Owen Chang

She was 11 days overdue before baby Cell-O finally said ‘hello’ from outside the cozy womb space he’d been in for 9 months. The family briefly celebrated his beautiful 7lb figurine, before facing a tragic, unforeseen loss. To say it’s been a confusing blend of emotions is an understatement, as they’ve had to simultaneously experience the utmost joy and sharpest pains of a life given and lost.

Jane has always had humble dreams—not outside normal reach—but lived with an expectation that magnified every moment to the fullest capacity of joy. Especially when she danced; her body’s natural ability to groove was delightfully charming. So much swag. She was romanced by her husband, Matt, in 2014, and the two started priming their future with God’s vision in mind before even saying “I do” in May of 2015. Their relationship mantra was always “God first, Ministry together.” They were never private or selfish with their blessings, boldly intentional in their friendships. Jane wore many hats, but she was unequivocally a teacher at heart. She ministered to her family, friends, and students, living out a lifestyle of discipleship in communities all over the country. The title of “best friend” didn’t lose value even though more than what’s allowed by definition called her their own. She was loved, she was preferred. She never walked in entitlement of wisdom gained, but exposed Jesus in her own brokenness with transparency. Her strength was always rooted in the redemption of Christ. She was strong.

And she was strong for the full 45 hours spent at the hospital. After inducing labor and pushing for hours on end, they resorted to an emergency C-section and baby Chang was born on September 29th—exactly what she wanted, a September baby. Just barely over 7 healthy pounds, she held him to her chest, skin to skin, and breathed the words “I love you,” as Matt whispered in her ear, “I’m so proud of you,” and “oh, he has my head shape!” But in a sudden series of postpartum complications that led with a hemorrhage, the doctors were unable to recover the amount of blood lost. And during the early morning of September 30th, Jane left us with a beautiful reminder of who she was: Owen 태웅 Chang. He has her eyes and nose, with his pouty upper lip. She’d always wished her baby would inherit Matt’s eyes, but after seeing how handsome the Lord pieced him all together, there’s no complaints. On top of being the most beautiful blend of mom and dad, he’s eating well, pooping with justifiable amounts, and has so much regard for Matt’s sleep that crying has yet to be a first-time parenting hardship.

Money talk is never comfortable because it can easily be skewed or misunderstood with the wrong intention. The family has made it clear that the most invaluable contribution they can receive during this season is prayer: for the health of the baby and unity of the family. That being said, Jane and Matt had always discussed setting up a college 529 fund for Owen, and as a single parent, Matt plans on following through despite the absence of his wife, in honor of his wife. All donations are appreciated and will foster the opportunity for baby Owen's future education.