Two Homes One Heart Get Together

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

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...

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)

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.

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!

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

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

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

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...

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!

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!!!!

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

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!

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!

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

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

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?

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!!!!!

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!

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!