MANSURA, La. (KLFY) – A vigil was held Friday night for the vitims involved in the deadly crash near Gainesville Florida.
 
Mourners gathered in prayer at the Christian Family Worship Center, located on Highway 107 in Mansura, Avoyelles Parish.
 
The head pastor at the church said in these situations, all you can do is pray.
 
“I’m just very grateful that my daughter’s okay,” said Carmen Ducote.
 
She’s counting her blessings.
After her daughter, Amy, was driving the Avoyelles House of Mercy Church van headed to Disney World, when the accident took place.
 
“She has broken vertebras and disks in her back, but stable condition,” she said.
 
Her 17-year-old grandson was also in the van and is okay.
The crash killed 7 people, including 5 children from the House of Mercy Church.
 
“I cannot imagine what it’s like to be Pastor Eric, who has to hold his flock together at this time, so we’re praying for the church family. Amen,” said Mark Crawford, Senior Pastor at Christian Family Worship Center.
 
Mourners prayed for their sister church in the community, going through the pain of losing some of it’s members.
 
“These kind of things, the natural mind does not understand. I do not think anyone has the answers,” said Crawford.
 
Brandi Lee taught 13-year-old Cara Descant for 3 years at Avoyelles Public Charter School.
She say Descant’s kindness made her irreplaceable.
 
“It’s just going to be now, ‘What am I going to tell my students when the desk is empty at the side of them? That’s my biggest thing right now,” said Lee.
 
“Love them everyday. Don’t let anything get in the way of getting close to one another,” said Ducote.
 
While it will still be a long road to recovery for this community in Avoyelles Parish, their hopeful that their prayers will one day give them some sense of peace.