b'COVER FOCUS: Family ConnectionsMAKING FAMILY CONNECTIONSSupporting families who are missing loved onesby Burt Rosen N ot long after our oldest son, Matthew, disappeared aftering dropping out of college, my wife Carolyn and I, not knowwhether this would be a shortlived experience, sought counsel from our pastor. He meant well, but only offered supposedly comforting phrases like God has all of this under control. He wanted to assure us that God knew all about Matthew and that He would bring him home. While the comments were theologically correct, we found no comfort in them. Our family had never experienced anything like this and we were beside ourselves. We had no idea what to do. We already knew we needed to trust God. But we were looking for more than what our pastor offered. We were looking for some guidance and support.\x026 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022'