Bandaddy.

"Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the souls you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as you ever can." -John Wesley 

It was just a normal Saturday morning at Sharptop Cove in Jasper, GA. We had just played some field games and we were heading up to the Wheel House for club. I decided to check my phone and saw that I had 5 missed calls from my sister, 2 from my aunt, and a text message from my mom. I immediately knew something was wrong. My mom's text said that Bandaddy had a seizure and was in the hospital. Overwhelmed with emotions, I started screaming at everyone around me to help me find a ride to Gainesville. The Lord was faithful to provide a sweet, sweet couple that drove me all the way home. Will and Mallory, I am forever grateful. 

When I arrived at the hospital, the majority of my family was there. We were still waiting on Louisa to drive down from Spartanburg, SC and Rand to fly in from Miami, FL. My mom went into more detail about what happened with Bandaddy that morning. After the seizure, externally everything was fine. The doctors were about to send Bandaddy home when he said his head started hurting and he was really light headed. They decided to take him in for a CT scan and found a massive subdural hematoma. My mom informed me that this was probably going to be it. The bleeding was too large to salvage anything. 

A 5 day emotional roller coaster ride filled with intense decisions, many tears, no sleep,  and hard conversations, landed the majority of the family in Bandaddy's hospice room on Wednesday morning. He had not slept well Tuesday night and was really struggling breathing, but he continued to keep fighting.  Talking to him the whole time, we told him it was okay to go, we didn't want to see him suffer. My mom mistakenly said "Dad, we're all here. Well, except for John & Anna, but they're on their way." At that point, we knew Bandaddy was going to do everything it took to wait until they got there. About a minute after the last two family members walked in, I started praying..."As hard as it is, Jesus, we stand here as a family and surrender our Bandaddy to you..." That was it. In that moment, Jesus took Bandaddy home. As terrible as death is, it was beautiful and I couldn't have imagined it happening any other way. 

The celebrating of Bandaddy's life has only just begun. I want to share with you the words of some of my family members and friends from around the community of Gainesville, GA. 

Louisa, my best friend and little cousin, represented the 7 grandchildren at the funeral and talked about how special our grandfather was to us. Her words are perfect. I couldn't have said it better myself. 

"We have all come to know John Jacobs Jr. as a father, grandfather, brother, cousin, or friend but to his 7 grandchildren he had a title no one else has. He was our Bandaddy which is a category all on it’s own.

When we think back on his long and prosperous life, we realize that he was a pretty unique man…. one of those people you hope to come across in your life. His character is multi-faceted; making him accessible and he easily connected to everyone he met. We are blessed to have shared so much time with him, and even more blessed to have inherited some of his amazing traits.

Rand is the oldest grandson and shares Bandaddy’s ongoing tenacity and perseverance.

Lydiann the oldest granddaughter has his unconditional love for our family and the vision for achieving more that Bandaddy was known for.

Mary London shares his overwhelming passion for life and his ability to connect with people no matter the circumstance.

Her twin brother, Haughton has the ability to serve others without the need for recognition.

Then there is Emmy who without a doubt received his dramatic flare and like Bandaddy, never avoids the opportunity to shine.

The baby of the family (though definitely not in size) John carries the name, the looks, and the commanding presence of Bandaddy.

The trait I share is the reason I am up here today. Bandaddy and I both love being in front of people and of course we both love a good party.

While we each contain a piece of Bandaddy in these traits, we are amazed that he had them all.

In him, we had someone there who believed in us. Whether we were on the basketball court, working as a chef, performing as the star of the show (I was Annie in the play Annie), or doing mission work, Bandaddy whole-heartedly supported us.

When remembering his life, we realize especially how the past week has changed us all. His last few days gave us a strength we were unaware of… one that could come only from his never-ending love.

And that is an emotion he shares especially with Meme.

On their 50^th anniversary we all gathered to celebrate. I remember all of us asking how they met. Meme and Bandaddy told us of their love story where they met on the Queen Mary. Of course we asked questions like, “Did you stay up all night?” and “Meme, did you kiss him?” but as the 7 of us questioned our grandparents on their story, Bandaddy was looking at Meme the whole time with nothing but a smile.

Meme and Bandaddy have shown the 7 of us what seemless love is. Bandaddy loved you , Meme and that has proven to us that we should never settle for anything less than what the two of you shared.

Bandaddy was a legend whose legacy is far reaching and lives through each of us. 

