A Jungle Eulogy for My Missionary Mother
January 25th, 2010 by admin
My parents were missionaries in an African village out in the middle of nowhere when my mother caught a jungle fever and died. Dad was devastated, especially at not being able to give her a proper funeral. Because of the heat, it was essential to have an immediate service and simple burial. I still remember watching my father place his head in his hands and slump over, inconsolable. I’m not sure how word got around so quickly, but hundreds of natives started gathering respectfully. One of the tribal chiefs gave a simple eulogy telling everyone how loving mother had been to them all. The love and kind gestures of these simple people comforted my father like no one else back home could have.