It's a Crazy Life! But it's Our Life!

SOME PICTURES OF OUR NEW FAMILY

2011-06-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

AFTER TAKING HUNDREDS OF PICTURES IN THE PAST 3 WEEKS, I TOOK A BREAK FROM MY CAMERA BUT I DID GET SOME SHOTS IN HERE AND THERE!!!!

OUR NEW NORMAL.......

2011-06-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

WHAT AN AMAZING JOURNEY WE FOUND OURSELVES WITNESSING. I AM SO HAPPY TO BE HOME, AND ANNOUNCE THAT BOTH NEW DAUGHTERS ARE DOING WONDERFUL AND ADJUSTING BETTER THAN WE COULD HAVE HOPED FOR! YES, THERE WERE MANY UPS AND DOWNS SPENT IN CHINA, EMOTIONS AND SADNESS AND MANY JOYS AS WELL! GOD IS SO GREAT, AWESOME AND MAGNIFICENT...THERE TRULY ARE NO WORDS! I HONESTLY CAN SAY THAT I DID NOT KNOW IF WE WERE GOING TO GO HOME A FAMILY OF 8 OR 9. IF THAT IS ANY INDICATION OF WHAT A ROLLER COASTER RIDE WE WERE ON....AND OUR DAUGHTER EMMA, I WILL SAY IS THE BRAVEST YOUNG LADY I HAVE EVER MET! SHE LITERALLY LEFT EVERYTHING BEHIND SHE HAS EVER KNOWN, AND JUMPED RIGHT INTO A NEW LIFE! AND I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT SHE IS HAPPY AND IS BEGINNING TO BLOSSOM BEFORE OUR EYES! EMMA HAS BEEN SMILES AND SO PLEASANT FROM THE MOMENT WE TOUCHED DOWN IN OHIO. EMMA AND MARISSA HAVE NOT STOPPED HOLDING HANDS SINCE THE MOMENT THEY MET, AND THEY HAVE BECOME FAST SISTERS!

AS FAR AS ESTELLA, IT IS LIKE SHE HAS BEEN A PART OF OUR FAMILY FOREVER.....DON'T GET ME WRONG.....THERE IS SOME MAJOR "PECKING ORDER" MAKING GOING ON......YOU SEE, MYA IS 4 ALMOST 5 AND ESTELLA IS 6 ALMOST 7 BUT ABOUT AN INCH SMALLER THAN MYA, AND THEY BOTH ARE TRYING FOR THE TOP SPOT!!! IT HAS BEEN INTERESTING TO WATCH THEIR RELATIONSHIP FORM AS IT KEEPS CHANGING FROM HUGS TO ANNOYING EACH OTHER, SO PRETTY TYPICAL SISTER RELATIONSHIP FORMING!!! YESTERDAY THEY PLAYED OUTSIDE TOGETHER FROM 8 A.M. TO 8:30 P.M. THEY HAD A BLAST!!!! MARIAH AND NOAH GET ALONG WITH EVERYONE, AND RYAN LIKES BOTH THE GIRLS VERY MUCH!

WE HAVE BEEN SO BUSY SINCE THE MOMENT WE LANDED IN OHIO THURSDAY MORNING. IT HAS BEEN NON STOP!! MARISSA AND MARIAH HAD A BIG DANCE WEEKEND WITH THEIR ANNUAL DANCE RECITAL ON SATURDAY, SO THURSDAY NIGHT THEY HAD REHEARSAL TILL AFTER 9 P.M. THEN FRIDAY DRESS REHEARSAL UNTIL ALMOST 11 P.M. AND THEN SATURDAY WAS THE BIG DANCE RECITAL AND MARISSA WAS NAMED DANCE STUDENT OF THE YEAR! OH, FORGOT TO MENTION THE TORNADO WARNING RIGHT BEFORE THE RECITAL BEGAN, WHICH HAD EVERYONE RUNNING FOR THE BASEMENT AT THE PALACE THEATER!!! NEEDLESS TO SAY, NOT A MOMENT FOR JET LAG HERE!!!! BUT I COULD NOT ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE, AS FAR AS THE ADJUSTING AND THE WAY OUR FAMILY IS COMING TOGETHER!!! ALL PRAYERS ANSWERED, AND THEN SOME!!!

I HAVE TO TELL YOU ALL AGAIN, HOW BLESSED I AM TO HAVE SUCH AN AMAZING SUPPORT IN MY LIFE! WE WERE SO BLESSED TO HAVE FAMILY WITH OUR CHILDREN FOR 3 WEEKS WHILE WE WERE IN CHINA AND A AN ARMY, AND I MEAN AN ARMY OF FRIENDS THAT WERE THE SUPPORT FOR MY MOM WHAT EVER SHE NEEDED!!!! THAT SUPPORT HAS CONTINUED EVEN TO THIS DAY, AS ARE FAMILY HAS BEEN SHOWN THE LOVE AND TRUE COMPASSION FROM SO MANY! TODAY, I WENT TO THE PICK UP THE GIRLS FROM SCHOOL, WAS GREETED BY MANY WHO JUST CAME UP TO MY CAR TO GIVE ME A HUG, TO LET US KNOW THEY ARE STILL PRAYING FOR OUR NEW DAUGHTERS AND OUR FAMILY. I WAS UNEXPECTEDLY HANDED A WONDERFUL MEAL FROM MY SPECIAL FRIEND PAULA, ENOUGH TO FEED A SMALL NATION, (OH WAIT, I HAVE A SMALL NATION) AND WHEN I ARRIVED HOME, ANOTHER WONDERFUL FRIEND ANNE CALLED TO SAY THAT SHE WOULD BE AT MY HOUSE AT 5:30, DINNER MADE, HOT AND READY TO SERVE, COMPLETE WITH DESSERT, AND THE MOST AMAZING MEXICAN FIESTA!! EVERY DETAIL FINISHED, INCLUDING TABLE CLOTH AND MARGARITAS!!! AM I BLESSED OR WHAT!!! THEN I HAVE TO TELL YOU ABOUT MY AMAZING FRIEND MELISSA WHO HAS BEEN MY ROCK AND MY CONFIDANT THROUGH OUT THIS TIME OF FAITH SHAKING EVENTS! SHE HAS KEPT MY EYES AND HEART FOCUSED UPWARDS! COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT ALL OF YOU!!!! I THANK GOD FOR YOU ALL!!! I LOVE YOU DEARLY!

WE ARE LEAVING FOR CHINA TODAY!!!

2011-05-12T03:06:00.000-07:00

I HAVE BEEN THE MOST HORRIBLE BLOGGER, BUT ALL THAT KNOW ME KNOW THAT WE HAVE HAD SO MUCH HAPPENING, INCLUDING GETTING MYSELF SO SICK FOR OVER 3 WEEKS!! AND YES WE ARE LEAVING FOR CHINA TODAY TO MEET THE GIRLS!!!!

I MADE A BLOG FOR PEOPLE TO FOLLOW US IN CHINA

JUST GO TO www.babyjellybeans.com

go to blog search and enter

First name: Emma and Estella

Last name: Hecky

I plan to update this blog frequently with pictures and happeneings, so check it out!!!

EMMA AND ESTELLA.......HERE WE COME!!!!!!

New Pictures of Estella & a Friend Got to Hold Her!!

2011-03-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

This adoption has been nothing less than extraordinary when it comes to events and timing! A friend that I met during this journey, Maggie, is the mother to Estella's best friend, actually they thought themselves as sisters, but Maggie brought home her daughter last April and got in touch with me when we started the process to let us know about the girls special relationship. We have been in contact since, and have become quite good friends! Anyways, she is in China right now adopting her daughter Alex, and she made a special visit to Estella's orphanage and hand delivered a package to our precious little girl!

Maggie got to spend two hours with Estella, got tons of pictures and a video! She has had bad internet connection at her hotel, but I received these pictures this morning! This is how she described our little one...and I mean little!

"Yes, she is as little as they said!"
"The Nannies and teachers described her as very intelligent"
"She is a Spitfire, going here, to there, to EVERYWHERE!"
"All GIRL"!
"Super AFFECTIONATE!"

We sent Estella a beautiful little dress, some cute accessories, a little build a bear panda and a photo album! Maggie said that Estella would not put the photo album down of her new family, and kept showing everyone all the pictures! Maggie said she clearly said "Mommy" and "Daddy"! No MaMa or BaBa this time around!

We are so excited to see our travel plans happening in the near future! We are on schedule to go some time in May or the latest, June 10th! That is the same time we traveled to get Noah last year and it is a wonderful time to go!

We also sent Emma a package which we know she did receive! We are hoping for some updated pictures of her very soon! The orphanage director contacted the lady who sent our packages and Emma wants to know when we are coming to China! SOON MY DAUGHTER, VERY SOON!!!

Love and Hugs to all!!! Oh and there are a few pictures of Estella with Maggie's daughter Zoe, who is one year older than Estella! That gives a good picture of just how tiny that little pixie is!! <3

2011-03-08T07:16:00.000-08:00

LOA IS HERE!!!

