Two Homes, One Heart

Dominican School

2010-02-25T11:44:00.010-04:00

Every day I am more and more convicted about our opportunities to help others. The more places I visit, the more I experience, the more I learn about other cultures, I realize how MUCH we have here in Canada. How blessed we are, even when we think we have it "rough". We have been talking a lot about this with our children and trying to find hands-on ways to share other people. And it certainly doesn't have to always be in another country. There are lots of ways to help right here. But, I also think it's important for us to experience other cultures (especially since we are a multi-cultural family) and to keep in mind that other people do not have the luxuries we have, let alone basic necessities.

Besides keeping up-to-date on the orphanage needs in Alyssa's area, our family has also decided to help out a local school in Dominican Republic. When Chris and I decided to take a vacation to DR last year, we decided to see who we could find to show us what "real" life is like for Dominicans, not just the luxury resort life! Through various contacts we found Punta Cana Mike - he is originally from Ontario and has been living in Domincian for some time. He loves to help the children and families as much as he can.

When we met up with Mike last year, we asked him to take us to a school that could really use some help. Those of us who traveled down on the trip took suitcases filled with school supplies and medicines. Chris and I visited a village school and immediately knew we wanted to do more for them. We were able to visit the village, meet some of the students and their families and see the school first hand.

The school is non-profit - every teacher and helper is a volunteer! There is a morning school and an afternoon school so more children can attend. They have plastered the outside walls of the schools with learning materials so the adults in the community can learn too! We loved this! We loved the passion the village had for their children and for learning, even if the conditions were very, very bare! The school had just recently gotten running water but there is no electricity. There are 3 small classrooms. But the children LOVE to attend. They can go to this school even though they can't afford school uniforms. (In DR, students have to have shoes and a uniform to attend school)

When Chris and I visited the village we noticed how little there was there. Very tiny (shack size) store, some huts, rusted out buses that were made into homes, a small church and the school. There were many children around but really nothing for them to do. We thought it would be so fun for them to build a playground - not just as something to do for the school but something for the WHOLE community. A place where kids could go together and socialize, where parents could take their children and play, a place for teens to hang out....The school is right in the center of the community so if children are playing there, the adults can see them from their homes while they work.

We are heading back down to visit in April and are hoping to get things going with the playground! We are using our Annual Kids Carnival this year to raise money for this playground. I am also using part of my commission from Silpada to raise money. I can't wait to see this done for the children in this community! They are going to love it!

This is the school - I'm with Punta Cana Mike and he is telling me all about the school and how great a playground would be there!

This is the spot we want to build the playground. The community is all around the school . The locals are more than happy to build the playground themselves if we can purchase everything that is needed. I love their commitment and passion for their families!

One of the classrooms in the school.

One of the precious, amazing village kids. He was too cute! I couldn't resist a kiss!

This is a "bus village" located just beside the school - many children and their families live in these buses as they have no other home.

Slowly but surely...

2009-06-11T21:32:00.002-03:00

Has it really been 4 months? We haven't forgetten our mission or those amazing children in Yongzhou!

Life has been incredibly busy and unpredicatable. We are still in contact with Susan in China to see how our orphanages are doing. We didn't have our Annual Kids Carnival yet as my co-planner had a new baby during our regular Carnival weekend. We are definitely planning one and this year we will hold it in the Fall.

One of my biggest goals right now is to help with medical surgeries for the children at Alyssa's orphanage. I have seen many photos of the children living there and all of them (except 1 or 2) are children with medical needs. Many children have cleft issues and I know first hand how surgery can dramatically change a child's life.

I am looking into some other ideas as well to continue raising funds. Once I know for sure what we can do to help with medical surgeries, I will know more about how much we need to raise. I'll keep updating here and spreading the word through emails and facebook.

For updates on the kiddos you can visit our family blog.

Take care!

Getting rolling again!

2009-02-12T08:42:00.002-04:00

Things have been quiet on this site for awhile...things have been a bit quiet with our work with Two Homes One Heart. When we came home in June with Evan, my husband really stressed the importance of taking a step back from many obligations to get our family transitioned, adjusted and back to a new "normal".

I have been itching to get back at it and am happy that we are at a place where I can commit some time and energy to our orphanages again.

We have 3 PEI families heading to China at the end of February and they have been kind enough to agree to take 3 bundles of donations to the orphanages for us! We have some beautiful fleece blankets, hats, mitts, baby items, etc...and we will distribute them to 3 separate orphanages.

I have also contacted our "regular" orphanages - Feng, Dao and Jiangyong to see what assistance we can provide. We are trying very hard to arrange medical surgeries for children at these orphanages because we know it will mean a better chance for the orphanage to put them foward for adoption. I will keep everyone updated on what the needs are and how we can best care for these children!

My husband and I are heading back to Dominican Republic and we are arranging a visit with the local school to see how we can help care for those children as well. There are many children waiting to attend school and sometimes all it takes is a uniform and a pair of shoes to be "allowed" to attend. There are many needs at the schools such as school desks, basic school supplies, spanish reading books, educational books and learning toys. We will do our best to take as many donations as we can and then find out what the needs are when we are there.

Please keep checking back for updates and fundraising initiatives!

Thanks,
The MacKinnon Family

Jiangyong received the donation!

2008-08-10T14:43:00.009-03:00

We sent a donation to Jiangyong Orphanage awhile back and we are happy to see they have put it to good use to buy baby food, toys and new clothes for the children. Our contact in Susan sent us these photos while we were in China adopting (in June) but I just remembered today and had a chance to look through the pictures. There are some pictures below of some Jiangyong children! Thanks to everyone who gave for this project!!!!

News on donations...

2008-06-10T21:15:00.002-03:00

We heard from Northern Asia Compassionate Touch about the money sent for the earthquake orphans. They have been putting the $5000 + to good use to care for many children after the earthquake. We received an upate on what was purchased and were told pictures would be sent to us soon.

The money was used to purchase beds, tables, mosquito nets, shoes, clothing, fly traps, shampoos, lotions, toothpaste and other hygiene items.

******

We also sent off a donation to Jiangyong Orphange and it has been wired to the Director. She will send us the receipts and some photos so I will post those as soon as I get them.

*******

We are heading to China in just a couple of days but I will update when I return. We have a few events planned over the summer as we are hoping to focus on our local foster children and families with young children in PEI. Stay tuned....

Our Adoption Blog!

2008-06-02T20:03:00.002-03:00

VISIT OUR ADOPTION BLOG by clicking HERE!

We leave in 12 days to meet our son, Evan Jun.

He is 5 years old, from the Waiting Child program in China!

Helping China's Earthquake Victims

2008-05-30T16:31:00.003-03:00

I had the honor of helping 2 very special Chinese friends plan a Candlelight Vigil in honor and in memory of the thousands of families affected by the earthquake in China (May 12). It was a very special night where many people gathered in an emotional time of prayer, reading stories and sharing our sadness and hope for the many, many victims.

Although we didn't promote this event as a fundraiser, many people were moved to donate and $5200 was raised! Wendy, Ling and I talked about how we could use this money to directly help children who were affected by the earthquake. God certainly moves and hears our prayers because the next day I received a phone call from a friend saying there were 100 earthquake orphans being moved to Kunming Orphanage (Yunnan) and they desperately needed financial assistance to care for these children.

What joy to be able to give the $5200 to care for these children!!!!!

I have also agreed to join the Yunnan Kids International Board to help with other needs the orphans may have. I will continue to share these needs as I hear about them.

Tammy

$2000 Raised!

2008-05-30T16:09:00.003-03:00

Our Kids Carnival was a great success with lots of families coming out for some fun! THANK YOU to everyone who came and supported this event. Thank you to Mari Lynn for all her hard work and commitment to this event and with Two Homes One Heart!! A special thank you to Gail Hodder for donating her talents again with her amazing cookies! Yum!!

THANK YOU to Wendy, Ling and all their friends who made the amazing chinese food!!! It was so delicious!

Thank you to our local business sponsors - you are all terrific!!!

Charlottetown Vision Care
Cabinet Master
Cornwall Esso
Vogue Optical
Lewis Moudlings (NS)
Split Endz
Diana's Grooming

We have changed our original plan for using the funds...originally we were going to build another outdoor playground at an orphanage but we didn't raise the full $4000. Instead, we will be providing TONS of play equipment, books, tables, etc.. for an orphanage to use INDOORS. Our son's orphanage (Liuzhou, Guangxi) has told us they desperately need some indoor toys (ride on cars, etc...) for their children. We were not able to build an outdoor playground at this orphanage as there are many special needs children and not enough nannies to properly supervise outdoor play such as this. But, we can certainly provide fun, educational, stimulating toys for the children to use indoors!!!

We (Chris, Caleb, Evan and I) are making arrangements to buy the toys while we are in China (in June) and then deliver them to the orphange so we will be sure to take lots of pictures and post them when we return!!

THANK YOU!!!

Our wonderful friends setting up the Chinese table...they spent hours making spring rolls, dumplings and a noodle dish. So good!

People ready to purchase their tickets...let the fun begin!

Families enjoying the Carnival!

KIDS CARNIVAL

2008-05-19T22:59:00.002-03:00

Two Homes One Heart is hosting its 2nd Annual KIDS CARNIVAL on Sunday, May 25th! It will be held at Confederation Landing (Peake's Quay) in Charlottetown from 2:00-5:00 pm.

Last year we were able to build an outdoor playground at Alyssa's orphanage with the money we raised! The children and nannies are loving the new playground and getting outside to play and interact with each other. We also bought some indoor school desks, toys and meal tables & chairs. We have chosen another orphanage to build a playground at this year so we are very excited!!!

This year, part of our proceeds will also be going to Child Find PEI (read below)

Enjoy a family day full of fun carnival games (Knock the Cans, PLINKO, Spinning Wheel, Sucker Tree, Hockey Shoot-out, Bean Bag Toss, Ping Pong Toss, Dart Throw, Human Bingo, Cake Walk...), a BBQ, canteen with amazing treats (caramel popcorn, candied apples, carnival popcorn, slushie drinks, ice cream treats, etc...), clowns, face painting, CHINESE FOOD BOOTH and so much more!This year we have invited Child Find PEI to join us to honor National Missing Children's Day which is also on May 25. Child Find will be doing "All About Me" fingerprinting kits for the kids, "Kids in the Know", safety demonstrations, and "Street Smarts" with puppets and stories!

Bracelets are $12 for unlimited fun and access to all our carnival games!
Tickets are $5/20 tickets

We hope you will help us by spreading the word - sure, put in on your blog, facebook and email it to all your friends and family!!!

See you on Sunday!

Candlelight Vigil

2008-05-16T12:57:00.000-03:00

Candlelight Vigil for Earthquake Victims in China

There will be a candlelight vigil THIS Sunday, May 18 at Confederation Landing. It starts at 8:30 pm and there will be quiet music, candlelight and a photo show. We want to honor the many thousands of victims and their families and pray for healing and comfort.Please come out and support this event.

There will be donation boxes set up if people feel led to donate. All money will be given to Hong Kong Red Cross so they can assist more and more families in the earthquake area.

Liuzhou Orphanage

2008-04-26T09:43:00.002-03:00

Our son, Evan Jun, is from Liuzhou City, Guangxi. We have contacted his orphanage and they have expressed a very real need for their children. Most of the children living at this orphanage have medical issues and need some kind of medical intervention; surgeries and/or therapy. We have decided we will do all we can to help this orphanage as well -raising funds for medical needs for the children. It is our hope and prayer than many children will be placed for adoption once their medical needs are taken care of.

We are in the beginning stages of working on this so stay tuned for more information.

We have been told the orphanage is in need of some large toy items (ride on cars, etc...) and so we are raising $500 to purchase these for the orphanage. Our kids will be doing most of the fundraising for this as it is a fun way for them to give back to the beautiful children still living at Liuzhou SWI. As always, you can help by clicking on the donate button and specifying it's for the toy fund.

******

KIDS CARNIVAL is BOOKED!

Our 2nd annual KIDS CARNIVAL is scheduled for Sunday, May 25th (Raindate: June 1).
This year we will once again be raising funds to build an outdoor playground at an orphanage. We haven't finalized our decision on which orphanage but we think it will be one in the city where Alyssa is from .

BOOK THIS DAY FOR YOUR FAMILY - Sunday, May 25 from 2:00-5:00 at Confederation Landing (waterfront in Charlottetown).

Enjoy many carnival games, bouncy tents, clowns, magic, BBQ, canteen and much more! This year, we have invited Child Find PEI in honor of National Missing Children's Day (May 25) and there will be tons of fun events and booths to bring awareness to child safety and issues facing children both globally and locally. ("All About Me I.D" fingerprinting, "Kids in the Know" and "Street Smarts" with puppets and stories)

*******
Wii Tickets are still available and the draw date is MAY 14th! You can visit our family adoption site and purchase tickets with the donate button or you can email me and I'll set you up another way! Thanks so much.

More Events!

2008-03-28T13:35:00.003-03:00

We have several things on the go right now...

1. We have officially started the process of obtaining our charity status! YAY! I am so excited about this as it will really allow us to expand our fundraising and our money coming in which means we can expand our projects and reach more children!

2. I will be sending a donation of $900 to Jiangyong Orphanage on Monday morning. If anyone would like to donate to this orphanage please click on the "Donate Button". The money will be used for formula, clothing, new toys and educational items and a few other items the orphanage would like.

3. We are preparing for our 2nd Annual Kids Carnival - all money raised will be used to build a playground at an orphanage. We are open to suggestions about which orphanage could really benefit from a new, bright, colorful outdoor playground. In September we built a new playground at Fenghuangyuan Orphanage and the children and nannies are enjoying the play time and the fun interaction with each other!

4. We are getting closer to traveling to China to adopt our 4th child - our 2nd child from China. We are hoping to travel in June to bring home our little Evan Jun who is 5 years old. He is from the Liuzhou Orphanage in Guangxi.

Our 11 year old son wanted to do something to raise money for his new brother's orphanage so he is having a Wii Raffle! Ticket donations are $5/each or 3 tickets for $10. If you would like to purchase tickets for a chance to win a brand new Wii System, you can click on the "Donate" button and specify it's for the Wii. We will send you a ticket # and the draw will be videotaped and posted on the blog. (We will ship the Wii to the winner)

Most importantly, 100% of the proceeds will go to care for the many children still living at the Child Welfare Institute of Liuzhou!!!

UpComing Fundraising Events

$$ TOONIE SALE $$

Children's pre-snuggled, name brand clothing for only $2 each!

