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This memorial website was created in memory of Jacob J Nyenhuis, who was born in Florida April 21, 1988 and died in a car accident September 24, 2006 at the age of 18. To learn about Jacob and the details of the accident, scroll down to the "About Jacob" section. After your visit here, we would love for you to visit the website for the foundation we established in Jacob's memory - http://j9foundation.org It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation. Daniel 4:2&3 Signs and Wonders I was being prepared for Jacob's death, but I didn't know it at the time. I was given signs, visions & dreams that pointed toward what was coming. Since his death, the dreams, visions, signs and wonders have continued, but instead of pointing toward Jacob's death, they are pointing toward Heaven & Jacob's eternal life. Ultimately, they are pointing toward God. Of course, the choice is mine. I can turn a blind eye to these things, ignore them and never speak of them. I can dismiss them as mere snares on Satan's part, thereby giving him the power and glory for such amazing acts. By doing so, however, I deny the opportunity to give God the glory for His great power. I deny the peace, comfort and joy these things have brought to me, my family and countless others. I deny the love and compassion our God pours out on His children who are hurting. My choice is to give God the glory for these good gifts, to receive His tender mercies that are new every morning, to be healed by His compassion and love, to lift my hands in praise and to dance during the darkest storm of my life. Soak up the Scripture that follows. Let the words settle deep in your soul. Let your heart be softened. Then stand in awe of a mighty God as you read of the great things He has done.
This is a picture of a branch directly above Jacob's spot at Christ Church Cemetery. You can see the profile of a boy's face in the main branch. It looks remarkably similar to Jacob's profile. The sketch at the right gives you a rough idea of what the branch looks like & might help you locate it in the picture. We believe this branch was a gift from God. He knew Jacob's ashes would one day be kept directly under this branch and how this branch would comfort us. Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Deuteronomy 4:9 Since no one knows the future, who can tell him what is to come? No one has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death. -Ecclesiastes 8:7&8a The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the rightheous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death. -Isaiah 57:1&2
As you go, preach this message: The Kingdom of Heaven is near. Matt 10:7
So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Matthew 10:26&27
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!" Matt 27:50-54
The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of Heaven has been given to you, but not to them. This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. Matt 13:11 & 13
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25 Then Jesus said, (Just before He raised Lazarus from the dead) "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" John 11:40
"I tell you," Jesus replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." Luke 19:40 This is why I (Sandy) share the stories of God's goodness, in the midst of tragedy and heartache. He does not desert us. In fact, He is closer than ever and can reveal His glory in mighty ways as He chooses. May you have a renewed hope as you ponder the goodness, power and glory of God. Please do not stand in awe of the accounts shared here. Stand in awe of God. He works in the spiritual and physical realms in mysterious ways. As Gabriel, the angel, said to Mary, "Nothing is impossible with God." What could be more mysterious, impossible and unbelievable than God coming to earth as a child in a feeding trough to a poor, un-wed, virgin mother? He does, indeed, work in mysterious ways that are able to blow open the doors of our present understanding of how He works. Isn't this exactly what needed to happen with the religious authorities when Jesus came on the scene, despite all of the prophecies? God reveals Himself to us daily in a multitude of ways! The question might be: Do we have eyes to see and ears to hear ALL of the ways He chooses to do this? To God be the glory forever and ever! We speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him--BUT GOD HAS REVEALED IT TO US BY HIS SPIRIT. The spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 1 Cor. 2:7-10 ...but there is a God in Heaven who reveals mysteries. Daniel 2:28a