2011-03-08T07:08:00.000-08:00

I think for once, I AM SPEECHLESS! We received an email yesterday that literally made me scream out loud! We received our Letter of Approval for both Emma and Estella! Which means that China completed the process of looking through our paperwork and declared that we were approved to adopt both girls! It truly is a miracle, as our paperwork has only been logged into the system since 2/11/11!! That is 3 weeks!!!! I think our agency was caught off guard as well! To put it into perspective, we waited a long agonizing 124 days for Noah's Letter of Approval! And we got both LOA's for our girls in 3 weeks!!! This journey, this leap of faith, this go against the grain, this narrow path to these 2 gifts has been so amazing and so clear this time around that if I could reach up and give God a giant hug right now, well that is exactly what I would do! A GOD HUG!!!

So we are nearing the end of the paper craze and the next steps are out of our hands, but some what predictable. Most people usually get their Travel Approval with in 8 weeks of Letter of Approval which means we will be in China some time in May or June! Exactly what I had hoped and prayed for! Prayers Answered and soon, very soon our girls will be home!

Thank you all for your prayers and support for our family! It sure makes life a lot less "crazy" when you wake up each morning and just knowing that some one, some where has lifted your family up in prayer!

The Faces of Special Needs Adoption!

2011-03-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

It is reality, our family is a walking, talking billboard for adoption. We are asked daily, adoption questions, how long?, how much? and "HOW DO YOU DO IT?" There is never an opportunity that I pass up to talk to someone about adoption. And closest to my heart, Special Needs Adoption! There is a forum I read regularly and a member posted today to share your family's story about Special Needs Adoption and here is ours....and my biggest hope would be that I would encourage 1 person, 1 family to open their hearts and home to a child with a special need.

I have a motto, a little "slogan" I guess you can call it! Special Needs: My child is Special & they need me & I need them! Special Needs in the adoption world can range from something as minuscule as a missing pinky toe to as severe as the defected heart that almost took my 4 year olds son's life. It can also mean having a blood disorder that may never affect them their entire life, or to me is the most absurd, healthy older child. Yes, being healthy and being older is considered a special need. Our family would not be what it is today, had it not been for the "defects" or the "special needs" that my children posses. So in a way, I am thankful (that sounds bizarre) that God made them perfect in His sight, not perfect in a world of where some may look past a child due to fear of the unknown or misunderstanding a need that truly is not a need at all. Don't get me wrong, we carried fear, lots of fear, especially with Noah, until the day I laid eyes on him, and gasped out loud the moment I saw him. I was totally expecting this frail unhealthy, sickly child. But that was not even close! We met a bundle of energy, a joy, the sweetest boy I have ever met! And he sat on a waiting list, in jeopardy of his file being returned, only to have to sit longer, maybe forever, without a family because of his multiplexed heart condition. I still will never forget the moment I saw him on rainbowkids.com I had no intentions of finding my son that day, but I took one glance and knew, he was mine! Marissa walked into the office, saw his picture and started to cry! We cried together! We both felt God opening our hearts! The rest is history! Am I still scared? ABSOLUTELY! It is inevitable that Noah will have open heart surgery this year. A very complex surgery, that will entail the stopping of his beating heart while the surgeons repair Noah's "Special Needs"! If that doesn't scare a person, I don't know what will? But it did not scare my husband or it did not scare me enough to say "No, we will not love this boy, for the rest of his life!" Whether it is for a year, or 5 years or 50 years....he is our son, in total Noah perfection! Come what may......

And now I turn to the "Special Need" of an older child. Mariah, Noah, Estella and Emma would all be considered "Special Needs" just from being older. But I will focus on Emma, who is turning 14 in 5 short months! Talk about the UNKNOWNS!!!! First off, I have entered the world of teenage girls, and that is the thing that scares me the most! Mostly because I "faintly" recall what I put my mother through at 14!! :) But Emma is who she is! We are well aware that she is not going to run up to us, hug us, sing us a song (Mariah did this when we first met her)! It is going to be hard work, dedication, understanding and overwhelming patience! In a fantasy vision of Emma's gotcha moment would be her running up to us, hugging us both, calling us Mama and Baba, taking our hands and us leaving a room painted in rainbow colors while the song "WE ARE F A M I L Y" is playing in the background. In reality, there will be tears, a very scared young girl who is about to have everything that she has ever known changed in a blink of an eye! But we are going to give it our all, our hearts, and a promise that we will never abandon her, never harm her, and will love her for the rest of her life. And in return, our hope is that her heart will be healed in time, she will accept us, love us at her own timing, and find a place in her heart of acceptance and self worth. We do not feel in any way that we are going to China to get our adorable little Estella, who by the way, also has an undisclosed special need that in her time, her decision, her story to tell, will maybe some day share. Yes, a SPECIAL NEED! But we are not going to go and get "two for the price of one" deal, we are not going to "SAVE" Emma while we go and adopt Estella. We are traveling to adopt our daughters who we feel called to call our own, our daughter.

This month, March 24th to be exact, it will be two years since our sweet little Mariah came into our lives and we feel honored, privileged, blessed beyond words to call her daughter. And exactly one week later, on April 1st, we will be celebrating another milestone. our 4th year anniversary, that our Taiwan princess was placed in my arms at 8 months old. Not many people know, but as we awaited travel to get Mya four years ago, we were dealt a devastating blow. A call from our agency that was facilitating Mya's adoption. When I got the call from the director, I knew that there was something wrong. My heart sank and tears flowed as she began to tell me that the orphanage director in Tainan Taiwan felt Mya was behind all the other babies in milestones and they decided to have her checked out by a doctor. They ran several testings and a brain MRI and it was found that Mya had a blood clot in her brain. They felt that Mya suffered from cerebral palsy. WHAT??? I was leaving in 2 weeks to get her and this bomb? I was a basket case, but my husband, the cool calm and collective one reminded me of our journey, our faith and our love for this baby. And in an instant, the peace came about me and we never looked back! And she does not have cerebral palsy!! But even if she did, we would have loved her the way God intended! Mya truly started our mission to build our family through adoption and even though she is "CRAZY MYA" and she is an unpredictable firecracker who at any point in the day she may be sneaking lipstick out of my purse and putting it all over her face, or sadly Noah's face, or the Mya who ALWAYS has some form of food or mystery substance tangled in her thick black hair, or her pretty girl steps she has, as she has been a tip toe walker since she took her first step. Little Mya Min Hecky even took my fears of flying away, as I was determined to take the 24 hour journey across the globe! Mya has taught me the true meaning of unconditional love!

If you or someone you know has ever mentioned the idea of adoption, I encourage you to listen to your heartstrings. Don't let fear of the unknown keep you from the love that Chad and I have had the privileged of experiencing in our lives! Each one of our miracles, our "SPECIAL MIRACLES" have enriched both of our lives beyond explanation, can't even put into words, unfathomable, far beyond any thing we could ever come close to giving back to them! It incomparable! And if you are called to parent and love a child with Special Needs, I am certain your life will be enriched with treasures of joy and love! I witness it daily!

Emma Faith Yang Jie

2011-01-24T15:33:00.001-08:00

The Family that God Built!

2011-01-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

So if you would tell me 20 years ago, where I would be when I was about to turn 37, I honestly would not believe you! Married for going on 19 years, 5 kids and counting....and a stay at home mom!!! Well, I honestly would not believe you! But I am BLESSED BEYOND IMAGINATION and I would not change a moment in time of the adulthood I have had thus far! My husband and my children are my life and my God is the roots that ties it all together. When Chad and I experienced the miracle of life when we had our son Ryan who is about to turn 15, I thought nothing could surpass the joy and love or at least equal the precious gift we were given...after years of fertility and finally able to carry and deliver are miracle, Marissa 10 years ago, we were finally seeing that no matter how many blessings you are given, love just grows and grows. Nothing prepared our hearts for the blessing of adoption and how our hearts would open up to 3 children who grew inside my heart, not under it! It is called unconditional love and I truly feel an honor that many don't get to experience....the privilege that I 100 percent believe that God planted a seed (well 3 seeds) and when Mya, Mariah and Noah became orphans, God chose me to be their mommy! I TOTALLY would never believe when He would secretly plant another seed and my heart would bloom once more for our dear daughter Estella! Words can not describe how much I already love that little girl and how much I can not wait till I can finally touch her skin, smell her hair, and kiss her tiny little cheeks! There is no doubt in my mind that she is meant to be in our family....no matter how big our family seems to grow! Every member of our family is who they are meant to be!

But what happens next was totally unexpected, and I am still questioning God's plan, His intentions, and His path for our family. Although I have ABSOLUTE PEACE in what I am about to reveal in God's story for our lives, I have truly had to give it up to Him, pray on bended knee and and totally LET IT GO, THE LIFE I HAVE PLANNED FOR ME! But I trust His faithful hand and I am honored that He is so close to our family that He sees the love and compassion that we have for each other and He has given His trust to me, as a Mother! A Mother of 7!