Enjoy a day of GREAT deals while you treat yourself to delicious snacks from our children's "LemonAID for Hope" stand.

Children can enjoy face painting, coloring, movies and a play area while you shop!

Date: April 19, 2008

Time: 11-4

Place - TBA very soon!

We have pictures!

2008-02-19T20:28:00.012-04:00

I received pictures from Dao Orphanage today! Our family loves to see the photos of children, the orphanage and items that were purchased with donations sent in!!

Enjoy!

A few of the babies sporting their new layers of warm clothing!

Lots of baby formula and cereal for the children!

Look at all those shoes - one pair for each child!

Socks for the children...

New, warm sweaters for everyone!

Brand new PJs!!

Warm outfits for the children...

Even more outfits for the kids...

And still more...

-WOW, I love how much they are able to buy for those adorable children!! I have asked our contact to find out if they are still needing a heater and/or washer. This may be something they are getting through Half the Sky Foundation so I will wait to hear back from our contact to see if there is anything else we can help them with!

Thank you to EVERYONE who contributed to this amazing event - keeping these special children warm and fed!

Tammy

Helping Jiangyong Orphanage

2008-02-18T21:24:00.004-04:00

I received an email today in regards to Jiangyong Orphanage. They have asked us to provide clothes for their children and baby formula. They estimated it would cost $500 to cover these items. We are thrilled to have raised over $900 to send them so now they can buy some "extras" whether it be more formula, toys for the children or some other things they have wanted but couldn't purchase. We will be getting photos of the items they purchase in the next couple of weeks and I'll post them here.

There are only 7 children living in Jiangyong Orphanage right now. Even though it is a tiny orphanage, they still do not have adequate means to care for the children - we are thrilled to help them out and to give them the surprise of more funds! They care for 5 children under the age of 1, 1 child who is 4 and 1 child between the ages of 7-9.

******

I heard from Dao Orphanage today! The Director was shopping for items for the children and their facility with the donation we sent them. So many people around the world contributed to this donation and I can't wait to hear (and see) what they were able to purchase with the money. I will post pictures here when I receive them!

Stay tuned....

Valentine's Dinner a Huge Success!

2008-02-17T11:54:00.009-04:00

Two Homes One Heart Display

Art Auction

Set up and ready for our guests!

******

Our Valentine's Dinner Event was a GREAT success! We had a great turnout and such a beautiful night. The food was fabulous!!! Thank you to Mari Lynn - you are amazing!!!

We raised just over $2000 and can't wait to share this money with many, many children! We will be giving $700 from last night's proceeds to Jiangyong Orphanage and we have an additional $250 set aside for them as well. This should cover all the items on the "needs" list!

We will also be giving $650 to Faith Village and another $650 to our "Heart to Heart" Project (care packages for Foster Children) and our local Food Bank for baby formula, rice cereal and diapers.

THANK YOU to the many wonderful people who came out and "shared their love"!

PLEASE HELP!!

2008-02-03T21:44:00.001-04:00

In 24 hours we all raised $2910.00 for Dao orphanage plus $150 for Jiangyong Orphanage! How fantastic is that!!!
THANK YOU to all of you for your kindess and generosity!!!

Inside Dao orphanage

We need 100 people to donate $10 in the next 24 hours to help these children!!! Please click on the "Donate" button to the left! If we raise more than the $1000, it will still go to the many needs of the orphanages. Please post this on your blogs so we can get the money raised in the next 24 hours!!!!!

UPDATES:
**Time of original post: 9:44 pm
**10:15 pm - $100 has been donated so far!
**10:36 pm - $192 (off to bed...)
next morning...
**9:36 am - $525 donated already! Keep it up - we are 1/2 way there!!!

**10:56 am - $710.00!!!

**11:39 am - $955.oo - WooHoo!

**2:29 pm - $1640.00 - Incredible!!!

**6:00 pm - $2041 - 4 hours to go!

**10:00 pm - $2660.00 WOW

I emailed our contact in China to see if the orphanages we are supporting in Hunan were hurt by the terrible storms and weather affecting China right now. We have heard that 2 of our orphanges were without power for several days but now have it back and are doing okay.

One of our orphanages is in desperate need and they have asked us to PLEASE help them with warm clothing and food for their children. Due to the storm and the huge need, food is hard to buy so the prices are much higher now. We are trying to raise $1000 in the next 24 hours so I can wire it to our contact in China. She will make sure the orphanage is supplied with baby formula, food for the older children and WARM clothing. Weather reports say this is going to continue for several more days so it's very important that we move quickly to help these vulnerable children and the wonderful nannies who care for them!!!

I know we can do this - let's show them how much we care!!

I will keep you updated on how much we are raising as time goes on!

Thank you,
Tammy

Below is the letter we received...

Tammy ,

I just called director Lei of Leng Shui Tan orphanage, Director Zhao of Dao County orphanage and Director Zhang of Jiang Yong orphanage. Below is details the directors told me.

1)Leng Shui Tan orphanage :Director Lei said they had lost electricity power and tap water for some days and it has come back two days ago.The orphanage is doing good now .She let me say thanks to you as well as other families who concerned about the orphanage .

2)Dao County orphanage :Director Zhao said they lost electricity power and tap water for about ten days . Now, they borrowed a small generator to make electricity that just can run lights but can't run heater appliance or air-condition. Now, they use coal to cook and carry water by hands now. Zhao said they got a help from the foundation a few days ago and bought some clothes for children already but that is not enough. Director Zhao said their situation is severe and need money to buy more warm clothes and food for children at orphanage. I asked her how much amount she needs, she said because everything is getting expensive now, the shortage is about 1000USD. She also said even a small amount donation will help children at the orphanage more or less .

3)Jiang Yong orphanage :Director Zhang said they lost electricity power for about a week .They use coal to make heat .She said they should have enough clothes for children at the orphanage .She said, general speaking, they are doing good so far. She let me say thanks to you as well as other families who concerned about the orphanage.

Our next Event...

2008-01-27T09:38:00.001-04:00

Our next fundraiser is coming up quickly - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th!!!

It's going to be an amazing event - candlelight atmostphere, soft music, the most delicious food and desserts, special time with your loved one(s), being part of an event that will spread hope and love to many, many children. Who could ask for more than this as a night out for Valentine's Day???

Mark your calendars for our:

"Sharing Our Love" Valentine's Dinner

Saturday, Feb 16

7:00 pm

Maritime Christian College

(503 University Ave, Charlottetown)

Tickets: $30/each or $50/couple!

Email me for tickets!

As always 100% of the proceeds from this night will be used for our projects in China, Ethiopi and right here in PEI!

You'll Never Guess What??!!!

2008-01-13T08:15:00.000-04:00

Chris and I just found out that we are going to be adopting a 5 year old boy from China!!! Yes, we are going back to China! YAY! We have been in the process to adopt a littel girl from Ethiopia for the last 4 1/2 months but God had other plans for us. Through God's leading we found out about a little boy in China who needed a family. God led us to this precious little one and we couldn't be more excited about adopting from China again!!!

PS. Our Ethiopian adoption is currently on hold.

So excited...

Tammy

Moving forward...

2007-12-12T14:48:00.001-04:00

Although we were very disappointed to have to cancel our Christmas Gala we are already underway planning another Gala event for February! Unfortunate circumstances meant we had to cancel our event for December but we are excited to move forward and get another fundraiser underway!

We also have a package ready to go to the Fenghuangyuan orphanage. We are hoping a family in the US can take it for us to Changsha where it will be picked up and delivered to the orphanage. There are several beautiful, handmade fleece blankets in the package. These were lovingly made by a lady named Bev and her sisters. Bev has since passed away but her passion for these children was amazing and we are so happy to send these blankets to the children she cared so much about!

There are lots of other great items in the package as well so the children and nannies will have fun with it! Thank you to the many people who donated items or made these beautiful blankets!!! What a gift of love!

We are still collecting monetary donations for the Dao orphanage and Jiangyong orphanage. Please click on the "Donate" button to help these precious children!

Thank you...

The beautiful blankets made by Bev and her sisters...

Some other goodies for the package...

New orphanage - DAO Facility

2007-12-02T19:56:00.000-04:00

We've heard from another orphanage!! This one is also in Yongzhou City and it's known as Dao orphanage. There are currently 43 children living at this orphanage. 11 of the children are special needs - we've been told some are physically challenged and some are mentally challenged.

We would love to have families from this orphanage (or any famliy interested) help us supply this orphanage with their much needed items!!! Here is the list from their orphanage director:

86 cotton clothes - I'm not sure if this is pants or snowsuits...I will find out and clarify

86 sweaters

86 pairs of shoes

86 pairs of socks

The Director also said the orphanage needs help with food, toys and more. We would love to supply money for other items so if we raise more than what it will cost for food and clothing we will be able to buy extra toys for the children and other things like bedding, blankets, school desks, etc...

The total amount for the above items is about $1300. It looks as though the orphanage would like 2 sets of items for each child - that's certainly understandable since they have to wash items and still have clothes for the children to put on! I will be talking with our contact this week to find out what the orphanage needs in terms of food - do they need baby formula or do they need more food all around for the children.

**Please note: we only accept monetary donations. We wire our full donation to our contact in China. She then makes sure the orphanage purchases the items specified and translates receipts for us. Purchasing these items is much cheaper in China and it saves us having to pay for shipping (which is astronomical!!!)

Here are some photos of Dao oprhanage...please pray for all the children and nannies living here.

The front gate of the Dao Orphanage

The orphanage...

The sleeping room for babies...

Two Homes One Heart is now helping with the needs at the Fenghuangyuan Orphanage, Jiangyong Orphanage and now Dao orphanage. We seriously ask you to consider donating to help the precious children who live at these orphanages.

I will be adding a "Donate" button in the next couple of days so people can donate via paypal but in the meantime, please email me at tammymackinnon@pei.sympatico.ca or you can mail cheques to Two Homes One Heart, Box 7222, 17 Allison Avenue, Cornwall, PEI C0A 1H0

Let's help Jiangyong Orphanage!

2007-11-22T09:14:00.000-04:00

The highlight of my day yesterday was when I opened an email and found out another orphanage needed & wanted our help! It is called Jiangyong Orphanage and it is a very small orphanage with only 12 children. The orphanage building is also an institute for older people and retired soldiers. The orphanage is on the second floor. Right now, this orphanage has 10 babies, 1 four year old and 1 eight year old.

This is their "need" list:

Clothes for babies 1 year old : 10 suit of cotton coat, cotton pants, sweater and underwear
Clothes for a kid 4-5 years old : one suit of cotton coat, cotton pants, sweater and underwear
Clother for a boy 7-9 years old: one suit of cotton coat, cotton pants, sweater and underwear

Baby Formula :San Lu (Brand)

We are assuming "suits of cotton coat and pants" would be snowsuits! So we will be sending them a donation for 12 snowsuits, 12 new winter clothing outfits, lots of underwear and as much baby formula as we can. Our "Sharing Our Love" Christmas Gala will help us with this as we will be using 1/3 of the proceeds from that event for our China orphanages.

If you would like to personally help this orphanage by giving a donation, please email me and I will give you instructions on how to do this!!

We are so excited to do this for these children. The Director will be sending us receipts and pictures of all the items we purchase!

Here are some photos of the Jiangyong Orphanage!

Front entrance

Orphanage is located on 2nd floor

Playroom

What's Happening

2007-10-27T17:46:00.000-03:00

Because we are gearing up for our big Christmas Gala on December 9th we don't have too much else to report. We are doing this fundraiser and then I can give more details and pictures on what the money helped with. We will be splitting the proceeds in 3 ways - 1/3 to orphanages in Hunan, China - specifically the city of Yongzhou where Alyssa lived for 15 months - 1/3 to orphanages in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - where our daughter has lived and other smaller foster homes in the area - 1/3 to children and families right here in PEI - some of this will go to our "Heart to Heart" project (see below) and some will go to children with other needs (food, christmas, school lunches, etc...)

We are in the process of completing a website which will make it much easier for people to see what our projects are and what fundraisers are happening. It will also be set up to take donations and people can join our team to help with fundraisers and any trips we go on to other countries! Exciting!

For now, here is an overview of our projects:

China

Each year we hope to host our "Kids Carnival" to build a playground at orphanages in China. Our last Kids Carnival was great fun and a great success as we raised $4000 and built a beautiful, colorful playground where children can laugh, play and interact with their peers!

Money raised will also go towards supplying baby formula and other food for children living in orphanages, necessary items for orphanages (cribs, clothing, toys, cleft bottles), foster care programs and help with medical surgeries.

We are currently assisting one orphanage and we've had 2 others contact us and we are waiting to hear how we can help them with their needs.

Ethiopia

We are hoping to raise funds to support "Faith Village" which is a huge project that is being done by our adoption agency, Kids Link. Here is a quote from them about this new village for children in Ethiopia... (http://www.globalreachchildrensfund.ca/)

"Faith Village will provide daily meals, a formal education, spiritual teaching and proper medical care for 500 children each day. Together, with clothing and shoes, each child will be treated with dignity and given hope – as we recognize their importance in society as future leaders in the coming generation"

Our hope is to raise money to help with the Faith Village project but also raise money to help with supplies for smaller foster homes in Addis Ababa who care for many children but at the same time, the "mothers" caring for the children are stretched beyond their means. We would like to help with food, clothing, education for these foster homes and for the precious children living in them.

Prince Edward Island

"Heart to Heart" Project. This project was initiated by a foster child who used to live with us. She has a deep compassion for other foster children and wanted to give them something to comfort them as they were placed in foster homes. Together, we are collecting teddy bears and toiletry items (toothbrushes, books, journals, hairbrushes, etc...) and putting it all together in a care package (kitbag) to give to each child who goes into foster care on PEI. We will gladly accept donations of any of the items listed above or monetary donations and we'll do the shopping!! This would be a terrific project for a class at sunday school, youth group or a family wanted to give back to their community!

Local Food Banks - we are collecting large cans of baby formula and large packages of diapers (size 3 & 5) for our local food banks. MANY families with babies and toddlers use our food banks and the biggest need for babies/toddlers are these items. Again, you can donate these items and drop them off at SNUGGLEBUGS at 85 Belvedere Avenue, Charlottetown. You can also donate money and we will do the shopping!!!

Here is a picture of Nathan and our other 3 children. Nathan lived with us for 6 years as a foster child. He is the "big brother" of our house!!! (by the way, Nathan doesn't mind that we posted this picture and said he was our foster child :-)) Now, Nathan is all grown up and lives on his own!

