Today you read a heavy blog.
With very heavy hearts we share with you that we have lost a member of our Fox River family. Early morning on Wednesday, October 21st we received a phone call from Pastor Gideon in Kenya to share that the daughter of our Missionaries, O’Neal and Jenna Nyanje, had passed away after an accident. As Jenna and O’Neal went for chemotherapy, Etana wandered away from the babysitter to a nearby pool where she fell in and passed away. Words nobody ever expects to hear.
I (Abbey) want to share a bit of Etana’s life with you so that we can remember her well and honor her life.
Just over a year ago, we shared the exciting news with you that our dear missionaries, O’Neal and Jenna, were welcoming the newest addition to their family, Etana Marie.
This sweet baby was welcomed after years of prayers and waiting to see how God would bring a child into their lives. As close friends of the Nyanjes, we prayed and waited anxiously with them to see God’s plan come to fruition. Etana, you were prayed for! Etana, you were waited for!
They got the call! They were told about this baby girl who was in need of a family. Then came your picture… STOP IT! There was no going back after they saw your face. Your mom and dad knew you were made to be theirs. On September 27, 2019, they picked Etana up and brought her home. Etana was 7 months old when they became a family of 3, a story that only a good, good Father could write. A story of redemption, faith, hope, healing, and saving grace. Etana, you were sought after!
This little girl captured the hearts of all who laid eyes on her and she knew it! Her laugh was so contagious and could make you smile on even the worst day. Her feisty personality made for days full of laughter and a whole lot of energy! Etana, you are SO loved!
Watching as O’Neal and Jenna became the parents they had waited to be was breathtaking. They jumped in with both feet ready to take on this new adventure. I’m not sure if they were completely ready for how deeply Etana would change their hearts. But girl did you! You took their lives by storm and they immersed themselves in every minute of it! Etana, you are cherished!
On September 25, 2020, Etana’s adoption became official!!! All the court dates completed, papers signed, and meetings logged. O’Neal, Jenna, and Etana were legally made a family. This just solidified that she was the child that God had in store for them. Etana, you were perfectly placed!
Etana Marie, I wrote these words for you on your first birthday and I think they are even truer today than they were then. “You sweet girl were prayed for, you were waited for, you were sought after. You are SO loved, you are cherished, you are perfectly placed!” This rings even more true today because today you are in the arms of your Creator.
Selfishly we wish Etana was still on this earth with us, but we believe she is in the arms of our good, good Father.
Will you pray God’s peace and comfort over O’Neal and Jenna with us? The loss of a child is a journey through grief that consumes and overwhelms. Pray with us for peace that passes all understanding, and for grace as they navigate this journey together.