No, you did not read incorrectly! When we go to China to bring Estella home, we are bringing home Emma too! Both Chad and I have taken on as a couple to pray for the 13 year old children who in 2011 will become 14 and will not be able to be adopted. It breaks my heart that a child could go the rest of their life, not knowing the love of a family. We never thought that while we were praying, that God was showing us that we would be opening our hearts and home to another girl. But that is exactly what He did!

I have to also tell you that I had my doubts that this was suppose to happen, that this is what God wanted for us! I have actually argued with Him, reasoned with him, cried out to Him and He just keeps giving me the same command. He has been beyond faithful to me, my husband and my family that I could not turn Him away from what was being asked of me! WHO AM I ANYWAYS to say No! Well, we are not saying NO, we said YES and although this brings on HUGE challenges and enormous unknowns, we are not any less excited then we were going to get Mya as an infant in Taiwan 4 years ago!

So here is our daughter, Emma Faith Yang Jie Hecky! Emma will be 14 years old on August 9 and by Chinese Law would not be eligible for adoption any longer. Although Emma's is currently in a wonderful foster family, she still would not be granted many things such as health care, schooling and job opportunities as an orphan. It is unfair, but the way it is! Emma has been raised by the orphanage director and his wife since she was brought into the orphanage 13 years ago. They have loved her, educated her in the best schools, and have watched her grow into a beautiful teenage girl! Unfortunately the foster mother was diagnosed with cancer and she lost her battle and died. So not only has Emma lost her birth mother, she also is grieving the loss of her foster mother as well. Single parenting in China is very much frowned upon and it was decided that Emma would be placed for adoption. Her touching story is so hard for us to understand but we know that she does want to be adopted, and her only request was that she was adopted into a family with a Father and a Mother. We have learned that she also has an older foster brother and she loves little children! She loves to read and loves to be on the internet! (OH GREAT! WE HAVE ENTERED THE WORLD OF TEENAGE GIRLHOOD!) Our whole family could not be more excited! We actually went to Ryan and Marissa first with the idea of bringing home an older child and both were without hesitation! I LOVE THOSE KIDS! I think Ryan is excited that he will have someone his age to "show the ropes" and Marissa is so thrilled to have an older girl to share things with, including her bedroom!

We are the family that God built! He handpicked our family to experience adoption, he has provided beyond anything that we deserve financially so we in return could bring His fatherless home, He has remained the biggest "CHEERLEADER" for us, as when we ever feel doubt, He is right there, cheering us on, showing us His plan in clear vision!

So I ask that you please PRAY for this lost girl, who will obviously be grieving, be scared, be so confused. I can't even imagine! Pray that she would open her heart to us, that she will some day understand the plan that God has for her and that leaving everything behind in China will bring her a family that will NEVER NEVER NEVER give up on her! She will always have a place to call home and a Mom and Dad waiting with open arms!

Here is our new daughter Emma:

BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER! NEW PICTURES OF ESTELLA!

2010-12-23T18:24:00.001-08:00

Honour's story of how she found a family of her own!

2010-12-21T07:55:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share a link about a wonderful young lady who was adopted as an older child, in her words how she felt as she thought she would never have a family of her own. please click on the link, and it will take you to Honour's story. Many people don't know that when a child who is an orphan turns 14 in China they are NO LONGER adoptable and in most cases are forced to leave the orphanage with no means, no money, no job, no home, no family. Many enter the unfortunate life of prostitution and other desperate means of survival. This is Honour's story!

http://cornbreadandchopsticks.blogspot.com/p/honours-story.html

Stars for Estella Update and Hecky Family Happenings!

2010-12-07T18:16:00.001-08:00

I still get tears when someone even a complete stranger who has no idea who we are, donate and add a Star to Estella's tree! We added 22 more stars and the tree sure is looking beautiful! We are and have been so blessed by the generosity of people that it has taught us such an invaluable lesson in life. One that we hope to pass on and be able to help other families when we are called!

As far as the Hecky House, we have been bustling and hustling with decorating for Christmas around the house, to school concerts and parties! Not to mention we have all pretty much managed to catch a very bad cold, which I have fallen a victim to, but feeling on amends today. But I thought I would share the updated pictures of Estella's tree with 52 STARS on it and some pictures of the clan as we are out in this busy season of JOY!!! Enjoy and thank you all for your prayers and support! You are all Godsend blessings!

A TREE SPARKLING WITH STARS!

2010-12-01T19:04:00.001-08:00

I literally am an awe that so many generous people have logged on to our blog and was so giving and buying a "Star for Estella!" In 1 day, Estella has received 30 STARS! I just feel so wonderful, I could cry, and actually I did a few times today! Just feeling the hearts of so many friends, family & total strangers really is overwhelming! I love that I get to journal this story so that Estella can see how many people loved her and wanted her home with her family! Thank you all literally from the bottom of our hearts!

Please continue to share our blog with your friends, family and contacts! There is 24 days until Christmas and it would be awesome to see "Estella's Christmas Tree" totally star filled!!!

Enjoy the pictures with the 30 "Stars for Estella!"

A STAR FOR ESTELLA!

2010-11-22T17:29:00.000-08:00

One thing that attracted me to the name "Estella" was the meaning, STAR! And that is what she is to her family, a beautiful shining star! And now that we have PreApproval to bring home our little star, the shock of the cost to bring her home sets in, and you know the Lord will provide, but still, the anxiousness is still there, lurking.....and although it will NEVER take the "JOY" away from our daughter "Estella Joy", it is not too far from our minds!

I know the burden of the cost lies on Chad, he is the provider. I have in the past adoptions held spaghetti dinners, sold lasagna, sub sandwiches, yard sales, sold my keepsake jewelry, chilli cook-offs, in hopes at helping the burden, even a little help for my husband. And we have ALWAYS been blessed by the generous family and friends and total strangers. You will never believe the amazing people that we have met through our adoption journeys. Friendships that will last a lifetime!

The orphanage fee to bring Estella home is $5250! Yes, that is alot! And paying the orphanage fee plus the thousands of $$ for paperwork, agency fees and travel 4 times in 4 years seems impossible, and no we are not rich! We have always trusted that God will provide and every time, the $ has just been there! Whether Chad has a job come up right when we need it, or I sell my precious horse named Rayne, our blessings have been plentiful. And the $5250 doesn't even come close to the actual cost, that is just what we hand to the orphanage the day we meet our daughter!

So I have come up with a very special fundraiser. Knowing how financially burdened everyone is in this very uncertain economy and knowing that many of you have already asked how you could help, we are going to do a Christmas Tree for Estella! For every $5 you donate, you will "buy" a star ornament that will be placed on Estella's Christmas Tree! I will put your name on it, and place it on the tree in hopes that the Tree will be totally decorated by Christmas!

So if you would like to purchase a Star for Estella, click on the chip-in button and it will automatically take you to paypal and make your donation of however many ornaments you would like! Please put your name and address as we have thank you cards we would like to send out! If you do not like using paypal, you can send your check payable to Chad and Mary Hecky to P.O. box 507, Uniontown, Ohio 44685 and we will get your star on the tree immediately!

Please pass our blog on to all your facebook friends, email contacts, pass our blog onto co-workers and ask that they do the same! My hope is to pass our blog to as many people as possible in hopes that their hearts will be touched and they will help us with our orphanage fee! There is 25 Days till Christmas and I would love to journal through the next few weeks of all the generous loving people who have made Estella's Christmas one to remember! I will continually post pictures of the tree, as it fills up with ornaments! Remember our blog is www.heckyfamilygrowsinlove.blogspot.com Please pass it on to everyone!!!!

Thank you all for your kind responses to our special news of our new daughter Estella! Please pass on our blog and thank you and giant hugs in advance!!!!!

FAMILY TIES!

2010-11-13T08:11:00.000-08:00

Our New Daughter!

2010-11-12T16:19:00.001-08:00

Estella Joy Guo Hecky was born on June 22, 2004! Imagine our surprise when we learned this information as Guo is also Noah's Chinese name and his birthday is also June 22! I just love when God puts little hints in our hearts like that! Estella Joy is teeny tiny! She turned 6 in June and only weighs about 34 lbs! Mya weighs 35 lbs! I have talked to a family who adopted Estella's best friend and they actually met Estella and could not believe how itsy bitsy she is! We grow them small in our house, and she surely will fit right into the pixie clan! She lives in an orphanage in South Eastern China and it really is a safe haven and she is loved every day. We thank God for that!

We just started the process of getting our homestudy updated, and all the paperwork needed to send to China and then of course, the dreaded wait! But that is what has made our journey so special is that seeing God's perfect timing in Noah's process, it has truly put a peace in our hearts, and we know that we will not meet her a day sooner or a day later than the Lord has planned. It is His perfect timing!

