In times like these, your donations continue Making A Difference with the Presence of our Lord to those in need with the hope and comfort of Jesus Christ. God continues to open doors for all of us to work in!
 
The weekend prior to Christmas, LCC gratefully received a donation of a Chevy Malibu from Gary and Nancy Moore to give to a family in need.

That same weekend, LCC President/CEO Tim Hetzner’s daughter received an invite to help a single mother in need through her sorority alumnae of the Chi Alpha Pi from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. One of the requests was for funds to help purchase a vehicle for this family. A connection was made between Lutheran Church Charities and the sorority to help this family with this urgent need.

A single mother of 4 children, ranging in ages from 2 to 12 years old, fled an abusive situation several months ago with no car, limited funds, and very little for her children. For this reason, the family’s identity and location will not be revealed. She had faith that God would help her through what she knew was going to be hard times. She settled in another state with no family or friends for support. She found an ill-repaired home to rent, although it did not have any furnishings. She quickly found a minimum wage job within walking distance from her home and with some government assistance has been making ends meet the best she could. A few weeks before Christmas, a faith-based organization gave her beds and other pieces of furniture.
 
Kate Hickey, a Chi Alpha Pi sorority alumna in Hawaii, saw a post on Tik Tok from this mother looking for a nearby store that may have dumped items in a trash bin to find Christmas gifts for her children. Kate reached out to her and told her she would purchase Christmas gifts for her children if she could pick them up from her local store. While speaking with her, this mother shared her story and needs of a car and other items.
 
After hearing her story, Lutheran Church Charities wanted to bless this mother with a recently donated car. Since we always work through our churches, Tim Hetzner contacted Pastor Bueltmann at Our Redeemer to ask if we could partner to show the love of Christ to her. LCC staff member Kathy O’Day then called the mother to tell her of Lutheran Church Charities intentions to assist her through the local church.

Lutheran Church Charities purchased a car seat for the 2 year old and a booster seat for the 5 year old, diapers and wipes. The LCC K-9 Ministry filled a gift box for each child with an LCC K-9 Ministry mini stuffed dog, activity books, reading books, and other items. Local Chi Alpha Pi sorority sisters also dropped off gifts to LCC to take to this mother for her family. These items filled the donated car and LCC’s pickup truck.

On Wednesday, December 23, Tim Hetzner sent LCC staff members, Tim Laabs and Jamie Miller, with prayers for safe travel and family blessings. Then they departed for Our Redeemer to deliver the car, gifts, and two envelopes with $500 cash in each to pay for transfer of title and plates, and the rest as they were moved by the Spirit of God!

Upon arrival, they met with Senior Pastor Dr. Wenig and Associate Pastor Bueltmann to present them with everything. Together, they all went to the mother’s home to present the car to her and unload all of the gifts for her family. Pastor Bueltmann then took the mother to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to transfer the title. The pastors and church intend to continue to reach out to this family to help meet their spiritual, emotional and physical needs.

The mother called LCC staff member Kathy O’Day on Christmas Eve to express her thanks to Lutheran Church Charities and our donors for everything given to her. She could not believe we would just give her this nice car and everything else. Her children were in shock to have a car to ride in and not have to walk in the cold everywhere. More importantly, having a car enables her to get a new job with higher pay that she can now get to easier.
 
Some of the funds given to her purchased food for a real Christmas dinner and other staples to stock her shelves. Prior to having a car, they could only buy what they could carry while walking a mile to the store. She was also able to get her electric bill current and still had some funds left towards rent. She also shared they were all looking forward to going to a worship service and seeing the pastors again.
 
The mother also shared, “Presents are under the tree and the kids are so excited. It definitely is a different Christmas than I ever thought it would be. I think God had a plan and did all of this. He took care of us.” She and the kids are happy and feel so blessed.
 
“I am optimistic that the assistance provided to this single mother is making a huge difference in putting her in a position to better care for her family,” shared Pastor Bueltmann. “I am hopeful that we can get her connected to the church, and ultimately to Christ.”
 
Kate Hickey shared, “Thank you, thank you, thank you – this never could have happened without the efforts of LCC staff.”
 
Lutheran Church Charities, Our Redeemer, Chi Alpha Pi alumnae, and our donors have made a difference by showing the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ to this single mother and her children. This has certainly been a Christmas gift where all were blessed to give and receive.

Dear Friends,
 
A Syrian immigrant volunteer, who used to cook for Salam meals for five years before the pandemic had herniated discs and was bedridden for a month and fell short on paying his mortgage. The amount needed is $1500. He has 4 kids under 18. Please show the love of Christ by donating generously to this family.
 
