There’s a young mom, who grew up in our neighborhood, and she’s recently returned to live with her parents after the birth of her second son earlier this week and a husband who just started hospice after a courageous battle with glioblastoma.

Earlier this afternoon, emails, texts and social media posts invited everyone in the neighborhood to gather this evening.

“There are some times when families are going through so much. We look right and we look left and there are not many ways to help, so we look up. That is what we want to do tonight.

**** are going through some heavy times. We are gathering together tonight for a neighborhood prayer for them. Please come, join us, there is power in praying together.”

So tonight, we gathered.

As we were walking into the neighbor’s backyard, an older lady from the neighborhood was walking in next to us. She asked, “Do you know what’s going on?”

She didn’t really know the family. She didn’t know the daughter and her husband. And she didn’t know the battle they had been fighting.

But she saw the opportunity to pray for a community member and she showed up. I was humbled by her willingness on a hot and sweaty evening.

So many people showed up.

There was power in that backyard tonight.

And we knelt together in prayer.

“That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love.” Colossians 2:2

Later this evening, Steve and I received a text from the young mom’s parents (who live in our neighborhood). They shared a picture a note Hunter had dropped off as part of his church group activity tonight.