Day 4, Taraz

We arrived in Taraz at 4:40 am and were quickly taken to the house by our driver.  The train ride was great, most of us slept and the facilities were fine.  Once at the house some of the team went back to sleep, some took showers and drank coffee.  Around 9:30 am the driver arrived to take us to Ulan, about a 15 minute drive.

Ulan is home to 97 mostly healthy orphans between the ages of 3-17.  There are 18 special needs children.  Most of the children are "true" orphans and have no parents.  The children here are all Kazakh.

When we arrived we were greeted by several children dressed in their beautiful Kazakh attire handing us bread and pastries.  All of us were overwhelmed with emotion, it was truly beautiful.  Our team was then interviewed by a journalist for the local Taraz newspaper.  The journalist interviewed the team members that have children born in Kazakhstan and their siblings.

We then went to watch a "mini concert" that the children specially prepared for us.  We saw singing, dancing, drama and more.  Of course I cried through most of it because I could not shake the overwhelming feeling that these beautiful children had no parents to perform for.

In true Kaz mission trip style, we had a "go with the flow" moment when we arrived here and were told that all the beds had already been put together.  Plans changed and so we visited every room to put new bed covers on and hang curtains. The children were so appreciative about the beds and covers and thanked us many times.  The children are being taught English and loved practicing with us.

We were invited to a traditional Kazakh meal of Bishparmak that the children helped prepare. It was outstanding.  The hospitality was wonderful.  Over lunch the Director talked to us about how the orphanage runs.  She teaches the children life skills, anything from doing their own laundry to cooking their own food.  You can tell just by speaking to her how deeply she cares for her kids.  She cried through about half of our conversation, especially when talking about the kids not having parents.

After lunch we handed out donations and went to play with the kids.  We let each girl pick out her own doll and each boy pick a Beanie Baby and Hot Wheels toy.  They also picked enough candy to rot their teeth for months!  We painted faces and arms, played hopscotch, soccer and duck-duck goose.  The children loved the one-on-one attention.  One little girl even cried when Lance had to leave.  It was sad but it did not feel hopeless there.  We felt like there was a lot of hope for the kids with such a wonderful director.

We left Ulan and headed around town to see a few sites, including some beautiful parks.  We then went to dinner (because we had hardly eaten, hahahahaha).  Once again we were served like kings.  We had Greek salad, Manti, bread, homemade jam and pickles, and tea.  We ate a lot and all felt like penguins.  Ayman played the guitar and sang to us.  We laughed more tonight than I have in a long time.

It was a fantastic day of serving our God and bonding!

Tomorrow we have a volleyball tournament in the morning...the Americans verses the Kazakhs (children of Ulan).  Wish us luck, they are one athletic bunch!

Thank you for your continued prayers!

(For regular updates and more pictures, please "like" us on facebook)

Day 2 and 3, Chilik photos

Day 2 and 3, Chilik

(Sorry no photos, I am blogging from the train)

Our day started at 5 am when none of us could sleep anymore. We have 2 rooms, 4 people in each. Everyone has their own bed and it is very spacious and clean. We got up, showered and went to eat breakfast, the food is great. After we met our driver and Ayman, our Two Hearts coordinator, in the lobby to head to Chilik. Chilik is a special needs baby house 3 hours outside of Almaty.

When we arrived we were all surprised at how beautiful it was. They have gardens and a beautiful playground. The children were outside riding bikes and sitting in strollers. We met them all. One little boy that captured all of our hearts was 5 years old and had Down's Syndrome. He appeared to be the size of a 12 month old and probably weighed 12 pounds but he is very well taken care of and so happy.

For our tour of the baby rooms we had to put on gowns and masks. It is a happy place with beautiful rooms and wonderful caregivers. You could tell that they loved these children. The first room we visited was the cerebral palsy room. There were about 6-8 children in this room laying around. They were not crying and the room appeared to be very clean. They have a therapist that comes in to work with them twice a week to help build their physical strength.

There was one boy that I recognized from Karakastek last year. He has a cleft/lip palate, heart defect and cerebral palsy. He cannot have surgery because he is too weak. Please pray for him to get stronger so he can have surgery to repair his defects.

Next we headed to the toddler room. At least half of our team fell in love; Lori with a boy that was healthy but emotionally shut down, almost mute and me with a girl that is 3 1/2 and healthy but her birth mother has schizophrenia. Because of this, this sweet little girl is destined to spend her life in an orphanage. Lance was making a very sweet boy with Down's giggle while Susan loved on a girl with Encepholopathy (which is a diagnosis they give kids when they don't really know what they have) but she looked perfectly healthy. Chris was with a boy that had Ptosis and was so very happy. Emily was sitting with the brother of Lori's new friend. This sweet boy has hydrocephalus and the boys are in the orphanage because their mother had died and father hung himself. Sean loved them all, what a sweet boy. Kiefer was the official camera man but I caught him playing so sweetly with a little girl.

