Prop: red scarves or pieces of red material to pass out during the altar call

Some stories just tug at our hearts and warm our toes. Stories about animals seem to do that a bit more than not. In a particular story written in 1859 by Elizabeth Gaskell, two brothers venture out together along with their loyal and beautiful collie dog. Soon, they are lost as a vicious snowstorm whips up around them. Cold and dying, they struggle to survive. Knowing all is lost and desperate to save his younger brother, the older brother ties his handkerchief around the dog’s neck and sends her to battle through the heart of the storm to find home and to bring help. The dog survives, reaches the homestead, gets the attention of the family, and bravely leads a search party to find the two brothers just in the …