Goodbye Seems To Be The Hardest Word

Dear Supporters and Friends,

As you know, our son Malachi has cerebral palsy.  While the ministry here in Guadalajara has been going well, we are finding it increasingly difficult to provide for his care as he gets older and his needs grow more complex.  Going through two major hip surgeries in the past year has forced us to consider what his long-term care looks like here, and we weren’t satisfied with the prospects.  Beyond that, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that he’s not cognitively keeping pace with other children his age, and we need to have some resources to figure out what his capabilities are and be able to get him in an environment where he can learn as much as he has the capacity to learn.  So with all that in mind, we were faced with the difficult decision of continuing with international ministry at the expense of our son’s well-being or resigning our position with Converge and returning to the States.  We believe that our first ministry is to our family, and so we’ve chosen to end our international career accordingly.

The intention was to resign when our home assignment began in April and hopefully transition quickly into the workplace.  In anticipation of that, John began recently to send out a few resumes to some selected positions that looked interesting.  Well, things ended up moving much more quickly than we anticipated and last Friday John was offered a position working for the state of Ohio in their department of Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities, and He accepted the position.  They need him to start before the end of the year, so we will be leaving the field in December and will finish our employment with Converge on Jan 31st. We are asking that our individual supporters please continue supporting us through that date. For our churches, Converge generously offers two months of severance to help us land on our feet as we transition back to life in the US, it would be great if you could maintain our support through March to help fund that obligation, but we understand if that’s not possible.

The ministry “Juntos en Esperanza” will still continue under the directorship of a Christian Mexican couple.  We are trying to maintain some support for them to give them a stipend for their work.  We will also be attending and leading a team from the USA once a year to the “Juntos en Esperanza Special Needs Summer Camp” and helping with the Gala once every two or three years.  Our monthly goal is $1,000.  If you feel you would like to continue supporting us through this beautiful and needed ministry, STAY TUNED, we will be sending out an e-mail shortly on how you can transfer your support to that ministry.  We are trying to make it as easy as possible.

 Our hearts are broken that we have to say goodbye to this wonderful country, the people we have fallen in love with, and the culture that we have a deep respect for.  God has certainly ordered our steps in this decision and has opened wide many doors.  However, this is a great loss to us.  We know that missions and ministry will follow us wherever we go, but we truly cherished being international missionaries and we LOVE what we do. It is very difficult to say goodbye and turn the page on this chapter of our lives.  Please pray for us.

Many of you that have already spoken with us have asked us what we need.  We are starting over from “scratch” and many items we can not pack and bring with us back to the States.  We currently have two mattresses, an apartment, and a second vehicle for John that friends have graciously provided.  Below you will see a link to an Amazon “wish list” of the things that we need. If you choose to send something, the list is set up with our address and will send the item right to Ohio. Even though we are not there yet, someone is receiving packages for us.

You can access our Amazon wish list here.

We are humbled and say THANK YOU with all the love that we have in our hearts.  Thank you for asking and caring so much for us.  The love has been overwhelming in the BEST way possible.

“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:10-13

WE LOVE YOU, The Bjorgens