November Newsletter from the Hedden Family- also an opportunity to give shoes to needy children this Christmas!

Xiao Hu and YaYa
We had another opportunity to have two of the orphans from the De Xing School spend a day with our family. As brother and sister, Xiao Hu (Little Tiger), and his sister YaYa entered our home with wide eyes, we were amazed at what
unfolded before us. After showing them around the house and giving YaYa a bath (Xiao Hu would have nothing to do with a bath), we let them sort of gravitate towards whatever they wanted to do. It's hard to know exactly what will hold their interest ahead of time. We have a tendency to think that they might not have a natural sense of “play” because they don't have toys and play in general isn't encouraged in their culture. But we were pleasantly surprised as we watched and played with them. Xiao Hu went immediately to the trucks, blocks, and cars to play with the boy stuff; while YaYa sought out Natalie's little dollies. Xiao Hu played rough, loud, and hard, while YaYa gently and lovingly dressed, “fed”, and coddled the babies,making sure each had a blanket and pillow, as though she was really their mommy. It's amazing how these two little ones with no real direction, guidance or nurturing, already have an innate sense of what their roles are. We were so pleased to see that in the midst of an obvious lack of parental affection, YaYa
especially has a God-given capacity to show love and affection to others. Her bright little eyes sparkled as she played with those babies, while her brother “conquered” our house with a vibrance that only God could have put inside of
him. Our hope is that as we model appropriate love, affection, and play, they will grow into loving, caring mommies and daddies themselves!

32 Feet
This Christmas we would like to provide the orphans at the school with new shoes. While spending time with them, we've noticed that every single one of them is wearing shoes that are old, broken, and worn down to the last string. Our plan is to take them to a nearby shoe store where we have already bargained a discounted price and buy them each a brand new pair. The cost is about $7.50 per pair, and there are about 16 kids to buy for. If you'd like to pitch in on the “32 Feet” project, you can send your gifts to the address below and mark your checks “32 Feet”.

To support our work financially, you can give with a check, Visa, Mastercard, or via Bill Pay. Please make checks payable to
Bring Me Hope and send them to:
Bring Me Hope
P.O. Box 164
Big Lake, MN 55309