If any of our projects interest you and you would like to help out with our fundraisers or donate to any or all of these GREAT causes, please feel free to contact me at tammymackinnon@pei.sympatico.ca

We are in the process of obtaining our charity status as well!

Tammy

2007-10-10T21:36:00.001-03:00

Sorry it has taken so long to post again! I don't have too much to update about the orphanage - our contact is gone on a trip so I haven't communicated with her since the playground arrived. Alyssa's orphange sent us a thank you and it was really sweet. They also said they are doing okay right now and there is nothing they need right now. We are still talking about helping with a foster care program with her orphanage. I'll try to get more details on that when our contact gets back. She is also going to be updating us on the other orphanges who were asking for our help. They are all located outside Alyssa's birth city, Yongzhou.

CHRISTMAS FUNDRAISER

We have a fabulous fundraiser planned - it is coming along nicely and I am just waiting to confirm the date. We are tentatively booking the first weekend of December (perhaps Dec 1) but I will post for sure when it's finally confirmed! We are also having an Art Auction and there are so many talented artists who are providing beautiful pieces (pottery, jewerly, quilts, paintings, drawings, etc...)
The Cornerstone Baptist Church Choir will be performing a beautiful Christmas cantata and they are truly amazing!!! The whole night is going to be magical - candlelight, christmas music, delicious food, amazing artwork to buy and best of all, 100% of the funds will go to help children in Ethiopia, China and locally here in PEI!!!!

Mark your calendars now for the first weekend of December. Tickets are going to be around $50 - $60 so that's a great deal for such a magical night and great cause!!!

Stay tuned!!! Tell all your friends. We only have 150 tickets to sell!!!!!

Tammy

The Playground is DONE!!!!

2007-09-28T12:33:00.000-03:00

I am so emotional right now and started crying the minute I saw the email saying there were pictures of the new playground built at Alyssa's orphanage!!! I can't believe it's done and the children and nannies are enjoying it. How thrilling!!!

The playground arriving at the orphanage. WOW - looks like a lot of pieces!

Beginning to assemble the playground. The kids and nannies are watching in the background - they must have been so excited to see these brightly colorod playthings being built at their home!

Look at the little baby checking out the tunnel - too cute!!

And the little girl trying out the slide...

Some of the older children trying out the swingset!

The children and nannies checking out everything and testing the playground for the first time.

We also supplied some other items for the orphanage - for the inside - tables and chairs for mealtime and crafts, other toys and a few other things. I'll post pictures of those items as well if the Director sends any. WOW, our family is so excited about this!!!!

Tammy and the gang!

Helping local families

2007-09-26T22:07:00.000-03:00

Two Homes One Heart has now expanded and has projects on the go that are helping local children as well as children in China and Ethiopia. We are working together with Snugglebugs, a local children's store, to help our local Island families. You can help by donating the following items:

BABY FORMULA

DIAPERS - especially sizes 3 & 5. We will accept opened packages. We know many times children are potty trained and there are diapers left over so we will gladly accept those!

BABY CEREAL

These items will be delivered to the Food Bank and distributed to many Island families who depend on the Food Bank and our community's generosity!

DROP OFF DONATIONS TO:

You can drop off donations to Snugglebugs at 85 Belvedere Avenue, Charlottetown. (Located beside Dow's Furniture and across the street from the big Superstore) We will make sure all items are delivered to the Food Bank!!!

Here is an excerpt from an earlier post I did about the local Food Bank and the needs of our Island families....please join us in sharing our love!

FYI: For the last 2 years a few friends and I have collected diapers and baby formula for our local food bank. We collected over 100 cans of formula and MANY packages of diapers both years. I talked with the coordinator of the Food Bank and these supplies only last for 3 months! There are many families with babies and toddlers who need our help in supplying them with food and diapers. Our mission for Two Homes One Heart is to help any and all children worldwide who need food, shelter, care and love. We cannot focus on international projects and forget the many children needing our care and love right here in our own communities. So, this year we are challenging our communties across PEI to collect 400 cans of formula to supply the food bank for the whole year! We would also like to collect this many packages of diapers and boxes of cereal! Can you help us? We can do this - together!!!

Thank you! We are looking forward to collecting many donations!

A huge success

2007-09-24T18:52:00.000-03:00

We had our yard sale on Saturday! WOW, I'm really glad that's over. It was a lot of work but so worth it! We were able to raise $1173.60 for our new daughter's orphanage in Ethiopia. You can jump over to our adoption blog at www.themackinnons.blogspot.com to read more about it and to see pictures!

Still waiting to get pictures from Alyssa's orphanage in China! The playground should be finished now so the pictures should be coming shortly!

Our next big fundraiser is going to be held in November and we are having a dinner and art auction. Entertainment will be a Christmas cantata by a local choir (they are awesome). We are hoping to raise a lot of money at this event so we can help a few of the orphanges in the city where Alyssa was born. We are waiting to hear back from these orphanages to see what their biggest needs are right now.

Words of my heart

2007-09-19T09:58:00.001-03:00

I have often tried to put into words why I am so compelled to advocate for children - especially orphans. I heard this song and it spoke the words in my heart. Especially the line "your pain changes me". It is so true, I will never be the same and I will continue to bring love and smiles to as many children as I can throughout my life. Listen carefully to the words of this song..."Your courage asks me what am I afraid of...". There is so much we can do and we have so much to give - our time, our love, our money, our compassion...so much to give...

YARD SALE!!!!

2007-09-18T09:44:00.000-03:00

When: Saturday, September 22nd, 2007
(Raindate September 29th)
Where: Calvary Temple Parking Lot (Ch’town)
Time: 8:00am – 1:00pm

A great selection of furniture, bedding, boys & girls clothing (in great condition!),adult cothes, DVDs, games, lots of toys, books and many household items!!!

Enjoy lemonade, cookies and other great treats
at Caleb, Dylan and Alyssa’s “Lemonade for Hope” stand!

Mmmmm! Yummy

We are using all the funds to help the orphanage where our daughter is currently living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia..

Please join us in sharing our love!

THE PLAYGROUND ARRIVED!

2007-09-16T13:21:00.000-03:00

I just received word that the all the playground equipment has arrived at Alyssa's orphanage!! They are beginning the assembly and the Director says she will send photos very soon! YAY!!!

We are waiting to hear from 2 other orphanages in Yongzhou City (same city as Alyssa's orphanage) to hear how we can assist them and the children who are living there!! Can't wait!!

Tammy

Waiting...

2007-09-10T14:43:00.000-03:00

I haven't heard anything yet in regards to the playground arriving at the orphanage. I'm sure it must be there by now! We are also waiting to hear word about 2 other orphanages on the outskirts of Yongzhou City. We are hoping we can assist them with some of their needs as well as continuing with Alyssa's. Our contact in China, Susan, is getting some information for us on what the biggest needs are for the children.

I still haven't posted any info about our upcoming fundraisers becasue I'm still waiting for accurate dates for the events and locations. Please be patient and stay posted!!! Thank you!

The playground is on its way!

2007-09-05T08:57:00.000-03:00

I received word today that the playground is being shipped as we speak from Beijing to Yongzhou City, Hunan. It should arrive at the orphange in a couple of days!!! WOW, I am so excited for them!

The Director of the orphange said she would take pictures of the playground being installed and the children and nannies enjoying it when it's completed. I will post them as soon as I get them.

Here are a few of the items we ordered for them...

We also ordered long tables and chairs for meal time and craft time, school desks/chairs, ride on cars, benches for the nannies and a few other things. I can't wait to see the pictures of the kids playing!

Are you beautiful?

2007-09-04T13:42:00.000-03:00

Audrey Hepburn wrote the following when asked to share her beauty tips:

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Never throw out anyone. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands: one for helping yourself, and one for helping others!

Be beautiful today!

At last...

2007-08-29T20:20:00.000-03:00

Chris and I have finally decided we are far enough along to share our exciting news...we are in the process of adopting again! We decided in June to pursue another adoption and we are finally at the end of getting all our paperwork ready and homestudy updated. This time, we are adopting from Ethiopia and we are requesting a girl between the ages of 2 1/2 -4 years. We have started another website to keep everyone updated on this adoption so feel free to check it out at http://www.themackinnons.blogspot.com/

As for Two Homes One Heart - we have decided to focus on 2 areas international and 2 areas local. We will want to give back in any way we can to our new daughter's orphanage in Ethiopia and we also want to add more orphanages (and still support Alyssa's!!) from the city where Alyssa was born (Yongzhou City, Hunan). We will be focusing on supporting our PEI Food Bank with a baby formula drive and collecting diapers, baby cereal and school snacks for children all across the Island. We will also be focusing on the "Heart to Heart" project - collecting teddy bears and care packages for all foster children who come into care on PEI.

FYI: For the last 2 years a few friends and I have collected diapers and baby formula for our local food bank. We collected over 100 cans of formula and MANY packages of diapers both years. I talked with the coordinator of the Food Bank and these supplies only last for 3 months! There are many families with babies and toddlers who need our help in supplying them with food and diapers. Our mission for Two Homes One Heart is to help any and all children worldwide who need food, shelter, care and love. We cannot focus on international projects and forget the many children needing our care and love right here in our own communities. So, this year we are challenging our communties across PEI to collect 400 cans of forumula to supply the food bank for the whole year! We would also like to collect this many packages of formula and boxes of cereal! Can you help us? We can do this - together!!!

What you can do to help:

*purchase baby/children items each time your grocery shop
we are looking for large cans of formula (no name brand costs about $15.00 at Superstore, Sobey's and Walmart), large packages of diapers (mostly size 3 & 5), boxes of baby cereal, and/or snacks for school lunches (juice boxes, fruit cups, fruit-to-go, cheese & crackers, pretzels, etc...)

*collect toiletry items such as toothbrushes, hairbrushes, journal, pens...

*donate teddy bears for boys and girls

*donate kit bags (boys and girls)

*join us for one of our fundraising events - chinese cooking classes, car rally, dinner/auction (I will be posting details on these events in the next week!!)

Thank you!!!

So much to do!!!!

2007-08-20T19:40:00.000-03:00

Okay...so maybe my office isn't this bad but I'm beginning to feel a little overwhelmed..........

There is so much going on with Two Homes One Heart right now that I'm finding it hard to keep everything together! It's all good but it requires so much work. We have 2 weeks left of summer vacation so I'm trying to spend as much time with the kids as I can! I really can't believe how quickly the summer went!

We are in the process of writing a charity proposal to get our charity status so that requires a lot of decision making. We need to have a board, we need concrete mission statements, goals and programs.

We have several fundraisers in the beginning stages (chinese cooking classes, car rally, banquet dinner and auction....) and we are trying to find dates, locations and PEOPLE to help organize the events.

We are in the process of communicating with other orphanages in China to see what their needs are in relation to food, clothing, foster care, medical care, etc....

I am still waiting to hear back from Director Lei to see if I am able to go to China. I am very stressed about the financial obligation of this because Chris and I are in the process of something very special and it's going to cost us...oh, say...about 20 grand! So, now I'm not sure where that leaves me and the trip to China. Of course, I still want to go with all my heart! We are praying for God's direction in all these decisions, decisions, decisions!!!

If you are interested in joining our Two Homes One Heart team, please email me - we would love to have more help and ideas. Even if it's just to help out with one (or two!) events. We can give you a little to do or a lot - it's up to you!

A different perspective...

2007-08-16T09:56:00.000-03:00

A different perspective on the question post I wrote about the other day....

This morning I was reading some articles written by adoptive parents on the adoption experience and QUESTIONS they get from children and adults. There was a story written almost like my encounter in my last post, only the adoptive mother in the article was upset by the child's questions. She thought the child was being nosy and inconsiderate in her questions. I guess for me, I realize a lot of the questions from children come from their own insecurities. They worry about whether their parents will give them up. For several months after we adopted Alyssa, our Dylan (then 6) would ask us "Are you going to let me be adopted by a Chinese family?" It is too difficult for a child to comprehend the "WHY" of adoption and so children want to make sure the reasons our children are adopted don't apply to their lives. Does that make sense?
-

I just really want to be as open and honest about adoption as I can- I want adoption to be seen by our community as a wonderful experience, not a "tragic event" in Alyssa's life. I want Alyssa to be confident in her place in our family and in our community. The more people I can talk to about adoption and set the record straight - the better!!! And trust me, I've had some doozies of questions! The worst one (and I've been asked by many people) - "which ones are your real children? Are they all adopted?" Okay folks, do they look fake!!!! Of course, they are all my real children! Even in these situations, I use the opportunity to talk about how each child (any child!) is equally as loved, special and important in our family.

It doesn't get any more real than this!!!

Questions, Questions, Questions!

2007-08-14T20:28:00.000-03:00

I had some very sweet, interesting questions asked today about Alyssa's adoption. I always welcome questions from people - I use every opportunity to share about adoption and to tell people about the needs of orphans. Most times, people are very sincere in their questioning and have a true desire to know about adoption. There are other times when people are being insensitive and provide me with very inaccuarate information they've heard or "learned" about adoption and orphans. Still, I don't mind this, I can use these opportunities to share the truth about why families adopt and the plight of children around the world. If I didn't want questions about our adoption, we would not have chosen to adopt a child of different nationality!

BUT, today, I had the most sincere questions asked of me. Alyssa and I were at the park playing and there was a group of kids there - probably between the ages of 6-10 (their parents weren't there). This is kind of how the question - answer period went between the kids and I...

First little girl asked me, "Why is she brown and you're white?"

Me: "She is from China and I'm from Canada"

All the other children come over at this point and start asking me questions at once...

Kids: "WOW, does she know all the chinese restaurants in town?!"

Me (laughing): Well, we do eat at a lot of chinese restaurants - her daddy and I love chinese food but Alyssa likes chicken nuggest and fries"

All the kids yell, "Me too!"

Kids: "Why is she with you?"

Me: "We adopted her. She didn't have a mommy and daddy to take care of her and we really wanted to be her mommy and daddy so we decided to adopt her as our child"

Kids: "How could she be born without a mommy and daddy?"

Me (thinking...oh great...the birds and the bees!!!): "Well, she was born from a lady in China but that lady wasn 't able to take care of Alyssa."

Kids: "But why not?"

Me: "Sometimes grown-ups aren't able to take care of their children - maybe the lady was too young, or maybe she didn't have money to feed her baby - there can be lots of reasons why someone can't keep their babies. She loved her baby and wanted someone to take care of her so she said she could be adopted"

Kids: "where did she live if she didn't have a mommy in china?"