I know that when we announced that we were adopting Noah, we had some real party poopers, so please, even if you don't agree or believe in our mission, please put it in your heart to pray for our family, our finances and pray that Estella will remain safe and healthy, and will have an open heart to a family who already is so in love with a girl across the world! Yes, it is CRAZY to have 6 kids, but there are worse things a family can do, and to tell you the truth, if you ask any one that has a daily encounter with our family, they will tell you that for some CRAZY reason, it just works for us! It may not be your cup of tea, but it is ours...... and our cup overfloweth......with unspeakable Joy!

Oh I should also mention that Estella "Joy" was chosen in honor of my my God mother Aunt Stella who passed away last year and of course, Joy is for my mom (Joyce), who literally is there when ever we need her! She has already volunteer to stay once again at our home with our now 5 children, while we travel to China to get our little girl!

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!" JER 29:11

Missionaries

2010-11-11T18:38:00.000-08:00

THE DEFINITION OF A MISSIONARY:
mis·sion·ar·y
/ˈmɪʃəˌnɛri/ Show Spelled [mish-uh-ner-ee] Show IPA noun, plural -ar·ies, adjective
–noun Also, mis·sion·er.
1.
a person sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities, as educational or hospital work.
2.
a person strongly in favor of a program, set of principles, etc., who attempts to persuade or convert others.
3.
a person who is sent on a mission.
–adjective
4.
pertaining to or connected with religious missions.
5.
engaged in such a mission, or devoted to work connected with missions.
6.
reflecting or prompted by the desire to persuade or convert others: the missionary efforts of political fanatics.
7.
characteristic of a missionary.

One thing that Chad and I talk about for a very long time is someday becoming missionaries. How we would LOVE to leave every worldly part of our existence and give our lives to the ones less fortunate, the ones with out, the ones in need of Christ! And then reality hits....

Chad owns 3 business, has about 25 employees he feels and is responsible for their livelihood and making sure they have work to feed their families. And not to mention our 5 children who are settled in their every day life. Picking up and giving it up just is not practical at this point in our lives. Now, in 15 years or so when the last of the kiddos fly out of the nest, then it may be a different path for us, and we may find ourselves in a season to hand over our lives for what we know God is calling us to do.

But God is calling us to be missionaries right now, this very second, and we hear Him loud and clear. This calling came in the form of a house, of all things. A house that was provided to us in a sinking economy, a sad story to tell you the truth, that a family built their dream home and could not buy it in the end, and had to abandon their dreams of watching their children grow up in it, ultimately handing it over the builder, who sadly closed the business and this particular house sat vacant. We were not looking for a house at the time, and were actually planning a basement renovation in our cozy home as we were waiting for Mariah to come home from China and Ryan was going to get a brand new room in the basement!

Chad and I talked frequently about the dream of opening an orphanage some day. Chad went into a lot of detail about visions he saw in his mind of a big white house that he can picture us taking care of abandoned children, the fatherless. He said he wanted more than an orphanage, but a place that looked like a home, functioned like a home, so a child could understand what a home is, and what a family is all about. Not an institution where the walls are cold dull brick , but a home with warm colors and tears and hunger were replaced with love and hugs and kisses. A home, a family, love.......thats what was placed in his heart, and of course the more his vision grew, our hearts grew and we knew we were being called to be missionaries, in not your normal international calling to far off lands, but right here, right now in this moment.

We were called to become hometown missionaries. And when we first laid eyes on the house that sat empty, we knew that God was answering our prayers of our "orphanage", our mission, of showing the less fortunate, the fatherless that they are loved.

We walked through the house and Chad turned to me and said "If God wants us to have this house, and the bank accepts our offer, then we are filling it up with children". It was his white house in his vision, his orphanage. So we decided to put an offer, a very low offer, as we knew what we could afford, and if it was meant to be, than it would work itself out. Over two months past since we placed our offer and we pretty much put it out of our heads that we would watch our children grow in the White house, when Chad got an unexpected phone call that the house had entered short sale and if we wanted it, the bank would accept our offer, and it ended up being even cheaper than our original offer. The banks were in a hurry to seal the deal, and we only had the weekend to decide.

The following week, we signed the papers for the house and as we left, I said to Chad, remember what you said about filling the house. He said, yes, I promised God that we would fill the house with His children, and love and laughter, and that is what I intend to do.

We have been extremely blessed financially, when so many people we hold dear, have lost their homes, their businesses, their livelihood, here we were taking on a slightly higher mortgage, in a total uncertain economy. But we had peace, and we were on a MISSION.

During this time, we were in the process of bringing Mariah home, and completing our 2nd international adoption. She came home 3 months after we moved in, and 4 months later, we were ready to open our home up to another child, and immediately, the Lord showed us Noah's face and we knew that he was meant to be our son.

Although it was absolutely crazy to think about having 5 kids, we were obeying our calling, we were not going to turn away from what we were clearly being called to do. We were blessed beyond understanding when we met Noah in June, and he just blossoms and is the sweetest little boy, so sensitive, so gentle. He has fit in and adjusted better than anyone could imagine. It truly has been an easy transition, going from 4 children to 5. Don't get me wrong it is a lot of hard work, and patience, but OH so worth it!

God has brought us to our knees several times and He has always always always been faithful financially, providing every thing from the cost of adoption and the huge blessings of successful businesses, down to perfect timing in every aspect of what the year was like preparing for Noah's arrival. We have no doubts in our minds or our hearts that we are doing God's work, right in our own home, we are giving our lives to Him and we are on a mission.

If you would have told Chad and I twenty years ago that we would have 5 kids, I think Chad would have passed out, and I would have screamed and then laughed. No way! Not us! But God had a different plans for our lives, and after lots of prayer, and more prayers, we have taken our calling in stride, working hard as parents, as a couple, as a family to fulfill the Lord's commands in our lives.

When you see the child that God has literally hand picked for your family, the joy is indescribable. To know that God has come into our home, into our hearts, and placed a child for us to love and care for, is truly an honor for us both. It has made our marriage prosper and grow and we are not only husband and wife, but soul mates, and best friends. To put it in a few short words, we are right where we want to be, right here, in this moment and we would not change a thing about what God has chosen us to do.

And He has called on our hearts once more, and if anyone was at the airport when we literally walked off the plane from a 2 week journey to bring home Noah, Chad's first words to our Welcoming Party, was "WE WILL BE GOING BACK TO CHINA!" And that is exactly what we are doing.

Our mission is growing, and it is growing in the form of a 6 year old adorable little girl, named Bao Long, Guo. I had followed this little girls journey for a while, and watched and waited for her profile to read "Family is pursing her adoption", but those words never came. What did come, was a knocking at my heart that she may very well be placed in my heart, and she could be waiting for me to be her Mommy. I prayed and prayed and waited to even mention this little girl to Chad. As we always pray for orphans, and we would bring them all home if we could. But this seemed different and the more I prayed, the clearer the vision of her fitting in our "White House" seemed just right. I took my thoughts to Chad and he of course did not need much convincing, all though we said we wanted to be home a year before perusing another child, that was not the timing the Lord had for us! She was the one, and she would make number 6 in our loving home, and we could not be more excited! The orphanage that she is at is not your typical institution, which we feel very blessed that she is being so well taken care of! She participated in a camp called Journey of Hope and this is how we came across her file. Her orphanage has an English Speaking School and she is actually known as Chrissy there! But we have decided that we are going to change her name!

SO INTRODUCING THE NEWEST MEMBER OF OUR FAMILY:

ESTELLA JOY GUO HECKY! (Estella Means little star!)

Happy Hecky Happenings!

2010-09-24T18:17:00.001-07:00

A free picture slideshow by Smilebox

TWO MONTHS WITH NOAH!

2010-08-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

2 Months with Noah!!!!!

2010-08-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

TWO MONTHS WITH NOAH!

2010-08-21T20:11:00.001-07:00

I can't even believe I am typing this, but time just seems to be flying right by! Today marks the two months since we met Noah and every day I fall deeper in love with that sweet little boy! He is doing amazing, and truly has adjusted far better than anyone could ever imagine. I think it has been easier then Mya or Mariah's adjustment, as he is just so darn easy going that he just goes with the flow, smiles at everything, and steals my heart over and over again! A few weeks ago, our Chinese speaking little man literally stopped talking for four days! Not one peep! It was so sad. I knew what was going on, and my heart hurt for him. He had emotionally shut down his communications, he couldn't understand us, we couldn't understand him, and I think he made the subconscious decision to just stop talking and soak it all in. He literally woke up one day and switched over and now only communicates in English. He uses the words he knows in English, and if he doesn't know it, he will wait till you figure out what he wants to say, tell him the word, and then he will say it. I can't describe what a transformation he has gone through in just two months. That is only 60 days!!!! He absolutely is obsessed with me now, attached to my hip! He still adores his daddy, but he just loves to be with me and helping me with everything I am doing. I really do believe that he was very close to his birth mother and you can just see how he has bonded with us so quickly, that his birth family was totally in love with him. If you call him Wei Jun Guo, he will now say, "No, Noah!" He has come quite a fan of Spider Man, Dora the Explorer and Diego. He loves playing with cars and flashcards. He loves pretty much all food, especially ice cream and is not picky at all! He gets along well and loves his brother and sisters! Him and Mya still have to get through their pecking order conflicts, but really, they get along great and we could not ask for anything else!

