A prayer vigil took place Friday evening at the Beauchamp Ampitheater for those who wished to reflect on today’s bus crash. ACU students and community members attended to pray for all those affected.

Dr. Mark Hamilton, associate dean of the Graduate School of Theology, led the service with songs and invited other ACU staff members to pray over the crowd of more than 1000 students, faculty and staff.

Amanda Wilson, junior animal science major from Walsenburg, Colo., was in the minibus at the time of the accident and spoke at the prayer vigil soon after being released from Ballinger Memorial Hospital and returning to Abilene.

“You are all such an amazing community. Your prayers and your support are so important to everybody involved in this,” she said.

Hamilton read from Psalm 130. He said that the vigil was not a time for answers but a time for the ACU community to be together, letting God take care of the “whys.”

“This is not an occasion any of us would want to come here for,” Hamilton said.