We then saw the sensory room, medical rooms and headed to the Director's office to drop off our 6 bags of donations. She was overwhelmed with the generosity of everyone in America (thank YOU!). She did ask us to send her 100 mattresses covers, not the fitted ones but the ones that protect your mattresses from liquid that you lay on top of and underneath the sheet.

We then were taken to the room of new cribs we donated a few months ago. There are 36 new cribs and they are beautiful. The Director thanked us for the chance to take in more children.

After our visit we headed to lunch at a local restaurant and had lagman. It was FABULOUS. Then it was time to head back to Almaty for some souvenir shopping at the TSUM and dinner as a Turkish restaurant. We did not have any time to head back to the hotel before boarding the train so I did not get a chance to download photos.

The train is nice, clean and not too small. We are 2 in a room and there are 11 of us; our group, our coordinator and a local friend and her mother.

Tomorrow morning we are off to Ulan. We hear that we will be on TV at 10 am. I guess it's a pretty big deal what we are doing for them. Hopefully we will get a copy to show you all.

Thank you for the prayers, keep them coming. So far this trip has been life changing!

Day 1, Almaty

Our team of 8 met in Chicago on Friday around 6 pm. Together we flew to Frankfurt and then on to Almaty. This time together was very significant for our team building. We were able to start bonding and get excited for our upcoming work. Our flights were great, service was good. The flight was rough from Frankfurt to Almaty and one team member, Lori, got sick.

We arrived in Almaty and got to our hotel around 3 am. We slept for 3 hours, had a wonderful breakfast, went to purchase paint supplies for Karakastek and then headed to church. It was so awesome to worship with other believers half way across the world. We all agree that singing and praising our Lord in Kazakhstan was the most awesome experience.

After church we went to eat Shashlik and headed to Ark Village, a private orphanage outside the city. Ark Village is run by a wonderful Italian man named Papa Guido. The village is home to 65 children. It is a beautiful place with lots of love but still a "Kazakh orphanage." The kids come to this orphanage many different ways. Some are dropped off and some arrive from government orphanages. 2 "new" boys (they have been there a year) were brought to the village because someone found them living with dogs, no one else. The village is run like a family. The children are happy, polite and they look and feel alive.

We handed out sidewalk chalk to the kids and they decorated the entire sidewalk without us prompting them. The loved the Beanie Babies and the chocolate was a huge hit!

Ark Village gets no government help. Papa Guido is trying to build a new house so he can house 20 more children. Being in his presence you can feel his love for these children and the way the children love him. He needs to continue doing his amazing work.

Tomorrow we are headed to Chilik, a special needs baby house 3 hours from Almaty. We started supporting them last September but this will be our first visit.

Please continue to pray with us, we are feeling them.

Love to you all,

Stacy and the team!

Enjoy the pictures

Lift off!

We are off to Kazakhstan!

Please keep Stacy, Chris, Lance, Emily, Susan, Sean, Lori and Keifer in your prayers as they travel the long distance to Kaz.

Pray that each team member is lifted up on this journey and their hearts are open to whatever the Lord has planned for them.

Pray for safe travel with no delays.

Pray for the team's health and safety.

Pray for everyone our team will meet in Kazakhstan, especially the children. Let the light of Jesus shine through each team member as we do His work.

Pray the Lord will bless the families of our team members and help them manage in their absence.

We go on mission trips for three main reasons: to create an awareness, build relationships, and to encourage personal and spiritual growth for all participants.

Pray the projects we have planned are able to help us accomplish these three main goals and that the work the Lord has called us to do will be done in a manner pleasing to Him.

We are on our way!

Tomorrow Team 2 Hearts 2 Taraz leaves for Kazakhstan!

22 bags are packed with over 2000 items along 4-50lb boxes of medical supplies!

Included in those bags are:

Diaper rash cream

Blankets

Hoodies

Crayons

Art supplies

Shoes

Sleepers

Coats

Toothpaste

Toothbrushes

Pillowcases

Snowsuits

Dolls

Beanie Babies

Hot Wheels

Thank you to MediWish International for the 4 boxes of medical supplies. Some of the items included are:

Stethoscopes

Scissors

Catheters

Tongue depressors

Blood pressure monitors

Surgical instrument sets

Gauze

Bandages

Syringes

Pediatric Crutches

Pediatric leg braces

Dental supply kits

Walkers

IV's

Thermometers

Many, many thanks to our wonderful supporters who generously contributed to this trip. We could not have done it without each and every one of you:

Everyone that participate in and supported An Orphan's Hope 5K in 2010. It is because of you that we were able to purchase 100 new beds and mattresses!

