ROCHESTER, N.Y. —  When tragedy strikes, many turn to faith for strength, searching for comfort and a sense of purpose in their pain. Pastor Vandell Marshall of East Penfield Baptist Church believes faith doesn’t protect us from hardship, it prepares us for it.

"Most people think when they come into the church that, 'Oh, life is gonna change, I'm never gonna go through anything,' but that's when we're tested even more," Marshall said. "He knows what you can handle, what you can't handle, and that everything that we go through in this life is not to destroy us but is to develop us."

What happens when a minister who preaches faith and hope is suddenly faced with tragedy?

"Unfortunately, some pastors have gone through losing their children to violence. I think the sad thing is, we're not seen as human. People think, 'Oh, you’re there. You don't go through anything?' No. We go through more because we have accepted the call to be a messenger for God," Marshall explained.

Aleshia Silas has faced loss herself but said she finds strength in her faith, surrounding her home with reminders of God's presence.

"I knew when I got ordained as a minister that I was going to have some tough times. I never would have thought that I was going to lose a child," said Silas.

On October 7, 2022, Aleshia's life changed forever when her 30-year-old son, Ordie Overton Jr., was shot and killed outside their Rochester home. Aleshia says her son, who would have turned 33 this week, was a courageous and devoted father, trying to build a better future for his son, Jah’sere.

"He went to the store and asked me if I wanted anything. I said, 'yeah, ginger ale,' and then I just took my medication, and I laid down," Silas added.

Around 11 p.m., she woke up to gunshots and rushed outside, unaware her world was about to shatter.

"When I went downstairs, my neighbor was pulling up, I said, 'Did you hear those shots? Those were really close.' He said, 'Yeah, somebody is lying in a parking lot downstairs,' " Silas explained.

"I ran, and it was my son. I proceeded to try to do CPR on him and try to bring him back and call the police and call the ambulance, but to no avail, they couldn't bring him back. I couldn't believe that was him. I always replay that back in my mind. If I had gone outside earlier, maybe I would have seen more. But I wasn't dressed, and I just panicked when I heard the gunshots," said Silas.

Ordie's murder remains unsolved. Rochester police say the investigation is ongoing, but Aleshia believes her son was killed over a social media argument. According to Project Cold Case, New York has more than 28,000 unsolved murders, including 59 in Rochester since 2022.

"This is what gets me upset, because the way the system has everything in play that you have to have so much evidence when somebody is so bold to be going around saying how they killed your son and bragging about it. We can ask God why. But I believe if my son would have held on to his gut, which was the Holy Ghost telling him to stay in the house, that he would be alive today," Silas expressed.

Marshall says he believes holding on to pain can be easy, but true healing comes through faith and forgiveness.

"I love to see when I go into the courthouse to see a mother of a murder victim telling the murderer, 'I forgive you.' That's the worst I think a murderer wants to hear. Because now she released all of that off of me," Marshall said.

"I keep the positivity of him. Knowing that he got saved, we got baptized together, I just thank God for that," Silas added.