In God's Peace
 
Hesham Shehab
Pastor, Salam Christian Fellowship
Lombard, Illinois

On Sunday, December 20, LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Jacob (LCC Staff), Myra (St. Andrews - Park Ridge, Illinois), and Tobias (Lord of Glory - Grayslake, Illinois) with their handlers visited Christ the King Lutheran Church & School in Chicago, Illinois, to meet students performing in the school's Christmas pageant.

Members of Christ the King are mainly low income families and the Comfort Dogs were invited because of all the help LCC has provided the church and the school during this challenging year.

"The day was amazing for the kids, all of them were happy to see the dogs. The connection was immediate for those kids who have experienced trauma in their lives since COVID-19. I saw different children who felt so at peace with themselves sitting with the dogs. The change I saw in Zayd, Mikel, and Taniya warmed my heart. They especially need help dealing with the losses in their lives."  - Geri Brazeal, Prinicipal

The Comfort Dogs were even assigned roles in the pageant!

"When Christ the King's music director found out that the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs would be in attendance, she assigned us small but pivotal  roles! Jacob Comfort Dog, Myra Comfort Dog and I (Tobias Comfort Dog) were sheep and our handlers were shepherds. What an honor to help tell the story of the birth of Jesus! Thank you for inviting us to your pageant."

On Tuesday, December 22, LCC K-9 Police Ministry Dog Charity (Brookfield - Brookfield, Wisconsin) and her law enforcement handler stopped by the Village of Butler Police Department and Elm Grove Wisconsin Police Department for a holiday visit.

We presented both departments with mini stuffed Charity comfort dogs for their squad cars, ambulances and fire trucks. When they go out on a call that involves children, they can give the kids a "stuffy" to cling onto to feel a little bit of comfort in a scary situation. We also gave each department a little gift of some delicious coffee for the station to enjoy during the Christmas season.

"I love visiting with the police departments and love my first responder and dispatch friends. Thank you for always picking up the call and always helping others with courage and bravery."

Through Your Gifts, LCC Shared the Love of Jesus this Christmas with the Children in Haiti's Tent City

Through your generous donations, LCC was able to send the children a Christmas present of food. We received pictures of their Christmas party and this note from Lophane Laurent, Field Director, Mission:Haiti:
 
Blessings to you my friends from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I want to wish you a Merry Christmas from our kids in your program. They were so happy today to receive this gift from you and I want you please to thank all our sponsors and donors from the children and their parents. We gave two weeks of food for their families for Christmas in this difficult time. May God continue blessing you all and we will continue praying for you and your families and your ministry. 
 
Blessings,
Lophane

Thanks to Your Generous Donations, LCC was able to Provide Salaries for 49 Teachers in Haiti

Dear Friends of the Haitian Lutheran Mission Project,
 
Lophane and the principals of the 7 schools we support are wishing all our donors and followers a very blessed Christmas. We have been able to send each of our 49 teachers $200 (6 months salary of $25 per month plus a $50 bonus) in time for them to feed their families on Christmas.
 
Merry Christmas and many, many thanks.
 
Susan Gross,
Haitian Lutheran Mission Project

Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Ministry was asked by the Aurora School District, Illinois to visit virtually with students who have had to make many adjustments with distance learning during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the LCC Comfort Dogs visited one of the schools after the Henry Pratt Plant, Aurora, Illinois, shootings in February 2018.
 
The K-9 Comfort Dogs were asked to visit six different schools with multiple classrooms, which led to the first virtual visit deployment of the K-9 Ministry. Eighteen Comfort Dogs and their handlers from 10 different states joined together to visit with Aurora School District 129.
 
The Mission was simple - to bring comfort and joy to the students and teachers. The teams enjoyed answering the students' questions, and bringing smiles to all those they visited on Zoom.

"AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME! The kids LOVED the dogs, even virtually, and the handlers were fantastic! Thank you to you and your team for making this day so special."
 
Mrs. Marti N.
Director of Student Services
District 129

"Thank you for the visit to my classroom today by comfort dogs JoJo, Lily, and Levi. The kids loved it and they gathered all their pets to show off as well. That was the most cameras I’ve had on in a long time. Have a safe and merry Christmas."
 
Joe
5th Grade Teacher
Nicholson Elementary School
West Aurora School District 129

"My name is Michelle. I teach 2nd grade at Nicholson Elementary School in Montgomery, IL. I wanted to sincerely thank you for giving my students and I the opportunity to meet comfort dogs. My students and I were very excited to meet the Comfort Dogs to learn what they do and how they provide comfort to others. We were equally thrilled to also meet their friendly and informative handlers and caretakers. Thank you for such a heartwarming opportunity!"
 
Sincerely,
Michelle