My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one deceives you with fine-sounding arguments. Col. 2:2-4 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. And you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over EVERY power and authority. Col. 2:8 Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert (the place I entered when Jacob died) and speak tenderly to her. Hosea 2:14 A Visit From Across the Veil ~ June 2009 On the night of June 8th, my niece's 10-year-old daughter was having a dream about an upcoming school field trip when she awoke. She saw a large oval of light in front of her in her bedroom. In that light was an 18-year-old boy, Zech. Zech attended the same church as her family, and had died three weeks earlier from injuries he sustained in a car accident. Zech began talking to her and asked if she would tell his parents something. "Tell them I'm sorry for not wearing my seat belt. Tell them that I miss them dearly but we will see each other again. Tell Ben and Rachel (Zech's younger brother and sister) that I love them and want them to know that we can hug each other again when they get to Heaven. Tell my mom & dad I love them & we can have another dinner together in Heaven. Thank you . . . could you tell my parents these things?" Then a chair appeared within the light. A person was sitting in the chair and got up and walked toward Zech. When she looked closely at the person, she realized it was Jacob, our son. Jacob took ahold of Zech's hand and said, "Let's go." They turned and walked away. As they did that, the light began to move away and fade. My niece was amazed her daughter had such a vivid experience. Her daughter knows without a doubt that she was awake. As my niece told me the story, I believed it was possible for the experience to be real. She asked me whether or not to share the story with Zech's parents, and my response was yes. I mentioned that it would be very interesting to see if there was anything in Zech's message that would be especially meaningful and comforting to the family. My niece wrote out what had happened and sent it to the family, hoping that it would not upset them. A day or two later, Zech's mom wrote back. She explained how she had been to the cemetery that Monday evening and became very emotional. She was sad and angry and started asking Zech why he wasn't wearing his seat belt. She wanted to know why he never made it home for dinner, especially when she had prepared his favorite meal. She told Zech that his younger brother and sister needed him. That same night is when my niece's daughter had the visit from Zech and Jacob. Zech's mother never told anyone about crying and scolding her son at the cemetery that evening. She was astounded to hear the words Zech spoke in this vision or visit. They were the perfect responses to her questions at the cemetery. She knew the experience my niece's daughter had was real. God decided to use a 10-year-old girl to deliver a message of love and compassion to a mother who was hurting. His mercies are so tender. His love is so real and so perfect. God is good! ZJG8E4
Mother's Day 2009 A few people have wondered if we had any special "Jacob" moments this Mother's Day, so I thought I'd share a little about the day. We started out by going to church and enjoyed a wonderful service. The key word in today's message was "linger." We were encouraged to linger with God rather than rush around in the busyness of our lives, partly because it is in the lingering that relationships are deepened. It was an interesting choice for a word because it is the same word we have used to describe what Jacob did before he left our house on the day of his accident, despite the fact that he was running late. Jacob seemed to linger. It confused us on that day, but maybe it was a little clearer after today's message. Perhaps God was nudging Jacob to linger a bit so we could experience one more moment together. Thank you, God, if that was so.
A few times during the service, emotions swept over me, and I couldn't hold back the tears. Michael felt the same thing happen. I've referred to it as a Holy Spirit cry. God touches us in the deepest parts of our soul and we have no choice but to weep. This does not happen very often, so when it does, there is no denying that it is special. We enjoyed a great meal at one of my favorite restaurants, the same restaurant where several of us shared a meal with Jacob two days after his graduation from high school. We had forgotten that just outside the restaurant is a man-made pond area where several turtles reside. Turtles. A sweet reminder of Jacob. It was nice to walk along the dock overlooking the water and remember the fun times we had together as a family on our jet-skis.
Our next stop was the beach, but we had to go home to get changed into our swimsuits and pack a cooler. While I was getting the drinks together, I heard a noise and saw one of our dogs go to an area of the living room and begin sniffing around. A picture had fallen and the dog was sniffing the area around the picture. It was a picture of the beautiful sunrise from the morning of Jacob's memorial service. In the matting around the picture, a relative of ours had printed "God Is Real" "Heaven Is Real" and "Jacob Is Alive!" Maybe God wanted us to remember that. Maybe Jacob wanted us to remember that, especially on Mother's Day, a day when I ached over not having my son with me.
Our time at the beach was peaceful and relaxing. We stopped at Christ Church cemetery to visit Jacob's spot. I was surprised to find the peace lily I had put there over a week earlier still looking strong and healthy. We haven't had rain in weeks and the heat has fully arrived. Without water, those lilies usually begin to wilt rather quickly. We stood there telling funny Jacob stories for awhile. The laughter was healthy and good. But part of me wanted to fall on the ground and wail. What a horrible substitute for having your son wrap his arms around you in a hug and tell you he loves you--visiting his ashes at a cemetery. I knew I couldn't focus on that thought for my own good and the good of my family.
We ended the evening with homemade pizzas and a game of Chicken Leg, two things our family always enjoyed together.