I get really sad and emotional when I think about the time Noah spent without a family. He is truly so special and I can't imagine the heart ache that his birth parents go through every single day wondering if he is alive, if he is safe or if he has a family. We do believe that since he was abandoned at the hospital at 2 1/2 years old, and he was so sick, that his parents did make that choice to save their little boy. Now our little Noah. Bitter Sweet! I pray for their peace of mind and heart! He will be cherished daily forever and ever!

I hope you enjoy the video and pics!

One Month with Noah!

2010-07-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

This free photo slideshow made with Smilebox

Our Life as a Family of 7!

2010-07-13T13:48:00.001-07:00

I honestly don't know where to begin??? It has been 10 days since we landed and it has truly been life as usual since! There has been a few bumps in the road with adjusting, but honestly it has been rather easy for all involved! Mya had a slightly rough transition and she asked a few time "When is he going back to China?", but there are a hundred good moments to the one bad moment! The other kids are doing wonderful!

Noah has adjusted with flying colors! Jet lag was not an issue for any of us this time, which was a miracle, but I did end up with a horrible cold! I am feeling much better and life is going on......

I can not tell you how blessed we feel that we have been chosen to be the parents of Noah. He is such a light, such a sparkle, a shining star! He is so sweet, loving and really a good boy! He is transitioning well with the food changes and has picked up a few words. He really loves speaking Chinese, (his comfort zone) and he is a little stubborn, so I think he just speaks Chinese and expects us to figure out what he is saying. All in good time!

We had lots of doctors appointments the past week too, and I am HAPPY ECSTATIC to tell you that Noah's heart is doing wonderful, and although the cardiologist says he will need one more minor surgery, he wants to do nothing for at least one year! Noah's oxygen levels are great, which is a sigh of relief, and he is doing better than anyone could have asked for! A MIRACLE! I am a little mad at myself, because I spent almost 1 year worrying, and I mean daily worrying about Noah's health, when I should have trusted that God was caring for Noah's heart, and He had His hand over him every single day!

I will post tons of pictures later tonight of our family and our new son Noah!

Thank you all for your support, prayers and love! You all are such a wonderful part of our journey, and we are blessed to know so many amazing people!

2010-06-17T05:54:00.000-07:00

In the event that I can not post to blogger because China sets up firewalls and blogger is usually blocked, follow the link below and I will post updates on there! See you soon!!

www.babyjellybeans.com

To sign in type first name Noah last name Hecky

TWENTY FOUR HOURS AND COUNTING!!!

2010-06-17T02:04:00.000-07:00

I am just stunned and EXTREMELY excited that that in exactly twenty four hours we will be at the airport getting ready to board an airplane on our JOURNEY TO NOAH!!! The plan is to document our trip every step of the way!

Here is our trip agenda:

Friday June 18th! Leaving Akron/Canton airport 6:00 a.m. flight to Chicago!

6 HOUR (Ugghh) IN Chicago leaving 12:00 p.m. to China!!!!!

Saturday June 19th Arrive in Beijing China at 2:40 p.m. (Yikes! 15 hours in air no stop)

Take car from airport for a 2 hour car ride to Tianjin! Arrive in Tianjin & chill!

Sunday June 20th (Remember it is still Saturday in Ohio) Rest and take it all in! (Noah in 24 hours!)

Monday June 21st FOREVER FAMILY DAY!!!! (It's Sunday in Ohio, FATHER'S DAY) We meet Noah!!!

Tuesday June 22 ADOPTION IS FINALIZED AND IT'S HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NOAH!!! High Speed Train to Beijing!

Wednesday & Thursday is Beijing Days! Leaving for Guangzhou on Friday June 25th!

Saturday June 26th, Medical Exam

Sunday June 27th relaxing day at Safari!

Monday June 28th Medical exam results and more chillin!

Tuesday June 29th US Consulate interview

Wednesday June 30th Oath Taking Ceremony

Thursday July 1st Pick up Noah's Visa and Train To Hong Kong!

Friday July 2nd: LEAVE FOR HOME A FAMILY OF 7!!!!

We will be home on Friday July 2nd at 6:00 pm at Akron/Canton airport!

We would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see EVERYONE at the airport and celebrate our homecoming! You all have been such a support with prayers and love that when we touch U.S. soil, we want to see all of our family and friends!!! IT'S A PARTY IN THE U.S.A.!!!!!

OH MY GOODNESS!!! I'd better get off of here and finish packing! Please pray that our trip is safe and Noah's heart (literally) will be willing to accept us with ease and that he will adjust with out too much fear and sadness! And that his heart and health will sustain and be healthy while traveling and beyond! Pray for my children as we leave them for 2 weeks. They are all so excited about meeting their brother, but I know that it will be so hard when they realize that we are across the world for such a long time! I know they are in wonderful hands, and the time will go fast! My heart is already aching and I will miss them so much!!

See you in two weeks!!!! Many blessings!!!

TRAVEL APPROVAL!!!!!

2010-06-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

I am ecstatic and beyond emotional to finally post that we have received our Travel Approval and will finally be leaving for China very soon to bring our little boy home! When I look back through our journey I see nothing but the Lord handling every tiny detail from the instant I saw Noah's face, to the moment that we learned we are going to China. I have cried, pleaded, and occasionally begged Him to grant my prayers and get me my son and even though I may have asked for the timing I wanted, I can now see just how perfect His intentions have come to be and the timing could not be more perfect.

Thank you Lord for every blessing you have ever orchestrated in my life, I am eternally humbled and I praise you for once again showing your faithful love.

NOAH HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are hoping to leave June 18th, and will know more tomorrow our Friday. I will keep you all posted! Thank you, everyone for every prayer whispered, every penny donated, every step of the way, we continued to see overwhelming support from family and friends and our family would not be the same without each and every one of you! We love you!

Chad and Mary

A few new reasons why!!!

2010-05-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

The reasons why???

2010-05-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

So, I will start this blog with an update of our adoption journey!! We are finally seeing the end and can dream big dreams of holding our son with in weeks! We are praying and hoping that we will travel the end of May, early June. We are days away of getting our Travel Approval and once that is issued we will imediately book our flights and make our travel arrangements!! God is good, and I just can't wait to get my arms around Noah, to touch his hand, to squeeze his cheeks, to take him in my arms and NEVER let him go. Thank you all for praying for our family, for following our journey and holding us up, when things seemed dark and at times we were fighting the enemy!! We could not have gotten this far without you!

Chad and I truly started our adoption journey over 4 years ago when we began the process of bringing Mya Min home from Taiwan. Those moments changed who we are as a Christian, as a person, as a couple and as a family. We truly found our calling, and we have never been happier or more blessed in our 18 years of marriage. When we met Mariah one year ago, it confirmed what Chad and I felt the Lord had called us to do, adopt again. We knew immediately that we would be back to China!

One thing that just gets under my skin, and rubs me the wrong way is when people say how lucky your child is to have you! Like "Mariah is so lucky to have you!" To me that is just one of those "Why didn't you adopt one from here?" questions. I couldn't imagine anything unluckier than having been brought into this world by a family who could not care for a baby and chose to abandon them at 5 days old at bus stop #7 where strangers found them and took them to an orphange where they spent the next 5 years of their life waiting for a family to call their own. To me, there is nothing lucky about that! We are truly the lucky ones, the blessed ones who get to witness these children blossom, grow and teach us unconditional love! We are totally honored to have been chosen to have Mya and Mariah as our daughters, and our precious Noah as our son!

We have also been asked, "Why another one?" "You have 4 kids already"! And I can only imagine what has been said behind our backs about our decision to adopt again! So I just wanted to share a few reasons why..............pictures are worth a thousand words........enjoy our reasons!

New Pictures!!!

2010-03-24T21:09:00.001-07:00

It is after midnight, and I just could not fall asleep. We have a huge weekend coming up with the spaghetti dinner, and I am starting to feel a little panicked! I am praying for a great turnout, and I know God will send the people He wants to bring through the doors, but I tend to get worried about the little things!!!!! Anyways, I was laying in bed tossing and turning, when I decided to come downstairs to try to unwind. I happened to turn my computer on and what do I see?? New pictures of the most handsome little boy ever!!! Every time I feel like I am getting down, or impatient, or worried, my faith is restored immediately when I see Noah's smile and those cheeks and his eyes. Every mother has felt it....and whether you have given birth or maybe looking at an ultrasound for the first time or even the second or third, or if you are adopting and you see your child's face for the first time, or the second or the third, your heart just melts! I want to go wake Chad up right now, but he worked so late. I can't wait to show him. Thank you Angela from ladybugsnlove for doing what you do. I honestly don't think I could have gotten through this year without you! I know you live in China and can't read this post, but I want you all to know there is a special lady, a sister in Christ, that helps families be connected with their waiting children. She works miracles and I got sure did get one tonight! She also got me an update and it is good!!! Noah is completely potty trained, even at night. He will wake himself up to go! That is huge to know before we meet him! He weighs 33 lbs and is 34 inches tall!

