The reality of what happened Tuesday in their home country has begun to set in.

Every single member of the Calvary Haitian Congregation in Lansing has a family member or friend still living in Haiti, but no one has been able to make contact yet.

"My brother with two kids, my sister and her husband, my nephews and nieces and aunts and uncles and close friends," Saint Marc Picard said.

Wednesday dozens gathered for a prayer service. Pastor Beverly Maier hoped to bring comfort through scripture.

"I'm grieving with them," Maier said. "I love them and I know this is a time when we have to come together because we are family."

Maier herself nearly escaped the earthquake.

"We left Haiti at 1:10 p.m. Tuesday and 3 hours and 53 minutes later the quake hit," she said.

Maier was on her second mission to the country, so she's seen first hand the poverty there, and just how bad things must be now.

"It's devastating, just devastating," she said of the moment when she first heard the news. "It was beyond anything we could comprehend."

These moms and dads and sisters and brothers must know too in the back of their minds, but Saint Marc Picard said he's still holding out hope that his family is OK.

"We are praying that the people that are hard to find, God will help find them," Picard said.

So, too are the others gathered at the service, at least until they get more news.

"We're going to be sending out prayers," Maier said.

Wednesday's service was supposed to be a celebration> Pastor Maier was going to share photos and messages with her congregation from their family members back home. Instead, they're all praying that their family members are OK.