Me: "She lived in an orphanage. It's a big house where lots of children live and nannies take care of them. "

Kids: "Like on Big Brother? There's a nanny on that show!" (I'm not sure if this is true because I don't watch Big Brother but how funny that she said that!)

Kids: "So now you're her mommy?"

Me: "Yup. She is my daughter and I'm her mother"

The kids all look at Alyssa, smile and go play as if nothing was talked about.

Two Weeks in Africa, or China or wherever...

2007-08-13T10:38:00.000-03:00

Remember the children...remember the love of Jesus...

Johannesburg to Capetown

the plane had barely touched down

she was taking photos for the friends back home

this was always where she felt her heart belonged

and she was finally here

the sky was bright and clear
two weeks....and we all can feel the calling

two weeks...to make the world a little smaller

and so a girl got on a plane

for two weeks in Africa

Johannesburg to Houston

she came home on a mountain

but school was starting, things kept moving on

before you knew it, seven years had gone

she found a picture of her standing, smiling

arms around the starving kids

she swore to not forget...

she swore to not forget

and if we follow our dear sun

to where the stars are not familiar…
faces turn to numbers

numbers fall like manna from the sky

why, oh why? oh Father, why?

one village in Malawi now has water running pure and clean

one church alive in Kenya’s full of truth and love and medicine

We put the walls up, but Jesus keeps them standing

He doesn’t need us, but He lets us put our hands in

so we can see His love is bigger than you and me

Written and performed by Caedmon's Call (Two Weeks in Africa)

A delicious meal!

2007-08-10T08:15:00.001-03:00

Stir Fried Romaine, Corn & Pine Nuts, Steamed Buns, Shrimp Dumplings, Honey Garlic Ribs, Spicy Chicken Stirfry, Pork & Rice Balls, Chinese Tea

Wendy and her children, Yvonne and Tiger, invited us all over the other day for a traditional Chinese meal. WoW! We had such a great time visiting with each other and tasting some really delicious food. Wendy and her children moved to PEI last January from Beijing. She and her husband also have a deep passion for the orphans in China and are so supportive of our family and Two Homes One Heart. Our China Adopt group here in PEI is starting a playgroup for families who have adopted children from China and Wendy will be teaching them mandarin. We are all excited about this!

Wendy is also going to be hosting Chinese Cooking Classes this Fall with 100% of the proceeds going to Two Homes One Heart - helping the children in Alyssa's orphanage. I will let you know the date, location and time. Her cooking is fabulous so you won't want to miss out on this!!!!

Steamed or "stuffed" buns

Shrimp Dumplings

Pork & Rice Balls

Wendy - our fabulour chef!

Lemonade anyone??

2007-08-07T21:45:00.001-03:00

Like, really...who can resist this?!!

We finally received our lemonade stand from Sunkist (www.sunkist.com/takeastand) - they are giving out free lemonade stands to the first 10,000 children who pledge to give all their profit to charity. Caleb and Dylan pledged to give all the money to Two Homes One Heart...how sweet of them :-)

Alyssa and I set up tonight for the first test try and we did great! We went to a baseball game for 1/2 hour and then to Caleb and Dylan's soccer game for 1/2 hour. We made $51.61 which we were thrilled with. I had made 4 dozen cookies and we sold out! We are going to buy one of those coolers that keep things frozen for 3 days and then we can sell freezies and popscicles, too. It's really quite a lot of fun! We are going to try to do a couple a week (sports games are a really great place to set up!) and then set up a few times at local businesses.

Alyssa serving her customers!

Our friend, Jacob, enjoying cookies and lemonade! Thanks, Jacob!

EXCITING NEWS!

2007-08-04T09:57:00.000-03:00

We had a great meeting on Monday for Two Homes One Heart. We were able to share ideas, shed a few tears, and come up with a plan to help even more children through Two Homes One Heart.

The exciting news is...a local law firm has agreed to do all the work in getting our charity status PRO BONO! This takes a lot of time, a lot of headaches and a lot of money. We are so thankful to the local firm who agreed to do this and work on behalf of all the children we will be able to help. Having charity status gives Two Homes One Heart credibility and will allow more individuals and businesses to support us financially as we can give income tax receipts! THANK YOU!!!!! God is so good!

Two awesome fundraisers we are working on are:

Car Rally - to be held early Fall (probably in September) so stay tuned for the date. We will have teams compete on a fun, challenging race across the Island!!!

Charity Auction & Dinner with a beautiful choir cantata for entertainment - the dinner will be catered and will be an experience of fine dining with a beautiful atmosphere. We will be having a PEI choir perform amazing music to entertain while you eat. There will also be an Auction of items from China and Ethiopia - scarves, purses, jewlery and other items handmade in both countries. We will also be framing artwork from children living in the orphanages in both China and Ethiopia. It will be a very special night honoring the children needing families and care. We hope to raise a lot of money at this event! It is going to be a really beautiful night. We will keep you posted on location, date and price of tickets!!!

Who will hear their cries?

2007-07-31T18:09:00.001-03:00

This video is a reminder of why we do what we do. My favorite line of the whole video is "Each one has a name" - these children are real. My daughter, who I adore and love with my whole being, was one of these children. Please pray about how you can get involved and hear the cries of these children. Together, we can be their voices!

Two Homes One Heart Get Together

2007-07-29T18:12:00.001-03:00

There will be a get together at my house on Monday, July 30th to talk about plans, ideas, fundraisers, direction and all that fun stuff for Two Homes One Heart. There are many things happening and we would love to include more people in the planning of projects and events. If you would like to come, please join us! The more people we have the more fresh and creative ideas and the more fun we can have together. Munchies will be provided. If you are not sure where we live, please email me at tammymackinnon@pei.sympatico.ca and I'll give you directions!!
Hope to see you there!
Tammy

In Memory of Julia

2007-07-24T21:16:00.000-03:00

My sister and her boyfriend, Jody suffered an indescribable tragedy last Wednesday. My sister's stepdaughter - Jody's daughter, Julia died suddenly. She was only 9 years old. Below are some pictures of Julia showing how fun, happy and loveable she was. She was loved by everyone who knew her and will be missed so much.

Julia (with the dark hair)

Julia (with the dark hair) and her sister, Elizabeth

Julia LOVED to dance and sing. Here she is dancing with some of her cousins to her favorite song!!!

Not too much to tell...

2007-07-19T23:18:00.000-03:00

I am still waiting to hear about my visit to Alyssa's orphanage. I haven't heard anything yet from the Director - I'm hoping to hear something by Monday or Tuesday. The playground equipment is being ordered and prepared and will be installed at the orphange in about 1 month. I wish I could be there to see it go in and see the nannies and the children using it. Hopefully our contact in China can take lots of pictures for us!!

We are hosting a few BBQs in the next month and I will post the dates soon. Our kids will be setting up their lemonade stand at some of the sports fields around Cornwall and Ch'town. There is soccer and baseball most nights of the week so we are going to set up and see how we do.

We are having a Two Homes One Heart planning session on Monday, July 30 at my house and after that meeting we should have more details on our fundraisers. One thing we are working on is creating a website that will be easier to promote our projects (Alyssa's orphanage, Ethiopian orphanage, Heart to Heart project and the baby formula project) and to give better descriptions of each project. We are also going to be doing a monthly newsletter - probably through email unless people request snail mail - it will keep everyone up to date on fundraising events, meetings and work being done in the orphanages.

I am still working on somehow being able to issue tax receipts. To get more support from businesses and individuals we really need to be able to do this. Unfortunately, it takes about 18 months -2 years to become a registered charity in Canada and it takes a lot of legal stuff that I don't know much about. We are looking at some possibilities in the meantime!

Coming up in the very near future: BBQs, Lemonade Stands, Chinese Cooking classes with Wendy Dei.

Nickelback - If Everyone Cared (video)

2007-07-09T18:38:00.001-03:00

Click on this link to watch.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-QfLJbEN3k

When I started seriously thinking about Two Homes One Heart and our family decided to commit to supporting Alyssa's orphanage I had many responses from people. Most were very encouraging but some people told me I was thinking too big and had too much passion- it would need to be reigned in. I found this discouraging but perhaps they were thinking I was getting in over my head. This video is proof that "ordinary" people can make big differences. God uses people to change the world - people like me and people like you.

2007-07-08T15:00:00.000-03:00

So much is happening with Two Homes One Heart. It's hard to believe how quickly we are moving along with projects and with fundraising activities. We are forming a committee to help with the planning of projects, distributing funds and planning the fundraising events. We have a small group of 5 people right now but each one brings special gifts and talents and ALL of them have a heart for Jesus and love for the children!! We are always open to more people joining us - you can always email me if you want to be part of our group. Besides being part of a great mission, there is LOTS of fun in getting together, sharing ideas and building friendships with each other!

Two Homes One Heart is expanding its projects and we now have 4 different outreach projects on the go:

1. Supporting Fenghuangyuan Orphanage – this is where Alyssa lived for 15 months and we want to continue providing financial resources to the orphanage for baby formula, clothes, cribs, toys, surgeries as there are many children with medical needs and most importantly – foster care for all the children. We are in the process of getting started with this. Our last project was the playground and it is ordered and will be installed in the next month!

2. We are adding another orphanage to Two Homes One Heart. We will provide support to this orphanage the same as we do with Alyssa’s orphanage. Right now, we are praying about an orphanage in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and one in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. There will be more to come later on why we are praying about these 2 specific orphanages.

3. A new project called “Heart to Heart” is being done under Two Homes One Heart. This is a project initiated by a foster child we know who is 12. She has been wanting to help other foster children for quite awhile and she approached her social worker and I about an idea she had. She is going to collect backpacks, teddy bears, soft blankets, toothbrushes, hair brushes, books, journal and pens. She will put all these together in the kitbags and will give one to each foster child coming into care. She is also writing a personal note with each one telling the child they are not alone and someone cares for them. Her goal right now is to raise enough money or have people/businesses donate enough supplies for 150 backpack treasures. She eventually would like to do this for other provinces in Canada as well.

4. For 2 years, my friend, Peggy and I have initiated a Baby formula drive for the local PEI Food Bank. We would like to continue on with this and provide baby formula, diapers and baby food to the food bank. The Food Bank has told us we are the only ones who give baby supplies to the Food Bank so this is another local area we can really help with.

As you can see there is LOTS happening - our family is really excited about the different projects and coming up with ideas to help out.

The kids have a whole list of ways they are helping this summer/fall and would be thrilled to see you at any or all of the events:

*Lemonade Stand - Caleb has named this project "Lemonade of Hope" - we are in the process of booking locations for their lemonade stand. They will be selling lemonade, pop, water, homemade chocolate chip cookies and caramel popcorn. The kids will be hosting at least one lemonade sale a week for the next few months. I will post their locations when we have them finalized.

*The kids and I will be going to the Farmer's Market to sell the rest of the homemade blankets we have. We are always looking for more handmade blankets and will collect these anywhere on the Island.

*Family Yard Sale - the kids have been busy picking out toys, clothes and sports items that they will sell. Our whole family and a few friends will be having a big yard sale - date to be announced.

I love that the kids want to be involved and they come up with fun ideas to help out. Being able to support the children living at Alyssa's orphanage is a great way for us to keep in contact with Alyssa's nannies, the orphanage and her birth land. The kids and I pray every night for the nannies and for all the children. I love that the kids are able to think about others and realize there are ways we can reach out and make a small difference in someone's life.

There are 6 other fundraising projects our group is in the process of organizing. Can I just say they are going to be a BLAST!!!!! They are really fantastic and everyone will find one or more they can enjoy and participate in. I'll save them for my next post since this one is already pretty long!!!!

Happy Canada Day!

2007-07-02T13:18:00.001-03:00

I still haven't heard back from the Director of the orphanage yet. I'm starting to get a little worried but this is all in God's hands now so really, what should I be worried about?!

I am working on a couple of other fundraisers which are going to be a lot of fun! It's hard to raise money in a small city because there are SO MANY worthy causes and SO MANY groups/people trying to raise money. I like to think of different things to do to raise money so people can feel like they are helping but are also getting something in return. My friend, Mari Lynn, is very good at coming up with ideas! We have 3 in the making right now but until we get a few more details, I don't want to say a whole lot about them. Hopefully in the next week or so we can start advertising with dates and events. We are trying to maintain a steady flow of financial help to the orphanage as they have ongoing necessities like food, formula, seasonal clothing, etc... I am also talking with the Director and my contact about a foster family program with the orphanage. If we can find loving foster families for the children it will give them such a sense of belonging, love and nuture. Keep this in mind because when it starts we will be looking for families to sponsor a child for about $35 a month.

Also...as Two Homes One Heart keeps moving forward, I find it is a lot of work on my own. I would love to form a group of people who meet on a regular basis and who can help with fundraising. Chris and I have been praying and talking about adding another orphanage and supporting the children who live there so Two Homes One Heart would need on-going support with fundraising initiatives and finding coporate sponsors. You can email me privately if you would like to help out in any way - even if it's just planning one fundraising event or if you have contacts I might be able to tap into. (tammymackinnon@pei.sympatico.ca)

Have a great day!!!!! Please continue to pray for the children who don't have families and who need to know the love of Jesus!

Tammy

Matthew 25:40

2007-06-21T18:57:00.000-03:00

We visited with a terrific Chinese family last night. Wendy, Yvonne (I hope I spelled that right!) and Tiger. They brought over some delicious spring rolls and dumplings. I asked Wendy if she would teach me how to make some traditional chinese food so I think the next time we get together we are going to try! Wendy tried to teach Alyssa a few Chinese words but Alyssa was quite shy and wouldn't really talk to her. After a few visits, I know Alyssa will warm up to them. The boys are looking forward to learning some mandarin as well! What a sweet, kind family they are!

There is no news on my trip to the orphanage or the playground. My contact in China is on vacation so I'm waiting until she returns to hear back from Director Lei and to order the playground equipment.

We have 2 fundraisers in the making right now and they are really fantastic! They are going to be so fun so stay tuned for more information on those!

This Bible verse has been on my heart for a long time and each day it motivates me more and more - even when I am so tired, emotionally and physically!

“I tell you the truth, whatever you did for

one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

MATTHEW 25:40

Our "dream" list

2007-06-18T21:52:00.000-03:00

We are just about done with our list of "dream" items for the orphanage. I'm going to send the list to Director Lei and let her have the final say before I order it all. We have tried to include pieces that she really wanted for the children and what would fit in our price range. I think we are getting lots of great items for $4000. This includes the shipping of the items to the orphanage and the installation of all the items.

