The following is a transcript from Kaitlyn Akers as she honored her dad, JD:

Last week Walt preached about how “a man gladly takes up sacrificial responsibility to provide for and protect others in appropriate ways to the glory of God.”

So I wanted to tell you about one amazing man in my life.

When I was 6 years old and my mom was pregnant with twins, my biological father decided he no longer wanted a family. He walked away, taking everything, and shedding every ounce of responsibility he had and never looked back. I remember everyone that stepped in to help us survive during that season wondering how was my mom going to make it alone with 3 kids. But little did we know Gods plan for our lives. 3 months after she delivered the twins, she reconnected with a high school friend, who was actually her old prom date!

They started dating and some of my family members were worried that it was happening too quickly. But they were all over at our house one day and JD walked in. I screamed his name from across the house and leaped into his arms. My mom’s brother then looked at my mom and asked: “So when are you getting married?” And that question was answered about 1 year later.

A man gladly takes up sacrificial responsibility, and that is exactly what JD Akers did. He always says that he fell in love with us as quickly as he did my mom. Even before they were married he helped my mom provide for us. He became the dad my brothers and I so desperately needed. He is the man that stepped up and took on the responsibility that one man shed. He taught me how to follow the Lord even when it means going completely against what the world preaches. He taught me how to ride a bike without training wheels. He taught me how to be bold and brave, but that he was always there to catch me. He taught me that a penalty flag thrown on to a football field is not a rubber chicken. He is not only my dad he is one of my best friends…and he will never ever leave.

That is why I chose to honor him in one special way, to show everyone that being a dad is so much more than sharing DNA. This Father’s Day I presented him with a gift. I legally changed my last name to Akers to honor him and to share my last name with the man that sacrificially provides and protects us both physically and spiritually on a daily basis. He is my daddy, my pa, and I am honored and excited to officially be Kaitlyn Akers.