Our Staff

Meet the Borlands.

Tristan and Jill Borland have spent most of their married years in Minnesota. Tristan pastored for over twenty years and most recently served for 12 years as the lead pastor at Riverview Church in Pine River, MN. Jill is a registered nurse but has spent her more recent years at home raising and homeschooling their children. They have been blessed with five daughters (Jovi, Tana, Maria, Sadie, and Lucy) and two sons (Elijah and Josiah).

On March 4, 2016, their third daughter Maria died suddenly from complications from a common virus. Tristan was laying her down for bed that evening when her heart suddenly stopped. They had no idea how much their lives would change that day. Maria was almost four-years-old.

Jill was nine months pregnant with their fifth child when Maria died. The family planned her funeral for that week, but had to postpone it when Jill went into labor. Lucy was born exactly one week after Maria died, and they held the funeral a few days later with the newborn baby in their arms.

The years following Maria’s death were spent wrestling with the many unanswerable questions that parents face after the loss of a child. How can one face such a crushing loss and also experience a fulfilling life ahead? How does one balance the suffering and joy that are both a part of this life? One of the ways that they both processed questions like these was through writing. Their book “A Life After Death” journals their story in the years directly following Maria’s death.

Over the years, Tristan and Jill have received so much support from their community, friends, and family. “We are beyond grateful for those who have walked with us through the darkest years of our life. They sat and cried with us, they spoke truth to us, and they have also shared the joy and laughter that slowly trickled back into our lives. We are now incredibly honored to have the opportunity to partner with Smile Again Grief Ministries. We recognize how important it is to take time to remember, to take time to grieve, and to help build a community of support with others who have suffered great loss.”

Tristan and Jill became the directors of Smile Again in July 2023.