“‘With Me’ Ministry Partners With Us On The Comfort Dog Mission” by Asher (Comfort Dog) and Maree Garchow
In Comfort Dog circles, “With Me” is used to ask the dog to come beside the handler and go forward on the mission. Ministry Partners are an underused resource and should be invited and encouraged to come “With Us” on the mission.
On Monday, March 20th, on our regular visit to Forrestal Elementary school, there was one important difference – we were joined by Nicole who wanted to experience an Asher visit for herself.
Our task was to visit 10 classrooms in 2 hours. The routine was enter the room, go to the mat at one end of the room, there we would then be joined by children in groups of 3 or 4! Sounds Simple! But there is always a wrinkle – our first class was very happy to see us but as there were several kids with allergies to dogs therefore, we had to meet in the hallway 3 kids at a time. After petting Asher the children or friends as the school refers to them had to wash their hands, be sprayed with Lysol (by the teacher) before they could join their classmates. Most class visits went smoothly, however there were some miscommunications. For example, when the entire class circled the mat and then 3-4 kids came forward to pet Asher – it was a little tight and probably overwhelming for Asher.
This visit description shows that visits often have hiccups. This visit was a success, we met with all the classes plus an extra one that was added to the list midway through that totaled more than 200 children. The classroom friends loved having Asher visit, they knew he was coming, one class drew pictures for him, other friends described him as soft, pretty and kind and many were amazed he didn’t bite.
Navigating the sheer number of kids, the hiccups and time schedule was largely possible because of the addition of a ministry partner, Nicole, to our team. She helped engage with the kids, take photos, and negotiate schedule changes. Two hands are often not enough – a second pair of hands can make a huge difference. Two are better than one! And didn’t Jesus send his disciples in twos!
Ministry Partners are valuable additions to the Comfort Dog team. They are truly partners on the Comfort Dog Mission to reach members of our community (i.e., schools, assisted living residences, veterans, and disasters). The team uses the unique abilities of the dog as a bridge to help the team share the mercy, compassion and presence of Jesus to those in time of need.
If you have any questions, please contact Maree at https://faithlakeforest.org/people/maree-garchow/.