Perpetua Joy Broten

Perpetua Joy Broten passed away unexpectedly Thursday, July 31 in Chad, Africa at the age of 12. She had fallen sick with cerebral malaria and typhoid fever and had begun receiving treatment for both illnesses. After receiving her second dose of medication, she laid down for sleep, but passed into the loving arms of her Savior Jesus Christ in the early morning hours.

Perpetua was born December 6, 2012 in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada while her family was living there and learning French. She was the 5th child born to her parents Jacob and Sonja Broten. A dual citizen from birth, Perpetua had bragging rights in the family because she possessed passports from both America and Canada. She quickly adapted to her family’s overseas lifestyle, as her first year of life saw her trade the cold climate of Canada and Minnesota for the warm deserts of Chad, Africa.

From an early age, Perpetua had a quiet, observant nature and loved serving others. The Apostle Peter’s words fit her well, “let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” (1 Peter 3:4) She would sit in any room with adults or children and simply watch their activities and listen to their conversations. This helped her learn so many things about others as she got older, like what they enjoyed and how she could best make them feel loved. For these reasons, Perpetua became everyone’s favorite Broten to be around. She would listen to Papa’s jokes about boys and say in a twangy voice “You’re WEIRD” with a smile that lit up the room. She was Mama’s helper in the kitchen, and loved looking up recipes online to treat her family and visitors to a new dessert. Perpetua was there to accompany Nehemiah when he wanted to get out of the house and do something and she loved mimicing the sarcasm of Evangeline, who she shared the same sense of humor with. Perpetua would watch episodes of MacGyver and play Skip Bo with Athanasius and spend quality time listening to all the inner thoughts of Hadassah, who affectionately called her “my therapist”. She was Sahara’s aerobics, dance video and tree climbing partner, Zatteo’s on-call chef for every early morning food request and last, but not least, she was happy to sit down and read a book to Lazarus or get chalk to color the cement with him. When her family occasionally came back to America, she enjoyed reconnecting with friends and making new ones and always loved seeing her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. She loved well and knew she was loved by others.

Affectionately nicknamed “Sunshine”, Perpetua brought the light of Christ to family and friends alike. During the last year, she enjoyed Bible Trivia and listened to Scripture songs to help her memorize verses. She had talked about getting baptized with her younger sister Sahara to publicly proclaim her faith in Jesus Christ. She didn’t just “go along” with her family’s life in Chad, but actively participated in visiting neighbors with her mama, driving to the market with her papa and learning to speak Chadian Arabic to her neighbors. People in town called her “Farha” which in Arabic means “joy”. Now her joy is complete in Christ.

Perpetua is survived by her parents, Jacob and Sonja Broten; and her seven siblings, Nehemiah, Evangeline Baty (Caden), Athanasius, Hadassah, Sahara, Zatteo and Lazarus. She is also survived by her grandparents, Deland and Gloria Broten, Ted and Mary Hovey; uncles, Joseph and Wade; aunts, Nicole, Kari, Ira and Sara as well as 16 wonderful cousins.  She was preceded in death by her younger sister, Serenity; and her beloved uncle, Joshua.