A death adder strikes tragedy in a young believing family.

Jen Morlang was walking up the steps to the mission office when she heard the heart-rending news. A little girl of 20-months had been bitten by a death adder and needed help immediately.

The pilot was readying the plane and several men had left for a local clinic to get a doctor and some anti-venom.

Jen’s office phone rang.

“Jen, get on the radio and inform the missionaries that we have a doctor and the anti-venom and the plane is ready to leave!”

Jen ran to the radio and repeatedly tried to reach the missionaries.

There was no response.

Finally, she heard a shaky voice on the radio. “They are beating the garamut (a hollowed-out log),” the missionary replied brokenly. “It is a signal–she has died.”

Jen was devastated.

“There was a silence between the two of us and we both cried at the sad news of this sweet little girl,” Jen writes. “Her parents are both solid believers and have four children. In the past week, they just made the decision to be sent out as missionaries to another village of the same language group, to teach them the Good News of Jesus Christ. This family has been praying very seriously about this decision during past months. They decided last week.”

Jeniten and Antonia, parents of the little girl, are deeply saddened by their crushing loss.

But Jeniten shared for a few minutes at his little daughter’s memorial service and thanked God for the opportunity to have this little girl in their family for a little while. “My belief and faith are not wavering. Everything God does is good. God wants to use this death to bring each of us closer to Himself … to strengthen our marriages … to strengthen our families … to strengthen our faith. We are okay because we know we will meet again in Heaven.”

In three months, Jen says, this family will be moving to the new village to begin their ministry as missionaries to the people there. Pray that God will sustain them and help them walk in faith and dependence upon Him through months of transition and grief and ask Him to use this hard earthly loss for eternal gain and glory.

In addition to praying, you can give to the Asia-Pacific Helicopter Fund 2014 to help provide emergency flight services in remote places.