*Playground Set with slides, climbers, etc...
*1 Bouncy Horse
*4 sets of table & chairs - each set includes one long child's table and 10 children's chairs. (for use inside for crafts, school and meal time)
*2 School Desks & 2 Chairs (for use inside)
*1 Swingset (it has 3 swings, rings and a swinging seat)
*2 Teeter Totters
*2 Rocking Horses - these can be used inside our outside
*1 Little Tykes Ride -In Police Car (can be used inside or outside)
*1 Playhouse (can be used inside or outside)
*1 Tunnel (can be used inside or outside)
*2 Bench seating for the nannies
*50 square meters of Safety mats (will be used under the swings and slide playground for safety as it will be built on concrete)

With the above items we can give the orphanage 2 play areas - inside and outside and also give them some much needed work space for meals, school and other table activities.

Can't wait to see the little ones playing!!!

Tammy

Prayers for China

2007-06-11T19:06:00.000-03:00

I've started the process of going back to China to visit Alyssa's orphanage. I have requested permission to visit her orphanage and they told me it is very rare to grant permission although I do know of one other family who has visited. Please pray for God's hand in their decision making! I was told it would be a week or so before I heard back from the Director.

We are also finalizing all the items we want to purchase for the playground. The pieces themselves are not too bad...we can get a lot for $4000. The problem is, the space is all concrete so we have to purchase saftey mats to cover the area and it is very expensive. We are trying to cut back on a few items so we can add the mats. Donations continue to come in the mail so this helps cover the costs. We have decided (at Director Lei's request) to also buy craft tables and chairs for inside the orphanage and the children will use these for school, meal time and other table activities. We've also included a few items that can be used inside for their playroom and/or outside.

Our kids are gearing up for the end of the school year and we have all decided to spend our summer touring the Island with our lemonade stand. We will be visiting many areas across PEI and the 3 kids and some of their friends will be selling homemade lemonade, homemade cookies, caramel popcorn (a FAVORITE at the Kids Carnival) and other little things. They will also sell tatoos and we will have our blankets for sale as well. We are always accepting more handmade blankets to sell and I've started a box of blankets and hats that I will take to the orphanage in September.

We'll keep you posted on what areas we are visiting with our lemonade stand so you can come out and visit us!

Tammy

Questions for the day...

2007-06-06T09:18:00.000-03:00

I am getting very anxious to go to China. All I can think about is touching the children's faces and having the chance to hug them, play with them, smile with them, rock them, watch them enjoy the playground...

Is it enough to share our love this way? It's impossible for us to adopt every child so how can we make sure children are given the chance to know the love of a family and to know the love of Jesus? When I travel to China I will not be able to openly talk about Jesus and how much he loves us, the nannies, the children, etc... Will they be able to see Jesus through our actions, through our committment to love these children?

I've been thinking a lot about what the children need the most. We will continue to provide for their basic needs with food, clean & safe environment, clothing, medical help, toys, books and all those things that can help them grow strong. But each child really needs the love of a mother, a father; to know they are THE most special child in the eyes of someone. How can I do this for them?

I will never stop advocating for the children but at the same time I find it extremely difficult on an emotional level. Honestly, there is not a day that goes by that I don't cry over these children and pray for their safety, their lives and the hope that they will find a family.

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.

— Edmund Burke

A new day for Fenghuangyuan!

2007-06-01T09:50:00.000-03:00

These pictures are taken from other orphanages where Love Without Boundaries (www.lovewithoutboundaries.com) has put in playgrounds. The one we put in at the Fenghuangyuan orphanage will be quite similar. It looks so fun!

We are getting the plans for the new playground at the Fenghuangyuan orphanage going much sooner than we'd planned! We have contacted a Chinese company (thanks to Love Without Boundaries!) who has some beautiful playground equipment they will install for us. We are going through some of the pieces and we will let Director Lei have the final say on what she would like for the orphanage.

I am hoping to travel to China in the near future. I cannot wait to visit China again and I hope we can spend a few day visiting the orphanage and loving the children there!

Tammy

AMAZING CARNIVAL DAY!!!!

2007-05-28T08:41:00.000-03:00

We cannot express how thrilled we are at the success of our first annual Kids Carnival! WOW! So many people came and all the kids had a great time. We ended up selling out of everything we had in the Food booth and were scrambling for more prizes (this was a good problem to have) so next year we will be better prepared! The chinese community came out in full support and their chinese food booth was a BIG HIT! They sold out of everything they had and people were raving about how delicious it was! Thank you Wendy, Pei, Joe and ALL your friends!!!

I know you are all wanting to know our total raised.....$3800.50!!!! Our goal is to raise $4000 for a playground for the orphanage and we are just about there! Caleb and Dylan each have one more fundraiser planned for their school and I'm sure we will have the total amount raised when they are done!

Even more amazing than the money raised was the support we had from our friends, family and the community! We were so touched by the number of people who came and "shared their love". We also had a short stint on the ATV news last night which is very exciting and will help get the word out about Two Homes One Heart!

THANK YOU to all the businesses, individuals and community who donated their time and efforts, sponsored booths, donated items and made such beautiful blankets and knit items. A huge THANK YOU to the fantastic students at East Wiltshire school who came and gave so much energy and smiles to our event! We would not have had such a great event without you!!! Mari Lynn and I will be coming to your school this week to throw a little "thank-you" party for you!

Of course, a very speical THANK YOU to Mari Lynn for all her efforts and planning for this event. You are a fantastic friend with a heart full of love! (Special thanks to your husband and kids too, for all their hard work!)

Here are some photos to enjoy from the day...God is so awesome!

Getting ready for the crowds...

The most popular game at the Carnival - the Spinning Wheel - we ran out of prizes several times but the kids kept coming back for more!

The puppet show! Great entertainment by P.I.G.S. (puppets in God's service)

Another favorite - the fishing pond.

I loved this! Children learning how to make their own chinese dumplings - can you say delicious!!

The magic show - the kids (and adults) were in awe!

Trying to knock the cans over - the kids loved this one, too!

The winners of the boy's bike, the motorized car and 2 mini gumball machines! Congratulations!

They Did It! $161.87

2007-05-25T10:09:00.000-03:00

Our kids and their 2 friends, Canaan & Hunter, were determined to sponsor a booth at our Carnival. We asked businesses & families around town to donate a minimum of $100 to be a sponsor so our kids got busy and did their bottle drive. The 6 kids spent an hour going door to door and the final amount for their efforts was $161.87! FANTASTIC JOB everyone! Thank you so much to Jade, Caleb, Dylan, Alyssa, Canaan and Hunter for your hard work and supporting all the children at Alyssa's orphanage! You are amazing kids!

Tammy

Kids helping kids!

2007-05-23T21:34:00.000-03:00

We did another little bottle drive tonight. Our great friends, Mari Lynn and Chris and their boys, Canaan (8) and Hunter (6) helped our kids. It was a lot of fun...the kids were running from house to house and we filled our van! We will take the bottles back tomorrow and see how much we raised. The kids are trying to raise $100 so they can sponsor a booth at our Carnival this Sunday. I'm pretty sure they raised at least that much tonight! We also received $33.50 in cash donations during our bottle drive! Our community is so kind! Thank you Cornwall! Thank you to Mari Lynn, Chris, Canaan and Hunter for their kind spirits and their giving natures! The kids at Alyssa's orphanage will be so happy to have their new playground!

Reminder....

KIDS CARNIVAL
This Sunday, May 27
2:00-5:00 pm
Confederation Landing Park (Ch'town waterfront)

Enjoy:
Bouncy Tents
Clowns
Puppet shows
Magic shows
Kids karaoke
Face Painting & Tattooing
Ring Toss
Dart Throw
Fishing Pond
Hockey Shoot Out
Ping Pong Toss
Spinning Wheel
Sucker Tree
Human Bingo
Cake Walks
Squirtgun/Can knockout
Lots of food treats (ice cream treats, freezies, popcorn, cotton candy, pop, water, lemonade, candied apples)
Specialty cookies - decorated so sweet!
Silent Auction with lots of family items
Handmade blankets from all over US and Canada will be on sale! These are absolutely adorable! Every little boy and girl will want one!

An extra special feature at our Carnival will be a booth set up by a local Chinese family. They will be making authentic chinese food and have generously offered to donate 100% of the proceeds to Alyssa's orphanage. I can't wait to taste their yummy treats!!

TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS TO COME AND ENJOY THE DAY!!!

Cutie-Pie!

2007-05-20T14:18:00.000-03:00

I went in to Alyssa's room the other day and this is what I found! Too cute. She loves this baby doll so much. It was sent to us from one of the families we traveled with to China. They thought it looked like Alyssa in her referral picture. She has always taken extra special care of this "baby" and gives this baby her favorite blankets, favorite spot in the crib and the chinese dress.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRIS!We can never seem to get a great family photo where everyone is looking their "best". Between the two of these photos we can see the best of everyone, I guess! If only I was a bit better at photoshop, I could make one great famiy photo!

Beautiful Blankets for Charity

2007-05-18T21:57:00.000-03:00

So many generous people are using their talents to help raise money for Two Homes One Heart. We have received quite a few blankets and more are still coming! We've also received some handknit hats, mitts and a sweater. THANK YOU to everyone who so willingly contributed! Everything is beautiful. Here are a few examples of the blankets that will be on sale at the KIDS CARNIVAL - Sunday, May 27 at Confederation Landing (2-5 pm)

This cute blanket is flannel on both sides. Cute little frogs on one side and red on the other. Very cozy!

Here is a sweet baby pink blanket. It is soft flannel on both sides with a beautiful flower print on one side and white on the other.

This one is hard to see but it is an awesome, colorful quilt with cute edging all the way around. Fish and stars on one side and purple on the other.

This is a cute one for a little boy. It is flannel on both sides with funny dragons on one side and blue checked flannel on the other side.

There are other blankets that are knit, fleece, fleece/flannel combos, quilted, etc.. Each one is special because it was made by someone who donated their time and talent to help the children at Alyssa's orphanage!

Some of the blankets have matching doll blankets with them or for the boys, there are matching pillows.

For your interest...Love Without Boundaries is having their 4th Annual "Born In My Heart" Auction on ebay right now and there are some amazing items. Click on this link to check out the items and bid on your favorites! All proceeds will go to heart surgeries for chinese orphans!http://stores.ebay.com/Love-Without-Boundaries-Store

Enjoy!!

Tammy

Being a HERO

2007-05-14T11:30:00.000-03:00

Caleb asked me if he was a hero because he was raising money for the children in Alyssa's orphanage. All kids (especially boys) want to be heros and I think any child who gives up something for another person is a hero. Yes, he is definitely a hero.

We were talking about ways the boys could get their friends and peers involved in raising money for Alyssa's orphanage and they came up with a great idea. Alyssa, Caleb, Dylan and I went to each of their schools today and presented their idea to the principals. The boys talked about wanting to help the children in the orphanage and asked if their school would host a "Red Day" or "ladybug Day" where all the children would wear either something with a ladybug or something red because that represents good luck in China. Each child would donate $1 to wear red on a particular day. All the money raised will go to Alyssa's orphanage for the children there. I was SO PROUD of them as they gave their little "presentation" and showed the love they have for their sister and other children who need families. We'll let you know what day it's going to happen and how much is raised! I love to see the kids open their hearts to others!!

My very own heroes!!!

Happy being "Mom" (Mother's Day)

Daddy and Alyssa

What can I do?

2007-05-07T20:19:00.000-03:00

I ask myself this everyday...."What can I do"...no matter how much we do it never seems enough when there are so many children needing love. I'm trying to remember that this is in God's hands and He is way bigger than I am. Today has been a tough day full of emotion for all the children who need someone to care for them...

We can do no great things, only small things with great love.

--Mother Theresa

Tammy

NEW DATE for KIDS CARNIVAL!!!!!

2007-05-03T21:49:00.000-03:00

We had to change the date for our KIDS CARNIVAL and it's coming up very quickly! It's now going to be on Sunday, May 27th at Confederation Landing here in Charlottetown. It will run from 2:00-5:00 pm. It is going to be a BLAST! Here is what's in store...

*Magic shows
*Puppet shows
*Clowns & balloon animals
*Human bingo (great kids' prizes)
*Bouncy Castles
*Face Painting and Tattooing
*Lots of carnival games (fishing pond, pop ring toss, spinning wheel, hockey shoot out, dart game, ping pong toss, a cake walk and more!)
*Cotton Candy, candied applies, caramel popcorn, snacks
*Cookie booth - beautifully decorated cookies by Gail Hodder - you will love these - beautfiul & yummy!
*Silent Auction - featuring items for the family or for children - birthday party packages, swimming passes, kids' books, restaurant coupons, specialty cake certificates and much more!
*Our beautiful hand made blankets from all over the U.S. and Canada will be for sale

Bracelets are $10 and give unlimited access to all our games! You can also just purchase tickets - $5/20 tickets. Pick up your bracelets at Snugglebugs (85 Belvedere Ave) or at the Carnival. Lots of prizes to be won! Please plan to come and enjoy a great afternoon with the family! TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS!!!!!!

Also...

The "SPONSOR A CHILD" Concert is this Saturday at 7:00 at the APM Center, Cornwall. NINTH HOUR will be playing so come out and enjoy a great night of music and a night of helping the children of Mikinduri!

The Orphanage received the donation!

2007-05-01T12:43:00.000-03:00

I received an email from Susan, our contact in China. The Director of Alyssa's orphanage bought some items with our last donation. She also sent some photos of the items (below). We did receive one other photo that I haven't posted as it was a picture of some children playing with the new toys. (I'm waiting to hear if I'm allowed to post it) It really makes this more real to our family and we see where Alyssa lived and "played" as well as the reality that other children are still living and playing there!

Baby formula and spoons for the little ones

These are the crib mattresses purchased. Different than what I thought a crib mattress was but maybe these are to lay over the mattress to avoid soiling it when peed on?

A very fancy new ride on car. A few toy guns on the seat.

These are some of the smaller toys bought. There are stuffed animals, blow up doll, a toy telephone and 2 bouncy balls. The two large blow up things are chairs for the little ones to sit in. The picture I have of the playroom shows a little baby sitting in one of them. Too cute!

Carnival Booths

2007-04-30T09:45:00.000-03:00

Plans are well underway for our KIDS CARNIVAL. We are asking all those who so kindly offered to make blankets and hats to have them sent to me (I can also come and pick them up!!) by the 1st of June. We would like to have as many as possible to sell at the Carnival. We will also be sending enough blankets so every child at the orphanage can have their own. We need at least 30 for the orphanage and hopefully another 20-30 to sell. A HUGE thank you to the many people who have emailed about helping with the blankets!

