Last week we put your bed together and started getting your room ready. It is going to be so great. Your Daisy got me a rocking chair to rock you in at night. Sometimes I just sit in your room imagining you being here. I can't wait. But I mostly can't wait for you to meet your family. They are all so excited to know you. Your cousins ask me all the time when they get to meet their baby cousin. You will have 7 boy cousins and one sweet girl cousin. When we get to Africa I will show you pictures of your family. There are so many people who love you already. I wonder what you are going to think of Saint. He is our 110 pound German Shepherd, but he is just a big baby. He loves and watches over your little cousins so I know he will love you too. He will probably lick your face all the time and when you get here we will probably have a little German Shepherd puppy for you to play with. So many big changes, but I know you will do great. Me and you will get through it together. <br />
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We love you little G man. We are coming to get you as soon as we can. I hope maybe you are getting a little extra love today as you turn 7 months. I know you have some very sweet ladies who love you and have been taking care of you since you were tiny. I'm so thankful for them. They have done what I couldn't do. Hopefully this week will find out when we get to come get you.<br />
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Love you,<br />
Mommy <br />
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<br />aliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-63465607271250928552012-08-07T13:15:00.001-07:002012-08-07T13:16:27.974-07:00Waiting ChildrenSo, for some reason God gave us G, he won't even be a year old when he gets here. We will get to experience a lot of the fun baby things we never thought we would experience. We were expecting a 3,4 or 5 year old but for some reason G came up and he was matched with us. The lady who found him said, "he must be a miracle from God". I think he is our miracle. But my overactive brain and bleeding heart have been consumed with all these older waiting children in orphanages all over the world. You see, when people adopt they usually ask for babies. So babies get adopted and older children stay living in the orphanage. They don't get the chance of a loving home because of their age.<br />
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I am already preparing myself for this when we get to Uganda. I'm going to get to know these children and want to bring them all home, and after spending possibly months with these children my heart is going to break having to say goodbye. Jeff and I know G will not be our only adoption, we aren't sure yet where God will lead next, it could be foster adoption or another international adoption but we both want to save as many as we can (or at least I do), sometimes I think Jeff thinks I'm a little crazy. But he also refuses to look at the waiting children from our agency because he knows he would want to adopt them all too. I know God is convicting me to adopt older children, perhaps an older sibling group one day. But for now, G has to be my main focus. He deserves my commitment to him and him only for a little while.<br />
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I have been so encouraged to see so many friends adopting. God has really put it on the hearts of so many people in the past few years. The southern baptist convention is really emphasizing adoption and foster care. If you are reading this blog you are probably wanting to keep up with G and his arrival. I am thankful for that. I love having so many people going along with me and encouraging me on this journey. Adoption is not for the faint at heart. We still covet your prayers as we get our court date and go to court. There are a lot of hurdles to jump over before G gets to come home.<br />
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But today I am asking for you to commit to pray for all the children in orphanages all over the world who are waiting. Older children who are usually not desirable to adoptive parents. Maybe you can pray and ask God to lead you to pray for a specific area of the world. As you probably know American has tons of children in foster care needing homes and Africa has children on the streets with nothing to eat and the Ukraine has children sitting in cold orphanages where they get no love or care from anyone and China has a major need for adoptions for special needs children. The list goes on and on.<br />
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God is very clear in scripture that we are to care for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger. So I ask you to pray about what you can do to minister to orphans. You can simply pray that these older children find loving homes. You can search your heart and ask God to reveal if he is leading you to adopt an older waiting child. I promise, God does amazing things with your heart. Five years ago I would have told you I didn't think I could love a child that wasn't my biological child enough to adopt them and now I want to save every kid I can. <br />
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My good friend Terah wrote a great post on the Foster care system in America- please check it out- <a href="http://terahsampler.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/youre-so-vain-you-probably-think-this-blog-is-about-you/">http://terahsampler.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/youre-so-vain-you-probably-think-this-blog-is-about-you/</a><br />
