Swedish pastor flies 5000 miles after 45 years with one mission — to find the woman who raised him like a son

For nearly four years of his childhood, little Juanito Jonsson was cared for by a Bolivian nanny named Ana, who loved him as if he were her own child. Then, at age six, his family left South America, and he never saw her again until 45 years later, when he finally found his way back to her. He documented his complete journey on Instagram (@juanitojonsson) and TikTok  (@juanito.jonsson). Jonsson was born in Sweden in 1973 but spent his earliest years in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where his parents worked as missionaries, as per The Epoch Times. His father preached in mountain churches, and his mother, a nurse, gave vaccines to families in need. With his siblings in school, they hired Ana, a young woman from the Swedish missionary community, to look after him.

She had lost her husband in a labor accident and, while gravely ill, had been told she might not survive. With no other options, she placed her two young daughters for adoption into Swedish families. Though she later recovered, she had lost the right to see them again. When she came into the Jonsson household, she poured all the love she had for her children into the little boy she cared for. "She gave me all the love she had for her daughters, and I received it," Jonsson said. When the family returned to Sweden in 1979 and later moved to Spain, the bond was left behind. Jonsson grew up, married, and raised three sons of his own while serving as a pastor in Málaga, yet memories of Ana never faded.

In 2017, Jonsson felt an impulse to visit Bolivia again to find Ana. The pandemic delayed his search, but in 2022, with the help of his mother’s contacts, Jonsson learned that Ana was alive. She was 79 years old, living in Yacuíba near the Argentinian border, and earning a modest living as a candle seller. Jonsson made plans with her son, Daniel, for the reunion. When Ana finally saw him, she turned to greet him without recognition until he said his name. "Are you Juanito, the one who used to hug me and say 'Ana, my Ana?'" she asked. They fell into each other’s arms, both weeping.

Jonsson shared a photo album filled with childhood pictures and introduced Ana to his family through those pages. He also gave her money collected from relatives to help repair her home, where she now lives with Daniel, his wife, and their two children. "She’s 79 years old, she sometimes struggles with her lungs, she also has some problems with her sight, but she’s very strong, very independent. She has been praying for me all her life; meeting me was a miracle for her," Jonsson reflected.

By the time Jonsson returned to Spain, his story had gone viral, garnering millions of views across social media platforms and coverage on Bolivian television. Since then, he and Ana have stayed in touch through weekly video calls. He said the reunion reaffirmed the importance of honoring people while they are alive. "Sometimes we say things to people when it’s too late, so I had an urge in my soul to reconnect and be able to show my appreciation," he said, "I’m still thinking and trying to understand everything that happened, but I’m happy that honoring people while they’re alive is a message from this."

You can follow Juanito Jonsson on Instagram (@juanitojonsson) and TikTok  (@juanito.jonsson) for more updates about the reunion.

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