88 years was not enough for any of us…not by far…. but we remember the unspoken lessons he taught and pledge to live them every day.

We know that he is up there right now telling God all about the 7 of us, and God is smiling saying, 'Well done my good and faithful servant.'"

My mom boldly spoke at the funeral after Louisa and shared about why her Dad was so amazing.

"But the greatest of these is love.

If what you’ve already heard was not done with love --as it clearly declares, in I Corinthians 13 – it would’ve be only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

But that wasn’t the case.
My father had love. He gave love. He did everything in love.

When I was a sophomore in college, I failed a course. I’m sure Dad had all the normal parental reactions - but what I remember was the handwritten letter I received from him. What came across in his words gave me the drive to never have that happen again, encouragement and most of all – his never ending love.

For the last decade, my father pretended to be retired. As Jay and Anna took over the reins of the family business, they could be assured of a daily visit to the office or a very early morning email. Whatever ideas, promotions or projects my father shared in those visits and emails, he ended them with the words -- love always, Bandaddy.

My dad effortlessly showed his love for God.

He willingly showed his love of people, his country, his community and his profession.

His grandchildren continually felt his loving encouragement.

He loved my brother, Jay  -- and me. As children, we never realized how much our father gave to others – we thought he gave it all to us! The longer he lived, the more we treasured him and the time he shared with us.

Especially, he loved my mother.  He loved her from the time he met her on board the Queen Mary. It didn’t too take long for him to convince her of that either! He proposed 10 days after they met  -- and he loved, cherished and honored her for 53 years.

Love always perseveres. Love never fails.
Just like our memories of Dad. "

After my mom spoke, the Lord led me to pray in front of the massive crowd that was there for Bandaddy.

"Heavenly Father,  I come before you today full of thankfulness. I thank you for the life of Bandaddy. I thank you for the many lives that were impacted simply through the radiation of your love through him. I thank you that death has already been conquered and victory is yours through Christ Jesus. I thank you that because of the death and the resurrection of your son, Bandaddy is now perfectly healthy, perfectly full of joy, and most importantly, in perfect communion with you. I praise you for Bandaddy’s life and for the display of your constant goodness throughout his 88 years on earth.

Lord, we thank you for community and that you do not call us to walk through hardship alone. Spirit, we claim that you are the mighty comforter and the mighty counselor and that we need you, especially in this time. Jesus, we are desperate for your grace, for your mercy, and for your love every second. And we praise you because you are always faithful to lavish that on us daily. We love you and give you all the glory. It’s in the powerful name of Jesus I pray, Amen." 

It wasn't just John Jacobs' family that was impacted by his life. Here are just a few of the articles written about my stud of a grandfather.

Mitch Clarke- "Jacobs' legacy will live on in grandkids."

Katie Austin- "Remembering John W. Jacobs Jr." 

AccessNorthGa- "Community remembers business, civic leader, John W. Jacobs Jr."

Jay Andrews- "Words of Mr. John W. Jacobs Jr." 

Thank you, Jesus, for the life of John W. Jacobs Jr. 

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. What do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time." Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

"What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8: 31-39

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations."

Psalm 100

romancer God. pursuer God.

The whole entire summer was full of learning about the different characteristics of God and who He truly is. It’s crazy to think that all 20 years of my life I have only known part of what makes God the incredibly large and immensely intentional God that He really is. Although I have learned literally hundreds of truths about our Creator, I am only going to elaborate on one due to the amount of time I have to do this.

 An essential quality that I never knew about my God until this summer was seeing Him as a pursuer. Yeah, I knew God was my Heavenly Father, my provider, my protector, and my friend, but not once did I think of God as a lover or someone who pursued me. With that, it’s not like some middle school boyfriend that likes and “pursues” the girl in his homeroom class, but a God who is so madly in love with me (Jeremiah 31:3), enthralled with my beauty (Psalm 45:11), and knows every tiny thing about me (Psalm 139:1) yet still chooses to relentlessly pursue me. Man, what a life changing realization! The cool thing is that God’s pursuit did not start this summer when I started acknowledging it, but it started way before I was even born (Jeremiah 1:4). That’s crazy. God fixed my eyes on Him in such a new way this summer that it almost feels like I’ve been blind for all 20 years of my life.

