Our Friend Paul

We have been talking a lot about Indonesia lately in our home, and feeling very far away.  Our friend Paul died this week in a plane crash in Papua.  He was such a remarkable man and his joy rubbed off on everyone around him.  One of his common sayings was:  “If you are breathing, you should be laughing.”  And I can tell you honestly that he was always laughing.  He was an incredible pilot, father, husband, and loved serving the Lord.  He died doing the things he loved the most.  Flying people in and out of villages for the glory of God.

When Garth was sharing this in our Sunday School class, a man yelled out “No!”  Garth found out that this man, Mike, knew Paul.  Paul took him out to breakfast when he was a teenager and impacted his life in such a dynamic way that he was forever changed, and dedicated his life to becoming a pilot.  We have been reading account after account of people whose lives were changed because of Paul.

Our kids are having a hard time processing their grief when we are so far away.  Emma said, “It doesn’t seem fair that we are here instead of there.”  Perry came over and prayed with us and allowed the kids to talk through how they are feeling.  That was such a big help.

We don’t know the reason for Paul’s death, but we do know that God is in control.  We see one piece of the puzzle and God sees the completed picture.  Paul’s funeral was a testimony of all he believed, of all he lived his life for.  The turnout was unbelievable.  There were so many Indonesians there, and they clearly heard the Gospel.  Even the mother of one of the other men that died in the same plane crash as Paul was there.  (Her picture is below).  Life is hard.  But life without God is harder.  He is the Hope that we can cling to when we don’t understand.

Psalm 39:7
And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. 

Psalm 42:5
Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!

Psalm 65:5
You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas.  (Or fly airplanes in far away lands!)

Love you

Rachel