Melissa Scott at Dream Prosperity

Mitch Arnold at Peace is the Goal

FillerFinds

Orphan Impact

Mismatched Molly's Boutique

The Warwick Family

The Nielsen Family

The Rossier Family

Miranda Nichols

The Meta Family

The Owens Family

Jim and Jinny O'Leary in honor of Adam Meta

The Clifford Family

Virginia Kreeft

The Ampleman Family

The Lyle Family

The Letterneau Family

The Roach Family in honor of Adam Meta

Jennifer Jeffries

The Sarandis Family

The Hansen Family

The Tague Family

The Dewitt Family

The Kudwa Family

The Floyd-Leggit Family

The Kitzman Family

The Siefer Family

The Rustan Family

The Bell Family

The Hollis Family

The Jenkins Family

Deborah Lawson

The Brown Family

Jody Yeh

Julia McKenzie

The Elrod Family

Maureen Powers

The Combs Family

The Milani Family

The Morrison Family

* If we spelled your name incorrectly or left some off the list by mistake, please email us at info@twoheartsforhope.org

Please remember to keep the team in your prayers! Updates will be posted regularly, don't forget to check back!

Check out these new windows!

Yesterday we received this update from Ust-Kamenorgorsk:

"Dear Two Hearts for Hope!

Thank you very much for your contribution to the accomplishment of our children's home. Thanks to you, we replaced the windows in 7 groups!

With thanks,

The Administration and staff KGKP "Specialized orphanage in Ust-Kamenorgorsk"

Before:

After:

Amazing how fast this was accomplished, and in time for the cold winter! Praise the Lord!

We found out that a local donor pledged $15,000 towards the project. We currently have $38,683.35 left to go before the entire baby house can have new windows! If you would like to help support this project, please visit our website.

2012 Cherished Children Calendar

We are now accepting photos for our 2012 calendar!

To have your child(ren) featured, please:

1) Send ONE photo of your child(ren) to photos@twoheartsforhope.org. To be fair to all only one photo per family is accepted.

2) Please include the name of your child(ren) and the region adopted from.

3) Photos need to be 90kb or higher.

NOTE - In order to create the best possible calendar we are limited to 72 pictures. When we reach this limit we will no longer be accepting photos so ACT FAST!

The deadline for photos is Friday, September 23rd!

Project Bright Smile

While we were in Russia this past May we were able to donate many items, among them were toothbrushes and toothpaste. The orphanage director was mostly excited about the toothbrushes. We were told that toothbrushes are hard to come by and are very much needed.

Imagine not having something as basic and simple as a toothbrush? This often leads to poor dental health and nutrition problems later in life. Something we take for granted is a rare treat for the orphans.

Proper dental hygiene is not a priority in orphanages. The effects of not brushing will start out minor but will become serious over time. Plaque build-up will cause a substantial discoloration of teeth, and gingivitis and cavities can occur.

For $10 you can provide one child with a toothbrush, toothpaste and soap. Our goal is to help improve the oral health and basic hygiene of these children. There are approximately 200 children in Russia that desperately need these basic necessities.

To donate please click visit our website, www.twoheartsforhope.org/smile

Please help us brighten smiles by donating today!

Sponsorship

An Orphan's Hope 5K is a month and a half away.

If you are unable to join the fun, please pray about becoming a sponsor.

Individuals, families and businesses can sponsor. The following is where we need you:

- Entertainment (Bounce house or face painter)

- Lunches

- T-shirts

- Advertising (posters or banner)

Our goal is to ensure 100% of the money raised goes directly to the orphans in Kazakhstan. To reach this goal sponsors are needed to offset the cost.

If you would like to help out, click here!

Thanks!

New cribs!

Yesterday we received word that 35 cribs and mattresses along with 10 walkers were delivered to the Chilik orphanage in Kazakhstan!

We will travel to Chilik in a few weeks as part of our mission trip to deliver 200 pounds of medical supplies donated by the MedWish International in Cleveland, Ohio.

Thank you Lord for continuing to bless our ministry and allowing us to support these sweet children!

"Compassion Equals Involvement"

Last night at 7:30 I started to read "Fields of the Fatherless" by Tom Davis (get it if you don't have it). At 9:30 pm I had completed the book and had a renewed sense of commitment to keep on fighting for the fatherless. The fatherless are orphans yes, but also widows, single moms, the poor, starving, lonely, the sick, anyone waiting to know YOU care.

In his book, Davies quotes Henri Nouwen who said:

"The word compassion is derived from the Latin words pati and cum, which together mean "to suffer with." Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak and with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human."

Simply put, you need to be involved to be compassionate. Watching the news at night and feeling a sense of sadness when you see babies in Africa starving does not equal compassion. We need to act. Action does not require only giving of your money. Step away from the fear associated with putting yourself "out there" and move to change lives!

