On September 28, 2025 was a tough day for me. I woke up that morning, turned on my phone, and started to catch up on the news of the day. To my sadness I learned that Russell M. Nelson, the prophet of my church, had passed away. It was a calming sadness, as he was 101 years old and his passing was a reality that I had been expecting for a few years now. Still, he was the prophet during a time in which the world was in the most chaos that I had ever seen in my lifetime. During the pandemic I had gained much comfort and strength from his leadership and words of wisdom. I was going to miss his kind demeanor and ever-encouraging guidance to do better, be better, and act better.
What I was not prepared for was to learn that in the morning a man drove his truck into the chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Grand Blanc Michigan. He started shooting and set the building on fire. In the end, four members of the ward were dead from either gunshot wounds or smoke inhalation, eight more were injured, and the gunman had been killed by police. The community was in shock. My Church was in shock. I was in shock. It was yet another mass shooting in a long list of mass shootings in the United States of America, and this one hit close to home.
I understand that when a tragedy like this most descent people will feel sorrow and loss. When it happens to people that you share something with, it hits with a stronger punch. Whether your connection is due to ethnicity, faith, employment, and political leanings, the pain feels sharper when you can see yourself and people you know in the lives of the victims. I hope you can understand that this attack hit me more keenly than previous mass shootings and acts of violence, all of which I find abhorrent. I have never understood how a person could allow such hate to grow within themselves that they would use such violent means to end the lives of people simply because of how they are identified. This includes more than religious affiliation, but ethnicity, culture, political affiliation, and other means of identifying oneself. Sunday I was in simple shock. Monday it began to feel quite real to me. That feeling stayed with me the entire week, although it lessened each day.
When events of this nature occur I cannot help but reflect upon how we got here. Was it extreme polarization? Was it the gun-cherishing culture that is prevalent in the US? Decreasing importance placed on the family, on civility, on forgiveness? More "us versus them" mentality? Mental health crisis? Why do these things continue to happen? It seems that the more advanced we become, the more we should as a society understand that this sort of behavior is not the answer to what ails us, yet it seems as if more and more people feel that using violence as a means to get what you want is an acceptable practice. I know that it isn't, but others feel that they have no choice in the matter. Might means right for them. Now that people of my faith have been targeted, I feel understandably afraid.
Since this incident hit closer to home, I feel more resolved to analyze the situation. In the past, such as with school shootings, I would look at the circumstances with as open of a mind, seeking truth and understanding. I intentionally do not mention the names of those who committed the violent acts, not wanting to risk granting them any fame or attention. This time, however, I took a different approach. having just lost our beloved prophet the night before, I kept hearing his words that have come to mean so much to me. There was one lesson that he taught us that quickly moved to the front of my thoughts: blessed are the peacemakers. Being a peacemaker is a choice. Choosing to seek healing for myself and others is a choice. I wondered how I could be a peacemaker in a situation as difficult as this. As the week progressed, I found my answer.
I started reading stories related to this shooting, and within these stories I found the tender mercies of our loving Heavenly Father. They were everywhere. People have wondered where God was when bad things happen. In researching these stories, I saw where God was. He was with the people. He was with His children. He was there influencing others to provide support to those who were negatively affected by this event. The more I looked, the more I found evidence of His love, primarily in the influences over the actions of others. He did not "make" anybody do anything, but he provided the nudges that we needed.
I saw His tender mercies in the direction church leaders gave months prior, to have congregations go over procedures on how to respond in these situations. Local law enforcement officers noted that the casualty list could have been much higher, and credited the actions that church members took to evacuate the building as quickly as possible. I saw His tender mercies in the quick and timely manner in which first responders arrived on the scene, contained the situation, removed the threat, and tended to the wounded. I saw His tender mercies in the courage of these individuals who ran towards the danger to protect others.
I saw His tender mercies in a group of nurses who were striking at a nearby hospital. Upon hearing the news of the tragedy they left the picket lines and went straight to the scene to use their skills in helping tend to the wounded. I saw His tender mercies in the actions of the doctors, nurses, and other staff members at the hospitals that the wounded were brought to. How they worked frantically to save as many lives and they possibly could, and how they wept for the one they couldn't.
I saw His tender mercies in the actions of members of that ward who did what they could to save lives. Two members happened to be emergency room doctors. They ran into the burning building again and again, bringing out as many as they could find. Both had to be admitted to hospital for treatments: one for smoke inhalation, the other for being shot. The latter also had one of his young daughters shot as well. Both of these men, and the girl, survived. One of those who died did so trying to protect the life of another person there. Other members were reported as helping as many people out as they could, some shielding children with their own bodies.