Was It Just A Coincidence? I was recently being interviewed during a video shoot. The date was April 4, 2009. As a result of writing extensively about the experience of losing a child and the grief that comes with it, I've been invited by various people to write columns or to be a guest on radio shows to discuss these topics. My decision was to write exclusively for a website that is being produced by two women who have extensive backgrounds in medical news reporting. They both are from the community in which I grew up, and one happens to be a very close friend from high school. During my interview, we heard a loud crash. A picture had fallen off the wall in the home where we were doing the taping. It hit a tile floor and the glass shattered. We were all rather shocked, considering that everyone in the house had to remain quiet and still during the shoot. No one was near the picture to cause it to move or vibrate. We resumed the interview minutes later. When we were done, I went to see what had happened. Part of me could not help but wonder if something were going on in another realm. I laughed as I wondered if Jacob could be involved somehow. The picture that fell was a drawing done by the son of the couple who owned the home. He was a little boy when he drew it. The fact that it was their son's picture caught my attention since I had lost my son, but it was a picture of a clown. I couldn't think of any connection Jacob would have to a clown. We had a clown in our home at one of his birthday parties when he was little, but that seemed unimportant.
Since I was speaking of Jacob's death and the grieving process when the picture fell, I still wondered if something more was going on. A couple of people wondered if it was a form of spiritual warfare trying to distract us from the good we were doing by giving people hope in the midst of despair. The glass shattering was a bit destructive, but considering that no one was hurt and the picture wasn't damaged, I didn't feel a strong sense of warfare. But maybe it was. I tried to dismiss it. Three days later, I found myself lying awake in the early hours of the morning. I have learned from past experience that when this happens, God is trying to speak to me or He wants me to pray specifically for someone or something. I prayed for awhile then remained quiet. The clown picture wasn't on my mind until two startling things were revealed. First, it hit me that the day of the video shoot was the one year anniversary of my father's death. I have no idea how I let that day slip by me unaware, but I did. Was my dad nearby that day? My dad wasn't around much as I was growing up, but my husband suggested he might want me to know that he's around now, in ways he never was before. My dad loved to write, and he encouraged me in my writing. Maybe he wanted me to know he was there and that he was aware I was writing again. Can people who have died be near like that? Given the multiple accounts shared by mature and grounded Christians, it seems so. My dad was quite a clown, always doing goofy things and telling jokes, but it seemed a stretch to connect that to the clown picture. The second revelation was more significant. My friend from high school was the person who was interviewing me during the video shoot. When Jacob was born, that same friend sent a gift for him. The gift? It was a CLOWN sitting in a drum. The clown and drum were actually a music box. When it was wound up, the music played and the clown slowly danced around. That clown remained on a dresser in Jacob's room until he was 8 years old. The spring before Jacob died, I found the clown music box while going through some things in the attic. I showed it to Jacob and reminded him it was a gift from my friend. He remembered it very well. We recognized the tune instantly after winding it up and letting it play. Was there a connection between my dad, the anniversary of his death, my writing, the clown picture, the clown music box my friend sent for Jacob and the interview between my friend and me? Who knows? But what an amazing coincidence that all of those things would come together at that same moment. Snowfall and Snafus in the South Early March, 2009, my husband and I went to visit our daughter on the beautiful campus of The University of Georgia in Athens. It was a Sunday morning and our daughter was excited to take us to church with her. She had found a church she loved right near campus and couldn't wait for us to experience a worship service with her. At the hotel before church, my husand and I had just finished breakfast and were headed back to the room. As I pushed the button to the elevator, I felt a strange electrical sort of vibration in my hand and arm. The lights flickered, then the hotel completely lost power. In moments, the generator kicked in and the lights came back on, but the elevator remained inoperable nearly an hour later as we checked out of the hotel. The church service was wonderful! As we left the auditorium and looked out the windows, we were amazed to see snow starting to fall!!! In Athens, Georgia, snow like that had not fallen in 30 years or more. By the time we were done with lunch and my husband & I were ready to leave campus, quite a bit of snow had already accumulated on the ground. We stopped at a gas station just outside of town. When I pushed the button on the hand dryer in the restroom of the gas station, the lights flickered and the power went out for a few moments. I walked out feeling kind of guilty. People at the register were busy talking about the brief loss of power, including a woman who was very concerned about the gas pump shutting off. What was happening? Why did the power go out twice the very moment I touched an electronic device? I was completely perplexed. As we made our way down the road, traffic came to a standstill. We couldn't see the cause, but it was obvious it was going to be awhile before things started moving on that two-lane road, so we turned around and opted to take the road on which Jacob was killed. We have avoided that road but decided it was worth traveling on that day. The accident site is only 30 minutes from campus, so I wondered if the snow would still be falling when we got there. Would snow be on the cross that was placed there in memory of Jacob? Sure enough, there was. The cross looked beautiful with the snow. I hadn't seen it for months, so to see it with the snow was nice. We stopped, got out and took pictures of it. I wondered if Jacob could see how pretty that spot looked, despite the horrible event that took place there.
