Elevator Project - EXCITING NEWS!

On Friday morning we woke up to the most unexpected and amazing email from a friend helping us with the organizing of the elevator project....

Here is what part of the email said:

"I have some very exciting news for you!!! I spoke to my friend and she just had an orphan awareness tea this past weekend to raise awareness and also to help raise funds for the lift project. Guess how much she raised??? I couldn't believe it when she told me! She raised $4000 at this event!!! Isn't that the difference of what you've raised so far to add up to what we need! I was just shocked when she told me the news! I shouldn't be utterly amazed at what God does and how He does it and who He uses to do His work just because I've seen Him do amazing things before, but I am! To God be the glory and praise for the things He has done!!!"

We are very excited to announce that the elevator project has been FULLY funded!  

We love it when it's very clear to see how miraculous God is!  This is just further confirmation that God does bless those who hear and obey His call to defend the least of these.  We can't wait to see pictures of His precious children being able to go outside for the first time!  

As you know we had planned to have a raffle for this project.  Since it is no longer needed we will kick off our latest project with a raffle to begin on April 15th!  Details coming soon!

More Thank You's!

We want to Also thank the following families for your recent donation to the UST- Kamenogorsk Baby house needs and the Elevator project:

Marcacci Family
Short Family
Bowen Family
San Aye Tin
Hendon Family
Hong Kim
Butler Family
Kady-Maccarthy Family
Berrigan Family
Shaw Family
Tarpey Family
Gilbert Family
De Santis Family
Gardner Family


Thank you for your support of the orphans in Kazakhstan!

 

Thank you!

Today we would like to thank the following people for your recent donations towards the Elevator Project and the Ust-Kamenogorsk baby home needs:

The Milani Family
The Jenkins Family
The Howard Family
The Peterson Family
The Arbolino Family
The Falk Family
The Briere Family
Bethesda Baptist Church
The Fee Family
The Hendon Family
The Showalter Family
The Hochstetler Family
The Rolfes Family
The Coggins Family
The Rosenberg family
The Robey Family
The Combs Family
The Herman Family
The Myrick Family
The Brower-Toland Family

We truly appreciate your support for the children of Kazakhstan!

Elevator Fundraiser

We are in the process of organizing a fundraising raffle for the elevator project.  

We have currently raised $1772.92 towards our goal of $7,000. We have a long way to go but are confident a raffle will give us a good boost.  We have seen God work miracles many times and know this project will get done.

How you can help: 

We are looking for volunteers to donate items to this raffle.  

In 2011 we held a raffle for the Ust-Kamenogorsk Window Restoration Project and it was a tremendous success! Previous items included gift certificates, bakes goods, electronics, handmade clothing and bags, beauty products, etc.  For ideas click here 

To donate:

Pledge to donate any item by April 1st and contact kim@twoheartsforhope.org for more details.  When the raffle is over we will give you the name of the winner and you will send the item.  This is a simple and fun way to help us build hope!  

Please considering donating an item, nothing is too small, or big.  

Help us build Hope!

"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts 20:35

Meet S.  She is a teenager living at a special needs orphanage.  She needs a wheelchair to get around.  In the past 6 years she has only been outside once when the orphanage was having remodeling done and the children needed to move to another facility.  She does not go outside because it is quite heavy for someone to carry her down 3 flights of stairs.

The special needs orphanage in Almaty, Kazakhstan is home to approximately 150 orphans from ages 4-18, with disabilities ranging from small to severe.  We visited this orphanage in 2010 when we brought wheelchairs and were overcome with sadness as we saw children who were unable to leave their beds or get around at all.

In 2011 the building was scheduled to undergo major renovations but unfortunately money ran out.  One of the most anticipated improvements had been the addition of an elevator.  With wheelchair-bound and bed-bound children living on the 3rd floor, there is no easy way to get them downstairs and outside.  So they don't go.  Now think about that for a moment.  Can you imagine never being able to go outside?  Never feeling the warmth of the sun or a gentle breeze.  Never seeing a spring in Kazakhstan with the beautiful tulips in bloom.  Nothing but staying inside, in your bed, or if you're "lucky", in your chair all day.  Every day.  Simply because the orphanage does not have a working elevator.

