Last weekend, our town, called the City Beautiful, the home to “the happiest place on earth,” broke. On Friday night, Christina Grimmie, a singer known for her participation in the NBC’s The Voice, suffered a fatal gunshot wound after performing a concert. The next Tuesday, 2-year-old Lane Graves, from Elkhorn, Nebr. lost his life during a tragic accident at Disney.

But the biggest shock came Sunday morning, when we learned that more than four dozen people lost their lives in a shooting rampage overnight at a nightclub frequented by gay men. There are no words.

We became #OneOrlando. People lined up for hours to give blood. Others offered food and water to those standing in line. Medical teams worked around the clock to save lives. Churches held vigils. Residents attended rallies, decrying the violence.

This quickly became personal. Two of the women I work with have sons who are gay. The women love their sons, and pray for them daily. We pray for them, too. Both of those mothers are members of Prayer for Prodigals, an online community of 700 people, mostly mothers, who love and pray for their prodigal children. Their stories are heartbreaking.

My boss, Judy Douglass knows first-hand what it means to raise and love a prodigal. Steve and Judy adopted Josh when he was 8 years old. For 20 years, Josh struggled, making poor choices. Judy rallied her friends around the world to pray for Josh, believing only God could change his heart. Soon, other staff mothers said to her, “Me, too. My husband and I are raising a prodigal and it’s breaking our hearts.”

So, Judy started Prayer for Prodigals where members post prayer requests for their children. This summer, I’m upgrading the website to make it more useful for our members as they post prayer requests and find helpful information about addiction, mental illness and treatment centers.

In Orlando, we’re still reeling from events earlier this month. Pray that we will love our neighbors well. And pray for me to be filled with the Spirit and to make wise decisions as I upgrade the Prayer for Prodigals website. If you love a prodigal, or you know someone who does, you can request an invitation to our community by sending an email to prayerforprodigals@gmail.com.

Thank you so much for your generosity and prayers for us. God is using your gifts to allow us to continue doing the work He has called us to do. Please let us know how we can pray for you.