In the gentle glow of candlelight, strangers stood alongside friends and family of Ian Shelton, a Wichita man who disappeared from Lake Afton a month ago, and put out a prayer.
Many had never met before Saturday night, despite having walked the same ground in search of the missing man. Yet they shared the same hope for his return.
“Tonight, we light candles not because we have answers, but because we refuse to stop holding space for him,” Jessica Simons, a friend of Shelton’s, said. “Each flame is a reminder that Ian is loved, Ian is missed and he matters.”…