Imagine the difference an elevator would make in the lives of these children!  Not only the wheelchair-bound and bed-bound children, but for any child living there lacking the ability to manage the dilapidated, Soviet Era staircases.

How many times have you stepped on an elevator?  How many times have you been upset if an elevator is broken and you need to take the stairs?  In this day and age children should not be stuck inside.  We CAN change this!

Our goal is to raise $7,000 which will repair the broken roof on the elevator shaft and install the entire hydraulics and electrical systems.  The project will begin as soon as we raise this money.

Please consider making a donation to support this project.  Every child deserves the chance to go outside, to live.

Tax-deductible donations can be made visiting our website: www.twoheartsforhope.org/elevatorproject.html

The next time you step outside, think about what it would feel like to never do that again.

ECFA Accredited!

Two Hearts for Hope Accredited by National Financial Accountability Organization

LEBANON, MO  – The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) announced today the accreditation of Two Hearts for Hope of Lebanon, MO.

ECFA accreditation is based on the ECFA Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship™, including financial accountability, transparency, sound board governance and ethical fundraising.

           

Two Hearts for Hope joins a growing number of Christ-centered churches and ministries across America, supported by over 20 million donors that have earned the right to display the ECFA seal.  When an organization is accredited by ECFA, it demonstrates its willingness to follow the model of biblical accountability.

“We are pleased to accredit a ministry committed to provide basic needs and hope to the children in orphanages in Russia and Kazakhstan,” said Dan Busby, president of ECFA.

Founded in 2008, Two Hearts for Hope (www.twoheartsforhope.org) believe that by showing God’s love they are able to foster emotional and spiritual growth in children.  They believe that through their actions they exhibit the truth of the gospel of Jesus and with God’s guidance are able to better understand of the plight of orphans and provide the basic necessities the children lack.

To learn more about Two Hearts for Hope and their stewardship opportunities, visit ServantMatch®, ECFA’s program that matches God’s servants with the stewardship options of ECFA members based on ministry sectors and categories.  It is ECFA’s newest online feature that allows you to quickly and easily find giving opportunities.

ECFA, founded in 1979, provides accreditation to leading Christian nonprofit organizations that faithfully demonstrate compliance with the ECFA Standards pertaining to financial accountability, fundraising and board governance.  For more information about ECFA, including information about accreditation and a listing of ECFA-accredited members, visit www.ECFA.org or call 1-800-323-9473.

Where has the time gone?

Wow, where has the time gone?  It's crazy to see that our last blog post was in January!  2012 has been a very busy year in our personal lives and we neglected this blog.  Yikes.

We are excited for the way God has continued to work in our lives through Two Hearts and at home.  Three of our board members have started the adoption process this year; two from China and one foster care to adopt.  My family started the adoption process in January and brought our son home from Russia in June.  As anyone who has adopted before knows, the process is all consuming and leaves little room to concentrate about much else.

In our absence from this blog we have continued to do what the Lord has called us to do in Kazakhstan and Russia.  I woke up this morning to a wonderful email from our friends in Russia with news that the new playground we provided was installed and opened today. Two of my children were born in Volgograd and a huge piece of my heart remains there.  It's wonderful to see the babies be able to have such a fantastic playground, they had nothing but rusted out, decades old "equipment" before.

We are planning our 4th mission trip to Kazakhstan in May 2013 and look forward to traveling back to build another playground and loving on precious children.  http://www.twoheartsforhope.org/missiontrip.html

As the Christmas season begins we are planning on supporting the children in Russia again and hope you will too!  http://www.twoheartsforhope.org/christmas.html  

We hope to be better about keeping this blog updated.  In the meantime we do try to post to our facebook page more often.  You can find us here - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Two-Hearts-for-Hope/61621974704

Our latest project

We are excited to announce our next big project in Russia! Our goal is to raise $20,000 for a new playground at the baby orphanage in Volgograd. The orphanage currently does not have a playground, only a small area with a few Soviet Era structures. The children have little to no room to run around and exercise their bodies and brain.

A new playground would get the children moving and having fun at the same time. The children will have climbing structures to exercise their legs, bars exercise arms and shoulders and all together the equipment encourages children to run, giving them a healthy does of cardiovascular exercise.