Five minutes down the road from the cross, I looked up from the book I was reading. Much to my surprise, there was no snow on the ground anymore. We were driving through sleet and rain. I thanked God for allowing the snow to fall as far south as the cross. It felt like He had given us a very personal, loving and beautiful gift that day--a day filled with unusual but exhilarating moments. The Case of the Missing Keys! In late February, 2009, two of my friends and I went to a weekend beach retreat for moms who have lost a child. Before leaving, we gathered at my house. The luggage was in the van, but my friends wanted a tour of our house since my husband and I had moved only a few weeks earlier. I stood on the porch and used my remote key to lock the van. After showing the house, I couldn't find my keys. We searched everywhere for nearly 20 minutes, but to no avail. It made no sense. We laughed at one point, saying our kids knew we were going away and they were playing a trick on us. Jacob knew my friends' children that had died, so it wasn't far fetched to think they might be together in Heaven. Them playing a trick on us was a bit of a stretch, but given the things we have experienced and the stories that have been told, not completely outside the realm of possibility. We grabbed my 2nd set of keys and took off. On our way back home, one of the other moms was driving my van. We stopped at a gas station, and she held the keys up saying, "See, I have the keys!" In the convenience store of the gas station, we were amazed to find several items that reminded us very much of our kids. As we headed out the door to leave, my friend who had the keys couldn't find them. I thought she was joking at first, but she was serious. We looked everywhere in the small store, including the bathroom. In a last attempt, my friend went back into the bathroom. She found them there at the very bottom of a metal trash can that was 2/3 full of paper towels. How did those keys get all the way to the bottom when the trash can was so full and no one else had gone into the bathroom after her? How did she not hear them hit the bottom of the trash can, especially since it was metal? I had this overwhelming sense that our kids REALLY were messing with us! In fact, I was certain they were telling us where my keys were back at my house. I called my husband and left a message for him to look at the bottom of our trash can. I knew it sounded strange, but I was quite sure he'd find them. Sure enough! He called back a few mins later and said that's exactly where they were! How did they get there? Why didn't I hear them when they went in? My keychain is pretty bulky and would have made some sort of noise. We can't say for sure what actually happened with the keys, but we were pretty sure our kids were involved. Rainbows & Men in White A very dear friend of mine, who is a mature and grounded Christian, recently shared a story of an experience that took place in her home shortly after Christmas. She had faced the tragic & heartbreaking death of her 24-year-old nephew only a few weeks earlier. Her brother, who is the father of the nephew who died, and the rest of his family were staying in my friend's home for a holiday visit. My friend's 7-year-old daughter came downstairs to the kitchen and said very calmly, "Mom, who's that person in white upstairs?" Because she was busy with company, my friend dismissed the comment for the moment, and her daughter walked away. With further questioning a little later, it was determined that her daughter had seen a human form that was completely white, no facial features, no clothing, just pure white. The form was approx. 6 ft tall, which could be estimated because it was near a door. My friend's daughter was not frightened by the figure at all. Hearing her story brought back memories of something that happened to one of our friends a few weeks after Jacob died. She woke up with a strong sense that one of her children was in the room. Without opening her eyes, she asked, "What do you need, honey?" She felt a bump up against her bed. Again she asked, "Do you need something?" She felt pressure on her mattress as though someone had just taken their hand and pressed down on it. At that point, she opened her eyes. That is when she saw a human figure of white light, standing at her bedside near the foot of the bed. She felt no fear. The figure was around six feet tall, in comparison to her bedpost. This friend rubbed her eyes to be sure she wasn't just seeing things. She propped herself up on her elbows to watch this form. It slowly began moving its arms as if it were dancing. After a little while, it slowly faded and was gone. The following morning she called us and asked if she could come by the house and share what had happened. Needless to say, Michael and I were amazed by