An answer to prayer

By SARA SCHMUCKER

Jacob Blackburn says he is breaking free from strings that have threatened to hold him back to pursue a future only God can determine. The first step? A prayer answered.

A little over a year ago, Blackburn’s grandmother told him of a vision she had of Blackburn’s family as a tree. Someone must step away from the tree and do something significant before things can change for his family, she had told him.

Blackburn, 20, prayed to God that he would be the one to break the chain of unfortunate events concerning his family, including 26 adopted brothers and sisters taken in by Shelbyville residents Don and Kathy Blackburn in 1994 during a mission trip to Haiti.

Now Blackburn believes he has found the answer to his prayers.

He has accepted the offer of a lifetime, one that will allow him to travel throughout a portion of the country to help build character in elementary school students during the week and sing gospel music in churches on the weekends.

“I really pray that this opportunity will brighten up my family and let my friends know that there is hope,” he said.

In February, representatives from Primary Focus/Living Proof, a group that gives character-building presentations at elementary schools on weekdays and sings gospel on the weekends, visited Shelbyville Community Church — the church Blackburn attends.

Blackburn just happened to be singing during that day’s church service, and the representatives were struck by his voice.

“Jacob sings like an angel and has artistic ability you wouldn’t believe,” Kathy Kelley, a member of the church, said. “They took him in a heartbeat.”

The representatives asked Blackburn if he would consider joining the group.

After completing the application process, which included an interview and submitting a video tape of himself singing, Blackburn was invited to be part of Primary Focus/Living Proof.

The group was looking for 13 college-age men and the same number of college-age women out of a pool of over 700 applicants, Ellen Moore, a fellow church member whose family Blackburn has been staying with for the past month, said.

When he was offered a spot with the group, Blackburn had a feeling his prayers had been answered. It did not take him long to make his decision. He signed a one-year contract with the group, though he says he may stay longer.

“It was an answer to prayer, an answer I could not reject. I said, ‘That’s God, and I’m gonna take it. It’s scary, but I’ll get through it,’” he said.

Besides his singing talent, Blackburn is a gifted artist. On the pages of several scrap books he has put together are drawings depicting action heroes and Biblical scenes, including an especially moving drawing of Jesus overlooking New York City on Sept. 11. He calls his artistic talent a talent, and his larger-than-life voice a gift from God.

“God just gave it to me and said, ‘Here, take it.’”

Blackburn says that while a few of his adopted brothers and sisters have been in jail and others have a history of getting into trouble, he is not the only one to be successful in life. Two of his sisters are in college, he said. Eight of his adopted brothers and sisters frequently join him in attending Shelbyville Community Church.

On July 19, Blackburn will leave friends and family to travel to Knoxville, Tenn., where he will undergo a five-week intensive training program with the other group members.

The scariest part is “being away from home without those you know and love,” he said. He will especially miss family members and Ellen Moore.

He is also leaving behind a Bible Study group of teenagers he has been leading. He wants to prove to them one thing — that life is too precious to be held back by circumstances.

“I tell them to stop using the past as an excuse for the present and the future, that there is a river of forgiveness and they can change their lives if they want to,” he said. “They hold themselves in a small box saying they’re free.”

Ultimately, Blackburn says he would like to be a famous gospel singer, like the gospel artist Carman, but says he realizes that just as the past is gone, the future is uncertain.

“However God decides to use me, whatever his plans are, he knows my heart aches to do his will,” he said.

Primary Focus may give a presentation at Coulston Elementary School this fall, he said.

Primary Focus/Living Proof will provide Blackburn with room and board, but any other pay is dependent upon community contributions that community members may send to the group in Blackburn’s name.

Contributions can be made by contacting Ellen Moore at (317) 729-5929.