The planning committee for the KIDS CARNIVAL (aka Mari Lynn) has come up with a great idea to raise funds and to have our community and friends be involved in the KIDS CARNIVAL. We are asking local businesses, families & friends to sponsor one of our many booths at the Carnival. We are asking for a $100 donation per booth and as a "thank you" for the contribution we will give each company/family 2 Carnival bracelets. The bracelets can be used at the Carnival for unlimited access to all our booths and carnival games! Each booth will have a sign stating who the sponsor is. We have about 15 booths. Our kids are sponsoring one by collecting pop bottles so that should keep them busy for the next month or so! :-)

You can email Mari Lynn at mldarrach@maritimechristiancollege.pe.ca if your family or business would like to sponsor a booth.

Tammy

Alyssa in her orphanage

2007-04-27T14:20:00.000-03:00

Below are 2 pictures of Alyssa when she lived at the Fenghuangyuan Orphanage. She is about 11 months old in the first picture and 14 months old in the second one.

Alyssa is in the front on the right side, not looking too happy. (Not the child with the circle)

This is 5 months before we adopted Alyssa

Alyssa is in the pink sweater on the right (eating a cracker). This was taken about 1 month before we had our "gotcha day" and she was finally in our arms!

This is Alyssa during the summer of 2005. She had been with us for 6 months.

Alyssa with Caleb and Dylan - one year after her adoption.

Alyssa with Caleb and Dylan just a couple of weeks ago - 2.5 years after her adoption. Yep, she is definitely perfect for our family!

Look at these cakes!

2007-04-24T21:17:00.000-03:00

A few people have contacted me about auctioning CAKES at our KIDS CARNIVAL. I'm talking VERY talented people. I am putting some photos of the awesome cakes you can bid on and you can request your design for birthdays, anniversaries, graduation, whatever you like. Look at these sweet cakes! Be sure to look for these cake certificates at our Auction at the KIDS CARNIVAL. By the way, our date for the KIDS CARNIVAL is set for June 10th from 2-5 pm. We're not sure of the location (in Ch'town) but we will let you know.

Created by Mari Lynn Darrach - Cornwall, PEI
How sweet is this?

Created by Gail Hodder - Ch'town, PEI

This is so awesome!

Created by Gail Hodder - Ch'town, PEI

Beautiful strawberry!

*******************

We are also going to have a "Cookie Booth" at the CARNIVAL and here is just a little preview of what's in store for beautiful, DELICIOUS cookies. Gail Fodder is creating a whole selection of decorated, special cookies so this will be another highlight at the Carnival. I really wish I had some sort of talent like this. Incredible!

*****************

We are getting a GREAT response from people all over! We have handmade blankets being shipped from the East and West of the United States, we have some coming from Toronto, some from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Charlottetown, PEI and Summerside, PEI. I can't wait to see them all - I know each one will be beautiful!

I still have material if anyone is interested in using it to make blankets. I don't have a sewing machine so I can't do them.

*******************

The Three Muskateers!

I'll post a "preview" of what will be going on at our KIDS CARNIVAL in the next post. It's going to be fabulous! Mari Lynn is "super planner" so it's going to be a great afternoon for the whole family!

Until then....

Tammy

The Playground is a GO!

2007-04-20T15:16:00.000-03:00

We received word from the Director of Alyssa's orphanage and she said they would be happy to have the playground put in. There are no building permits needed so we can go ahead with our plans to choose a playground, raise the funds and install it! She sent me some photos of where the outdoor playground will go at the orphanage.

The Director also selected some pictures of items she would like included in the playground area...Here they are...

It must be so exciting for them to look through books and imagine a playground they will have for all their kids. The playground will provide such fun and stimulation for the children. There are several older children living at the orphanage who will probably be there the rest of their childhood. I'm glad we can all help make it a more child friendly atmosphere! It will give the nannies a child safe area to take the children to play, interact together, laugh and enjoy being children!

ANOTHER DONATION WAS SENT TODAY

We wired another donation to our contact in China today. She will be buying baby formula, 6 crib mattresses, dolls & balls for all the children and 6 new ride on cars/toys for the kids. Thank you to those who helped with this month's contribution!! The Director said she will email photos as soon as she can.

WOW!

2007-04-18T19:30:00.000-03:00

So far there has been an incredible response to our blanket plea! I've had emails from people all across PEI, NS, NB and even in the U.S. WOW! God is so amazing! A very talented graphic artist from Saint John, NB is going to design our logo so we can print T-shirts. The logo is going to be amazing and will represent children of the world and the love we can share.

Please continue to email me if you can help make blankets and hats. I will get material if you need it.

My friend, Mari Lynn, has been updating me on her ideas for the Kids Carnival and it's going to be fantastic. We will do lots of advertising for this so everyone can have a chance to join us! We would love to have as many adoptive Island families as possible join us so our whole community can see what a blessing our children are. I also want to extend an invitation to our Chinese community as well as they were so welcoming and supportive of us during the Chinese New Year Celebration.

If anyone has a great idea for our Kids Carnival, PLEASE leave it in the comment section or email us. If you have a talent (clown, juggling, face painting, balloon animals, etc...) and would like to help with our Kids Carvinal...PLEASE let me know! We would love to have you join us. We are also looking for talented people to make creative cakes for our "cake walk"!!!

Tammy

Calling all TALENTS

2007-04-17T12:52:00.000-03:00

An example of the playground from the company we will hopefully be using to do the playground.

Good morning everyone!

Our family has been speaking with the Director of Alyssa’s orphanage and we have decided an outdoor playground would be an incredible addition to the Fenghuagyuan orphanage. Currently, the orphanage doesn’t have any play equipment inside or outside of the orphanage. We are working on getting more toys and play things inside the orphanage but an outdoor playground is a much bigger project. We are going to raise $4000 for the playground and have an organization in China install it. Our whole family is so excited about this.
Director Lei sounds very excited as well and we know it will be a great asset for the nannies and for all the children!

We are looking for individuals to help us make blankets and baby hats. I know a lot of you are VERY talented with a sewing machine or knitting needles!!! Our goal is to sell the blankets with 100% of the profits going towards the outdoor playground. We are looking for baby/toddler/children’s knit or fleece hats to send over to the orphanages to help keep the children warm (especially those new babies without hair!)

If any of you have a sewing/knitting talent we would love to have you join us on this project. The blankets could be quilts, fleece blankets, flannel quilts, knit blankets, etc… BE CREATIVE! I’ve attached some photos as examples. Maybe you can’t sew but your mom or grandmother can and would love a project for the Spring. Maybe friends or family could get together and having a knitting party!
I am going to try and get some great fabric very cheap or even donated if I can or if anyone has fabric they can use that would be great.
Please email me if you would like to help and need some fabric! I’m hoping to find some great Chinese fabric – maybe with ladybugs, etc… I will find lots for boys and girls both.

A lady from Charlottetown met Alyssa and became very interested in her story and her orphanage. She and all her sisters are making quilts for all the children in Alyssa’s orphanage. They’ve named their project “Alyssa’s Kids”. What a blessing they are!

My friend Mari Lynn has offered to plan a KIDS CARNIVAL with Snugglebugs as the sponsor. We will definitely advertise for this and let everyone know when it’s going to be. Again, 100% of the proceeds will go towards the playground. We will also be selling the blankets at this event. There will be tons of kids carnival games, cotton candy, a chocolate fountain (WOW), candied apples, human bingo, cake walks, door prizes and a big gift basket from Snugglebugs.

As a side note…our family always accepts donations for the baby formula needed for the orphanage. The cost is about $540/month to feed all the babies. We are sending a donation this week to the orphanage to buy 6 crib mattresses, 6 ride-on cars, 20 balls, 20 dolls and some extra money for the formula. Thank you so much to those of you who contributed!!! The children are going to be thrilled to have their new toys!!!! I will post pictures on the blog as soon as we get them from our contact!
I can’t wait to hear from those who can help with our playground project!!! The Lord has been working in our family’s hearts and has brought so many new contacts to help with our projects. All things are possible with God. He is so much bigger than any plans I can make! Thank goodness for that!

Have a great day!

Tammy

Please feel free to pass this on to any of your friends or family who may be interested as well!!!

Our friends' mother made this beautiful blanket for Alyssa. She absolutely LOVES it and has to have it on her bed at all times. These would be a huge hit as a sales item and also for the children in the orphanage.

Some examples of beautiful knit hats, booties and sweaters. The orphanage could use hats in all sizes but especially for the litte ones who sleep/lay in the cribs a lot of the day.

This is a very cozy blanket and very easy to make. I am even going to attempt making a few of these! It's double sided fleece - only two sides are sewn with the two ends being tied fleece.

Concert Rescheduled

2007-04-15T20:30:00.000-03:00

The "Sponsor A Child" concert for Mikinduri Children of Hope (www.mikinduri.com) has been rescheduled for MAY 5th (thanks to our big snow storm!). NINTH HOUR will still be playing and it will still be at 7:00 pm at the APM Center, Cornwall. PLEASE join us and be ready to sponsor a child.

"Sponsor A Child" Concert

2007-04-12T10:00:00.000-03:00

NINTH HOUR, a PEI Christian Rock band is hosting a concert to promote the sponsorship needs of many children in the village of Mikinduri, Kenya.

There will also be a time of worship with a contemporary worship team from Central Christian Church, Ch'town, PEI.

FRIDAY, APRIL 13th
7:00 PM

APM Center, Cornwall, PEI

There are many beautiful, special children who need sponsorship! The children are orphans because their parents have died from AIDS. Please come out and support this village and the many precious children who need our help!

Some photos of the children needing sponsorship...

Please pass this on to all your contacts, family and friends. Encourage them to come out and enjoy the concert and open their hearts to these children!

Giving a piece of our hearts

2007-04-10T09:36:00.000-03:00

Here are several pictures of our trip to the village to visit the children. It was a fantastic day and we are already planning what other items we can bring on our next trip. For any others who are reading this and are going south, the children need shoes, socks, school supplies and they also love getting toys, sunglasses and candy!!!

Enjoy the photos...what precious children!

We passed out all the stuff to everyone on the bus. What a blast we all had giving it out to the kids! We'd never met these people before and I think they thought we were a little crazy at first but they were feeling the love by the end of the trip!

Parents with the kids running after the jeep. The driver stopped so we could talk to the kids and hand out gifts to them.

Another group of children along the way. The bus driver (in the orange shirt) and one of the tour guides (in the brown shirt) even joined in. They thought it was great fun to hand out all the gifts to the children.

The taller girl in this photo (with the light blue shirt) is a Down Syndrome child and she loved the sunglasses. Her smile lit up her whole face when we put the glasses on her. We passed out candy, tooth brushes, mirrors, combs, coloring books and markers to these kids as well.

Below is a house of one of the little children in the above photo. Basically one room without windows or a door. It had the holes for them but nothing in them.

This is a group of boys who we met at the very end of our trip. By this time we were pretty much out of everything. We had a few combs left and some suckers. Note all the combs in the boy's hair.

The Beautiful Children

2007-04-04T12:42:00.000-03:00

Hello from Dominican Republic! What a beautiful spot! I wish I could post pictures but we are having trouble getting our pictures from our camera to the Internet. If we can't figure it out I will definitely post some when we get home.

I had bought a ton of supplies and toys for the children in PEI and had packed our bags ready for the airport. Just my luck, we get to the Halifax airpot at 4:00 in the morning and they tell me my luggage is too heavy! I didn't know there was a weight restriction! They told us it would cost $200 to pay for the extra weight. Well, Peggy, Matt, Chris and I opened up all our suitcases and carry on bags to move things around. I kept insisting it was very important we take all the stuff for the kids (it filled almost one entire suitcase and was the cause of the weight issue!). We finally got it all worked out with all of us carrying heavy bags onto the plane so our checked in bags wouldn't be so heavy. IT WAS SO WORTH IT!
We were able to go into a few villages and visit many children. We went on a Jeep Safari with about 20 other people and we had so much stuff for the kids we just kept passing it down to everyone on the jeep/bus and telling them to pass it out to the kids. We all had a ball. I had packed scribblers, pencils, crayons, markers, pens, looseleaf, erasers, pencil sharpeners, toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair clips, bouncy balls, purses for the girls, hairbrushes, mirrors, combs, sunglasses, stickers and BAGS OF CANDY! Definitely a favorite with the kids. The kids would run after the jeep and we would throw stuff out the back. Quite a few times the driver pulled over so we could personally give out stuff to the kids. They were so excited and it was such a humbling experience for all of us on the jeep. I can't wait to post the pictures because the children are absolutely precious and beautiful. Chris and I vowed we would come back and bring even more stuff and stay for awhile with the kids.

I wasn't able to visit the orphanage. It works a bit different here as families are very poor so they send their children to the orphanages but on weekends the kids go back with their parents. Because it is Easter and Holy Week the kids are with the parents and the orphanages are closed. Here in Puerto Plato there is a boys orphanage and a girls orphanage. Many locals have told me there are many children who need to be adopted!

When we come back again we will make sure it's not during Easter - both the orphanages and schools were closed because of the holidy. What was good, though, is we were able to visit many children in the villages at their homes and in the streets of their village. We saw their moms and talked with them as best we could with the language barrier.

With a bursting heart,
Tammy

EXTREME MAKEOVER - PLAYGROUND EDITION

2007-03-30T17:38:00.000-03:00

IS THIS THE SITE FOR THE EXTREME MAKEOVER? LET'S HOPE SO!

Plans have finally been set in motion for the new playground at Alyssa's orphanage! I spoke with Amy from Love Without Boundaries and she was able to give us a great company they use for playgrounds. They have beautiful playsets - the children are going to be so thrilled!! It is going to cost between $2000-$4000 to buy the playset and install it. We have lots of things planned to raise the money and as always, we will accept donations towards this project. Our family is going to go through some of the pictures and send some to Director Lei to see what she thinks is best for the orphanage. We'll post it when we agree on one! How exciting!!!!

When we get back from Dominican, I will be wiring money to our contact for new ride on toys, ball, dolls and crib mattresses. Any money left over will be used for baby formula.

On our agenda...

2007-03-29T18:09:00.000-03:00

We visited Crystal Palace (Moncton, NB) over the March Break - the kids had a great time!