what she experienced. We both could not help but wonder if there was a Jacob connection. Jacob was six feet tall, and he had just told us for the first time the weekend he was killed that he enjoyed dancing. When our friend left our home, she went directly to meet with her pastor who affirmed her experience as a wonderful, supernatural encounter and a gift from God. As I consider both of these experiences, I am struck by the similarities. Both took place within weeks of the death of a young man. They were human forms similar in size to the ones who died. There was no fear associated with either encounter. Both forms were bright white or light in appearance. Neither one had any facial features or clothing. The difference is that one appeared to a woman in her 40's while the other appeared to a child. Both people who experienced these had a connection to the ones who died, but were not an immediate family member. The rainbow I mentioned in the title comes from a story I heard today from a woman who lost her 38-year-old son in June, 2008 to ALS. Before he died, she was crying out to God, saying that she could not handle the death of her son. She was expressing to God that He needed to be with her or she'd never make it. That is when a vivid rainbow began filling the room she was in, from one end to the other! It remained about 3 minutes and faded. For her, there was no doubt God had just assured her He was with her. While she has clearly experienced tremendous grief in losing her son, what stands out far more is the joy and the peace she has, which only comes from God.
Links to News Articles About Jacob & The Accident This article has factual errors regarding the cause of the accident, but this is what was printed in the UGA campus paper: This one is a PDF file and you'll have to use the zoom button to read the letter on the left written by Jacob's father: A local newspaper, The Georgia Times-Union did a story on 2/22/09 about The J9 Foundation:
Were We Hearing Things? Michael and I were eating at a local restaurant (5 Guys) on 1/11/09, and I heard someone behind the counter yell, "Order 24!" That caught my attention simply because it was the number 24, the day Jacob died. Looking at our receipt, I saw that we had order #18. Since that was Jacob's age when he died, my thoughts were of him. The sound system in the restaurant was playing music, but there was a break in the music and an announcer was speaking. Clear as day, I heard the man say "J9." I didn't catch anything else he said because it was hard to hear, but the "J9" was perfectly clear. Wondering if it was just my imagination playing tricks on me, I looked up at Michael, who was looking at me with wide eyes and a look on his face like, "Did you just hear what I just heard?" We both laughed and Michael said, "Why in the world did that guy just say J9?" He also said he couldn't make out anything else the announcer was saying, but he had no problem hearing him say "J9." For those who don't know, J9 is the nickname some of Jacob's friends called him, and Jacob decided to name his company J9 Development. His foundation is The J9 Foundation. Don't know what that J9 stuff was all about, but it was a nice moment.
Time Stamp On A Blog I just finished posting my latest blog. The topic was about Jacob's birth and how I would tell him the story of his birth on each birthday. Near the end, I explained how hard it was the first birthday without him and what was done to help with the pain. Writing this brought back so much of the heartache, so tears were running down my face and I was literally sobbing as I thought about how much I missed Jacob. When I finished, I hit the "Publish Blog" button. Then I went to view the post. I was stunned to see the time of the posting as 9:24pm. I had posted it only seconds earlier and it was 1:13am. My computer clock showed the current time. When I went into the settings, it displayed the current time. I had probably begun the blog around 12:30am. How in the world did the date/time stamp end up as 9:24pm? Jacob died on 9/24. Do you think God was letting me know He and Jacob were here to comfort me? Your guess is as good as mine. Happy Birthday Raleigh! December 30th is the birthdate of Jacob's only sibling, Raleigh. Recently, to celebrate Raleigh's 19th birthday, we went out to dinner with a few of her friends. Jacob used to work at the restaurant at which she chose to have dinner. A few of his friends still work there, so they stopped by the table and even sat with us for awhile and talked. Such a sweet time! I couldn't help but wonder if Jacob could see us all together and perhaps even be with us in some special way. As we left, we stopped and hugged Jacob's friends. Back at the house, we were about to sing happy birthday and have Raleigh blow out the candles on her cake. I grabbed my