A special prayer service will be held in Guelph Sunday night for the family of Paul Miller.

The 51-year-old and his wife were on vacation in California, when on July 13th, Miller made the decision to visit Joshua Tree National Park.

“He wanted to go get a few quick pictures,” said close family friend John McQuinn.

Miller never returned.

Helicopters, canine teams and nearly a hundred volunteers searched the park.

However the rocky terrain and scorching temperatures of 40C or more have hampered search efforts. Some of the volunteers began experiencing symtoms of heat exhaustion.

The search was scaled back on Wednesday.

“There’s no point in putting anyone else in danger,” said McQuinn. “It’s just too unsafe to be out there. And Paul would not want to put anybody in danger trying to find him.”

Sunday’s prayer service will start at 7 p.m. at Lakeside Church at 7654 Conservation Road.