How do you keep going after losing all four of your children? And how do you trust a God who could have stopped it, but didn’t? In this episode of Grieving Parents Sharing Hope, Laura talks with Markie Ribera, whose four children and mother died in a house fire. Markie shares honestly about her grief and how leaning on Jesus has helped her find peace while still deeply missing her children. Together, they explore hard questions about faith after child loss, the comfort Markie finds in believing Jesus was with her children in their final moments, and how peace and intense pain can exist together.
Their conversation also touches on Job, the poem “The Weaving,” and receiving good things in life without calling our child’s death good. Markie’s story offers gentle encouragement for bereaved parents who are struggling to trust God or wondering whether hope is still possible in a life they never would have chosen.
Markie Ribera is a speaker with a background in children’s ministry, having served as a children’s pastor and camp director. In February 2022, just months after losing her father, Markie lost her mother and all four of her children in a house fire. Following the devastating personal loss, she paused her work as a children’s pastor and now shares her story of grief, faith, and hope through speaking engagements and the website Keep Going, Really!
She and her husband, Carlos, have since welcomed three more children as they continue growing their family while honoring those who have gone ahead to heaven. Through her ministry, Markie encourages others to lean on Jesus in the midst of pain and find hope as they take the next step.
(Note: The views and opinions of our guests outside of this podcast may not be in agreement with GPS Hope.)
Links Mentioned in this episode:
Markie Ribera’s website: keepgoingreally.com
Child Loss Support Bundle (Includes Come Grieve Through Our Eyes and The Bible’s Grieving Parents)
Child Loss Support & Hope Collection (Includes Come Grieve Through Our Eyes, The Bible’s Grieving Parents and When Tragedy Strikes)
Sign up for the Free GPS Hope Library
Find out more about The GPS Hope Grief Cruise in October, 2027.
Free printable guide: Rebuilding Your Life: A Gentle Guide Toward Hope and Healing After Child Loss.
Birthdays:
We lovingly remember and celebrate the lives of:
Samuel Buss was born on October 19 and is forever 21.
Carissa Ellen Hunsaker was born on October 19 and is forever 1.
Matthew Anthony Sulikowski was born on October 22 and is forever 36.
Visit gpshope.org/birthdays to submit your child’s name and date so we can honor them, too.
The special song written for our children’s birthdays I Remember Well can be heard here.
Remember to Hold On Pain Eases; there is HOPE!
To have Laura come and minister at your event, contact us at office@gpshope.org.
Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope) is here to walk with parents through the darkness of child-loss, guiding them to a place of hope, light and purpose.
It is a safe place for anyone who has lost a child from this earth. There is no shame or judgment in where you are in this journey, including if you are struggling in your relationship with God or your faith has been completely shattered.
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