What a Life!: A Memoir

by Donald R. Jacobs

          Don Jacobs, exuberant, wise, and remarkably capable of regarding himself lightly, has written a memoir. Here he candidly explores how he simultaneously held the trust of conservative North American Mennonites and the respect of African Mennonites who chose him to be their first bishop. He writes openly about his parents and their cultural differences, and he locates the source of his ability to swing comfortably between worlds in his childhood home.           Jacobs earned a doctorate in anthropology from New York University, although he gave his life to the church around the world, rather than to academia. He reflects on that reality in these pages. His rollicking sense of humor, his clear spiritual commitments, and his searching questions about his own motives thread through this book. Photographs throughout show him at home with his beloved family, and at home in both North America and Africa.

320 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2012

Reviews

[Bobbettylou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had the pleasure and honor of getting to know Jacobs personally, first as the Africa director for Eastern Mennonnite Missions while my wife & I were missionaries, then as a prof at Eastern Mennonite Seminary (EMS). I know of only a few preachers who can connect with an audience in any culture the way he can. Even though he is miles ahead of me in education and wisdom, he has always made me feel like a personal friend. For a whole school year I commuted with him from SE PA where we both lived, to EMS in Virginia where he taught and I was a student. We were both fresh out of Africa, he an old hand at cultural adjustments, I in the midst of the shock of readjusting to being an American again. I (the fanatic about punctuality) could never quite believe that one could manage to commute 240 miles and never be late. But we did. The interstate highway system was new and we could count on being on time with not a minute wasted - stop half way for a donut and coffee, then arrive in Harrisonburg VA just as class was ready to start. Park the car, walk in the classroom where Jacobs would crack a joke and start lecturing.

Jacobs is a professional cultural anthropologist (PhD, NYU) and is expert at understanding the nuances of cultures as well as religious movements. Writing in his 7th decade of life, he digs deep into his many-faceted family history to understand who he is and why he is the way he is.

As a lecturer at Mennonite Theological College of East Africa he learned African religion and theology with his church leader/students. They taught each other.

I wish I could recall Jacobs' ten commandments of cultural sensitivity that he shared with the missionary group at a retreat in Tanzania/Kenya. One that I do remember, "CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES CAREFULLY. There are many tempting battles that are simply not worth the time it takes to gird up your loins and prepare for battle. And even if you do engage the 'enemy' you may do yourself more harm than good." or something like that. Jacobs makes his own famous sayings, and they are worth listening to. This book is a gold mine of cultural wisdom.

[Dnicebear · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my childhood church we did not put up much on the walls, not even a cross, but we did post photos of missionaries. Somewhere along the way I began to question mission work: is it really possible to be a missionary without misusing power? I questioned my own long ago attempts to cross cultures--one year with Mennonites and one year with Peace Corps.

I really appreciate Mr. Jacobs sharing what happens inside him as he grows into feeling at home in Tanzania balancing demanding teaching or administration roles while also keeping in touch with the Lancaster Mennonite Board who sent him. His respect shines for the people he meets and works with. The geography of the African nations and their recent histories are coming more alive for me. My memories return of African students I met while attending Mennonite colleges. So are my memories of being in a Genetics class taught by one of Mr. Jacob's ten siblings.

I'm thrilled that Mr. Jacob's first and last chapters deal with his experiences of digging up family history, that he realizes how important it is to know one's ancestors. He doesn't say, but does Africa urge him in this knowing?

Mr. Jacobs is similar to Flannery O'Connor, whom I recently read, in clinging wholeheartedly, in his own way, to his faith. And, this is refreshing.

In 1959 and 1960, while getting his PhD in New York, Jacobs writes, "I was able to maintain an active evangelical faith in an environment that made war on faith of any kind. I learned that simple faith could survive in a sea of atheism. In my reading and research, I determined to keep an open mind. I was not prepared to give an inch, however, when it came to what I thought of Jesus Christ. Having so established myself, to my amazement, I could absorb some new concepts and blend them with my integrating self-identity." (p. 157)

Reading Mr. Jacobs memoir allows me to let go of many judgmental attitudes I have had or absorbed towards church mission workers.

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author's perspective while helping churches grow in church leadership challenged me to consider what part of my beliefs are culture and applications and what part are totally Biblically based.