"Heroin? Our son is on heroin?"

Emotion washed over Laurie. How is he? How could he?

Laurie and Jason had just found out their 18-year-old son was in jail for heroin possession and use. They were overwhelmed with the shock and horror of it and with concern for their son.

As that reality began to settle in, they were overcome with a new thought: What would the church Jason pastored say? Would people understand, or would they judge? The pastor's son? Would they need to step down from the pastorate?

They felt so alone.

Any parent confronting such a discovery feels alone. But when you are in the ministry, the aloneness seems to multiply. This isn't supposed to happen to pastors' kids.

No one is immune. It can happen to any family. But there is a safe and encouraging place to go. Prayer for Prodigals, a helpful prayer community for those who care about someone walking a destructive path, offers resources, understanding and prayer.

And every June 2, a Worldwide Day of Prayer for Prodigals, thousands around the world gather in homes, in churches, or virtually to ask God for the restoration and redemption of their loved ones, and to pray for the hundreds whose names are submitted.

Come join us at PrayerforProdigals.com or write to prayerforprodigals@gmail.com to be invited into the community. Join us on our knees on June 2, or become a regular pray-er in our fellowship.

Laurie and Jason? They've learned a lot in the past year. They have discovered it is a long and painful journey. Their son is making mostly better choices, but the "three steps forward, two steps back" applies often. They have received needed help from various sources. And they are grateful for the loving, praying community they discovered at Prayer for Prodigals.