With an elevated perspective from the Lord, I started to acknowledging little details and gifts God put in my day specifically for me. One example in particular sticks out to me and it is too sweet of a gift from God not to share it. One day in Nairobi, we made a road trip up to an orphanage in the Kinangop area started by a couple from Texas. We were there to meet them and see how they ran things instead of hanging out with the children because they were busy with school. At the end of our awesome tour of Naomi’s Village we went into the dining room to say our goodbye’s to the staff and to say hello to the kids quickly before we left. God, knowing my heart and desiring to give me the desires of my heart (Psalm 37:4), knows that nothing makes me happier than simply hugging and loving on kids, African kids in particular. The second I walked in the room, a boy with the biggest smile and tons of bracelets on his arm ran and jumped into my arms. He told me his name was Kevin and asked me what my name was. That was the extent of our conversation, but he didn’t get out of my arms until I walked out of the door. God just lavished His love on me through Kevin that day in such a tender way that I will never forget how near He felt to me. Simply because it is His desire to do so (1 John 3:1). That is only one example of how our insanely cool God showed me that He wants to by my everything, not just my Father, and that nothing will every separate me from His love. (Romans 8:38)

I know it's not much a blog, but God is faithful. Man, He is faithful! It's cool being here in Birmingham, Alabama almost two months after my encounter with Kevin and seeing the growth that God has down in my heart since then. God continues to woo me every single day so I only become more in love with Him. I'm giddy right now as I type this. Everyday is filled with God winks specifically for me. I am loved by the King. 

Next week, I am going to return to my regular thankfulness blogging routine, but since I'm already off schedule right now I'm just going to list 5ways God has been faithful TODAY. 

1. This morning God was faithful in allowing me to spend quality time with Him without being bogged down with homework, hanging out with friends, or anything else. Just me simply being romanced by His word and silence.

2. Hebrews 10:23. God was faithful in giving me clarity. Phil. 1:6. He who promised is faithful.

3. God is faithful every single day in giving me community. Authentic, deep community.

4. 1 Thess. 5:23-24. He is also faithful in the constant process of sanctification. Faithful in peeling back and destroying layers of ME and shaping me more into the likeness of Jesus.

5. God continues to remind me of the work He is doing in Kenya. He gives me different visions, thoughts, memories, and names everyday to pray for. He will be faithful to complete what he has started. Phil. 1.6

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is FAITHFUL." Hebrews 10:23

"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Phil. 1:6

"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." 1 Thess. 5:23-24

Happy Life.

"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." [James 1:27 NLT]

I have been trying to figure out how I am going to blog about my two months spent in Kenya, but I continue to put it off because it somewhat stresses me out. This morning I woke up in tears with a huge burden on my heart for some of my dear friends in Kenya at an orphanage called Happy Life Children's Home. As I was praying, God reminded me that He is present in Kenya just as He was with me in the midst of tears and continues to be as I write this blog. With that being said, I can't keep putting this off. I have a responsibility to share with my friends, family, community, the Church, strangers, anyone and everyone what God is doing in Kenya. I think God gave me that hurt this morning so that I would stop living comfortably and start talking about the reality of life for our brothers and sisters across the world. I pray that the Spirit would speak through me and that which is not truth simply fades away. So here goes one out of many blogs about Africa...

Just stop and acknowledge God's beauty through these two.

By the joy in their hearts, you would never be able to tell that these two beautiful children are orphans and have been since the day they were born. Leah (pronounced Leya like the princess on Star Wars), on the right, is the oldest orphan at Happy Life Children's Home in Nairobi. At six years old she  knows all the names of the 44 other orpahans. She will put them in her lap and sing "Jesus loves you." Leah's young mother left her to the orphanage the day she was born, but her father who is much older will not sign her over to the orphanage, but refuses to take care of her which means that Leah cannot be adopted. Happy Life is doing as much as they can, but not much progress has been made. Leah asks the staff daily "Ambapo ni mama yangu?" which translates to where is my mom. Pray that God will soften the heart of Leah's real father so he will sign her fully over to the orphanage so that she can be adopted.

Crazy Leah. Nakupenda sana. Taken by Joseph Metzger.

