There is no way we can appreciate the grief, the worry and the heartbreak the families of Zeb Hughes and Gunner Palmer are enduring. 

There is no way we can appreciate the sleepless nights they have gone through worrying about their sons since they were reported missing on the Mississippi River last Thursday.

And, there is no way we can appreciate how long each day, each hour and each second the search for the two goes on.

What we can do is pray for the pair’s safe return, hold out hope as searchers continue scouring miles of river and shoreline and wait, agonizingly wait, for answers.

In the days since the two went missing, dozens — if not hundreds — of people have joined in the search. Law enforcement and emergency agencies from throughout the region have converged on the LeTourneau Landing area to help in the search and there is likely no more searched area of God’s earth than the 6-to-7 miles from the landing south.

While we sit, wait and pray for good news, we also sit and pray for those who have been and continue to be involved in the search. While the search has been blessed with good weather, the effort has been tiring and tedious. 

We are also once again reminded of the passion and skill of our first responders each time they are called upon. This is not the first time they have put out on the water searching for someone, nor will it be their last. And each time they have done so — including this search — they have gone out with goal of finding those who are missing and give answers to the families sitting and waiting. 

While we cannot appreciate their worry, today, we are all part of the Hughes and Palmer families. This is a community — through our first responders and volunteers — who have taken this search on as if it were their own, our own. 

May God bless and calm the Hughes and Parker families. May he strengthen their faith and comfort them as this search continues.