We kept repairing his "chipped tooth" and he kept breaking it off because he chewed on his pencils when he was writing. He wrote all his books by hand first...and was very particular about his writing utensils!

This is a picture of part of the fencing he moved for me after we had put it up a few years ago. We had to move it all back this summer, about 10 feet away from the water because of the "liver fluke" issue the goats were having. So Jake went out during the day while I was working and moved fencing. 

Jake posted "I am a god of fence building." He took great pride in his fencing and it was no small task to put it up, keep it together and working. He often took long walks with the dogs to "check the fencing" and reported back on its status and condition.

I went shopping to Tractor Supply today (Aug. 25th) to buy 50 more fence panels for the final area of fencing left to do on the farm. Jacob had drawn a map on the aerial view of the farm with all the rotational pastures we had created over the past few years, numbering and naming them. We had one section left to do before he left for China this last time.  

Tomorrow I will be building the fence alone -- finishing what Jake and I started...

Jake was very proud of the fact he ate the bugs from vendors on the streets in China. Delicious was his verdict!

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This is one of the most recent videos created by Jacob. While he was home with us this last time he grew a beard, but as he got ready to go back to China he was asked to shave the beard off. Well, of course something this dramatic had to be recorded and a "commentary" put together by Jacob as he turned the simple shaving of a beard into a two act play...I laugh every time I watch this. It is fun to see his playful nature and great sense of humor...it is wonderful to hear his amazing laugh and deep baritone voice.

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and then there was this...Jacob often articulated "over clearly" for his students and this often became a habit of his normal speech pattern....

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Jacob decided later in high school that he was going to learn how to play guitar so he went online and learned it off the internet. He had a very deep voice...I had forgotten how low he could sing! He is a bit "off tune" to begin, but bear with him as he performs what he claims to be the "oldest folk song" that everyone "thinks" Nirvana wrote (he corrects that...). 

Maybe it is good he was a writer?!?

Thank you  to student and Lander Tee from Sias University for sending me this...

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1 John 5:19: We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

Jake focused on 1John 5:19 and had it written everywhere, including a tattoo of it on his forearm. Jacob had posted: “One day, when bravery is a common commodity, I just might get this tattooed on my forearm."  Sometime before he died he had received this tattoo covering the whole span of the inside of his left forearm...

He also had this bible verse written in his bible in every bible translation (NIV, NKJ, Living, etc). Jake studied the bible, he did not just "read" it and he interpreted it into the historical, cultural, religious, and political contexts of the times. His bible was filled with notes and messages to others and himself. As I search for answers to his death and for understanding of his mind and soul when he died, I believe it is important to put this verse into the context it was written in order to understand why it was so important to him...

"1 John 5:13–21 closes out John's letter by focusing on assurance of salvation. The goal of John's letter is to provide believers with a means to know, for sure, that they have eternal life. Those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ can be absolutely sure that they are saved. Despite our failures and sins, God is forgiving. And, through Christ, we have the power to overcome the world's temptations to sin."

We know Jake struggled with alcohol addiction and I believe that when he would fail in his struggle to remain sober, he claimed this scripture because he knew that God was always with him, a higher power not intent on judging him but rather, loving him...allowing him to have courage and faith to face another day with hope that he would be victorious over his addiction.

Jacob was deeply loved -- and he touched the lives of many. He lived life fully and embraced others who he came across in his life journey. May God welcome him into his arms and may he have peace...

"This awesome kid at an orphanage in Zhengzhou, Henan Province kept giving us invisible gifts. A genuine sentiment of kindness and generosity displayed by someone too young to have surrendered a sacred imagination..." -- jake

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Jacob was not afraid to try anything that he encountered in China. He particularly had a hard time eating Chinese food because it was all so spicy...but that didn't stop him from trying! This video made me laugh as he puts his whole heart into it. 

He commented: 

"I randomly selected a restaurant off of Renmin Road in Xinzheng, Henan Province, China. I ate a chickens foot, went scooter riding, and then spent an hour in my bathroom... getting to know myself." - jake

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We often went skiing as a family as well as with our Faribault youth group over the years. We loved getting the kids on the ski slopes to get rid of their excess energy. Jake was particularly a daredevil on the slopes and often would fly down the Black Diamond slopes. Only problem was he never figured out how to stop very well and did a great job sliding in on his butt OR slamming into the doors of the ski lodge! He was carried off the slopes once by the emergency rescue team during one youth ski trip...I am sure he enjoyed the ride! He ended up coming to work with me at Marquette University and was bedridden for 2 days - he loved it and arranged all his little "food" around him which I constantly had to replenish. He spent his days watching the cartoon channel in the hotel...forget the pain it really was a vacation for him :)....

Jake was crazy about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (along with his brother Aaron). He would create stories and play as if he was a Ninja Turtle - kicking and karate chopping everything. They even had the Pizza Thrower Van -- which we still own to this day!

Jacob loved animals --- absolutely loved them! He always seemed to be home during kidding season and this particular year we had two bottle babies. He took it upon himself to do all the bottle feedings every 4 hours -- even in the middle of the night. His running commentary is always fun to hear and his care and affection and concern for all the animals always came through. He also named all the baby goats every year - sometimes that was 21 names he had to come up with. We got to the point we would ask him what the names were...and they always made sense :).

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Jake was always the luckiest kid I knew! I remember when he was about 9 years old playing Bible Quiz he buzzed in way too early after the quiz master said "Question number 10 for 10 pts...quotation question..." and then Jacob buzzed in! He had a 1/20 chance of getting it right...he didn't sweat nor did he squirm...he sat there and stated the question and answer like he knew it all along and guess what - he got it right!!! He became a Bible Quiz legend that day... :)

yup - the luckiest kid I knew...

"Guess who randomly stopped at a casino on the way from Minnesota to Virginia and won big bucks. I did. Put it all on a 15 hand on the blackjack table and the dealer busted. I tipped him 20 bucks (4 red chips. Are they called "chips"?)" - Jake

Jake taught online for Dalesi School in Shaoyang while he was home with us for six months before going back to China. He created "teaching" videos which included many aspects of the farm...and always included animal videos...he loved the animals!

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Jacob frequently had family members send him short videos that he could show his Chinese students.The students would have to listen and watch the video and explain what the video was about. Jake liked using these videos made by the family because the students not only learned English, they also learned a lot about the culture that their teacher grew up in. A few days before he died we sent Jake a video about our family’s “radio flyer” wagon.

When the kids were young, Nancy would work the night shift and Terry would pull Aaron, Jessi and Jake in a wagon around the neighborhood in the evenings.The video showed this picture of Aaron, Jessica and Jacob in the wagon over 30 years ago.The video ended with a shot of that same wagon on display in our home today. Jake received the video and said, “awesome video, dad.My students will love it.”  - Terry Eckstein

We camped near Mount Rushmore during a vacation to South Dakota.When we visited the national park, we wanted to take a picture to show the grandparents.The kids were standing in front of a rock wall with the Presidents in the background.Then one of the kids suggested that we scare the grandparents by positioning the kids on top of the rock wall. It looks dangerous in the photo because the terrain drops off quickly behind the wall. However, there was actually a safety ledge behind the wall to prevent a serious fall from occurring. - Terry Eckstein