The boys on the rollercoaster
Ready for combat laser tag

Alyssa riding the train

Chris and I are heading to the Dominican Republic this Sunday. WOW! It happened very quickly...our friends, Peggy and Matt got a last minute deal and twisted our arms until we agreed to go with them. It took a lot of twisting as you can imagine! Thankfully, my dad is coming over from Nova Scotia to stay with Caleb, Dylan and Alyssa. My mom and grandmom will join him on Easter weekend so the kids are going to be spoiled!

I apologize to those who emailed me about Love Without Boundaries - Canada. We are still going to go ahead with this but there have been some changes with personnel in the US organiztation so we've had a tiny setback. When I get back from my trip I will touch base with everyone and set up some kind of meeting - via email, conference call, skype, etc...

Chris and I and the kids may be heading to China sooner than we planned due to the Olympics. We've heard orphanages are not allowing visits next Spring so we may go in the Fall instead. If we can get our funds together this would actually work better because we are hoping to plan it with the building of the playground at Alyssa's orphanage. My friend, Mari Lynn, suggested we plan a Kids Carnival to raise money for the playground and I think it's an awesome idea! We planned one LONG ago when we were in college and it was a great success. What better way to raise awareness for a fun playground than through a Kids Carnival. We are hoping to have this in June sometime. When I get back from the trip I will be starting to organize the calendars. I'm trying to think of a cool name for them so please leave suggestions in the comments for me!

Chris and I are taking a suitcase full of school supplies, toys, books, etc... to the Dominican with us and we will be visiting a local orphanage and school while we are there. I will try and post pictures after we visit. I'm hoping there may be someone I can touch base with and find ways we can help them back here in Canada.

Getting ready for some sunshine,

Tammy

Fundraising Ideas

2007-03-13T20:30:00.000-03:00

WOW! I can't believe it's been so long since I posted.

Our family has been talking about different fundraising ideas for Alyssa's orphanage and getting the playground built. We've decided to do a calendar featuring children who've found their forever families. We are probably going to do 2 types - one for PEI families who've adopted and one for children specifically adopted from Alyssa's orphanage. Each month on the calendar will feature one child with 1-4 photos which could include gotcha day, siblings or any other favorite picture. Each month will also have special tidbits about a family's specific adoption story, a favorite song or poem, etc...

We think these will be great gifts for family members, friends and future adoptive parents. They will also make great treasures for the children featured in them. Once they are complete, people can order as many as they like and we'll ship them out. Stay tuned for more details...in the meantime, if you would like to have your child included, please email me at tammymackinnon@pei.sympatico.ca. We would LOVE to include them!!!

Another fundraising idea is specifically for our children (and yours, too if they want to be involved!). We are going to do a walk-a-thon or movie-a-thon or some kind of "a-thon" and the kids are going around the community getting pledges. This is a great idea for other families across Canada or the US (or wherever you're reading from) to get involved and help support Alyssa's orphanage. We have had several people email us asking how they could help and hosting fundraisers on behalf of "Two Homes, One Heart" is the best way to help the children at Alyssa's orphanage. As always...we are open to your suggestions for fun, family fundraising ideas!!!

I will be getting some answers very soon about how to purchase and build the playground for Alyssa's orphanage.

A Plea for TOYS!

2007-03-04T09:59:00.000-04:00

Last year a family went to visit Alyssa's orphange and sent us some pictures. Their daughter is also adopted from here. She said we could share the photos on our blog. Thanks, Gail!

This is the "playroom" at the orphanage. I think it needs a few items...The orphanage Director has requested we raise money for big balls and dolls for the children. I had sent some photos of different toys to see what the orphanage would like best and the following pictures are what they chose (along with the request for balls and dolls!)

So, our goal is to raise money for several exasaucers and ride on cars, along with about 15 big balls and 15 dolls!

This is the bottle making room.

This is directly behind the orphanage - their backyard. Now, I've asked the orphanage Director if they would like a playground and she said they would be so excited to get help for this. Below is the picture of a playground she liked...

Wouldn't this be amazing in that empty, concrete space!!!!! Our family is currently brainstorming and talking with some organizations to see how we can raise the funds for a playground and have it installed in China. This would be such an exciting addition for the children and for the nannies!!!

If anyone reading this blog wants to help with this we would LOVE to collect donations and send it along to this orphanage. What a fun way to help the children. We are still collecting donations for crib mattresses and baby formula as well.

our family will be having some sort of fundraiser soon - we'll keep everyone posted!

With sillyness and fun,

Tammy

Squeaky Shoes & More...

2007-03-01T14:43:00.000-04:00

This is for everyone who lives in PEI or who will be traveling to PEI...an awesome store called Snugglebugs is selling Chinese squeaky shoes! They have all kinds of styles (really cute!) and even better, the owner, Peggy Rust, is donating $1 for every pair sold. The money is being donated to Love Without Boundaries. So, come on in and grab a pair or two. They make excellent gifts for little ones. Some other highlights at Snugglebugs...

*beautiful hand knit hats for babies and toddlers...they have ladybug ones that are so cute for our chinese children since ladybugs are good luck in China. They have lots of other styles, too.

*baby barrettes...these barrettes are for very thin hair and are guaranteed to stay in! They are adorable and everyone loves to put bows in their daughter's hair!

*BEAUTIFUL crib sets (for both boys and girls)

*baby bath and wash products for babies and children.

This weekend there is a HUGE 50% off sale on their clothing (pre-snuggled clothes) for both boys and girls, sizes 0-3 months - size 12! Snugglebugs also has tons of baby items like car seats, boosters, BUMBO seats, strollers, playpens, cribs, jolly jumpers, exasaucers, bouncy seats, crib mobiles, monitors - you name it, they have it! Come check them out! They are located at 85 Belevedere Ave - right across from Superstore in Charlottetown.

The owner, Peggy, has been very generous in donating to Alyssa's orphanage, Love Without Boundaries and providing anything we need for our little chinese darling!

Spread the word...the more squeaky shoes sold, the more babies can be helped!

Tammy

Learning more about Fenghuangyuan Orpanage

2007-02-25T14:57:00.000-04:00

Alyssa's orphanage
Fenghuangyuan Facility in Yongzhou City, Hunan

The Director at Alyssa's orphanage said I could share the following information about the orphanage. Please understand that we ask questions so we can know what areas need our support. We know the nannies are taking great care of the children and are doing the best they can with what they have.

1. Are there children who need medical surgeries?

We have children who are disabled at the orphanage. Some of them need surgery. There are 3 orphans with cleft lip/palate and heart disease who have had surgeries. The rest of the children are C.P. and congenital Mongolian. Some of the C.P. children recieved treatment when they were younger but the situation didn't improve much. Director doesn't think it's necessary to give current C.P. and Mongolian orphans surgery. Director said they may need such help in the future when they have more disabled children.

2. Are there children at this orphanage available for adoption?

Yes, disabled children can be adopted.

3. Does the gov't provide money for your orphanage or does the orphanage rely solely on the money it receives when a child is adopted?

Money is provided by the gov't for the orphanage.

4. Does the orphanage have heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer?

Yes

5. Does the orphanage need items such as blankets, crib mattresses and toys?

We need blankets, crib mattresses and toys

6. Is there a need for baby formula at the orphanage?

We need 10 pieces of formula each month. Each piece has 20 packages. (our contact called the Director and wrote us this: each package of formula is about 18 RMB so the total cost for formula is 3600 RMB each month) Our contact wrote: "The orphanage will be happy if they can get help for formula."

7. Are the children at the orphanage able to go to school?

Yes

*****************************

I'm going to try and ask a few more questions to get specifics about education, nutrition, etc... We would love to be able to provide a playground for the children as well. We have seen many photos of the outside and inside of the orphanage but haven't seen any playground or any sort of play room. This would be something fun forus to raise money for and something the children (and nannies, I'm sure!) would LOVE to have at the orphanage.

Tammy

It's Coming...

2007-02-24T17:01:00.000-04:00

I'm off to hockey but am really wanting to post the answers the Director gave us about Alyssa's orphanage. I will try and get it up tonight or tomorrow. THANK YOU to everyone who has left comments and emailed us. This is very exciting. Those who expressed interest in Love Without Boundaries Canada - I will be in touch very soon!

Tammy

PICTURES & OUR NEW PROJECT!

2007-02-20T16:43:00.000-04:00

Below are the pictures Alyssa's orphanage sent to us. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the Director found out she was not allowed to send me pictures of the children. They may be nervous about me posting them on the web - I did assure the Director I wouldn't post any pictures or information that she didn't want on the internet. Maybe after time, she will come to trust us more in this area.

With the donation we sent the Director was able to purchase the following items:

6 snowsuit outfits for babies

3 outfits for the children between the ages of 2-3

6 outfits for the children between 8-12

10 really cool outfits for the children between 12-20 years old.

The Director also purchased some snacks for all the children!

Snowsuits for the little ones. These look similar to what Alyssa was wearing on Gotcha Day.

The outfits for the toddlers...if you're like me you are trying to figure out how many boys & girls live at the orphanage according to the outfits bought. Unfortanately, in China, boys and girls wear the same colors and styles. They don't usually distinguish "boy" colors or "girl" colors.

Very cool outfits for the 8-12 year olds. Looks like warm jackets, sweaters and jeans.

Again, very nice outfits for the 12-20 year olds. Looks like jackets, shirts and jeans.

The snack...not sure what it is but hopefully they thought it was yummy :-)

Now...who's waiting for the exciting news?!

I have been in contact with Love Without Boundaries many times over the last year. I began working with their organization a few months ago as a Foster Care Coordinator for one of the orphanages they support. I gave up that position for a NEW, EXCITING POSITION with Love Without Boundaries. My new role is "Love Without Boundaries Canada Coordinator"! Yes, you guessed it, we are starting a Love Without Boundaries right here in Canada! There will be LOTS more information on this as we are just in the beginning stages but spread the word that we (as in Canadians) will be fundraising to provide education, foster care, nutrition and medical programs for children in China. When our LWB Canada Board is set up we will be able to choose what orphanges to work in and send our Canadian volunteers to China to volunteer in our many programs. This is so exciting!!!! I will be sending out an official email from LWB with more details and a call for any people who are interested to join us. SO STAY TUNED!

The second bit of great news:

I went to the Wesleyn Church here in Ch'town with my friend Peggy a couple of weeks ago. I met a wonderful lady by the name of Bev. She told me she had been praying for the orphans in China for SEVEN YEARS! Alyssa was the first chinese child she had met in person who had been adopted from an orphanage. She was very taken with Alyssa and with her adoption story. She called me a couple of weeks ago and said she and her sisters would love to do something to help the children still living at Alyssa's orphanage. They decided they would make beautiful, warm, fleece blankets for all the children! That will be such a wonderful gift for each of the children. To add to this already touching story, Bev and her sisters asked me if they could name their mission "Alyssa's Kids". Isn't that so nice?! I was moved to tears when she told me.

It is so exciting to see how many people are wanting to be involved with these beautiful children. Even though they have not found their forever families they are loved all around the world.

People have been emailing us about sending in donations - we are thrilled to take these and pass them on to our contact in China. Unfortunately, we are not able to give receipts for Income Tax purposes right now. We are hoping to find a way to do this through my home church in Nova Scotia so we will keep everyone posted on that status. They have been incredibly supportive with our adoption even though I haven't lived there for 15 years! In the meantime, if you would still like to send donations, we will gladly receive them and direct them to our Chinese contact and then on to Alyssa's orphanage.

NOW...FOR THIS MONTH'S PROJECT...CRIB MATTRESSES and TOYS!!!!

The Director let us know that they do need 6 crib mattresses (oh how I wish I could take those 6 babies home!!!) and they would also love to be able to buy new toys for the children. We are up for the mission!!!

Another huge need at the orphanage is baby formula. We would like to be able to provide this for the orphanage on a monthly basis as it is an on-going need. The cost each month for the formula is $540 Canadian.

We will think of a fundraiser that our family can do so we can help raise some of the funds for the formula....needing ideas.....

Tomorrow I will post the information the Director gave me about the children at the orphanage.

With lots and lots of excitement!

Tammy

Happy Chinese New Year!

2007-02-19T22:23:00.000-04:00

The kids are all smiles as we get ready for the Chinese New Year Celebration!

Our family...this is the only family shot we got and the sun was shining on Chris' face! Oops!

The boys loved this act! This young guy did an amazing Yo-Yo act and the boys were in awe!

Alyssa saw this girl practicing her dance out in the hallway and she couldn't wait to finally see her do her "ballerina dance".

A cool karate demonstration...

We had a really great time yesterday at the Chinese New Year Potluck. The kids were very enthralled with the chinese entertainment and hearing mandarin being spoken everywhere. They are even more excited about our trip to China next year and are asking tons of questions. We met a wondeful lady at the get together and she has offered to come to our house and teach us all mandarin and show the kids some videos of China and help us prepare for our trip. How exciting!

Tomorrow I will post the pictures sent to us from Alyssa's orphanage ~ sorry, the Director said she was not allowed to send photos of the children :-( She did send us lots of pictures of the snowsuits and clothes they bought, though. She also gave us some more information on the children in the orphanage and what is needed there. We have a new project...but I'll write about it tomorrow so CHECK BACK!!! Oh, and I think I can share our exciting news now, too! Tomorrow....

With eager anticipation!!

Tammy and the family

In Memory of Logan MacLean

2007-02-11T16:05:00.000-04:00

Logan was known for his famous smirk and this picture is a sweet example of it. Although he was shy he had a very dry sense of humor ~ everyone loved that about him. Everyone who knew him will miss him so much.

Logan's funeral will be on Thursday. I won't be posting anymore until after that day. I have heard back from Alyssa's orphanage and we received photos and I will share those next week.

Please continue to pray for Logan's family. Thank you to everyone who has written with words of encouragement and prayers.

Tammy

Sad news...

2007-02-10T12:05:00.000-04:00

I'm just writing an update on the precious 13 year old boy, Logan. He passed away last night and his family is asking everyone to please pray for them and their children. They are absolutely devestated and need prayers surrounding them right now.

Tammy

PRAYER IS NEEDED

2007-02-09T16:19:00.000-04:00

This post has nothing to do with Alyssa or her orphanage BUT it is extremely important.

On Wednesday night our next-door neighbours had a heartbreaking emergency. Their 13 year old son had an asthma attack and stopped breathing. After 1/2 hour of not breathing, the emergency personnel were able to get his pulse going again. He is in VERY CRITICAL condition right now and is in a coma. We are awaiting news on the lastest scan and testing to see if there is any brain activity. We are pleading for everyone to pray for this little boy and his family. He has an 8 year old brother and a 5 year old sister. As you can imagine, his parents are absolutely heartbroken and beside themselves with grief.