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Also, some good friends wrote a book on how you and your church can get involved with helping orphans. The book is called Orphanology by Rick Morton and Tony Merida.<br />
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Bethany Christian Services also has lots of cool ways to help orphans in the U.S. and across the globe.<br />
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-Alicia-aliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-69889412561363218222012-07-31T19:15:00.003-07:002012-07-31T19:15:57.555-07:00G UpdateSo the past few weeks have been really busy with the church so I haven't been able to update.<br />
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We have a couple of updates for the month of July. A few weeks ago while Jeff and I were at youth camp I got a few calls from our social worker while we were out on ministry site. I wish I could explain to you the panic that comes over when it seems like something could be wrong. I am already freaked out that somehow we won't get G. So I called her back as soon as I got to my phone and she says that G has been in the hospital and they think he has Asthma. If you know the Montgomery family you know how funny this is. We are a family of Asthmatics. Me and my brothers have it, my cousins and now my nephews. So when she tells me, I just laughed and said, "Well he must be my son!" Later on we found out he had a severe case of pneumonia and was wheezing a lot. But he is back in the orphanage and they assured me he is better. The same week we also got an assesment with new pictures. This was a really good encouragement after hearing that he had been sick. When I first saw his pictures It looked like a different baby. He has gained 7 lbs since May and is so bright eyed! He looks like a happy healthy six month old! They said he smiles all the time and has started to really interact with the other kids and caretakers. He is improving faster than I would have ever dreamed. I can't tell you how thankful I am for his caretakers. It seems like they love on him and care for him as much as they can. It is such a blessing that it is a christian orphanage with sweet ladies who really love the children. So, G is a growing healthy boy. <br />
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Also, our case was filed with the court today. The courts are still closed until August 15th but this just means our case is in the waiting line for a court date. This was big for us, its the last step until they give us a court date. But we have hit a little snag. I don't want to give all the details but the main thing is we have to have witnesses that were there when G was found and one of ours isn't cooperating so I ask that you pray that she will so that things can move on smoothly. <br />
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I feel like God has continued to give Jeff and I this strong heart for the orphan. We watched these videos at camp about the kids in Africa and we both left ready to move over there and him teach pastors and me be a nurse. So who knows one day we might just be over there with 15 kids living our dream!<br />
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Pray the rest of the court proceedings go smoothly and that the court date will come sooner than later and also that G stays healthy living with so many children and already being sick.<br />
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And I wrote a letter to G in my last post check it out if you want!<br />
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Oh and we are putting a baby bed together this week! Yay!aliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-13569835037749395142012-07-06T19:26:00.000-07:002012-07-06T19:26:51.021-07:00To My Sweet Baby GThis last Sunday I had a baby shower. To say the least we have been blessed. Friends and family came and showered me with gifts and love. Then they prayed over me for our trip and for Baby G. My mom said something in her prayer and it just hit me so hard, she asked God to bless this baby who doesn't even know he has been rescued. So I started thinking, what do I want my child to know and understand about his rescue? This is it<br />
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Dear Sweet Baby,<br />
You don't even know we exist. You are living in an orphanage just trying to survive each day. You have already survived against all odds. You don't know a mothers love or a fathers protection. You have been all alone in this world since you were born. To some you are just a poor African child who was abandoned on the street. But to us, you are our son. You are the one God chose to be ours. We choose YOU despite your circumstances and your background. We already have this deep love for you and we have never even held you. You are going from a life of neglect to a life full of love and commitment all because we choose you to be our son. We don't care what physical or emotional issues you may come with, we already love you unconditionally. My prayer for you is that you come to understand that our love for you is a small fraction of the love God has for you. Just like you, we were orphans but God chose to send his son to save us. God chose us, with our sin and all our baggage he chose to die for us just so that we could be called his children. Don't you understand? Your parents are not these people who should be commended for rescuing an orphan child. No, your parents were lost sinners who were saved by Gods grace through Christ's death on the cross. We deserve punishment for our sins, a life out of the presence of God. But instead we get a relationship with Christ, a life where he gives us a purpose and a plan for our lives. And guess what? YOU were a part of that plan. God CHOSE you to be our son before we even knew it.<br />
