Ashton and Jenna
On December 28, 2012, our daughter Jenna was taken to be with the Lord after a sled riding accident. A day that was to be filled with fun in the snow with friends, changed many lives forever. She was a junior at Kiski Area High school and had many special friends and a family that loved her dearly. Jenna was an identical twin to Ashton and had a wonderful big brother, Jared. She loved the Lord and her friends and family.
Jenna had been keeping a prayer journal since last summer that we found the night she passed away. Her words of prayer to Jesus were of great comfort to us and deepened our understanding of just who our daughter was. She had a beautiful faith and concern for those around her. We shared a few of her journal entries at her memorial service. Her deep faith and sudden death challenged other students and teachers to look at their own faith journey, many for the first time.
Three months after Jenna’s passing, our church asked Jon Pritikin of Feel the Power Ministries to come to Kiski High school for as assembly in Jenna’s honor. The administration at Kiski welcomed the opportunity and saw the need for the message Jon shares. His message is one of evercoming obstacles in our lives and knowing that we have a purpose. Later that evening, students were invited to Cornerstone Ministries for a youth rally where Jon shared more of his personal story and how his faith in Christ made a life changing impact on him as a teen. Kiski students filled the church that evening and over 200 students asked for prayer and wanted to know more about what it means to have God be a part of their lives.
Duane and I poured our heart and soul into this effort to bring Jon Pritican to Kiski – to help students understand who God is – the God that Jenna wrote to and trusted her life with in her journal. We couldn’t imagine going through losing a child without the hope that heaven awaits us when we trust in Jesus. We cannot imagine steering through high school and all its worries and doubts without knowing God is by our side. So….when this large event was over we asked ourselves …..What next? Now how do we help these kids? What should we do? We found the answers in Jenna’s prayer journal. We decided to make things important to her heart, important to our hearts.
Jaime Vick Moran was a 26 year old teacher and volley ball coach at Kiski Junior High School. She coached Jenna and Ashton’s Junior High Volley Ball team. In August 2012, Jaime lost a long fought battle with leukemia. As Jenna prayed that others would come to God through Jaime’s death, so we have decided to do all we can to lead others to Christ through Jenna’s death and testimony. We have started the Jenna Foundation to reach others with the gospel of Jesus Christ by sharing words of life and deeds of love in Jesus’ name.