LCC Responds to Floods in Watseka & Milford, IL & K-9 Comfort Dogs Help High School Students Return in Parkland, FL

Emergency Appeals:

Tim Hetzner, LCC President / CEO, Rev. Don Love and Rev. Karl Gibbs Go Through Flood Waters to Do Well-Being Checks on Residents Still in Their Homes
“The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever.” – Psalm 29:10
 
LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Stay in Parkland, Florida to Help Students Returning to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
"God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" - Hebrews 13:5

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LCC Disaster Response in Watseka & Milford, Illinois Floods

On Saturday, February 24, 2018, Tim Hetzner, LCC President / CEO, Kathy O'Day, LCC Disaster Response Director, and LCC Disaster Response staff arrived in Watseka, Illinois to assess historic flood damage caused by heavy rains in areas hit the hardest. Rev. Don Love from Calvary Lutheran Church in Watseka and Rev. Karl Gibbs from Our Savior Lutheran Church in Milford contacted Lutheran Church Charities to assist residents affected by the floods with muck-out relief operations, financial assistance and gift cards.

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Lutheran Church Charities is working in partnership with the CID (Central IL District of the LCMS) and Stephen Born their Disaster Response Coordinator.  We are also working with Pastor Jordan Cooper at Faith Lutheran in Watseka, Illinois and we had assessed their church which was flooded as well as their parsonage.
 
On Monday, February 26, Kathy O’Day will return to Watseka to spend a week supporting the pastors of the three churches in this community: Rev. Don Love from Calvary Lutheran - Watseka, Rev. Karl Gibbs from Our Savior - Milford and Rev. Jordan Cooper from Faith Lutheran - Watseka. Working from Calvary Lutheran in Watseka, Kathy will also support the LCMS Central Illinois District Disaster Response Coordinator (DDRC), Stephen Born, in assessing residents with the greatest need and scheduling work orders. LCC Disaster Response brought the pump-out trailer and taught local volunteer teams how to use the pumps to assist their neighbors whose homes are flooded. LCC also provided an all-terrain vehicle to get into flooded areas to check on families and elderly stuck in their homes. Financial assistance has already been given to the pastors to help their members affected by the flood.

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Lutheran Church Charities has previously assisted Watseka and its surrounding communities in 2008 from a record-breaking "100 year flood" and in 2015 with three floods in fewer than 6 months. This current flood has already surpassed the 2008 flood, setting a new historic flood record. LCC Disaster Response teams will once again bring physical and financial assistance, and the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ to this suffering community. This is what we do and what we are going to continue to do.

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Many people in the Watseka community that needed to evacuate their homes are still in a Red Cross shelter. The water has crested and is very slowly starting to go down. Residents still cannot access their homes but hope that roads will be passable by Monday. Below are just a few stories from Calvary Lutheran Church members:

• The long-time home of an 89 year old active man has water in his living room and the walls of his garage already need replacing due to the extreme seepage. His daughter and son-in-law live in the home next to his but they are in a similar situation.
  

• A 93 and 94 year old couple have extensive flood damage to their house and garage. In fact, their 11 ft. basement completely filled with water which then started flooding their first floor. They were emergency evacuated and have lost everything in their basement as well as much of their furniture and appliances.
  

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Please prayerfully consider donating to help this community in crisis. You, together with the LCC staff and volunteers, are the hands and feet of Jesus as we touch lives with His mercy and compassion! 

DONATE - Watseka, IL Flood Disaster Relief Fund

Donate – Gift Cards: Watseka, IL Flood Disaster Relief

LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs Help Students & Staff Return to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

On Thursday, February 22, 2018, the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs received an invitation to stay in Parkland, Florida to be present at the High School when students return. This will be extremely emotional and terrifying for students as it will be the first time they go back to their school where the mass shooting occurred on Valentine's Day / Ash Wednesday.
 
Since arriving within hours of the shooting, the group of 19 LCC K-9's, 38 handlers and staff have been visiting impacted families, students, faculty/staff, and first responders. They also worked in small teams to visit the feeder schools to help students, staff and faculty that either have family members that go to the High School or are traumatized by this tragic event. As one person said, “We came to school sad and left with some happy.”

For a second week, several new teams are being deployed to Florida; 11 LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs and 22 handlers will be present to help students overcome their fears and sadness as well as share the love and comfort that comes through Jesus Christ.
 
If you are so moved, please help the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry with travel expenses so that we can continue to bring the mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ to this devastated community. 

DONATE - LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Travel Expense Fund

Please continue to pray for the LCC K-9 Comfort Dog teams, the many individuals who have been impacted and all first responders who continue to serve and protect the Parkland, Florida community.   
 
Thank you for being a part of the Mercy and Compassion Ministry of Lutheran Church Charities.

Tim Hetzner
President/CEO 
Lutheran Church Charities