Jacob's spotlight

Sometimes it is nice when one child can have a little focus just on them. The past week has given Jacob a few moments of special attention. In the past, our kids have been nominated to attent People to People Leadership Forum's but we have never been in a situation to be able to consider it. This year is no different. But... Last week, Jacob recieved notification that he has been nominated to attend the People to People World Leadership Forum in Washington DC. It is an honor to be nominated. A child must be nominated by a teacher based on their academic achievements as well as their character.

The first notification simply tells the child that they are nominated and to look in the mail for more details. Bless Jacob's heart. He was so excited. Washington DC is a dream of his. I went several years ago with my job and he begged me to take pictures of everything. He coudn't wait to hear all about the trip and see the pictures. So the thought of traveling to DC was thrilling to him! He asked me how long I thought it would be until he got the letter that told him more. He went to the mailbox everyday waiting for it. When it came, he was ecstatic... until he read the cost. To attend the conference, it would be $2295.00 .. plus travel costs to get there and back. It was as if the wind was knocked out of him.

You see, Jacob has had the hardest adjustment since we have adopted Ri and Elizabeth. I really don't need to go into detail, for his sake, but it has been difficult sharing mom's time... actually ...rarely getting mom's attention anymore. He has been so loving and caring towards the kids. And.. he has matured so much. The 2 trips to China have really given him a strength far beyond what he would have had at this time had we not gone (guess I am taking God out of the equation - but I am confident that God used these 2 precious adoptions to mold Jacob into who he has become so far). I would have never dreamed of letting my 12 year old travel to DC without us, on his own..did I say on his own? It wasn't too long ago that Jacob would have been terrified to be without us for that long, let alone go somewhere that he knew NOONE all by himself! But there was something about his intense love of history, love of DC, and his excitement of that letter that hit my heart hard. Mark and I talked about it and were open to the idea. We just had to wait and see what it would cost.

Yep - you guessed it, the cost put a stop to our ideas. But, Jacob and I started talking about it. He was willing to work hard and earn the money... but he was so overwhelmed at the large amount that he began to lose hope. We began to pray about it and started really searching for ideas of how he could earn the money. We checked into scholarships and fundraising and opportunities for work. Our conclusion... it is a leap of faith! At this moment in time, he has been approved to run a concession stand during the YMCA soccer season. The YMCA is going to sell lolipops and candy bars at their front desk for him, a very dear friend of ours has agreed to put lollipops and candy bars at their pizza counter for him to sell. His Mamaw hired him to help them move on Saturday and paid him (much too much, but she's a precious, generous Mamaw who loves her babies!) And the teacher who nominated him shared that she would hire him for manual labor over the summer. Jacob has begun to feel like God just may help him raise the money he needs... one penny at a time! It is so exciting to watch him plan and think about what he could do. As soon as he is officially accepted into the Forum, he will send out sponsorship letters to Kiwanis, Lyons, and Jaycees as well as other businesses and possibly friends and family. I am so proud of him for his desire to raise the money himself.

So, as we watched the doors begin to open, Jacob sent his application in. It was a big step of faith for him. This morning, he practiced his "speech" he was going to deliver to a teacher for a letter of recommendation. That is a huge step for Jacob. Looking people in the eye and saying the right words is definitely out of his comfort zone.

All that to say, Jacob .. we are excited for you. I am excited to watch God work in your life as you prepare to be the leader God wants you to be.

Jacob will tentatively be spending Sept 28 - Oct 5 in DC. He has 8 months to raise his money. If you have any jobs that you would entrust a 12 year old boy to do... maybe you could keep him in mind. If you have any great fund raising ideas, he would welcome that as well.