Hannah's Socks • warm feet, warm hearts

Hannah's Socks was honored on Oct. 26th when Toledo First Seventh-Day Adventist Church hosted its annual RingFest bell choir concert. Associate Pastor Nathan French met us in the lobby to show us the container that was built to hold thousands of donated socks, which will be collected until Nov. 10th. Standing roughly six feet tall, three feet wide and three feet deep, socks already filled the bottom fifteen inches or so. The church's goal is to donate 6,000 pairs of socks to us by Thanksgiving!

Senior Pastor Mike Fortune welcomed everyone with kind words and prayer. The bell ringers, 175 in all, came from eleven Adventist schools in the South and Midwest. From elementary school-agers to those in college, the students' uplifting music filled the sanctuary with a rich, vibrant sound. The only thing more impressive to Doris and I was the commitment that had clearly been required to refine such obvious skill! Hannah enjoyed the performance, too. When it came time for us to step up to the microphone, Hannah did most of the talking. She thanked the people in attendance for warming feet and hearts by giving us socks that we will donate later this month.

It was truly a night of joy, as several people stopped us afterward to hug Hannah and congratulate her for being an inspiration to many. We say, "Thank you, Toledo First Seventh-Day Adventist!" You can visit them online at www.toledofirstadventist.org. If you do, click on the words "Learn more about Mike," there is a link to his blog. Scroll down to "Previous Posts," and you will come to one that asks, "Can a Four Year Old Change the World?" Yes, that entry is about Hannah!