The Funeral

There is such sadness in Papua right now.  One of our pilots crashed his airplane on Wednesday morning ending his life and the life of one of the other passengers.His name was Bob and he and his family have been missionaries here for over 20 years.  School was cancelled today and we all had the privilege of celebrating the life he lived at his funeral.  So many lives were touched by Bob's willingness to fly into remote areas to drop off supplies, medicine, food, passengers, or Bibles.  If someone was sick and needed medical attention he would fly them for free.  He had such a giving, servants heart.  His family was able to fly here in time for the funeral.  They came from Thailand, Africa, and the US.  His two sons have followed in their Dad's footsteps and are also serving as pilots.  It was a beautiful time of remembrance.
There is joy in our hearts for the fact that we know 100% that Bob is in Heaven.  He trusted in what Jesus did for him on the cross.  That gives us hope.  We will all see him again in Heaven one day.
Here are some pictures of our day:

This is the end of the airstrip that Bob flew from.  Bob's grandson is in the red shirt walking with some friends.

Panorama of the hangar and airstrip.  The funeral was held here.

We are guessing there were about 1,500 people at the funeral.

Bob was buried between the hangar and his home, the place he loved so much.