Playground equipment has also been proven to help develop toddlers' brain, as they learn about the world through motor activities and sensory experiences. Brain development in the first six years of life is especially important, and the more the children exercise both their sensory and motor skills, the more brain connections are created.

Playgrounds not only have physical benefits but social and self-confidence benefits as well. Children learn how to take turns and exercise self-control through group interaction. Children also gain self-confidence as they master the playground structures which leads to an increase in self-esteem.

We feel it is essential for the orphans to have a playground that will aid in their physical, mental, and social well-being.

Please consider helping the children of Volgograd!

To make a donation please visit our website - http://www.twoheartsforhope.org/playground.html

Christmas for Chilik

Here are some pictures we received from Kazakhstan. This is the New Year's/Christmas party at the Chilik special needs orphanage. We purchased each child a new pair of shoes and a New Year's costume. They also received a small gift from Ded Moroz (Father Frost) and Snegurochka (Snow Maiden).

Enjoy!

The New Year/Christmas party for the children in Russia will be on January 6th!

A Christmas Reminder

A year ago the pastor at the church I attend told this story in his Sunday sermon. I was thinking about it today and thought it should be shared. As we reflect on what the true meaning of Christmas is let us remember that it is not about toys, parties, cookies, clothes, vacations, etc. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ. For he did not come to teach us the way, he IS the way.

In 1994, two Americans answered an invitation from the Russian Department of Education to teach morals and ethics in the public schools. They were also invited to teach at prisons, businesses, the fire and police departments and a large orphanage. The orphanage had about 100 boys and girls who had been abused, abandoned, and left in the care of the government-run institution.

Near the end of the holiday season the Americans had an opportunity to tell these orphans, for the first time, the traditional story of Christmas. They told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger. Throughout the story, the children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every word.

Completing the story, the Americans gave the children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins one of the Americans had brought with him. No colored paper was available in the city.

Following instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel, cut from a worn-out nightgown, were used for the baby's blanket. A doll-like baby was cut from tan felt they had brought from the United States. The orphans were busy assembling their manger as the Americans walked among them to see if they needed any help.

All went well until one of the Americans, Will Fish, got to a table where little Misha sat. He looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project. As Will looked at the little boy's manger, he was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger. Quickly, he called for the translator to ask the boy why there were two babies in the manger. Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at this completed manger scene, Misha began to repeat the story very seriously. For such a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story once, he related the events accurately until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger.

Then Misha started to ad-lib. "And when Mary laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mamma and I have no papa, so I don't have any place to stay.

Then Jesus told me I could stay with Him. But I told him I couldn't, because I didn't have a gift to give Him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept Him warm, that would be a good gift.

"So I asked Jesus, 'If I keep You warm, will that be a good enough gift?' Jesus told me, 'If you keep Me warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave Me.' I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and He told me I could stay with Him - for always."

As little Misha finished his story, his tears splashed down his young cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed. The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon him. Someone who would stay with him - for always!

Gifts that give back!

Over the year we have many opportunities to purchase gifts for someone special, whether it be a holiday gift or just because. By choosing a "Gift of Hope" you will meet the real needs of the orphans in Kazakhstan and Russia!

All of the items in the catalog were specifically requested from orphanage directors we work with and will make a huge impact on the children still waiting for their forever families.

How it works:

1) Select "Gifts of Hope" that will go directly to an orphan in need. You can purchase an entire item or make a donation towards the total of the item.

2) Give your gift "in honor" of a friend or family member.

3) Check out and print your greeting card!

Gifts that give back are a perfect way to honor your friends and family while taking care of the orphans who have nothing!

Please visit our site today - http://www.twoheartsforhope.org/giftofhope

A Pair of Shoes

I just finished reading "Red Letters" by Tom Davis.  In Chapter 9: Snapshots of Hope, Davis recounts the story of a young woman living in Russia.  As you read the story below I encourage you to think of the orphans we are trying to help through Christmas for Russia.

Natasha Koryakina is a second-year university student in Russia, majoring in foreign languages.  She looks like any happy normal Russian young woman, and you might guess she comes from a happy normal home.  You'd be guessing wrong.  Her happiness isn't the product of a wonderful family life.  In fact, her past is marked by pain, abandonment, and abuse.  So where did she find her smile?  


