Prayer vigil held in Malta

Nearly 60 people showed up to Malta’s Front Street Park on Wednesday evening following an incident earlier that day which left Phillips County Sheriff Deputy Alan Guderjahn in the hospital and in which 20-year-old Ambrose E. Mecklenburg lost his life.

Candles were lit for the victims and a prayer circle was formed before Malta resident Kelly McCann started the ceremony.

“Thank you for coming out in the rain tonight to honor our injured and our lost,” McCann said. “Today we meet to send out prayers and positive thoughts to Deputy Guderjahn who now lays injured in a hospital in Great Falls and to thank him for the physical sacrifice he’s made in selflessly defending us.”

McCann said he hoped that Deputy Guderjahn and his family are able to move forward from the incident and able to heal and find peace in the days to come.

“It is also important for us to understand that to the creator, all life is precious,” McCann continued. “We need to remember that all of us, even our Lord Jesus Christ, had a mother and today a life was taken and a life was lost and our prayers go out to the young man who died.”

Following a moment of silence, Pastor Joe Haney led a prayer.

“Heavenly Father, we want to come before you today and our prayers ascend to you, oh Lord, we are reminded of the family who lost a loved one and we pray for them that you will comfort them and are near to them. We pray for our brother who has fallen and just ask that you, oh Lord, continue to give the doctor’s wisdom as they deal with his injuries. Lord we pray that Alan would heal from the inside out and also heal from the stress that comes from an injury that has happened like this.”