Tragic Shooting - 10 Dead - LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Deploying to Santa Fe High School in Texas5/18/2018
"As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted..." Isaiah 66:13 Students, Faculty, and Staff Flee from Active Shooter During 1st Period Classes 9 Students & 1 Teacher Killed, Officer Critically Wounded, Others Injured, and Many Traumatized
Gloria Dei has students who attend Santa Fe High School and is in the process for an LCC K-9 Comfort Dog. They have already deployed staff to the hospital to be with impacted families and first responders. LCC never charges those we serve. It has allowed us, without hesitation, to go when and where we are invited. The nature of our deploying comes with a cost, as last minute travel is generally the most expensive. So we rely on your generosity to help us serve those who are suffering and in need. Please remember students and their families, staff, faculty, first responders and this community in your prayers. Your gifts to the K-9 Travel Fund are greatly appreciated. LCC also hands out stuffed dogs to those most affected by the shooting. That is made possible by your generous gifts. Thank you for your prayers and all of your support!  Tim Hetzner
President/CEO Lutheran Church Charities Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Isaiah 40:1 May your unfailing love be my comfort. Psalm 119:26
We have been invited by Trinity Lutheran Church in Lexington, Maryland, and by the Administration of Great Mills High School. LCC’s response to the request was WHEN and WHERE. It’s what we do because of what Jesus has done for us! LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs will begin to deploy to Maryland on Saturday, March 31 and Easter Sunday, April 1. LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs will be coming in from Connecticut, Tennessee, South Carolina, and possibly other states to be there for the teachers and students. Sasha Comfort Dog (Island Lutheran – Hilton Head Island, South Carolina) will be the first to arrive attending Easter sunrise worship service at Trinity. LCC K-9 Ministry Handlers and Comfort Dogs respond even on Easter Sunday because being there, serving those who have gone through crisis and tragedy, is what Jesus would do. Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who suffer and are in need is what we do. Because of the great sacrifice of Jesus for each of us, to give us Hope and Life, we share that with others! LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Also Responding to Jennings County High School Following Death of Two Students Another emergency request was received late Thursday from the school administration of Jennings County High School in North Vernon, Indiana. A 17 year old female student died in a car accident early last week and the boyfriend committed suicide at the end of the week. The LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs will be with students, faculty and staff as they return from spring break on Monday, April 2, after the loss of these two students. LCC never charges those we serve. It has allowed us, without hesitation, to go when and where we are invited. The nature of our deploying comes with a cost, as last minute travel is generally the most expensive. So we rely on your generosity to help us serve those who are suffering and in need. Please remember all in your prayers this Easter. Your gifts to the K-9 Travel Fund are greatly appreciated. LCC also hands out stuffed dogs to those most affected by the shooting. That is made possible by your generous gifts. Thank you for your prayers and all of your support!  Tim Hetzner
President/CEO Lutheran Church Charities  On Wednesday, February 14 - Valentine's Day - another horrific mass shooting has occurred. As the school day was coming to an end at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, gunshots were heard resulting in approximately seventeen people killed, with many others either physically wounded or emotionally devastated. Since the start of 2018, in just seven weeks, there have already been eighteen shootings in U.S. schools, and many have resulted in injury or death. With this increase in frequency, communities are living with fear and anxiety wondering when the next one will occur.
The LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs have been invited by Rev. Stephen Carretto of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church of Boca Raton, Florida, to bring comfort and compassion to students and their families, faculty, staff and first responders. LCC never goes where we are not invited and LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs NEVER charge those we serve. We pick up all of our travel, hotel, and meal costs. We also always put Boots and Paws on the ground within 24 hours (often less) from the time we get the invite. Please help LCC as we bring the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering and in need. We know that comfort is needed to help this devastated community and the first responders who serve them. Please support us by prayer and if you are moved, to help with travel expenses. LCC K-9 Ministry Teams Help Students, Faculty, Staff and Community Begin Their Recovery  On Monday morning, January 29, LCC received a call from the Marshall County High School after the shooting last week. Within 4 hours, 12 LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs and 19 handlers were on their way to support the survivors of this tragic event. For most of the day Tuesday, the school of about 1,200 students were let out in shifts from class to greet the Comfort Dogs. Some students, traumatized by the event, were accompanied by counselors and the presence of the LCC K-9 Ministry teams was part of these students’ first steps of coping with what happened. Among the students was one girl who was wounded in the shooting, while many simply expressed their emotions of shock, grief, and disbelief. There were a lot of tears shed in these hours, but much hope and comfort given through presence and prayer.  Here are some of the comments we have already received since arriving in Benton: “Thank you so much for allowing us to have comfort dogs. They are very comforting and make it a lot easier to be in the school. Petting the dogs makes me feel safe being in the school." “Thank you so much for coming. It has already helped a lot of us there so much. People are laughing and smiling all around the school. They are all talking about the dogs being there.” “My son attends Marshall County High School. This has been such a blessing. I cannot begin to express my gratitude for truly providing comfort to these kids. Absolutely amazing!”  Please continue to pray for the LCC K-9 Ministry teams in Benton and particularly for this community as they begin to put the pieces back together. Teams are planning visits to where the town has set up counselors to help families, as well as visits to the areas around the school who received students as they were fleeing the scene.
