In the wake of the recent mass shootings in the United States, we are heartbroken and at a loss for words. Life is precious to us and the loss of it deeply disturbs us.

The folks in Laguna Woods went to church like it was any other Sunday, the kids at Robb Elementary entered their classrooms impatient to graduate 4th grade and go on to middle school, the people in Buffalo went shopping like they have done hundreds of times before. None of them thought they’d be the victims of a massacre. Not in the United States, where one is supposed to be safe and protected.

Sending our deepest condolences to the grieving families, to the parents and loved ones whose devastation and pain we cannot fathom. We pray God’s comfort over you, we pray you have the space to grieve and mourn, we pray the memories of the ones you loved and lost will bring some solace, we pray for your communities to come around you and embrace you with love.

These mass shootings, and the other hundreds of them that happened this year alone in the US, leave us confused and grieving. We pray for the country’s leadership and representatives to demonstrate the courage in doing the right thing to prevent horrendous events like these from ever happening again. The teachers at Robb elementary shielded their students from the shooter and lost their lives in the process. We hope people who have the power to put an end to this trend will show the same bravery.