"When we call on Jesus, all things are possible...He'll move heaven and earth to come rescue us when we call...."

After being at our neighbour's house during this emergency and comforting their children we realize how precious our children are. Everyone needs to give their children an extra bit of love tonight! (and every day!)

Tammy

Changing lives...

2007-02-05T20:43:00.000-04:00

Yong, Duan Li

A picture of Alyssa in her orphanage (2004)

I've been thinking a lot about the children at Alyssa's orphanage. Alyssa was one of those children and it amazes us everyday how incredible she is. Every child still living at her orphanage needs the love of a family and the opportunity to flourish, to love, to be loved, to be stimulated, to be told they are truly the most cherished. It is our family's prayer to have each child in Alyssa's orphange adopted or, for those who are not able to be adopted, be loved in a foster home in China.

So absolutely precious

When I think about the children still at Alyssa's orphange I think about how far Alyssa has come with the love of a mother, father, brothers and a wonderful extended family. We truly believe the nannies and caregivers at the orphanage love and cherish the children as much as they can. But, it is an overwhelming task to care for many, many children and to provide their basic needs on a daily basis. When we adopted Alyssa at 15 months, she was not able to sit up on her own, she couldn't walk or crawl and she was very scared. Over the next few weeks and months we saw a beautiful little girl emerge. She was full of sillyness, laughter and loved to be teased by her brothers. Within 4 weeks she was running everywhere and was speaking a few English words. She would offer her arms to us for hugs and kisses and wanted us to snuggle with her in bed at night. Her eyes would light up when her brothers came home from school and she would run to the door to see Daddy home from work.

Our dream would be for every child to have this. This is our family's prayer.

2 weeks after Alyssa was adopted - definitely Daddy's girl!

One night when Chris and I had gone out we came home to see this touching sight! Alyssa had been nervous because we had gotten a babysitter so the boys decided to sleep with her so she wouldn't feel alone
There's nothing like brothers to teach you how to have fun!

Hugs and sillyness with mommy

SHE IS LOVED

Just some thoughts...

2007-02-02T09:36:00.000-04:00

Alyssa & her friend Emma, in their matching PJs!

We found out our contact in China received the wire for the snowsuits! The ophanage should have the snowsuits next week! We are also waiting to hear back from the Director of Alyssa's orphanage about more items the children need so we can find out what our next project will be.

I found out two REALLY exciting bits of news this past week but I can't quite share it yet. Both bits of news have to do with Alyssa's orphanage and helping the children there. People have been so supportive and kind - we've had lots of emails from familes who also adopted children from Alyssa's orphanage and of course, they are thrilled to help in any way. As soon as I know it's okay to share our good news ~ no, we are not adopting again :-( ~ I'll post it!

Chris and I talked the other night and we agreed we are definitely starting to plan a trip back to Yongzhou with Alyssa, Caleb and Dylan. We are planning to go next Spring if all goes well with our savings account - ha ha!! Seriously, though, we are so excited to start planning this and eventually be able to visit Alyssa's orphanage and be with the children still living there!

Our friends, Catherine and Kevin left yesterday for China to finally adopt their new daughter, Roshandra. You can follow their journey at www.thestoryofyou.com They are from Prince Edward Island, too.

Our friends, Marvin and Carolyn are leaving today for China to finally adopt their daughter, Kennedy! You can follow them at www.bringingkennedyhome.blogspot.com (also from PEI)

What an exciting time for them!

With an excited heart (and a bit of jealousy!),
Tammy

Dylan & Caleb

Write a Comment

2007-01-29T16:05:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I changed our comment section so that anyone can enter a comment. That was my fault, I had no idea what I was doing. People kept asking me how to leave a comment and I didn't realize I had to tell my blog "anyone" could comment, not just bloggers. So, definitely leave a comment if you are checking out our blog!

Below is a picture of the poster we sent with our care packages. A friend of mine at work translated it for us. Thanks Ping!

Care Packages are sent!

2007-01-28T16:57:00.000-04:00

The fun package for the children in the orphanage. The kids helped me get this together and we packed it as tightly as we could! We had to leave some things out but we'll put them in our next one.

10 pairs of gloves, candies and lotion for the nannies - this is what the nannies requested when we asked what they would like :-)

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Well...we did up 2 packages for Alyssa's orphange. One for the kids with all the fun stuff and one for the nannies. There are 10 nannies who work at this orphanage.

I've emailed a whole list of questions to our contact in China and she is going to speak with the Director this week to find out the answers. We wanted to know if the orphanage needed heat, air-conditioning units, formula for the babies, special cleft bottles/formula, crib mattresses, toys, etc... We are very excited to get started with our next project!!

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By the way...the name of Alyssa's orphanage is Fenghuangyuan Orphange which is in Yongzhou City, Hunan. If anyone who reads this blog knows anyone who adopted from this area, PLEASE have them email us or leave a comment so we can get in touch! We have started a book for Alyssa of children who were in the orphanage when she was. We've been in contact with several families who've adopted from her orphanage - they live in the U.S. and Australia. So far, we haven't found a child in Canada from this same orphanage.

The orphanage will receive their money for the snowsuits THIS WEEK. Stay tuned for pictures of the children wearing their new duds!!!

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With a happy heart,

Tammy

P.S. I added a new Tip to the "Spend Less, Give More" section on my sidebar...

MONEY IS ON ITS WAY

2007-01-26T20:41:00.000-04:00

We sent off the donation to Alyssa's orphange!!! YAY! Unfortunately the bank charged me $45 for the transaction. We sent $320 to the orphanage to buy the 30 snowsuits, $50 to our contact in China for her services and then paid the additional charge of $45. I'll have to see if there is a cheaper way to wire the money. I checked with Western Union and it would have only cost $30 but for some reason, our contact in China said it was difficult on her end to use it. I'll check with her again on this.

We should hear something next week about how the orphanage did with purchasing their items. Our care package is just about ready to send. We are adding some gloves/lotion for the nannies and a picture of our family holding a sign that says "We hope you like your gift!" in chinese, of course!

Can't wait to see the little beauties from the orphanage....

Tammy

Comfort and Prayer

2007-01-25T14:21:00.000-04:00

Most times when I become involved in this kind of work...helping children (or people in general) I become very overwhelmed with all the pain and suffering that goes on in our world. It seems so unfair and too huge a task to even make a difference. When I read stories or listen to the news or find out information about the pain of children, my heart breaks. If only there was more I could do. People are always telling me, "baby steps...one child at a time...." I know this is how it is done but sometimes it just doesn't seem enough.

Recently our family found out that 2 very close friends of ours have family members who have been diagnosed with lung cancer. There are no words "good enough" to help with the pain. My friend, Peggy, introduced me to the song "When I Call On Jesus" and I have been listening to it over and over because I am so sad about what is happening around us. For my close friends and their families...to all the little children around the world, our prayes are with you and I hope you remember Jesus is real and He is with us through our pain.

When I Call On Jesus (by Nicole C. Mullen)

I'm so very ordinary
Nothing special on my own
I have never walked on water
I have never calmed a storm
Sometimes I'm hiding away from the madness around me
Like a child who's afraid of the dark
But when I call on Jesus all things are possible
I can mount on wings like eagles and soar
When I call on Jesus, mountains are gonna fall
'Cause He'll move heaven and earth to come rescue me when I call.

Weary brother, broken daughter
Widowed, widowed lover
You're not alone
If you're tired and scared of the madness around you
If you can't find the strength to carry on...
When you call on Jesus all things are possible

When your heart is broken and you feel discouraged
You can just remember that He said He'll be there
When we call on Jesus all things are possible
We can mount on wings like eagles and soar
When we call on Jesus, mountains are gonna fall
'Cause He'll move heaven and earth to come rescue us when we call.

Isn't it amazing...He will move heaven and earth to rescue us when we call.

Tammy

Gotcha Day Anniversary- 2 years!

2007-01-24T13:49:00.000-04:00

Mommy & Ayssa on Gotcha Day - Jan 24, 2005

Daddy & Alyssa - Jan 24, 2007

Two years ago today we held Alyssa for the first time. WOW! The time has flown by. Alyssa has grown a lot and changed so much. You can read updates at www.chrisandtammy.ca

There are still so many children looking for loving homes. Please don't let slow downs in China or policy changes stop you from considering adoption. There are many other countries with beautiful children waiting for their forever families, too. Check out the link on the side of our blog for information.

With a heart filled with love,

Tammy

FINAL AMOUNT: $375.45

2007-01-23T20:38:00.000-04:00

We have the final amount for our January project. We raised a total of $375.45 for this month's project - snowsuits! Our 3 street bottle drive brought in $65.45, Caleb's generous quest for birthday donations brought in $80 and friends donated $230. We have also received many calls and emails from other people wanting to help with our projects. This is so encouraging for us! I can't wait to find out what our next project will be. We've had others volunteer to help with a "real" bottle drive (we will wait for warmer weather, I think!) so we should be able to finish more than 3 streets.

We are also sending a fun care package to Alyssa's orphanage and we've purchased markers, notebooks for each child, toothbrushes and toothpaste, hair bows and clips, bouncy balls, dinky trucks, rings, lip gloss for the older girls, coloring books, stickers and pens. I found out there are 10 nannies so we are getting gloves and lotion for all the nannies. I also included some red wrapped heart chocolates to go along with the Chinese New Year theme. This is so much fun!!!

If anyone has any creative ideas for fundraisers our family can do or things to include in our next care package, we would love to have your feedback!!

With great excitement,

Tammy, Chris, Caleb (10), Dylan (8) and Alyssa (3)

A bittersweet story

2007-01-22T11:42:00.000-04:00

I put this picture as my desktop background the other day and when Alyssa saw it she said, "Who's that?" I said, "It's you when your name was Duan Li" She says to me, "Oh, I'm looking for my mommy". I was quite taken aback and said, "What do you mean?" Alyssa says, "My face...I'm looking for my mommy!" I am SO GLAD she has found her mommy!!!
This picture was taken in Alyssa's orphanage when she was 8 months old. (We adopted her at 15 months)

RESULTS...from the bottle drive & more

2007-01-19T19:53:00.000-04:00

My friend, Mari Lynn, and I took most of the bottles in to the Superstore today. What a hoot! We had 154 pop bottles to put through and at one point the manager came out to tell us to stop because we had backed up the moving belt! When he came out and saw we had another whole cart full of bottles he almost dropped. We were laughing and having a great time with it all! We wanted to take the bottles to the Superstore because you get the full deposit back. If you take bottles to a bottle exchange place they only give you part of the deposit. We managed to fit all 154 bottles in and we got $45.70. We took 98 beer bottles to the bottle exchange and got another $9.75 for a total of $65.20. Not too bad considering we only did 3 small streets! Mari Lynn and her family offered to go with us next time with their van and help us collect.

Caleb raised $70 so far from his birthday collection. There are a few cards that haven't arrived in the mail yet. We'll keep you posted.

We also received $180 in donations from friends so far. I have a few more bottles and donations to pick up this weekend and we'll let you know the final count.

We are wiring the donations on Monday or Tuesday to China. We are hoping the children will get their new snowsuits by the end of next week! Exciting! I can't wait to see pictures of them wearing them.

Just a note...Chris and I have received some really wonderful emails and encouraging notes from people all over wishing to help our family with this adventure. Because so many people have expressed an interest in loving these beautiful children we will be adding a donate button on our blog. It may take me a bit to get it up and working so stay tuned :-) If you want to join us in sharing our love, that would be wonderful. If you want to share in our adventure in other ways you can pray for the children in Alyssa's orphanage and all the nannies who care for them. You can also add us as a link to your blog or website. And please, tell all your friends about our blog. It is our prayer that families all over the world will be inspired to reach out and love these children.

With much anticipation...

Tammy

Alyssa in her orphanage at 14 months (Dec 2004)

Cold but Fun!

2007-01-18T11:55:00.000-04:00

We packed the family in the van and headed out for the bottle drive. We had very good intentions of doing our whole subdivision in one night. Afterall, there are only 7 streets! Well...it was cold, blistery and slippery and we only finished 3 streets in 1 1/2 hours. Phew! We recruited a friend of Caleb and Dylan's and he was a great helper. We handed out little business cards to let people know why we were collecting bottles. It was pretty fun but after about an hour the kids were ready to go home. We haven't taken the bottles in yet but I'll post when I know how much we made.

I hope this picture isn't a look into our future!

Scary!

The Navigators!

Getting warmed up!

Our first donation

2007-01-18T11:51:00.000-04:00

We sent a small donaton of $50 to Alyssa's orphanage back in December as a 'test try' for this new adventure. Here is a picture of what was purchased for the children!

Here we go...

2007-01-18T11:33:00.000-04:00

Our family has begun a new, exciting adventure! 2 years ago we adopted a darling little girl from Hunan, China. (www.chrisandtammy.ca) We have been praying for a way to stay connected to Alyssa's orphanage and all the children who are still living there. God led us to a wonderful lady who is going to help our family share love in a small chinese orphanage.

Why the name "Two Homes, One Heart"? There are a couple of reasons we chose this name. In Alyssa's case, she has had two homes (here in Canada and in China) but she is one heart. For our family, we want to share love from our home to the home of many children still living in China. "Heart" represents love and love is the same, whether here or in China so that's also where the "Two Homes, One Heart" stems from.

Our family is committed to raising funds for Alyssa's orphanage so we can provide them with much needed items. This could be anything from clothing, blankets, heaters, air conditioning units, washers & dryers, food, special formual & bottles, toys, etc...

JANUARY'S PROJECT: We are raising $315 for snowsuits for all the children in this particular orphanage.

REACHING THE GOAL: Our son, Caleb, is turning 10 today!! He has asked all his aunts, uncles and grandparents to donate money for our January Project rather than buy him birthday presents. Our family is also doing a bottle drive in our community. Friends have been gracious in donating funds to this month's project as well.

WHAT NEXT: We will send our donation of $315 to our lady in China and she will take it to Alyssa's orphanage and will purchase the snowsuits for the children. We will then receive photos of what was bought and receipts from the store and the orphanage. We'll post photos when we get them!!

Stay tuned to find out what our next project will be! We'll post more photos and writings of our fundraising adventures as we do them.

Another thing I wanted to do on this blog is provide ways to LIVE CHEAPLY! My husband and I have very different ideas on how we should spend our money - especially now that we have decided to take on this "mission". I will add ways for families to save money and perhaps use that extra money to help people in your community or around the world.