Caleb Schwab attended Sunday church with family before fatal Verrückt accident at Schlitterbahn Water Park

The 10-year-old Caleb Thomas Schwab and his family attended church Sunday before his fatal ride on the world's tallest water slide in Kansas City.

According to The Kansas City Star, sources close to Congressman Scott Schwab's family said the family attended the morning Sunday service at LifeMission Church in Olathe and hesitated on going to the Schlitterbahn waterpark because of the gloomy weather. However, when the sun shone out, the 44-year-old lawmaker took his wife, Michele, and their four boys to the water park which declared that day an "Elected Officials' Day" and gave free admission and lunch to the lawmakers and their families.

"As you can imagine, it's been devastating," said Rev. Clint Sprague, the church's lead pastor and Schwab's family friend, during a news conference Monday evening.

"It's been devastating at every level," continued the pastor. "You know, you leave church, you go to a water park to be with family and to enjoy. And then you hit tragedy. There is just no way to prepare for this."

Rev. Sprague talked about how the Schwab's second oldest son, who died of a fatal neck injury while on the Verrückt water slide, loved Jesus and how the boy's mother described her son as someone who always came first on praying for anyone who needed it.

"He loved Jesus," attested the pastor. "He loved to talk about Jesus. He loved to pray."

"Caleb was a 10-year-old child, but in many ways he was a man of God," he added.

The boy's parents also asked the pastor to deliver a statement on their behalf to thank the community for the compassion they received as the family mourn for their loss.

"We are comforted knowing he believed in his Savior, Jesus, and they are forever together now," read the parents' statement.

The pastor announced the funeral Friday in their local church at 16111 S. Lone Elm Road and that a GoFundMe account set up for the family's funeral and other expenses already exceeded its goal of $15,000.

According to the KSHB-TV, witnesses saw the boy thrown airborne and hit the slide's safety net while others mentioned that the harness device didn't work properly that day. Two women unrelated to the Schwab boy, who rode the water slide with him, also reportedly suffered injuries and were hospitalized.

The Kansas City waterpark closed Monday and reopened Wednesday while Verrückt remains shut down as the investigation continues.