Twenty-Six People Killed and Dozens Injured Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia Thousands of Structures with Major Damage or Destroyed Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) Disaster Response actively monitored the strong storms and tornadoes moving throughout the Southeast this past week. Homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses are severely damaged. Kathy O’Day, LCC Director of Disaster Response, and the LCC Lutheran Early Response Team (L.E.R.T.) volunteers are ready to respond and serve as invited. The EF-4 tornado obliterated Silver City and Rolling Fork, Mississippi, with winds of 170 mph. “The city is gone,” shared Mayor Eldridge Walker of Rolling Fork. At least twenty-six people were killed and dozens injured after powerful storms and one long-track tornado pummeled the Southeast last Friday night, ripping roofs off homes, leveling some neighborhoods, and knocking out power for thousands, according to local officials. Search and rescue efforts have now been completed. Due to the extensive tornado damage, specialized heavy equipment is needed to clear structural debris giving access to homeowner properties. LCC Disaster Response is on standby. LCC Disaster Response Continues to Monitor On-Going California Atmospheric River Storms LCC is in contact with Rev. Philip Zabell, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) District Disaster Response Coordinator for California-Nevada-Hawaii (CNH), to discuss ways in which LCC Disaster Response can provide support to churches and families in the affected areas of California who have been greatly impacted by the on-going historic atmospheric river storms.
LCC never goes where we are not invited. The LCC Disaster Response Ministry never charges those we serve. Please donate to the LCC Disaster Response General Fund so that we may show the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those suffering and in need. On Saturday, March 25th, the Comfort Dogs visited the Chicago Public Safety Training Center to meet and greet members of the Chicago Fire Department and their families. The LCC K-9 Ministry was represented by LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Myra (St Andrews – Park Ridge, Illinois) and LCC Kare 9® Military Ministry Dogs Brutus and Nigel (LCC Squad). Parents and children had a great time being with the Comfort Dogs and hearing about how they serve those in need. On Sunday, March 26th, 10 K-9 teams from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio gathered at Cornerstone Lutheran Church in Carmel, Indiana, to celebrate the commissioning of Magdalene Comfort Dog and her team as they officially begin their ministry as an LCC affiliate. Magdalene and her team finished their training on Tuesday and then deployed to Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana for the tragic death of a student on Friday. The church welcomed the team at both the 8:30 and 10:45 services along with meet and greets before and after the services.
Those attending were: LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Anna and Claudia (Trinity -Toledo, Ohio) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Caleb (Immanuel - Valparaiso, Indiana) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Dove (Peace - Fremont, Indiana) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Jael (Trinity - Hobart, Indiana) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Jared (Holy Cross - Fort Wayne, Indiana) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Mercy (Our Savior - Louisville, Kentucky) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Naomi (Holy Cross – Indianapolis, Indiana) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Rosie (Atonement - Columbus, Ohio) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Tobias (Lord of Glory - Grayslake, Illinois) LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Amos (Our Savior’s Way - Ashburn, Virginia), Kezia (Emmanuel - Baltimore, Maryland ), and Solomon (King of Glory - Williamsburg, Virginia) were invited to spend the weekend of March 24-26 at the LCMS Southeast District middle school youth gathering in Williamsburg, Virginia. The comfort dogs were present to share Jesus’ love, bring smiles and furry hugs, and foster connections with nearly 250 youth and volunteers. The team handlers helped illustrate the weekend’s theme: Together: Living in Christ-Centered Community by explaining our mission of mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation through pictures of their ministry so that the youth could see what living in Christ and drawing people closer to Jesus looks like. While together, the comfort dog teams went out into the Williamsburg community to meet and share the love of Jesus with those that God placed in their path. It was truly a joyous weekend being together in faith, connecting hearts and minds to Jesus.
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