Try as we may, we can't do it all but each one of us can make a small difference, one act at a time. God will richly bless your life when you start caring for the people He aches for and you will be filled with an infinite amount of joy!

Davis says "I believe when you strip Christianity down to its basics, this is what it means: to feed, to clothe, and treat the fatherless as members of one's own family." I completely agree.

Here is a reminder why we and everyone involved with our organization chooses to ACT:

"I hated my life since the 3rd grade when I was unmercifully beaten. I felt then that life is lost and death is looking for me. And my tears were telling me that life was nothing in comparison with death. I felt like a little cockroach, which (responds in) fear when seen. A bunch of American people came to our school. I thought these people wanted to laugh at us. But I was mistaken. They are people willing to give up the most precious gift a person can process, love. (Their) intentions to share seemed strange as they had their own kids. But these people have such big hearts to give that there is still enough room even for us little cockroaches. Then I began to feel myself not a cockroach anymore that deserved to be killed, but a littlehuman being. It is a wonderful feeling. Believe me." - Russian orphan, from "Fields of the Fatherless"

A chance to help us in Taraz

In just over a month our team will be heading to Taraz, Kazakhstan to replace the beds and mattresses at the Ulan orphanage. We will also be visiting two other orphanages where we will love on the children. Below is a list of items we want to include with the other donations we have received:

- Face paint and brushes

- Stickers

- Construction paper

- Crayons

- Jewelry making kits

- Soccer balls and basketballs (deflated)

- Hand pump to inflate balls

Would you please consider donating one (or more) of these items? Items should be new. If you can't shop for the items a monetary donation can be made via our website and we will shop for you!

Donations need to reach us by September 1st.

Two Hearts for Hope

P.O. Box 1928

Lebanon, MO 65536

Thank you for your support!

Raffle winners

We are so thankful to everyone who purchased tickets and donated the items for the raffle.

The grand total raised is $6409.22! All the glory to God!

We are only $1166.22 away from our goal of $27,000. The orphanage director in Ust-Kamenogorsk has requested that we send the money we have raised thus far so construction can begin before the temperatures drop to freezing. We are excited to see the progress being made over the next few weeks/months.

Thank you again for making a difference in the lives of these babies! We are continuously humbled by your generosity and support!

Congratulations to:

1 - Jim Hansen

2 - Karen Kitzman

3 - Karen Floyd

4 - Pam Raspante

5 - Branden Hochstetler

6 - Jacquie Izzo

7 - Karen Floyd

8 - Diane Lanigan

9 - Christine Milani

10 - Kelly Sarandis

11 - Kelly Bhagat

12 - Angie Dickey

13 - Christine Milani

14 - Kim Prud'homme

15 - Alaina Falk

16 - Julie Woods

17 - Jennifer Heckert

18 - Erin Herman

19 - Beth Cohen

20 - Dave Truman

21 - Richard Ybarra

22 - Kelly Bhagat

23 - Gena Lloyd

24 - Ann Hochstetler

25 - Kristan Stuck

26 - Margaret Zumbrun

27 - Lisa Chaney

28 - April Powers

29 - Melissa Clearview

30 - Sarah Way

31 - Rebecca Rossier

32 - Ann Hochstetler

33 - Kelly Bhagat

34 - Kate Carbone

35 - Julia Palazini

36 - Courtney Stone

37 - Kristi Metz

38 - Liz Nelson

All the winners were chosen using a third-party online drawing system and are completely random.

Almost to our goal

Today is the LAST day to purchase raffle tickets! The fundraiser ends at midnight tonight and the winners will be announced tomorrow afternoon.

Currently we are only $1850 away from reaching our goal of replacing the windows on an entire floor at the Ust-Kamenogorsk orphanage!

To view the items, click here - http://twoheartsforhope.blogspot.com/2011/07/window-project-fundraiser.html

Please consider purchasing tickets and helping us reach our goal!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

When we were contacted about possibly replacing all the windows at the baby orphanage in Ust-Kamenogorsk we knew the fundraising process would be long and difficult. Raising $81,000 is no small feat so we decided to raise the money a floor at a time, praying it would only take a year to reach our goal.

We have had many wonderful people donate in many different ways to help us in reaching our goal. Some have held parties, some have donated directly, and kids have even given their offering to us. The generosity that continues to flow our way is overwhelming to say the least.

This week only we have received $7490 towards the project making our current total $21,340.53. We have $5659.47 to go and it's only August (almost)! Surely we can reach our goal in under a year.

Think about the babies going to bed each night without the buzz of mosquitoes hovering over their beautiful little faces. Think about how nice it will be for them to sleep in a room that is warm, no drafts to chill their bones.

Currently you can help by making a direct donation on our website or by purchasing tickets for our fundraiser. All the information is in the post below.

We believe with God's love and faithfulness, nothing is impossible! Please continue to pray with us.