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So, no you aren't an orphan. You never were. God knew your parents. He had already chosen you to be ours. You are undeserving like us, but God loves you and has a plan for your life. My prayer is that you always know you aren't an orphan. You are a child of God first and our child second.aliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-70300013159073370502012-06-23T19:07:00.000-07:002012-06-23T19:07:07.009-07:00FearIt has been a few weeks since we found out we were getting a baby boy. It is still so surreal. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. For someone to call and say, "Just Kidding Alicia! You should have known things don't come easy for you!" I know that is just my own doubt and fears getting in the way. My middle name should be doubter. I have been a doubter my whole life. So, God is teaching me to TRUST him. My mind believes that God has a plan for my life, that this deep desire to rescue orphans is from him. I know he is sufficient to provide my needs and the needs of baby G.<br />
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You are probably thinking, this girl is crazy. She has this incredible baby boy waiting on her in Africa and all she can do is worry that somehow she won't get him. I know I am. I go from being so excited I literally can't stand it, to thinking through scenarios where the judge reads my information and decides someone with a disease isn't fit to be a mother. And again, God says trust me! My social worker is awesome, when I vocalize my fears to her she just dismisses them and says, "It is in Gods hands Alicia!" My poor sister Laura has been a constant encouragement to me. I don't know what I would do without these Godly people in my life, to remind me to snap out of it.<br />
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So, despite my crazy doubts, Jeff and I went and registered for some baby stuff today. I have a shower next week at home in Louisiana. It was so much fun. I have gone through 8 births of nephews and a niece and each time I have been overjoyed to welcome this new addition into our family. But it was so much fun to be planning for MY sweet baby G. He isn't going to know what hit him when he gets home. So much love from an enormous family and lots of sweet ladies at church who are already calling him their grandson. <br />
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Since I last updated, we found out the Ugandan Courts close from July 15 to August 15th. My agency is working hard to get us in before then but I seriously doubt that will happen. So right now we are thinking sometime quickly after the courts open back up.<br />
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I ask that you continue to pray for the things I asked in my last post. <br />
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Just to confirm to you that I am crazy, I am already starting to plan our next adoption. Crazy right? My hearts desire is to have a house full of children from different nations (including the U.S.). To me it is such a beautiful picture. I pray that God provides for the desires of my heart.<br />
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Alicia <br />
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<br />aliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-76508543410619734712012-06-13T11:02:00.001-07:002012-06-13T11:02:35.953-07:00WE HAVE A BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Yes, it is true. The day I posted online that we were in the "waiting" period, I got a call from my social worker about a baby that was up for adoption in Uganda. I had completely written off the possibility of having a baby. I was expecting a 2 or 3 year old. I don't know that I have ever been more overwhelmed with emotion than the moment I saw a picture of my son. I was "freaking out", for about 3 days and I'm still so excited I don't know what to do with myself. It just feels like he is mine. I know I didn't grow him in my belly, but the love I already feel for this baby is so deep. The love both of our parents feel for this baby that we have only seen in photos is amazing. He is 5 months old. So right now we are waiting for our documents to be sent to Uganda and for them to give us a court date. I will give more specific information on our baby when we get our court date. For now we will call him Baby G. <br />
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Here are some specific things you can pray for:<br />
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1.)Smooth process of the courts looking at our stuff and giving us a court date.<br />
2)That we do not get this particular Judge who will not rule in favor of an intercountry adoption. He only rules in favor of adoptions to take place with people who live in Uganda.<br />
3)Finances- we are already being hit with some big fees and it is only going to get worse as we get closer to travel. We know God can provide for our needs. <br />
4.) Pray for Baby G, and the ladies who care for him at his orphanage. Pray that his malnourishment has no lasting effects physically and mentally.<br />
