Elizabeth Comfort Dog is Trinity Lutheran Church's comfort dog to be the bridge to aid us in providing mercy, compassion, presence and proclamation of Jesus Christ to the community and people who are hurting or are in need of some comforting.

THE DOG HOUSE - March 2018

“We are a broken world oh Lord. Made worthy for the call to love.

We're healed by grace through faith in You. A people truly set apart.

Come again feed Your lambs. We are Your hands”

-Matt Maher

Song: Maranatha

For four days Lizzie the Comfort Dog aided those affected by the recent Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. In all, 17 people lost their lives too soon. Those left behind are experiencing sadness, pain, and anger as many questions go unanswered.

During our time with Lizzie, we were at the Pine Trails Park where the makeshift memorials were. On the stage were 17 angels. On the field were 17 crosses. In the area were hundreds of hurting souls.

Seeing Lizzie in action was nothing short of a miracle happening before us. I believe Lizzie was God’s hand reaching out to those who were hurting. When approached by someone, Lizzie openly allowed them to pet her. This simple gesture by Lizzie provided a sense of caring to those she met. Sometimes, Lizzie didn’t wait for her command to “visit.” She tugged on her leash and was ready to do God’s work. In times like this, we sense this and break the rules a little. The situation warranted a little deviation from the strict training she has received.

Many times Lizzie was approached by a crying adult. While petting Lizzie, the conversation would start and always include how thankful they were that we were there and providing such a wonderful ministry to the area. They were in amazement that we were from Savannah and not local.

This type of deployment was the first for Lizzie and her team. Lynne, Kevin, Toy and I have never been thrust into an environment like the one we were in. On the way to Parkland, it was very heavy on my mind on what to expect. What will I see? What will I hear? How can I prepare? I was full of anxiety of the unknown on the drive down. Finally, on Saturday morning during my few minutes of devotion, I gave all that anxiety to God. I knew that God had given me the knowledge of how to handle Lizzie and how to handle any situation. And guess what? Lizzie was fine; better than fine. She was awesome! I was fine. We all were.

We had a job to do and it was to help Lizzie comfort those around her. If we got to speak, that was a bonus. And boy did we speak! ☺

We have many touching stories that can be told about the people we met in Parkland. We will leave those stories for another time. In the meantime, keep Lizzie in your prayers. She is one tired puppy.

Thank you for your words of encouragement and video while we were there. All of this was very touching and well received during our time there. It was just what we needed.

Watching God work - Leslie Allen

“Because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” Luke 1:78-79