It was a gift handed to her by a man name George Steiner.


"I still remember how George put shoes on my feet when I was at Neya orphanage.  It was me and another boy from my class.  We still talk about it every time we get together.  That small, little moment changed our lives in a profound way."


In the ten years that have passed since that "small, little moment," Natasha graduated from one of the worst orphanages in the Kostroma region and entered a tech school in Kostroma.  She eventually got plugged in to the Ministry Center and graduated from her tech school with honors before being accepted to Kostroma State University, a truly rare accomplishment (less than 1 percent of orphans reach this milestone).


The odds were against Natasha.  Most girls living in Russian orphanages are forced to leave when they turn fifteen or sixteen.  Within two years of their release, 15 percent commit suicide and 60 percent end up as prostitutes.


But when George Steiner put those shoes on her feet, he tipped the scale just enough with his encouragement and compassion to help her rise above the statistics.  


His small act helped her believe in herself.  


Natasha will never forget George.  All he did was give her shoes.  But God used those shoes to help Natasha walk into a wonderful, new hope-filled life.

Can you imagine that this simple act of kindness changed Natasha's life forever?  One pair of shoes saved her life!

Think about how a small box of presents given with love this Christmas can bring just enough hope to these children to get them through the day, week, month...maybe the rest of their lives.

Please consider supporting an orphan in Russia today!  These children are always on the top of God's priority list, make them the top of your list this Christmas!

Visit http://www.twoheartsforhope.org/christmas.html and ACT today!

Christmas for Russia

The holidays are fast approaching!  This year we are giving you the opportunity to truly make a difference in the life of an orphan!  We have been blessed with the opportunity to provide each child at Children's Home #1 in the Novgorod Region of Russia with a special gift of their own this Christmas.

Children's Home #1 is home to 200 children age 6-17.  Your $15 will sponsor 1 child.  Each child will receive a wrapped shoebox full of goodies!  Father Christmas will be delivering the shoeboxes to all the children at a Christmas celebration in January.  Our in-country friends will purchase the gifts, deliver them and snap photos of the party!


Donations can be made on our website  or mailed to:

Two Hearts for Hope
P.O. Box 1928
Lebanon, MO 65536


Deadline for supporting these children is December 1, 2011.  


We hope you will add a child from Russia to your gift-giving list this Christmas!

40 Days of Prayer, day 40

Day 40: "Today, thank the Lord for the past 40 days of prayer for orphans.  Ask Him to bring more prayer warriors into battle.  Ask Him to help you to continue praying diligently.  Ask Him to continue to give you His love for the orphans.  Ask Him to continue to challenge the hearts of your congregation that "He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will reward him for what he has done."  Proverbs 19:17

40 Days of Prayer, day 39

Day 39: "Today, pray for the health of orphans around the world.  Ask the Lord to provide medications and treatment for the simple things that are unnecessarily killing children like unclean drinking water, malaria, dysentery, AIDS and malnutrition."

40 Days of Prayer, day 38

Day 38: "Today, pray for street children.  These children live under bushes and in dumps and sewage pipes.  They may eat meals out of trash cans.  Many people walk by them without seeing them or view them as pests.  Ask God to open the churches' eyes to help them see the orphans all around them.  Ask the Lord to provide food and shelter for the street children."

40 Days of Prayer, day 37

Day 37: "Today, pray for families who are in the adoption process.  Pray that God will provide the funds and help them with all the necessary details."

40 Days of Prayer, day 36

Day 36: "Today, ask the Lord to release and speed any care supplies to refugee camps where many orphans live and need even the most basic necessities.  Ask Him to cut through any governmental regulations or corrupt leaders to miraculously get the supplies delivered to where they are needed most."

40 Days of Prayer, day 35

Day 35: "Today, ask the Lord to encourage and strengthen your church.  Caring for orphans and changing attitudes and beliefs and actions is tough work and the enemy is bound to attack.  Ask for protection for your pastor, his family, their health, and their ministry.  Ask for God's hand of blessing on their lives."

40 Days of Prayer, day 34

Day 34: "Today, pray for yourself and the other prayer team members.  Ask the Lord for strength.  Ask Him to help you not grow weary in battling for the orphans on your knees."




Creation Groans from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.