'It was heart breaking'

By Jacob Stock

The Cuero Record

The tragedy that took place last Tuesday, May 24, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde is a very tough pill to swallow. Nineteen students and two teachers were left dead in the horrific massacre. 

Small and big communities from around the world are left with sorrow and disbelief. The calamity hits so close to home leaving many people with the question, how do we deal with this?

Last Thursday, the First Presbyterian Church of Cuero gathered for a community prayer service that was led by pastors from four different churches around Cuero. Rev. Stan Larson of First Presbyterian Church, Rev. Peter Thaddeus of Grace Episcopal Church, Rev. John Britsch of First United Methodist Church, and Rev. Paul Muehlbrad all united for nearly a 45-minute service where roughly 60 locals attended. 

“It was heartbreaking,” Rev. Stan Larson said of hearing the initial news. “My oldest granddaughter was graduating from fifth grade, so it was really so close to home for all of those things. To hear the tragedy of what was happening there, and to hear the numbers it’s hard to fathom. It’s so overwhelming that it is hard to take in,” Larson continued.

Unity is an important ingredient that is needed during times like these. Cuero and Uvalde are both tight-knit small communities that can closely relate. When asked what message do you think the gathering helps send, local Darletta Muehlbrad states, “The unity, as a community and expressing our sorrows to them. The news was a complete shock [to me]. The fact that someone could be that evil to go to an elementary school and do that, it’s just tragic.”

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