OK, so now I want to go right this second and get him! OH NOAH, you are so loved!! Enjoy the pictures!!!

I hope to see many of you at the Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday!!!

Letter of Approval! Noah is ours!!!

2010-03-15T16:07:00.000-07:00

I know it has been forever since I have posted! This journey has been very trying and emotionally exhausting, but as ALWAYS, the Lord is Faithful! We received our Letter Of Approval today and that means we now officially have 5 children! Noah is ours! It almost doesn't seem real, but he should be in our arms in less than 3 months! Thank you Lord! It is truly like finding out you are pregnant, you know you are trying, trying, trying, months go by and then all of a sudden, you get the news!

We also received some conflicting health reports from the last update which indicated that Noah needed surgery on his repaired heart, but last word, he is doing magnificent, and his caretakers said his doctor didn't think he needed heart surgery, at least not right away! Praise God again!!!

So we are really starting to prepare our lives, our home, our future for our little guy! We are doing his bedroom in dinosaurs, as we were told dinosaurs are his favorite toy! We got a booster seat for the car, along with a girl booster seat for Mya. So now we will have 2 booster seats and 5 kids in the back!! Who would have thought! My biggest hope at this point is to have Noah by his 4th birthday, which is June 22nd. I know God will work out the timing, and what ever will be will be, but a girl can hope!:)

I also wanted to let everyone know about a Spaghetti Dinner that we are having on March 27th, 2010 at 4 oclcok through 8 oclock. It is being held at Hartville Mennonite Church address: 1470 Smith Kramer St. Hartville, Ohio 44632. You can come any time between 4 & 8 for dinner! The cost of the dinner is $10 per adult and $5 per child ages 3-12 years old. Under 3 are free! We are so blessed to know so many amazing people that have had a huge impact our Noah's Journey Home and supporting us through our growing family! We would love to see you there! Tickets can be purchased prior to the date or at the door! Email me at CHecky6504@aol.com if you would like to purchase your tickets in advance! If you can not make that but want to help, please go to the Chip In at the top of the page and donate any amount. Through our 3 adoption journeys, we have come to realize that God does provide and any amount given we will take with gracious hearts!

Thank you all and God Bless!

We are coming for you Noah! Love, Mommy!

DIVINE INTERVENTION

2010-02-18T18:29:00.001-08:00

There are moments in a person's life that stop you in your tracks. Those moments where you don't even realize may have changed your life, or someone else's life, until your alone and recall events that let up to that point. The moment when you finally realize what God's intentions have been and why at the darkest points, something happens and you praise God for showing you that He had a plan, and He needed me to serve. This is what happened today:

As many of you know or for those who don't, we have had a horrible mailing experience on Feb. 5th we mailed our original passports to have our China Visa's issued in preparation for travel. Along with the passports was a money order for the cost of the process and was sealed with love and sent on its merry way. Well, it has vanished, it was not properly coded where it can be tracked and we are basically out of luck. I have spent the past week on the phone, talking to some helpful, but most not so helpful people that have left me in disbelief and tears. We decided yesterday that we needed to put this behind us, and move on, so we started the process of reporting our passports lost/stolen and trying to stop payment on the money order, which proved to be another thorn in my side. I also found out to get a new passport, we needed certified copies of mine and Chad's birth certificates. So all together, we are going to be out about $500. When you are praying that you have enough funds to bring a child home, every penny counts and this has just sickened me! I think for the first time in my life I questioned "Really God?" "Why"? I feel I got my answer today.....

I woke the girls up early and we were off to pick my mom up so we could go to two different cities to get our Birth Certificates. I picked up Chad's on the way to my mom's and then we drove to Warren, where I was born to get mine. Then we stopped at the famous Hot Dog Shop that Chad and I ate all the time when we were High School Sweeties and I was happy sharing that with the girls! Not to mention is was cheap!!!
Still frustrated and annoyed, we began our journey back home and I was driving down the highway, I noticed a car to the right of me that was stopped at an end of a driveway with the driver door open, but no one around. I instantly thought it was odd, and as we drove past, I got a glance of feet that were visible under the driver's door. I yelled "OH MY GOSH, I think I just saw someone laying in the ice!" I hurried up and turned around (Many cars still flying by) and I literally had to park my SUV in a snow drift that went up to the lights, but I needed to get the car off the road as far as I could since the girls were inside. And there she was, a little old lady laying in the freezing snow unable to move. I ran over to her and the look on her face is something I will never forget. For an instant, I was that lady's saving grace. I asked her a few questions and if she felt anything was broken and she said "no", but she had been laying there for quite some time. By this time, another lady had stopped to assist and we decided that she needed to get out of the snow. Her little hands were blood red and the palms of her hands were complete black and blue with bruises going across from her trying to grab onto the door and the car seat and lift her self up, unsuccessfully. She was shaking from head to toe and obviously scared. I do believe that she laid there thinking that she may lay there and freeze to death. All I knew was I need to pick her up and get her into the car. I told her to hold onto my neck and I put my arms under her arms like a bear hug and with a "Please God give me strength" prayer, I lifted the woman off the ground and picked her up to place her in the car. I am not a strong woman, nor a tall woman, just making it to 5 foot 2 inches. But there was no way I was letting her fall back into the snow. God gave me strength. I got into her car and backed it up into the garage and my mom called 911. The lady who now I know as Frances was shaking and I was so afraid she was going into shock or hypothermia. She wanted me to call her son, which I went into her house and as soon as I entered her house, you could just tell that this little old lady lived all alone. It made me sad to know that there are so many elderly people that live all by themselves.

Anyways, Frances is doing great! She is very sore and very thankful. We hugged before I left and I will never forget that moment. The moment that went back to February 5th, when I mailed our passports, where they are we may never know. But I know why God made them lost, he needed me to be in a place where I have not been in probably 10 years. He brought Frances an angel, and she is now mine! Now the $500 dollars and all the stress and tears is out the window. I can never think of that whole mess as a mistake, someone's negligent mistake, because if it were not for that mistake, I would have never been there for Frances! Thank you God for taking that burden and showing me the good you had in store!

2010-02-12T18:28:00.000-08:00

Standing in the Gap........

2010-02-12T18:05:00.000-08:00

It sure has been an exhausting week in adoption world. Although I have been trying so hard not to be discouraged, I have had a hard, a very hard week. First off we are at day 75 waiting for our Letter of Approval. It is not out of the ordinary to wait, and actually the average is around 80 days, so we are almost at the average time some people have to wait. The bad part is, it is Chinese New Year celebration this week, and the Chinese Civial Adoption Affairs is closed for a week, which means we won't be expecting any approval for quite some time. The wait is almost intolerable, and I can't wait for the WAIT to be gone! In other bad news, I sent our original passports Priority Mail on February 5th, so we can apply for our Chinese Visa, and the wonderful postal service lost our package, no where to be found! That has literally engulfed my entire week and I have spent hours of the phone trying to find some one who would feel pity and find some way of locating our package. This is bad, really bad and if the package does not show up by Wednesday this week, we need to file for lost/stolen passport and expedite our new passports, which could be hundreds and hundreds of $$$$$$! It makes me so sick to my stomach, because that to me is such a waste of $$$ in a time where we are praying that our finances stay intact in order for us to travel and bring Noah home. I know that Satan is doing what ever he can to shake us, rattle our faith, and to be honest, sadly he has my attention. I wish I could say that I am standing firm in the gap, but I have let a lot of negative feelings into my heart. But that doesn't mean I do not feel God's presence, and actually I have felt Him stronger than ever......He will get me the documents needed, He will provide our finances, He will steady the hand that writes our approval, and He will hold me up until I finally hold my sweet boy in my arms. Satan can't take that from me!

That was proven today, when I felt the lowest I think I might have felt in my entire life, this morning, sitting on my couch, pleading with God to give me some glimpse of hope, and I happened to check my email, I was instantly in tears as I saw an email from Angela with Lady Bugs N Love..... that read NEW PICS! and to my hearts desire, there were 23 pictures of the cutest little love bug that I ever did see. We sent some cakes to Noah's orphanage this week to in some way be part of the Chinese Celebration with our son, and I was hoping for a picture or 2, but 23 is unbelievable!!!

God knew what I needed to ease my heart! I needed to see Noah. Those cheeks, those eyes, that cute button nose. Oh and did I mention those cheeks!!!

