We Lost Our Son on the Mission Field (Part 2) - Jonathan Ferguson | Pivot Or Die Ep 005

Advisory: This episode includes discussion of child loss, adoption, medical trauma, life support, grief, death, and anger after loss. Please listen with care. In Part 2 of Jonathan Ferguson’s story, Seth Kaser sits down with Jonathan to talk about what happened after the loss of his adopted son, Silas, while serving as missionaries in Kenya. Jonathan shares the painful reality of making the decision to take Silas off life support, telling their young boys that their brother was gone, and learning how grief looks different in a culture where people show up immediately and carry the burden together. He also talks honestly about anger, bad theology, therapy, faith, and what actually helps when someone is walking through unimaginable loss. This conversation is heavy, but it is also full of hope. Jonathan does not offer easy answers. Instead, he offers something deeper: a picture of what it means to grieve honestly, receive help, and keep trusting God even when the “why” never comes. In this episode: Who Silas was and the joy he brought to people around him The life support decision Jonathan and Adrian had to make Telling their young sons that their brother had died How their Kenyan church community showed up after the loss What not to say to someone who is grieving Why “God won’t give you more than you can handle” is not actually helpful Processing anger, resentment, and medical trauma The role therapy played in Jonathan’s healing Learning to live without an answer to “why” How grief can become part of how God prepares us to help others Sponsors / Partners Mentioned: Global Creation Foundation: globalcreationfoundation.org Jessica Chapman Art: jessicachapmanart.com Books / Resources Mentioned: Dying Well by Ira Byock - https://amzn.to/4oSlgro The Bible by Various Authors - https://amzn.to/4v1YsHe (suggested after the podcast) Experiencing Grief By H Norman Wright - https://amzn.to/4ge6sBo This is Pivot or Die: real stories, hard pivots, and hope on the other side. Subscribe for more honest conversations about life’s hardest pivots.