A small group had been meeting for barely six months when the hardest season arrived — one still spoken about carefully, and only in general terms.

What they will say is that the group did not disappear when things became difficult. They brought food. They sat in silence when words didn't help. They kept praying long after it would have been easier to stop asking.

"A Bible study is supposed to teach you Scripture," they say. "Mine taught me that too, but what I remember most is that it became family. I was never carrying anything alone."

The group continues to meet, now including several newcomers invited from that same season.