I was too affected by this not to share.

The niece of a very close friend of mine knows two of the girls who 
were hurt during the shooting in Parkland, Florida last week. 

She is the Young Women's President of their ward in Parkland. 

I got permission to share what my friend's niece wrote on Facebook 
a few days ago about the girls. 

"I’m not sure what I have to say will be coherent, but I’ll try. These last 2 1/2 days have been beyond surreal. There have been a lot of tears and a lot of prayers, and a lot of grief. I can’t believe it happened in our small, quiet town. Two of our girls were victims of the shooting this week. Maddy is currently in the ICU recovering after three surgeries fixing her injuries from multiple gunshot wounds, and our sweet Alaina did not make it. As the Young Women president at our church, these are my girls. They are my responsibility to help, along with their parents, strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ, help them prepare to make important covenants in the temple, guide and love them through their experiences, and prepare them for their future roles in this life. Our hearts are sure aching for Maddy, and they are absolutely breaking losing Alaina. We will miss her every day. Something that WILL help us through this trial is our belief in a loving Savior, Jesus Christ. I know He died for us; He has paid the price for our sins, and He has given us a chance to live with our Heavenly Father again. I also know we have a Heavenly Father who loves us, knows us each by name, and has a plan for each and every one of us. I know He has a plan for Maddy, and I know He has a plan for Alaina. Although I don’t know why Alaina was taken so young from this mortal life, I have belief in eternal life. I know that life does not end here. I know we will see her again. There is indescribable peace that comes from this knowledge. I know that the power of prayer is real, and that when we pray, we are speaking to a Heavenly Father who hears and answers our prayers. He is REAL and He is there. Please pray for our girls, please pray for Alaina’s family that they may feel peace during this difficult time, and please pray for Maddy that she can make a full recovery. ❤️ @ Parkland, Florida

Then tonight, after Alaina's funeral today, she wrote this:

"This song has been playing over and over in my head ever since Wednesday. It’s a song our Young Women have been practicing for the last month in preparation for a musical number at church yesterday. Because of the events of the week, it wasn’t sung yesterday, but it was requested that it be sung today at Alaina’s funeral. I feel deep in my heart that maybe they have been practicing all this time in preparation for today.
“Peace in Christ” is the theme for this year for all the youth groups in our church all around the world. We had a special lesson about the theme the first Sunday of the year and we discussed different ways we feel “Peace in Christ.” We also talked about different things we can do to receive temporary peace, and things we can do to receive lasting peace. 
At the beginning of this month, we had a special night called New Beginnings, where again, our theme was “Peace in Christ.” 
Our goal for this year is to truly help our youth find “Peace in Christ.” What we didn’t realize was how pertinent this theme would truly be for our youth so soon. The events of last week will cause them to dig deep and rely on their testimonies of all the things their parents and church leaders have taught them about the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, who is also known as “The Prince of Peace.” I know as we all turn to Him and listen to His words, we will find peace."

“Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me.” —D&C 19:23

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