If you are moved to do so, please support us to help with travel expenses so that we can continue to bring the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ to this hurting community. LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Deploy to Marshall County High School to Comfort Students Following Shooting1/29/2018
 " ... to comfort all who mourn," Isaiah 61:2 "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147
Those deploying are: LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ruthie - Rich Martin (Staff) LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry Dog Flex - Fred Vanstrom (Squad) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Hannah - Barb Granado (Staff) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Tobias (Lord of Glory - Grayslake, Illinois) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Mercy (Our Savior - Louisville, Kentucky) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Job (Christ the King - Memphis, Tennessee) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Noah (Timothy - St. Louis, Missouri) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Tabby (St. Paul - De Peres, Missouri) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Anna (Trinity - Toledo, Ohio) LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Rosie (Atonement - Columbus, Ohio) LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry Dog Bethany (Trinity - Danville, Illinois) LCC Kare 9 Military Ministry Dog Dinah (Trinity - Auburn, Illinois) Joshua Gale - LCC Executive Director  Last Tuesday, January 23, a student entered the high school's common area and began randomly shooting, leaving two dead, almost 20 wounded, and everyone involved shocked at yet another horrific event. Please help LCC as we bring the Mercy, Compassion, Presence and Proclamation of Jesus Christ to those who are suffering and in need. We know that comfort is needed to help students, faculty and staff who will need a lot of support as they return to the school where it happened. Please support us by prayer and if you are moved, to help with travel expenses. Thank you for being a part of the Mercy and Compassion Ministry of Lutheran Church Charities.  Tim Hetzner
President/CEO Lutheran Church Charities
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LCC would like to extend a gracious "Thank You" to all who have supported us throughout 2017 and those who donated to our 12/31 ‘Remember Us Last’ Annual Appeal. Don't worry if you did not get a chance to donate on December 31, it is never too late to contribute to the furthering of God's Kingdom! Whenever there is a crisis or natural disaster, we share that information with you and ask you to support those one-time events so that every dollar you donate goes to that event. Nothing is kept aside for administration, salaries, rent or other necessities of doing ministry. So, each year we make ONE year end appeal to cover all the other essentials. Please consider donating online, or call 866-455-6466. Thank you for our continued support through your gifts, volunteering, and most importantly, your prayers! Remember Us Last to keep us first to serve in 2018!  LCC President/CEO Tim Hetzner heads to Texas to bring your assistance and do assessments Hurricane Harvey Intensified to a Category 4 prior to Slamming Rockport, Texas 233,000 homes on Texas Coast at risk from widespread devastation including tornadoes, torrential downpours, and days of catastrophic flooding  Southeastern Texas is still experiencing horrific results from Hurricane Harvey which crashed into the Rockport, Texas area with over 130 mph winds on Friday, August 25 around 11pm ET. Flash floods with storm surges of up to 3 feet of rain were reported. More than 211,000 consumers are reported without power along the Gulf Coast. Isolated areas anticipated to receive up to 40 inches of rain. Forecasters have measured 28-foot-high waves near the eye of the storm when it hit.
I have been in contact with LCC contacts in Texas, including Rev. Steve Misch, DR Coordinator, retired DR Coordinator, Dr. Lou Jander, LCMS DR Response and official FEMA and county reports regarding damages. Because this storm is stalling now over Texas, flooding will be significant. There are also multiple tornadoes spawning on the perimeter of the hurricane that combined with wind and storm surge in other areas that will also cause significant downed trees and building damage. It seems that no one will have access to the affected areas around the state until at least Wednesday or Thursday next week, after the rain subsides. One of LCC's partners in Response to Hurricane Harvey is Lutheran RV'ers - CarePartners in Disasters Dr. Lou Jander is a fellow Disaster Response Director for the Texas District and fellow Ministry Colleague of Tim Hetzner. Dr. Jander and his wife Martha will be going to South Texas to do CarePartner Ministry following the arrival of Hurricane Harvey. While the details of where they will set up isn't complete with all the rain and flooding that is still happening, they will be giving out resources, words of hope and comfort, prayers, encouragement, and assistance as survivors seek to deal with the aftermath of a major disaster. All of the 120 churches in that district have been affected. If you would like to financially support this on the ground ministry to people with the Mercy and Compassion of Jesus Christ, you can donate by CLICKING HERE |
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