So now we still wait, and pray our passports show up, pray that our Letter of Approval is on its way, and pray that I can be patient and hold tight, while God's plan is perfectly witnessed and our family will someday soon be complete!

I hope you enjoy the pictures!!!

Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock.......

2010-01-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

Well, we have made it to day 54 of our LID (LOG IN DATE). That is how long our dossier has been in China for their review and approval of our adoption. What does this mean??? Well, this means we can have a LOA (Letter Of Approval) any day. Our agency said once we get the LOA, we can travel in about 6 weeks to 9 weeks. I am preparing for a May travel, as we are about to come up on Chinese New Years, which will delay paperwork process, and then China has a huge Trade Show in April, where it is almost impossible to find hotels and families are discouraged to travel at this time. But the time has been slowly passing, (The winter doesn't help much) and I have literally found myself in a hibernation state of mind. It is indescriable, the way an adoptive parent feels, the wait, the wait that is so hard to shield from your heart. When you look at your children at home and wish the time would stand still, but then you wish your days away because you want your child home. I have never been a patient person, and this process has truly dug at my heart this time around. I don't know if it is because I know that Noah may need another surgery, and I want him home to make sure he is healthy and growing and happy and loved. I just know that I am so ready to put this process behind us, and get our boy home, love our 5 children and live happily ever after!!!!:) I feel the ever prescense of God every day, through out this process, and once again, just like our first 2 adoptions, the Lord has completely provided. Even in the slowest of economies, even though honestly, (although I don't like to admit it) my husband's business is slower than it has ever been, but in the past week, he has gotten a few jobs that he can do alone, that God provided, and that goes right to our adoption. He of course has to go to Toledo, but its work, its there and its for Noah! Just another of many confirmations that Noah is meant to be in our family and the Lord is ALWAYS FAITHFUL!

Noah's Journey Home

2009-12-29T20:40:00.000-08:00

Well, we have hit day 30 that our dossier is "logged in" half way across the globe in China. We feel pretty confident that we will hopefully hear about our Letter of Approval from China in the next month or shortly after. Now that we have really officially began to count down, it is becoming more exciting and we just can't wait to have our new son home! We have added a "Chip In" to our blog because we have had several people ask how they could help in bringing Noah home. If you would like to contribute to our Chip In, it just takes a moment to click on the button and donate. Any amount you feel lead to give will be greatly appreciated! $1, $5, $10 truly goes a long way! Completing 3 international adoptions in 3 years is really a huge leap of faith and we know that God will provide for Noah, just as he did for Mya and Mariah! Please email all your contacts and give our blog address to them! You do not know who may feel lead to give. We have gotten a little upsetting news about Noah's health, and although we feel stronger than ever that we need to be his parents and he needs to get home, we are nervous about taking on such an "unknown" condition. We do know now that he will need more heart surgery when he arrives home, but have been assured that he will be just fine! So prayers will be appreciated as well!!!! Thank you for your support in Noah's Journey Home!

No words can begin to say.........

2009-12-26T17:21:00.000-08:00

This post is a sad post about evil people and how their disgusting actions can affect people across the entire world. Something bigger than anything anyone could imagine in the scariest nightmare. It is also a loss of innocence of a little girl who once waited for her forever family, the love of a mother and a father who would one day betray them in a way that is unforgivable, unforgettable and frankly, one I wished there were more punishments that we can hold these monsters accountable for their evil nature.

Now that being said, I will not go into much detail, but a few days ago, I learned of a couple, a mom and a dad, parents that traveled the international adoption route to bring home their daughter 7 years ago from China. No one could predict or even imagine that after every background check, every fingerprint check, every social worker visit, that they both would plead guilty for the most unthinkable crime of sexual assault to their now eight year old daughter. Yes, you read right, both parents, mom & dad. The trauma that this little girl endured is horrific in itself, but the scars that is left engraved in her soul is tainted forever.

Well, after reading about this shocking true story, the article went on to say that China's CCAA (Head of China's Adoption Program) was furious and wanted answers and would be reprimanding the Child's Adoption Agency with fierce scrutiny and suspension of contract leaving the agency no longer allowed to place children from China with families. It never entered my mind that this would turn out to be our wonderful, small agency that we are using to adopt Noah.

We got an email on Christmas Eve that it is our agency that did represent these low life's 7 years ago and although they did everything that any agency would do in screening, and applications for adoptive parents, in no way could anyone predict what this couple was capable of doing. This is our third international adoption, and our third adoption agency, and our agency now has been amazing, wonderful, helpful, quick to respond. Just everything you would want in an adoption agency. My heart goes out to them, as they have their hands tied and are currently on their way to China to try to make some sort of amends.

In the mean time, we were told since we are logged in with our paperwork, it should not affect our adoption, but they would let us know more this week. It could very well delay our process as China will most likely "dig a little deeper" when going through our paperwork, and it just breaks my heart that our son will probably have to live without his family longer, or God forbid, we lose his referral. Everything is literally up in the air and my heart just hurts knowing what this little girl went through.

So I am asking everyone to please pray for the girl, pray that our agency director can meet with China and convince them that although what this little girl witnessed was absolutely not a representation of what American Families are and that most of the families are loving, caring and feel honored and blessed to take their orphans and give them a loving forever home and family. Of course they have every right to be upset! Hell, I am upset! And they do have the right to be even more thorough then before. We are all tainted by the despicable actions of two people I can't even call humans! Please pray for the agency and the staff, as they are all devastated over what has taken place. And please pray for the waiting children, and our Noah as we started our countdown of being able to hug him, kiss him and bring him home is now in the world of complete unknowns. And as we still believe in God's timing, God's will, we find ourselves pleading and praying that the outcome will be a happy one for everyone, and pray that this little broken soul who was violated is placed in a home of love, trust and humanity!

God Bless!

Our Dossier is on its way to China!!!!

2009-11-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

The title pretty much sums up this post! We did it!!! Our paperwork is on its way to China!!! What a relief to have off of my shoulders. I finally feel like I can function again, that is, until I start getting impatient waiting for our Letter of Approval which means China says we got our boy! That I am hoping happens in 3 months or sooner! I will keep you all posted!

New Pictures and Update!

2009-11-17T11:14:00.000-08:00

So today I was getting so impatient because I just needed to see our little boy. I knew that I should be getting an update from the amazing Angela with Ladybugsnlove.com and the minute that I stopped thinking about it, sure enough God answered my prayer to see our little boy's smile and of course, those cheeks!!! He is so cute and my heart is so filled with bittersweet emotions because I want him now, but I know that is not in my hands! The update that the orphanage has given says over and over how shy he is, and quiet. Well, he is in for a suprise when he meets our Mya Min!!! It also says that he does love to play with children his own age, but is extrememly timid around strangers. He weighs about 30 lbs and has been very healthy. Please continue to pray for a speedy process and of course the financial aspect of the adoption, and that he will stay happy and healthy while he waits for his mommy and daddy to bring him home forever!

Baby Steps!!!

2009-11-13T08:30:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to update and let you all know that we are almost at the end of our paperchase! One last step, which our approved I797C form is in Washington DC being authenticated. Our agency should have it in hand on Wednesday and our dossier should be on its way by next Friday. What a great feeling that will be, and to know that we have completed our paperwork up to this point.

I am hoping to get new pictures of our little guy in the next week, so check back!

Hope all is well and have a wonderful weekend!

I800A Approval!!!!!! YAY!!!

2009-10-30T11:26:00.001-07:00

I got a wonderful call today from the office of the USCIS and our I800A application was approved today! That is a giant milestone in the adoption process! This means that our dossier can now be sent to China very soon and this is only hypothetically speaking, but say our dossier is sent 11/15 (I am going on the timeline of Mariah's adoption, so this is complete estimation), anyways 11/15 DTC, then if we wait 90 days for Letter of Approval (LOA) from China saying we are approved to be Noah's parents. Then if we wait about a month for TA, we are thinking November, December, January, February, March, April, travel around May. This is total wishful thinking, but at least it gives us a timeline!!!

Thank you God for your faithful promises and perfect timing! Now can we hurry up a bit!:) Just joking!!!

Hurry and Wait!

2009-10-28T04:11:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for not being very vigilant on posting to Noah's and Mariah's blog. At the present time I am completely engulfed in mommy world and with homeschooling, piano, gymnastics, ballet and real life, the minutes, the hours, the days, the weeks seem to be flying through precious time and I find myself at a loss for words by the time I get a minute to myself, which is usually late night, where I finally get a minute to be with Chad. Remember, its a crazy life!!!

As far as an update on Noah, we have entered the "hurry and wait" process. We rushed and rushed getting our homestudy done, documents gathered, physicals completed, fingerprints taken, and now we wait! We are waiting for an approval from the USCIS which will happen any day and then our dossier will be finally off to China! There is nothing about this part of international adoption that I enjoy, except when an item gets checked off the list of many! That's just one step closer to bringing home our little guy!

