As a father, my first thought was to pray that somehow, the kids were not mortally wounded, that they would survive. I arrived at the scene with Senator Armstrong, who also represents Bart Township, only to find some of the children, who we now knew were only girls, had already passed away.

There is no way to prepare for something like this emotionally, and it is hard for our first responders to train for, in part because we hope it will never happen, and certainly not at the hands of a neighbor from our own community.

From state troopers who ran toward the sound of the gun fire and ambulance and helicopter crews who followed to the fire companies and fire police who ably contained the mainstream media circus, we owe them a debt of gratitude. It was heart-warming to see our community come together as we did Monday, and continue to do so. It's too bad it had to be under such tragic circumstances.

The only dark spot was the media. One volunteer said he had a hard time getting their helicopters out of the way so the rescue choppers could land. There were also reporters who seem to have a hard time understanding the meaning of the "no media" signs on local yards as they rudely knock anyway.

One reporter foolishly asked, "There is no way the Amish can recover from this, what will they do?" Actually, Mr. Reporter, by God's grace they will recover, and we will do what we can to help.

Over the last four years, I occasionally received random letters of encouragement - more often than not, from the Plain community. The families involved might appreciate short notes of encouragement, letting them know we are praying for them and will continue to do so for months to come.

Speaking of prayer, we can ask God to spare the girls who are still holding on for dear life at Hershey and Children's Hospital, and we can pray for their doctors. We can also pray for the assailant's wife, children and extended family - they may have the toughest time coming to grips with this tragedy.

The days ahead will be hard, for our community and especially for the families whose lives have been forever changed. But we can take comfort knowing that by God's grace and with the help of one another, we will endure and hopefully be the better for it.

Editor's Note: In a follow-up interview, Rep. Armstrong confirmed that his District Office had received numerous complaints from constituents concerning the actions of many members of the media. His Capital Office did forward these concerns to the Pennsylvania State Police in Lancaster who handled the concerns. Rep. Armstrong also noted that the media helicopters caused a delay in response time for the rescue helicopters by not clearing the air space near the designated landing zones.

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