Judith Marianne Ferreira (known arsenic Marianne) passed distant successful Penela, Portugal, connected January 8, 2023, astatine home, surrounded by the nurses and household who took attraction of her successful the last stages of her life, aft a four-year conflict with cancer. She was a aesculapian doc and a missionary with a absorption connected the relation of wellness ministries to marque different radical full successful Jesus.
A Daughter of Missionaries
Marianne was born successful 1965 successful Bulawayo, Rhodesia. Part of a 4th procreation of Seventh-day Adventists, her parents were missionaries astatine the Solusi Mission. Marianne’s begetter died erstwhile she was lone 2 years old.
After her father’s death, the household moved to Cape Town, South Africa, wherever Marianne grew up and went to the University of Cape Town (UCT) aesculapian school. She discovered her calling to beryllium a missionary. While astatine aesculapian school, she knitted woolen sweaters and sold them to colleagues, donating the funds to ngo work.
Her Marriage
When Marianne was 19, she met Viriato astatine Claremont Seventh-day Adventist Church successful Cape Town. They were some attending UCT. Viriato, too, had felt the calling to go a missionary.
Marianne and Viriato joined successful 1987, some astatine the property of 22. After their wedding, Marianne pursued further studies successful country and pediatrics successful mentation for ngo work.
Mission Work
In 1994, the young mates accepted a telephone to the distant portion of bluish Namibia to bash aesculapian enactment among the section people, peculiarly wrong the Himba tribe, arsenic portion of a Global Mission project. They worked successful Namibia for 4 years and helped to found the section mission. There, Marianne and Viriato were some surgeon and wide doc for thousands of patients.
The Family Grows
During their play of work successful Namibia, the mates was blessed with Daniel, their archetypal child, whom the section people named “Waeta,” which means, “they brought.” When questioned wherefore they gave him that name, the people members answered: “ ‘They brought’ to america the cognition of God.”
While successful Namibia, the Ferreiras expanded their household by adopting Muundja Mbinge, an eight-year-old kid who needed a home.
Starting the Lifestyle Center successful Portugal
In 1999, the Ferreiras accepted an invitation to settee successful Portugal, wherever they were to assistance commencement the archetypal Adventist manner halfway and session successful the country. They arrived successful Portugal successful 2002 aft a play of grooming successful manner and preventive medicine successful the United States.
Marianne co-founded the Portuguese Association of Preventive Medicine successful 2003. To enactment her information successful the mission, she learned the connection and sat for the Portuguese aesculapian exams to beryllium capable to enactment successful the country. She started seeing patients and provided aesculapian assistance astatine the section Adventist status home.
Marianne was loved by patients who traveled from acold and adjacent to travel and spot her. Her main absorption was being adjacent to the patients, having their well-being arsenic priority, and helping the ngo grow.
The VitaSalus Lifestyle Center
In 2011, the Ferreiras moved to Penela, adjacent Coimbra, wherever the caller VitaSalus Lifestyle Center was successful the opening stages of development. The mates dedicated each their volition and efforts to the improvement of the halfway by idiosyncratic and household sacrifice.
Clarisse, their 2nd biologic child, was calved successful Portugal.
“She was ever a cheerful doctor, who helped thousands of radical with an unmatched joy, nighttime and day,” Viriato said. “Without her vison, quiescent and loving spirit, and without her sacrificial giving of herself successful love, the VitaSalus Lifestyle Center would ne'er person been established. Many person been touched by the emotion of Jesus done her life.”
Marianne passed distant successful the certainty that the adjacent clip she opens her eyes, she volition spot the look of Jesus welcoming her to beryllium with Him and each the faithful for eternity.
The original version of this communicative was posted connected the Inter-European Division news site.
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