The boy that she is holding is my main man, Leo. In this picture, Leo was sick so he doesn't have the huge smile on his face like he normally does. I automatically fell in love with Leo's joy and hardly left his side when I was at Happy Life. Leaving Leo was so hard, but God gave me a peace  about him being adopted soon. My first week back stateside I found out that Leo was being adopted! I was so excited that this sweet little boy was finally going to have a family of his own! A week after that, I got a message saying that Leo had passed away. No one knew that Leo was sick enough to die from it and they still don't really know why he passed. This is unfortunately not a rare occurrence. Because there is not much room, the kids are in really close living quarters so if one gets sick it's possible that they all get sick. They also don't have much medical attention and simple medicines for allergies, sinus infections, and diarrhea so many children die of sickness that we treat so easily here.

My last day with baby Leo.

Unfortunately, these aren't just sad stories that you hear on occasion. This is real life for the people of Kenya. Stuff like this happens daily. Happy Life is such an awesome place with an incredible staff. I thank God everyday that these kids are in an orphanage rather than on the street. I praise God that He is relentlessly pursuing every single child and staff member at Happy Life. I thank God that they have a few staff members and volunteers to show them the love of Christ instead of absolutely no one. I thank God that they get to eat porridge instead of nothing. I thank God that these children have beds to sleep in, even if they do share them with multiple kids. 

BUT- man, what a powerful word! We, as the body of Christ, as the Church, can do something about it. For starters, we can PRAY. That seems like such a insignificant thing to do because I feel like we have watered down the power of prayer, but throughout last semester and this summer God adjusted my vision on prayer. I'm not going to go into it, but it's pretty stinkin' huge. We can pray that God will provide more volunteers, more staff members, and more resources for Happy Life. Pray that God will awaken the Church to His love for orphans. Pray for the staff that is already there- for their hearts to be rooted in Christ, that God continues to awaken them to the Spirit and source of strength, peace, comfort, and counseling that dwells inside of them. We can pray individually for each of the kids- for families!!! For their future families and for God to continue to awaken them to His irresistible love. 

My sweet friend, Judy, who works for Happy Life. 

I guess that's the biggest thing I'm asking for...I'm begging for, actually. I wish I could describe to you how much I love these kids which that doesn't even compare to how much God loves them. 

For more information on the children, the staff, how to donate or volunteer visit their website: http://www.happylifechildrenshome.com

Resting in truth:

"For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." 

[Romans 8:14-17 NIV]

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure." 

[1 John 3:1-3 NIV]

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he CHOSE us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."

[Ephesians 1:3-6 NIV]


"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. FOr we are God's co-workers; you are God's field, God's building." 
[1 Corinthians 3:6-9]

"I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far..."

[Philippians 1:23 NIV]

Week 7.

This week has been crazy trying to see family and friends, going to graduation parties, and preparing for Africa. It's been a good crazy week. Although I can name TONS of things that I am thankful for this week, I've got to dedicate this blog post to one specific place: Camp High 
Harbour.

Some of you are just going to go ahead and stop reading and others of you just got so giddy. You either love it or hate it.  When it comes down to it, those who hate it are really just jealous. All of us "camp kids" have inside jokes about the Spirit Stick (notice the capitalization...it's THAT important), memory lessons, good PJ's and EJ's, Lake Burton Grocery, COW songs, and of course RVing on the BT. Hate it if you want to, but as for me love is an understatement. 

It seems like yesterday that Savannah Hodge and I loaded up our sticker covered trunks onto our pontoon boat and made our very first trip to the beautiful waterfront of High Harbour. As 7 year old Cabin Sunshine campers, we had no idea just how much this place would mean to us.


We made our way from the air conditioned Cabin Sunshine, spent two years in "haunted" Cabin 1, rounded out our time as pathfinders in Cabin 2, and moved on to bigger and better things in Watersports and Trailblazers. Our moms thought we were crazy when we asked to spend more than a week at camp as 10 year olds. But it wasn't us that were crazy. It was camp that was crazy. And we loved it.

I can't even begin to describe what makes camp so crazy awesome. It could be the Malibu boats that we get to go wakeboarding and bunbusting on every single day. It could be jumping and singing to "Prince of Peace" on repeat for 10 minutes straight without a break. It could the joy of every Wednesday's ADVENTURE DAY complete with a coke and a candy bar. It could be the competition for the Spirit Stick whether that's painting up at every event we go to, screaming our lungs out before meals, spending too much money on bribes, or waking up at 6AM only to make all of our campers jump in the lake. It could be the delicious dining hall meals, especially the taco salad and cinnamon toast. It could be a lot of things and I think it is, but the main thing that makes Camp High Harbour so crazy awesome is the people.