I saw His tender mercies when the daughters of one of the men killed at the church made eye contact with the gunman. She reported seeing into his soul, seeing his pain, seeing that he was "lost". Right there, at that exact moment, not sure if he was going to kill her or not, she forgave him in her heart. The gunman let her live. Her story prompted her sister to forgive the man who killed their father at his place of worship. I saw his tender mercies as the bishop of that ward make a public statement the day after. He spoke of healing, love, hope, and gratitude. Never once did he mention revenge or show hatred. Pain, yes, but hatred, never. The President of that stake released a public statement echoing much of the same. I saw His tender mercies as one of His apostles, David A Bednar, arrived to offer comfort and counsel directly to the members who were there. I saw His tender mercies in the outpouring of support, comfort, and love from people of all faiths, all cultures, all types.
I saw His tender mercies in the words spoken in defense of those of our faith by people of other faiths. Sadly, there were some voices out there that felt that members of my church did not deserve sympathy because we were "not Christian". Some felt the need to express sorrow, but remind everyone, again, that we are "not Christian" in their eyes. Thankfully, there were far more who raised their voices in our defense, calling out others for their cruelty and very un-Christian approach. They would say that now is not the time for such rhetoric, that they should be demonstrating true Christianity by treating members of my church in a truly Christ-like manner. I saw His tender mercies in the actions of other churches in the community. The River Church held a prayer service one week after the shooting. The St. Christopher's Episcopal Church offered the members of the ward to use their building for their worshipping. In situations as tragic as this, the true Christians show themselves.
I saw His tender mercies in the numerous Go-Fund-Me pages for the families of the victims. How people from around the world gave their hard-earned money to ease the burdens of the families most directly affected. In particular, one member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints set up a Go-Fund-Me page for what was a surprising recipient: the family of the man who committed these heinous acts. Hundreds of thousands of dollars is going to his wife and child, the latter having severe challenges of his own. People have reached out to the parents of the gunman, not with anger, but with love, sympathy, and forgiveness. While others are calling out a battle cry to defend Christianity, the true Christians are rallying behind all the victims, including the family of the man responsible for all of this. Ever since the daughter of one of the slain shared her experience publicly, announcing to the world that she had forgiven the man who killed her father, I noticed a change in how people talked about this man. He was no longer being described as a monster, but as a troubled man who did the unspeakable. It did not change the horrific things that he did, but people began to see him in a different light. The sister of the woman offering public forgiveness also found it in her heart to forgive the man that had slain her father. Forgiveness has become a key talking point with this story, and people are feeling the healing power that comes with it.
Personally, I saw His tender mercies in the people around me. I posted on Facebook a few of my thoughts concerning the situation. I mentioned how the 28th was a tough day for members of my faith. Thankfully, the next day was a PD day, no classes or students. It was also the day that these events started hitting home. Sunday was a day to be in shock. Monday was the day for my emotions to catch up. I had a brief conversation with a friend at the school, and although she was not aware of what happened, she was gracious and supportive. I then had three different colleagues take me aside to personally check in with me, to make sure that I was doing OK. I cannot fully express the immense gratitude that I have for those individuals. I was reminded how blessed I am to work where I do and associate with such good people. I felt His tender mercies as I prayed for comfort, understanding, and for healing of the victims. I felt them as I sought to forgive the gunman and see him as a child of God. I felt them as I poured out my soul to me Heavenly Father, and the warming comfort of the Holy Spirit surrounded me with powerful healing.
The tender mercies of Jesus often come through the goodness and actions of others. They come through the quiet whisperings of the Holy Ghost to our spirits. They come in the quiet of the evening, and they come as you seek peace in a loud and busy world. So yes, I am horrified by what happened. I am distraught over the death, the destruction, and the violence. Yet, in spite of all of that, this experience has brought me closer to me Heavenly Father and to my Savior. What was different in this situation was more than it was about people I closely identify with, but that I actively sought out to see His tender mercies. They were mercies extended the those who had been hurt, those who lost loved ones, those who were shocked by the violence, and people of empathy and compassion. They were extended to the families of the victims and the killer alike, because we are all His children. He will always be there to extend those tender mercies, whether we look for them or not.
I would suggest looking for them. You will be amazed at what you see.
