If you have been around Lisa Bain Ministries for a while, you know our stuffed Mabel pup is our calling card. The story behind this little brown pup began many years ago when we visited a little girl who was moments away from her homegoing. At the time, Mavis Pearl was our therapy animal who made visits with us. The little girl loved Mavis and wanted our sweet bulldog with her for comfort that day. The little girl loved ballet, and we wanted to honor that, so I took a stuffed replica of Mavis, and we dressed the “real” Mavis in a ballerina outfit.
Mavis walked in the door of the hospital room with a knowing presence I had never seen in her. It was as if she could sense what was ahead and her part in it. The little girl needed her, and Mavis knew it. It’s not something I could have trained my dog to do; she just knew. Mavis walked to the little girl’s bed and looked up at her as if she wanted to be lifted 
onto the bed. The little girl’s family was in the corner, and I gave them the stuffed Mavis pup, a prayer quilt, and a hug. Then, I lifted Mavis on the bed, and she snuggled under the arm of the precious girl who was struggling with her last breath.
The mother walked over and tucked the stuffed Mavis pup under the little girl’s other arm, and to our surprise, she smiled. She squeezed both pups and opened her eyes, then whispered to her mom and dad in a faint voice. “I love you,” she said. “And I know I’m going to a beautiful place. Don’t worry. I’m okay.” We stood around the hospital bed with tears streaming down our cheeks as we watched the little girl take her last breath. The moment was holy as she stepped out of this life and into her eternal home.
Her mother reached over and gently pulled the stuffed Mabel pup from under her daughter’s arm, then announced to me that it would be part of our ministry. She told me that even though it looked like “just” a stuffed pup, it was such an important part of what we were doing. The little girl was buried with her stuffed Mavis pup and wrapped in her prayer quilt.
From that day forward, each pup we deliver is prayed over. We place each one in a Resilience Care Package as a blessing for the recipient. Sometimes, the smallest thing we do can make the biggest difference – we see it happen every day in our 
ministry. It all began with a stuffed Mavis pup; now, the blessings continue with our stuffed Mabel pups through Lisa Bain Ministries. No matter the dog, we will always have this calling card. I love the story of its beginning, and I’m thankful for all those who help us provide these pups in every care package we deliver.
Together, we watch these small moments create a huge impact…one stuffed pup at a time.