5.) Pray for us as we wait. I feel like all of my thoughts all day are about Baby G. I know it is only going to get harder as our love for him grows. As a mom, I just want to be there making sure he is well taken care of and loved on. <br />
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We know God has his hand in this, most people wait for months and months until they get a referral. We got one the day we started waiting. God is already blessing us and we are so thankful. We are also thankful for your prayers! We will need them even more as time progresses.<br />
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Did I mention, I'm a MOM!!!!!! Yes, I'm still freaking out!<br />
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<br />aliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-67420233585568272482012-05-09T09:01:00.002-07:002012-07-31T19:18:42.504-07:00Paperwork DONE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Over the past month or so we have been waiting for our documents to come in from the state so we could finish everything up and send it off to the adoption agency. We finally got our paperwork in and today I have been checking over everything to be sure it is correct. It is really important that everything is just as they ask because if it isn't we have to go through a really long process just to get one document fixed. I feel kind of sad/anxious about sending it all off, sounds crazy but this is what Uganda will see when they approve us for our adoption. It feels like a lot of pressure. And it means I have nothing left to do but just wait for the agency to find us a child/children.<br />
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To be honest, I have had a hard time over the past couple of weeks. I am going on 6 months of not seeing my family (we live 12 hours from home) and I have felt so alone. I feel like everyone around me has their own families and lives and here I am missing my family in Louisana and just waiting for our family here to start. I know my identity is not in my children or lack there of, but my only hearts desire is to be a mom. I am experiencing for the first time what it means to HAVE to rely solely on God. I have ZERO control over my circumstances. So I wait, and some days I feel fine and others I feel like my heart is aching too much to function. We went to the park in our little town about 2 weeks ago and there were these 4 black kids playing on the toys and Jeff and I were walking around the track with our dog Saint. They just stopped playing and walked with us for about 45 minutes. The 2 year old held my hand and I told him about the moon in the sky and the different cars passing by, the older kids were with Jeff and Saint playing and talking. The whole time I felt like I might be sick from the heartache I was feeling. I felt like God gave me a little glimpse of what our life will be like and it was great but also made my impatient self want to scream, "Why not now?"<br />
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I am not asking for sympathy or anything, this blog is for us to share our joys and heartaches. I know there will be so much joy one day but right now there is a little more heartache. My goal right now, is to focus on doing ministry at my church and growing in Christ. I KNOW my identity is in Him and not in my wants and desires. He has a purpose for my life today before being a mother and I just have to focus on that. Yes, that is much easier said than done. <br />
<br />aliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-50594108560370209842012-03-08T19:40:00.004-08:002012-03-25T19:03:11.389-07:00Our StoryWhen we were dating we always talked about adopting a little girl from China. I think I always thought I would have a bunch of boys then we would adopt a little girl. We got married and decided not too long after that we wanted to have children. So 2 years passed then I got really sick and all I could think about was getting well. So we moved to Georgia and I found out I had Rheumatoid Arthritis. It was a hard time for me, I was 12 hours from home, didn't know a soul and couldn't get out of the house because I was so sick. I'll never forget the day I was about to pull into my driveway and was thinking about having kids and I saw a sign that said something about adopting. All of the sudden God started to work hard on me about adopting. I began to have this strong desire to adopt. Although my desire to adopt was strong, I still had a strong desire to have my own child. What women doesn't? I remember as a little girl wanting to be a mom, and even growing up all I really ever wanted to do was mother children. When you get married you dream about what your children will look like, what personality they will have. I remember wanting our child to have Jeff's smarts and my tan. I hoped that I would mother boys just like my mom and grandmother did.<br /><br />So back to the story, I started researching adoptions and praying, we knew for sure God was calling us to adopt. I was being treated for my RA with some very harsh medicines. My doc told me if we ever wanted kids we needed to do it now. So after over 2 years of not being able to have children I went to the doctor and had lots of tests done only to find out that the only way we could have children was through invitro.<br /><br />I remember the day I got the call, I was at my grandmother's house who just passed away in December. I told her that we would not be able to have children and just like it was nothing she said well honey there are tons of babies out there for you to adopt. And that was that. We knew without a doubt this was why God had already put such a strong desire in our hearts to adopt.