I am sending him his first carepackage this week which includes the cutest little turtle stuffed animal, a football, a package of dinosaurs, a bulldozer and dumptruck, two cute outfits and some family pictures, plus the softest monkey blanket to snuggle with until we get to China! And a hidden kiss tucked inside:) I wish I could go there right now! The wait is so rigid. The only good thing is that I have been so busy, the time is going quick. But when I think about winter and cold and I think about whether Noah is warm or sick & I can't help but to wish the time go faster. Although I have VOWED to Chad that I would hold it together this time around (I ended up being a lunatic at the end of Mariah's wait), my prayer to God is that He would hold me up, keep me smiling and most of all take care of our little boy who waits for the day when his mommy will come and bring him home. It just breaks my heart that we will now spend one more holiday without a child and that is heart wrenching! But we have so much to be thankful for and we are so blessed, I am slowly learning that God's time is ABSOLUTE PERFECTION and I am not going to question the when, and enjoy the upcoming season with a happy heart!

I Can't Wait Any Longer!!!

2009-09-19T17:10:00.001-07:00

I just could not wait another second to post a few pictures of the most handsome little boy in the world!!! So, without any further delays........................
Here is Noah

Can you even believe those cheeks?????????? I can't wait to get my little pinchers on those babies!!!!

Well, our homestudy is finally finalized and we will be sending our applicaiton to the Department of Homeland Security where we will await for an appointment to get our fingerprints taken, yet once again!!! Once that step is complete, our paperwork is off to China!!!!!

The time is passing quickly with school and our busy hectic life, but it is also going slow because we want Noah home. We are so ready to put the "adoption world" in a distant memory.

If you haven't ordered your copy of "100 Panda Bear Hugs", please check it out at the top of the blog. If you have purchased it, please email me at CHecky6504@aol.com so I can send you a little thank you for your support!!!!

100 Panda Bear Hugs!!!!

2009-08-31T15:14:00.000-07:00

I have had a secret......A secret that I have carried for decades and that secret is that I have always and I mean always enjoyed writing. I have written poems, short stories. And I have written poems for each of my children and put them away to share with them some day. Well, when we had our China Family Reunion a few weeks back, one of the mom's shared a book that a friend had written for their family, a short story about their journey through adoption. I knew then that I wanted to write Noah a story and I wanted to publish it. I thought also that if I could sell it, then that would be a great "fundraiser" to help with the overwhelming cost of international adoption. I already had in my head what I was going to write for him, and when I sat down, my thoughts just took over and thus, "100 Panda Bear Hugs" was born, in honor of our little boy who has no idea we exist. The biggest thought that keeps going through my head is knowing that he was just abandoned 8 months ago, no fault to him. But how scared and lonely he must have felt when his familiar family walked away and the strangers that now took care of him. How his heart must have broke. Especially when he went to sleep at night. I know that he doesn't wish for me and he probably still has glimpses of memories of his China family pictured in his head. It is amazing what children remember and it breaks my heart that surely he does not understand what has happened and why he is all alone.

So, this is what has inspired "100 Panda Bear Wishes" and I invite you to click on the link to the left and it will take you to lulu.com where I have had this special book published. If you would like to order my book, all proceeds will go to bringing Noah home. Every penny counts, and trust me and much appreciated!!! If you need any other information, or would rather buy the book through me, just email me at CHecky6504@aol.com and I would love to hear from you!

Please send our blog to all the people you know! My goal is to make this a series (I already have another book in the works)! Most everyone who knows me knows that Adoption and Orphans our my passion, my calling and I would love for these projects to touch others, other families who need help bringing their children home! So tell your friends and family about Noah and www.heckyfamilygrowsinlove.blogspot.com

Our family grows in love, and a little boy!

2009-08-18T06:02:00.000-07:00

Well, as this may come as a shock to some, it will totally have been expected by many others. We are EXTREMELY excited to announce that we have found our son and our family will once again be growing!

Chad wanted to start the process of adopting again even while we were in China adopting Mariah. I look back on those two weeks in China of watching my husband transfer from a man who would always analyze every moment in our lives, a man who would plan the "what ifs" for months in advance, to a man that totally trusted his heart, trusted God's path for his family and has now stopped questioning what the Lord has placed on his heart. And he knew that our calling was to keep our family growing! He says 10 more kids!!! ( I don't know about that though!) It truly has been amazing to see Chad's faith grow!

We had both come to the conclusion that in our lives, nothing and I mean NOTHING has brought us joy, except for our children. We have finally figured it out, the meaning of life!

I have always felt the Lord keeping my heart open to another child and I knew that He would show us our child without doubts or reservations. I also knew that I didn't want to wait for another year to start the process, since it is such a long process. I knew that Ryan is going to be 14 years old, and we didn't want him getting any older and expecting him and a new sibling to bond when he is off in his teenage journeys and beyond. (that is a whole different post)

Anyways, we were keeping our hearts and minds open for what ever the Lord had in store for us! I see "Waiting Children" every day on lists that are on the internet, different agencies and through Love Without Boundaries. There are HUNDREDS upon HUNDREDS!!!! I always try to pick a few a day that touch my heart (they all do), and I will pray for them, pray that their parents will see their face today, pray that they will find their forever families. All the children are beautiful and all deserving, but unexpectedly one afternoon in July, I looked on Rainbowkids.com and saw the little face that melted my heart and I knew in an instant that I would love him forever. The Lord had opened my heart once again! As I was looking and reading about him, Marissa walked in the room, saw his picture and started to cry. She too, was moved beyond words.

I didn't say anything to Chad when he got home from work. We were leaving that evening for a "getaway" to celebrate our 17th anniversary. On our way, I told him about the little boy and Chad was not so sure about a boy, since we have everything for a little girl. I told him that once we got to our hotel and once he read about the little boy, if he didn't feel the Lord working in his heart, I would not push the situation. I had to make sure for myself that this was not just a desire of the heart! There was also a medical condition to think about with the little boy. He was treated surgically for a heart condition, and this was scary for people who did not know anything about his medical condition. But once Chad saw his little face, we both knew that some how, some way, we needed to get our boy home! And once we talked with our doctor, we were assured he was a healthy growing boy!

I then waited to get home to talk to Ryan and once he saw the little boy, he said "That's my little brother!" He has been on cloud nine ever since!!!

Mya just likes looking at his pictures, but has no idea what is going to happen!

Mariah is SO excited and TOTALLY gets it! She is so smart in her young years and understands the dynamics of children waiting in China and that she was one of those children who needed a family. She has such a thankful giving heart, and can't wait for her brother in China to come home!

So, it is my pleasure to introduce you to our son, Noah Weslee Hecky!!!!!! He was born June 22, 2006 (Yes, we are having twins, he is 3 weeks old than Mya). He lives in Tianjin, China which is very close to Beijing. Although we can not post pictures of him yet, until all of our paperwork gets to China (I am working hard on that part), let me describe him as the cutest little boy, with the squeezest, smooshiest cheekers, and a smile that would charm you in an instant!

I know this will come with happiness and others may feel critical of our decision to bring home another child. Trust me, there has been lots of prayers lifting up the Hecky Rooftop!!! Before we made the call to the agency to say we wanted him, I was praying for answers, I was praying for clarity. I went to get my Bible and just sit in a room, by myself where it could be just me and Him. I happened to grab my Women's Devotional Bible and I said a little prayer out loud. "Lord, I am just going to open the Bible and I need you to show me exactly what the path is I am suppose to take." "I need it completely laid out for me". So without a turn of a page, just a quick open and look, this is what I saw. It was not a passage, but a poem that literally jumped out at me! This is what I read:

Author: Shirley Pope Waite

STANDING IN THE GAP

I'll stand in the gap for my son.
I'll stand 'til the victory's won.
This one thing I know
That you love him so.
And your work with my child is not done.

I'll stand in the gap every day.
And there I will fervently pray;
And, Lord, just one favor,
Don't let me waiver
If things get quite rough, which they
may.

I'll never give up on that boy.
Nor will you, for you promised him joy.
For I know it was true,
When he said "Yes" to you.
Though the enemy seeks to destroy.

I'll not quit as I intercede,
For you are his Savior, indeed!
Though it may take years,
I give you my fears,
As I trust every moment I plead.

And so in the gap I will stand.
Heeding your every command.
With help from above,
I unconditionally love,
And soon he will reach for your hand.

I could not believe what I was reading, and I could not deny what was being said in truth and written between His words. We made the call that day!

So here I stand in The Gap for my son. The unknowns, the hideous process of paperwork and bureaucracy. The opinions, which I am certain there will be negative ones. But I stand tall in the Gap and I promised to God, that I WILL NOT WAITVER, I will give every effort to bring home His fatherless, tuck him in my heart forever and open our family to him to grow in a loving home. Something EVERY child deserves.

So the process has just begun. It will take months to get him home. We would appreciate prayers for our little boy, prayers for our family and the finances needed to proceed with as little "stress" as possible! And most of all pray for the children who still have not found their forever family!