phone to get a picture, and was taken aback to see Jacob's name on my recent calls list. It was an outgoing call which didn't surprise me since I had called his cell number that afternoon. What did surprise me was the time of the call. It said 8:37pm. We were still at dinner at that time. I made no phone calls during dinner. In fact, I had locked the keypad on my phone. When I grabbed the phone from my purse to take a picture, the keypad was still locked. Other calls had been made from my phone after I made that call to Jacob's phone in the afternoon. All my other calls reflected the correct time that I had made them. Why would the call to Jacob's phone be the only one with an incorrect time? How in the world was a call placed to Jacob's phone at 8:37pm if the phone was in my purse with the keypad locked? At 8:37pm, we would have been finishing up dinner and saying goodbye to Jacob's friends. Was Jacob there? Did he want us to know that? I don't know, but I have no explanation that makes sense for that call to be on my phone--on his sister's birthday--just as we were with his friends--at the restaurant where he used to work. The next day, it occurred to me that I could always turn Jacob's phone on and see if it showed any incoming calls from the night before. Sure enough! It not only showed the call, but a "voicemail" was left. When I listened to the voicemail, it was clear that the call was made just as we were saying goodbye to Jacob's friends. While muffled, I could hear my daughter's voice say something about going back to the house, which is exactly what we did after dinner. A similar thing happened on Michael's phone on the anniversary of Jacob's death. It had never happened before and it still has never happened again, until this episode on MY phone on Raleigh's birthday. You can find the story about that incident below, along with a picture of the phone screen that shows Jacob's name and the time of the call. Grandma Nyenhuis' Famous Chocolate Ball Recipe - One of Jacob's favorite Christmas cookies. 1 1/2 cups butter 4 cups powdered sugar 6 oz. bitter chocolate (melted & cooled) 1 3/4 cup flour 2 tsp vanilla 1/4 tsp salt Cream butter & powdered sugar. Add chocolate, flour, vanilla & salt. Roll into 1" balls. Bake 12 minutes at 250 degrees (yes, 250). Let cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. They'll melt in your mouth!
It Once Was Lost But Now It's Found!!! The summer before Jacob left for college, our family computer crashed. It held hundreds of family pictures and numerous documents. Foolishly, I had not backed up what was on the computer, so there was a chance we had lost everything. Despite being told the pictures were able to be saved, we never could find them anywhere on the computer, even with the assistance of the person who helped restore the computer. Yesterday, Dec. 6, 2008, I began the task of uploading the DVD of Jacob's memorial service onto our computer. After uploading it, I watched it all the way through. The pain of those first days washed over me afresh. Oddly enough, despite the pain, the connection with Jacob was extraordinary, as though he had come to comfort me. There are times when Jacob so completely fills my mind and heart that it feels like he is present, and maybe he really is, but in a way I can't fully explain. When I sat down to begin removing the clips from the DVD, I couldn't find it anywhere on my computer. My husband said, "Just do a search," but nothing showed up. Then he suggested I do a search for anything ending with .jpg and maybe that would find those pictures we thought were lost. Sure enough, there they were!!!! My heart was racing as I began looking through what was there. It was like finding a buried treasure! Pictures from two father/son trips that Jacob and Michael had taken were in the treasure chest. One was a trip to North Carolina in the S-2000.
The other was a trip to California to visits friends and admire really nice sports cars. From that trip to California, there were pictures of Jacob trying out a new skimboard at Laguna Beach. Michael had just splurged on a new board as a surprise for Jacob and he was ecstatic. At that moment, I was ecstatic to be looking at the pictures of him. When I told Michael what I was looking at, he could hardly believe it, but why?
Michael just returned from California on Dec. 5th. He had called me one evening as he was driving the Pacific Coast Hwy through Laguna Beach. He was breaking down as he passed the spots where he and Jacob had been, so he needed to talk. Just a few days later, pictures of that precious time they spent together were being discovered for the first time since Jacob's death. Michael walked over to look at the pictures on the computer, but as soon as he did, a song by Coldplay, one of Jacob's favorite bands, began to play on Pandora.
