THE DOG HOUSE - June 2019

Lizzie Team and the LCC Team

Hebrews 10:24-25 Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another to show love and to do good. Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more, since you see that the Day of the Lord is coming nearer.

Ministry with Lizzie is a TEAM Ministry. We go out into our community in teams and we work as a team in keeping Lizzie ready to work effectively. Recently, Cindy, our Top Dog, started publishing Lizzie’s schedule in the bulletin and on FaceBook to remind everyone that Trinity is sending teams into the community most days of the week. We also share when we deploy out of our own community because Lizzie and our Comfort Dog Team are also part of a regional and national team through Lutheran Church Charities (LCC).

In the past month, we have worked beyond our church team as part of the LCC Team. Lizzie and her handlers helped welcome two ministry teams to the LCC Ministry. First, we traveled to Hicksville, New York to welcome Abraham and his team and then to Seneca, South Carolina to welcome Seth and his team. We were excited to celebrate with members of these teams whom we met while they were in waiting for their Comfort Dogs. Some of us attended the LCC Annual Conference in Chicago and regional meetings. We spent time together sharing experiences that would help each other in our ministries. We also prayed together and fellowshipped together. Celebrating the arrival and commissioning of their Comfort Dogs was a TEAM Celebration. Together we all serve God and strive to live out the LCC mission of compassion, presence, and proclamation of Christ’s love.

Sometimes we get the opportunity to work together at large events like LWML and Pastor or Educators conferences. While we are in these more relaxed settings, the Comfort Dogs and their handlers are building relationships. These relationships form a foundation and source of strength when we are asked to deploy to a natural disaster or a tragic event. Circumstances like those are difficult and demanding on both handlers and the dogs. Serving with team members with whom we have built relationships makes us stronger and more able to provide the comfort and support needed. When the dogs also know each other, they are more relaxed which is critical for them being able to work more effectively.

Being part of both the Lizzie Team and the LCC Team is a blessing. Our team and the other Comfort Dog teams are partners who know the challenges of balancing the needs of the community with the ability of the team and the dog to meet those needs. We count on each other as prayer partners and encouragers as we are called to do in Hebrews 10:24-25 because the need for Christ’s love in our world is urgent.