We Lost Our Son on the Mission Field (Part 1) - Jonathan Ferguson | Pivot Or Die Ep 004

In this episode of Pivot or Die, Seth Kaser sits down with Jonathan Ferguson for a powerful conversation about faith, young marriage, missions, adoption, loss, and what it means to keep getting back up when life knocks you down. Jonathan shares his story of growing up as a peacemaker in a Christian home, wrestling with family tension, getting married young, studying biology, feeling called to missions, and eventually moving his family to Kenya. What started as a short-term missions trip where everything seemed to go wrong became the beginning of a life-changing calling. Jonathan and his wife would eventually move to Kenya, serve for more than seven years, teach and equip pastors, help lead a church, raise their children overseas, and begin the adoption process for a young boy named Silas. Silas had hydrocephalus and needed medical care that was difficult to access. After being placed with Jonathan’s family, foreign adoptions were suddenly frozen in Kenya. If they had waited one more week, Silas would never have been placed with them. This episode is Part 1 of Jonathan’s story. It leads into one of the most painful pivots imaginable: the loss of a child, the decision to remove life support, and the question of how a family keeps going after devastating grief. In this episode: Growing up as the peacemaker Getting married young Why marriage does not automatically fix your problems Feeling called to missions A short-term trip where everything went wrong Moving to Kenya with young kids Teaching and equipping pastors Life as a missionary family Adoption and foster care in Kenya Silas’s story The hardest decision Jonathan and his wife ever had to make What it means to get back up after life knocks you down If you are walking through grief, loss, adoption, missions, ministry burnout, or a life pivot you never asked for, you are not alone. Subscribe for more honest conversations about the pivots, hardships, and defining moments that shape our lives.