November 2001

Dear Friends and Loved Ones,

As we approach the celebration of Thanksgiving in the United States this coming Thursday, I send greetings to you all with my own deep gratitude to God, who truly is Lord of all, even in the midst of life that too often is painful and messy.

As a number of you know, my mom suffered a stroke about three weeks ago in Seattle. She was hospitalized, unable to swallow or talk. She had been failing recently already, and this turn of events caused the family to be aware that our time with her might be more limited than we had anticipated. On short notice, I decided to go to Seattle from Nairobi for a week, just to be able to have some time with her at this juncture in her journey. I left the children in Nairobi for the week, and they did fine, with a loving and faithful community around them here.

My brother Kirk went up from California for the weekend before, and then both Sheldon (my brother in the Boston area) and I arrived on Monday the 12th. We had some good time to be with her on Tuesday, though in the morning she was more often dozing than alert. In the afternoon, she was a little more aware, and we were able to say "I love you, Mom" and she could mouth back that she loved each of us too. I showed her a drawing that Justin (age 4) had made for her of him feeding a giraffe, and the giraffe saying "Mmmmm!" She laughed with her usual delight for children’s art, before she started coughing. We prayed with her, then promised to be back the next day. She raised her hand slightly and waved us farewell as we went out the door. We also promised that the next day we would move her back to the nursing facility at Crista, where she would be more comfortable and get better ongoing care.

At 3:25 a.m. on Wednesday morning the 14th, Mom died, passing over to the other side into God’s loving presence. She never left the hospital. It came as a shock, but also a gift. We dreaded her having to suffer for a long time, and we knew she was so ready to go. There were times on Tuesday that I had a strong sense she was staring at something beyond us, and I now suspect that she was seeing those who had come to escort her over to the other side. She was not afraid; she was ready, once she had been able to see each one of us.

We were able to have a family service at the cemetery on Saturday morning, and then the memorial service at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle in the afternoon. Special friends from many different chapters of our lives and family members (including three of the granddaughters as well as two of Mom’s siblings) were able to be there to celebrate her life and the hope of the resurrection and eternal life in Jesus Christ. I then left on Sunday to return back to Nairobi, arriving back today. It was a bittersweet time, and I continue to marvel at how masterfully God orchestrated the whole event. As hard as it is to say goodbye, it also brings deep peace to know that she is fine, that we were able to be with her during her last few days, and that we’ll see her again someday. I am so thankful for my beautiful, gracious, and spunky mother, and even in all our ups and downs, that I got to be her daughter.

Blessings on you all, with gratitude for you each,

Love,

Marta

The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 27