Jacob “Jake” Colter, born September 4, 1991.
This post started off as a joke, but I actually have a lot to say about this friend/squadmate/brother. So get ready to hear about this character who has been a part of my journey.
I first met Jake when I went to visit a friend who was also leaving for the race in May, 2018. We met him for breakfast. We just talked, nothing crazy.
Then we got to training camp. Although training camp was amazing, I didn’t hang out with Jake a lot. Not because I didn’t want to, I was just hanging out with others from the squad who I hadn’t met yet.
It was about month two, in Thailand that I actually started getting to know Jake. I was always at Bella Goose, sitting on the patio, which was right below the hostel we lived at that month. In the mornings, everyone was in and out, getting coffee, quiet time, and catching up. I ran into Jake nearly every morning. This was usually how it went:
“Hey, Jake. How’s it going?!”
“Good!”
Then, one day, I felt prompted to ask something else…
“Hey, Jake. How’s it going?!”
“Good!”
“How’s your heart?”
…an uncomfortable expression surfaced on Jake’s face.
He proceeded to talk. He let some walls down. We had a really good conversation about being away from home, family, testimony, and identity. It’s actually still one of my favorite conversations I’ve had the entire race. We had to end the conversation to leave to go to separate ministries.
“Hey, thanks for asking that. It makes me uncomfortable when you ask, but I’m always glad you do. I’m glad we have these conversations.”
Sometimes we just need someone to ask and actually care how we’re doing. Sometimes we have things we need help and encouragement navigating. Some days I didn’t want to ask Jake those questions because I actually thought he was getting really annoyed by it. But he was able to find some freedom in letting some walls down.
Vulnerability isn’t weakness. It’s growth. Growth isn’t always (is hardly ever) comfortable, but we always feel better after speaking things out.
Jake is a dedicated individual. There actually isn’t anything he can’t do. He has the favor of the Lord in so many situations is ridiculous. Jake cafes for people well.
If someone says, “We can’t do this.” His response is usually, “Yes, we can. Let’s make a plan, there is a way.” He believes all things are possible, which is something I really admire about him.
At some point, probably at training camp, I asked him if he went by Jake. “No, usually Jacob. I’m not cool enough to go by Jake.” That day, I decided to call him Jake. Mostly because he’s actually one of the coolest people I know. If you have Jake in your life, consider yourself blessed and lucky. He’s a good friend to have. Jake is rad.
This describes our friendship pretty perfectly. 🙂
