Shortly into the start of 2016 my world kicked into hyper-speed.  The balance between teaching my choir & piano classes, programming concerts & contests, building a new praise team at church and beginning a new adventure has been both rewarding and challenging.  Although my world appeared to be complicated and busy, there was something missing.  I decided to put forth my efforts in being an advocate for those living with HIV.

HIV, an ailment that cripples many, empowers others and generates a stigma that some can not tolerate.  This has been a cause that is near and dear to my heart for over 10 years.  I will always remember the day when a close friend called me at 3:35pm on a Friday afternoon in the middle of the summer.  His voice was quivering as he uttered the words through the telephone, “Jacob, I was just diagnosed HIV poz.”  My heart broke for him, and I immediately dropped everything to be with him.  I hugged him and said, “your life is valuable, this is not the end and it is certainly not a death sentence.”  From that day forward, I have received the same phone call from dozens of other friends.

My life turned the corner into a new calendar year.  I said to myself, it is time to do something more than just continue to receive the individual phone calls, walk in the Indiana AIDS Walk, and raise money for the Damien Center.  I wanted to help break the stigma that says individuals with HIV are nasty, will never find someone to love them and should be cast away from society.  I partnered up with the Mr. Friendly Campaign and I’m working with others to relaunch Team Friendly Indiana.  My travels have taken me to other cities and will take me to many more over the course of this year.  It has been rewarding to hear the stories of individuals that have been diagnosed as HIV poz.  My message is simple: HIV lives with you, you do NOT live with HIV.  In other words, don’t allow HIV to control your life!  Take the bull by the horns and live your life!