<br /><br />So we started the adoption process quickly and haven't looked back since. I would be lying if I said that I have been fine and we are just so excited to be able to adopt children from Africa. I went through a grieving stage and there are still times when I ask, "why me?" If you are a women you feel a responsibility to give your husband children and when you are unable to do that it is very hard. So I have had these feelings of guilt, sadness, anger and jealousy for all the people who have babies everyday.<br /><br />The day I saw the sign for adoption, I had been feeling sorry for myself and it was like it just hit me that <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> wanted a child to fill <span style="font-style: italic;">my </span>desires to be a mother and so that <span style="font-style: italic;">I </span>could experience all the joys of having offspring, and so that <span style="font-style: italic;">I </span>could experience this miracle of giving life. It was all about me, not about a child or about bringing glory to God or doing his will. So, I remind myself, "Its not about you Alicia!"<br /><br />The days of sadness are less now, and days of anticipation have taken their place. Anticipation of what my sweet babies will look like, what will they have been through when we get them? What will there little personalities be like? Anticipation for the day I get to run to them and take them into my arms and tell them mommy is here. Anticipation to get on that plane and bring them home to be loved on by us and by so many of our family and friends. Anticipation to watch Jeff father our children and teach them the truths of the Bible. Anticipation to see our parents love these children from Africa like they were there own.<br /><br />What a picture of Christs love for me and what a blessing that he has allowed me to be apart of such a miracle.aliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-14108749395744682522012-03-01T05:57:00.002-08:002012-03-01T06:01:11.722-08:00Quick UpdateWe got our immigration approval! This is a big deal, it means we can bring up to 3 kids into the United States with us. We have the Dossier to finish then we are waiting for a referral.<br /><br />The immigration approval literally took one business day from when we got our fingerprints, to getting the letter in the mail. NOTHING about the adoption process is fast, so this was a good change of pace. Keep praying that our referral will come quickly. Wanting siblings means you never how long it can take for some to come along.aliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-16997569084963210672012-02-24T11:21:00.002-08:002012-02-24T11:30:33.348-08:00DecisionsWe are getting so close to getting a referral for children. Just this week we had the option to choose a child from Uganda. I realized when my social worker emailed me, that we have some big decisions to make. God has given us both a strong desire for siblings, so we decided to stick with our conviction. But it was hard and I know as we get closer it will get harder.<br /><br />So, if you have committed to pray for our Journey, I ask that you pray for discernment for us as we get closer to getting our babies. I believe God has specific siblings set out for us already. Just pray for us that we make the decisions God would have and that I don't get caught up in the emotions of wanting to save every child that comes through my email.<br /><br />We went to Jacksonville yesterday to the Homeland Security office to get our fingerprints done for immigration. It was a big step for us. I am making myself finish all the Dossier paperwork within the next couple of weeks so we can submit it to Uganda. Then the paperwork is DONE. I might just throw a party that day.<br /><br />Thanks for the prayers.aliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2711201056224296884.post-63120113602226461192012-02-19T19:15:00.003-08:002012-02-19T19:25:05.978-08:00ImpatienceToday is one of those days I feel like my heart is going to burst if I go one more day without my babies. I walked into the house tonight after church and wished I were walking in with a car seat in one hand and a tiny hand in the other. I went to the bathroom and thought of getting their baths and getting them ready for bed. I know to some it may seem so foreign and you might wonder how I can be so attached to children I don't even know are mine, I can't explain it. I just know they are mine, waiting in Uganda to be united with us. It could still be 6 months to a year before I bring them home, somedays like today that seems like forever and other days I know that God is working in my heart and in my childrens hearts during this time to prepare us. This is such an unnatural process and God has really convicted me to take advantage of this time and pray and fast for my children.<br /><br />Today at church Jeff read a scripture where it said something about Jesus Christ being from the line of David and I thought about how God introduced adoption with Jesus. Joseph was from David's line and he adopted Jesus as his son but we see all throughout scripture that he is from the Line of David, Just like our little African babies will be from the Audirsch line.<br /><br />We covet your prayers, I am not naive, I know this will be hard and some days I'm scared but I know God is going to give us the strength to love these children through whatever they have been through.aliciamontgomeryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06804660156453700135noreply@blogger.com3