Little did I know that I would meet some of my biggest role models, mentors, bridesmaids, and best friends at camp. Where do I even start? Two words: DYKE SQUAD. No, we did not come up with the name. It evolved from the "bros" realizing our obsession for each other. We couldn't deny it. They were right.


It all started when I called Savannah on the phone in my playhouse when I was two years old. We were attached at the hip. Fast forward 18 years later and not much has changed. There was no way we were not going to camp together. You couldn't split us up even if you tried. After a few great years, Savannah and I, feeling adventurous, decided to leave the not so adventurous side of pathfinders and join the best side of camp: Watersports and Trailblazers.

 I remember our first day in Watersports like it was yesterday. We didn't fit in with anyone in the cabin. We wanted to go back to pathfinders. Then the carry over campers from the week before returned. One blonde girl walks into the cabin with the biggest smile on her face, enthusiastically says hello to the 10 unfamiliar faces staring at her, gives the counselors the biggest hugs, and then introduces herself as Brittany Longosz. We thought she was the coolest. Savannah and I instantly knew we had no chance at winning "Camper of the Week." By the end of the week we realized that the friendship between the three of us was not about to end. 

On closing day of session 7, Savannah and I hiked our trunks up Kill Hill to the world of Trailblazers in the gym. Sad about leaving Brittany and life in Watersports, we were terrified about not knowing anyone in our new cabin. We joined a cabin full of the typical campers who were too excited for their own good. Realizing we were nervous, this calm yet bubbly blonde reassures us that the life of a 'blazer was the best. Kate Rounds, the bubbly girl that made us feel at home on our first day, ended up being our best friend by the end of the week. Naturally.

Friday night of session 8 rolled around and Savannah, Kate and I were enjoying our last night as trailblazers. We ran into Brittany and her cool new Watersports friends in the middle of the dance and you would've thought that we hadn't seen each other in years. It was extremely dramatic and completely necessary. We introduced Britt to Kate and Britt introduced us to Caroline Young, her new best friend. We hardly even knew each other, but the level of obsession was high and it has yet to decrease. 

We were the "Fantastic 5" and there was no possible way that anyone was cool enough to join our group of friends. Then we met Margaret Story and everything changed. Miss priss ended up being in our LIT group 7-9. Everyone loved her- from the Cabin 8 guy counselors to our LIT PD's. Leader In Training year was one of the hardest years at camp, but it was also my favorite year and I have these girls to thank for that.

The six of us made it past LIT year and we were big, bad Counselors In Training and we thought we were the cream of the crop. On the first day we were greeted by the biggest smile and sweetest personality. We knew this girl wasn't a Burton girl. For some reason, the Lord moved Shannon Dooley from her home at Rabun Gap to the better site at Burton and we are SO glad He did. 

There you have it. The Dyke Squad. It's hard to believe that it's been six years since the first time I met these girls. I love that it's been that long and I can say without a doubt in my mind that they are some of my best friends. We have a Facebook thread that's been going on for about four years now called "Marge's no good very bad day." I think that sums up our friendship perfectly.

It doesn't stop there though.


As the years at camp went on, the relationships at camp were much bigger than the silly group name of the Dyke Squad. Around our assistant counselor year, the guys finally started hanging out with us. Thank the Lord. As fratty and ridiculous as they are, they became our best friends. These friendships go way past the gate of Camp High Harbour. The group kept multiplying and as cheesy as it sounds, we became a family. We have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. We have been through the hardest times and some of the best times. We have fought over the Spirit Stick, shared tears about family problems, rejoiced with college acceptances, spent numerous nights at Ryan's cabin, and celebrated UGA victories and it will only continue.

I am thankful. I am thankful for camp friends. I am thankful for divine appointments. I am thankful for a boss that cares about his staff. I am thankful for the 14 summers I spent at camp.

It's hard to believe that this summer will be my first summer since I was seven years old not going to camp. Am I sad? Extremely. But the memories trump the sadness any day. The Lord has used camp to shape me into the person I am today. There is no chance that I will forget about my times at camp. The memories and friendships that I have because of camp go with me wherever I go.

On May 25, Shannon will be in South Africa, Brittany will start nursing school in Tuscaloosa, Margaret will hold down the fort in Athens, Kate will be playing her role of "Momma Bear" in Suwanne, I will jet  off to Africa, and Savannah and Caroline will head up to Camp to help change the lives of campers who have no idea just how much their time at camp will eventually mean to them.