LCC HMC AND K-9 COMFORT DOG TEAMS DEPLOYED TO ARKANSAS AFTER MASS SHOOTING

Lutheran Church Charities President/CEO Chris Singer, along with Eric Wendelbo and Mark Holt of the Hearts of Mercy & Compassion Team from Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Persis, with K-9 handlers Roxy and Steve Hurry (a retired police officer) of the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministries Team from King of Kings Lutheran Church inGlenpool, Oklahoma, were on the ground in Fordyce, Arkansas, on Tuesday to be with survivors of the mass shooting, families impacted by the tragedy, and community first responders.

The team set up the Hearts of Mercy & Compassion memorial site near the parking lot of the Mad Butcher grocery store, where 4 residents were killed and 10 others wounded last Friday. Two of the injured are law enforcement officers. The site, which is now adorned with flowers and candles, attracted onlookers who signed the hearts and crosses with words of hope and peace. 

As the team visited the local hospital, funeral home, and sheriff's office to express the love of Christ and offer comforting care through their presence, they witnessed encouragement begin to overcome the palpable sense of fear and concern that had gripped the community in the days after the tragedy.

Some of the highlights of the day:

• At the Dallas County Medical Center, where one of the victims, Callie Weems, worked as a nurse, a Heart of Mercy & Compassion was delivered for the nursing staff (pictured) to sign for Callie’s family and received warmly. The nurses recalled that Weems, 23, died helping another gunshot victim. "Instead of fleeing the store, she stopped to render aid in one of the most selfless acts I've ever seen," they said.
• Also at the Dallas County Medical Center, the team took the opportunity to check in on patients. One elderly gentleman, who had been hospitalized for an extended period, lit up with a huge smile when LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Persis entered the room. His nurse and daughter remarked, "He hasn’t smiled since he was admitted." The joy Persis brought him was truly heartwarming.
• At the local funeral home, the director and the coroner (pictured) took a moment to sit down with the team. They shared how the tragic deaths from the shooting had overwhelmed them, resulting in four additional funerals to a full schedule. Each life lost prematurely was someone they knew, loved, and cared about deeply. The team extended their visit, spending extra time talking with and ministering to the funeral home employees.
• At the pharmacy next-door to the Mad Butcher grocery store, one of the employees (pictured) had been working when the shooting occurred. She expressed her gratitude to the team for visiting and for the peace that Persis's visit had brought her. Additionally, she took the time to visit the HMC memorial site and conveyed her appreciation to the team for bringing the hearts and crosses to her community.
• At the HMC memorial site later in the day, the LCC team received word that the daughter of victim Roy Sturgis had visited the display and inscribed on her daddy's heart “your little girl,” (pictured) right next to his name.  
• Also at the memorial site, another resident shared with her about LCC and our purpose for being there, and she responded, 'I want them to know how grateful we are.'" 
• The team interacted with multiple members of the media while in Fordyce. KARK 4, the NBC affiliate in Little Rock, interviewed LCC President Chris Singer at the memorial site, quoting him as saying, "God cares about Fordyce." The CBS affiliate for Northwest Arkansas, 5News, highlighted Pastor Singer reminding the community that "even though there’s darkness and evil in this world, there’s still a lot of light and love." 

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