Those events alone would have been serendipitous enough, but the song was "The Scientist." If you've ever seen the video Coldplay does of that song, you know that the song is all about wanting to go back in time. The reason for going back in time is to undo the death of someone from a car accident. The link to the video is - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3Kd7IGPyeg What we wouldn't give to be able to do that!!!! How do you explain the timing of all those elements coming together at one moment? Jacob's presence filled the room in such a real way we began talking to him through tears, saying how much we love and miss him. There was no doubt in our minds that God had orchestrated another spectacular moment where we were able to be with Jacob. Only it didn't end there. Having discovered this amazing treasure on our computer, I continued searching. I found a video Jacob had taken on his camera. The lighting was poor, but Jacob's voice could be heard. The clip was only about 15 secs long, but hearing his voice was wonderful. With my eyes closed, it felt like he was right there in the room with me. Maybe he still was. Another gem discovered were documents that had been on Jacob's laptop. Our friend who fixed the family computer also removed Jacob's data from his laptop before sending it to Dell to have the screen fixed. The screen broke in the accident, but the computer itself was fine. That computer has an unbelievable story of its own. The Dell repair bill was $421.88. Jacob's birthday is 4/21/88. As I searched the documents, I found a letter Jacob sent to Roy, a role model, mentor, friend, and a whiz at all things real estate. Jacob had prepared and presented a million+ dollar proposal to Roy the summer before college. Roy agreed to partner with Jacob, but on a project that was smaller in scale. The letter I found was written after this agreement took place. To read the content was to see yet another indication that Jacob had a sense his life wasn't going to last much longer. I will cut and paste a piece of that letter: "I know I am capable of doing this, I just need the opportunity. When I am driven to do something, I try as hard as possible to accomplish it. I want to accomplish as much as I can in the time God will allow me to be on this earth." As God would have it, when Michael and I walked into church this morning, December 7th, the only seats we could find on the aisle were directly behind Roy and his wife. I told Roy about finding Jacob's letter and the sentence about the time God would allow him to be on this earth. Roy just shook his head and cried. Roy knows our pain. He and his wife lost their teenage son, Kelly, roughly 40 years ago. He and his wife have a wonderful marriage and a full, rich life together, but the pain of losing their son is just below the surface~even now. With all that happened in a 15-hour period, I can only say that God and Jacob were in the house!!! What a wonderful visit it was! A Thanksgiving Visit? This year was the first time since Jacob's death that my husband, Raleigh & I celebrated Thanksgiving alone. We agreed to set a fourth place in honor of Jacob. As we began to say the prayer before our meal, Raleigh placed her hand on the seat where Jacob would have been sitting. It was her way of including him in our time together. Along with giving thanks, I asked God to allow Jacob to be with us in a special way. When we were done praying, Raleigh said she had felt a sensation like someone touching her hand. Did God allow Jacob to be here, to let his little sister know that he is still a part of her life and watching out for her? Maybe, maybe not, but she felt comforted.
Mysterious Phone Call On the morning of September 24, 2008, Michael and I (Jacob's parents) were driving to the University of Georgia to be with our daughter on the second anniversary of Jacob's death. A little before 10, we stopped at a coffee shop for a short break. Michael grabbed his iPhone that had been sitting on the center console and slid it into his pocket. When we returned to the vehicle only a few minutes later, he took the phone out of his pocket to place it back on the console. He decided to take a quick look at the "recent calls." Much to his amazement, he saw this: Jacob Nyenhuis 9:57 a.m.
Needless to say, we were shocked. How could that be? Michael simply placed the phone in his pocket, and he didn't touch it again until we were outside the coffee shop. He hadn't even sat down. We both stood while we waited for our order. I knew exactly where Jacob's phone was back at the house, and it was turned off. So what had happened? People have shared stories of receiving phone calls from their loved ones after their passing. These people report literally hearing the voice of the loved one accompanied by static. Some amazing things have happened in the past on special dates, so was God allowing the veil to part once again? Perhaps so. Just like other times when amazing things have happened, we tried to explain this event away. The rest of the story... A while later, I decided to take a picture of the screen on Michael's phone that showed Jacob's call. Since no one else had been around to witness what had happened, I wanted to have a little evidence. That's when we discovered something that we had not noticed before. After taking a picture of the screen that displayed "recent calls," I clicked on Jacob's name. That's when it took me to a new screen. For the first time, we realized that Jacob's call was listed as an outgoing call, not incoming. At |
