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Change Blogs

Please sign up for my new blog at http://www.ethiopiantaylors.com. I will not be using the ethiopianadam site because it isn’t just me anymore! Praise God!

Official

Sunshine and I Marion are now the Taylors! Our wedding was amazing, honeymoon a blast, and we are just reveling in our Lord. We had a few concerns pre-wedding like the hurricane and other minor things but everything worked out PERFECTLY and it was the best day ever.

We are so grateful for the support and people taking time out to join us on our special day.

The next announcement is that we will officially be commissioned by NCC this weekend. This is an amazing blessing. To be linked and a part of such an amazing Church and great community, it is so comforting!

With that said, we now have a new website! It is awesome! The address is http://ethiopiantaylors.com. We are being commissioned this weekend and will need to raise our income for the next three years in Ethiopia. You can use this blog or our website to get details on how to support us!

God is so good to us it is surreal often. Sunshine and I are more in love then I had hoped for. We are both SO eager to continue to follow God’s will and the story He is writing in Ethiopia and the redemption story of our boys.

THANK YOU ALL! I have to stop but please know how much I love those who follow us and support us!

“I have seen much”

I have seen much is the translation for one of our boys names. It also is the best I could explain what the last three years of living in Addis Ababa have looked like.

I write excitedly to share about Sintiyu. In the midst of some stressful times for our project, he is one bright spot. He worked so hard and well at the training we found him and two other boys that he was recognized during graduation and even given a share of a new company. He has a great opportunity to go forward and make a decent living. He also found a house with Alex and they are excited to be living on their own!

His story is an amazing one. He grew up far away from Addis, a two day trip and had been on the streets for many years. He and Alex are very close. Sintiyu never had a family that treated him well. Sitting with him during the first couple months in our house and trying to teach him English was one of my favorite and most frustrating memories. It took days to get him to learn one letter, he really struggled. Since then he has learned how to read and write Amharic, and some English. He is one the easiest boys to get along with and is our best soccer player.

I am so lucky to have the memory of sitting with him in the beginning and wondering what his future could be if he couldn’t even get the letter “O”. But look at him now, just amazing. It feels unbelievably good to be a part of all the things I have witnessed over the last three years. “I have seen much” and I wouldn’t trade if for the world.

He always ready for a photo opp

Looking Back…

Three years! Wow. I have lived in Ethiopia for three years now. It is a numbing thought, but fun to look back at what has happened.

I landed in Addis Ababa, without the language, any street children experience, any idea how I would sustain support, any idea how to work In the non profit/NGO sector, and the list keeps going. That first year was a whirlwind and I experienced some major frustrations, shocks to the system, and loneliness.

Three years later I can say I lived with some amazing boys who for big chunks of their lives lived on the streets, under bridges, in sewers, and anywhere safe enough they could find. To much to write so general thoughts in bullet form

– The first few months with our 22 boys were so rough, but some
of our fondest memories come from that time

– We are leaving an amazing house and very sad to lose it because of cost. It was actually the longest I have stayed in one place since moving out of my parents’ house for college. Wow.

– The team around me has been more then I prayed for. I hate to see things change.

– Our 8 working boys are doing really well, but entering real life at their income level is very hard. They need so much prayer.

– The amount of growth I have witnessed in 3 years is beyond remarkable. What awesome job, assignment, passion, or whatever it should be called. I am very honored to be able to be a part of it.

– The supporters.. My gosh. I am learning how truly awful I am at “thank you”. I am glad God is in charge of that, but the amount of support through prayer, time, money(lots), and kind words I have gotten over the last three years is incomprehensible. The most humbling, overwhelming thing I have ever experienced.

– Going from 22 boys, to 12 boys, and losing Lilly. It was expected, but harder to cope with then I thought. I pray that we can handle the next group of boys much better, though 50% seems to be the going rate of rehabilitation in this line of work.

I leave for America this weekend. I am going home to marry Sunshine(The best). It feels like I am starting all over again, needing to stand on my faith with so much unchartered territory in front of me. We will come back in December and our team will be recruiting out next group of boys. Adding a wife and gearing up to pour out into a new group of boys is a major change.. Luckily I gave up worry a couple years ago. Can’t wait for my next “season” of life!

I am deeply grateful and indebted to all of you who have kept me going through these three years. It has been quite simply the best thing ever!

The boys had to move around so much when on the street. The police were always burning down their make shift homes like this one. This is a field where we spent a lot of time, a truly disgusting place.

This was our first group photo with original 22 in Sept 2010.. What a road it has been.

This is where we are now, the amazing 12 boys we love.

One of my favorite photo’s and memories. A reminder of how far we have come and how fun it has been.

Ridiculous

The NCC trip of 18 plus 3 members of a video team has gone or is on their way. All I can say is that this trip, week was ridiculously awesome.

Our week was non stop, everything came together perfectly, there was major bonds formed, there was constant celebration, there was extreme fun and joy, and even some adventure.

Saturday(first day in Addis)- Team visited the mountain where our partner outreach program, Beze Entoto outreach, does their ministry. They led kids programs, visited beneficiary homes and had a blast.

Sunday- We celebrated boys graduation in front of Beza, then had a party with amazingly good lamb meat.

Monday-Wed morning- We had a ridiculous amount of fun playing organized games, swimming, forming bonds, playing volley ball and much more during our trip out of Addis.

Wednesday-returned to Addis, were welcomed by Beza, shopped, went to orphanage

Thursday-Team shopped, saw city, went to a museum, and handed out meals to over 100 homeless.

Friday- Team visited largest open air market in Africa, then went to Youth Impact and saw Ermias’s work, then ate a meal cooked by our two boys Girum and Mickie

Saturday-This was the cherry on top. AN AMAZING DAY! We hiked to a water fall, then the top of Entoto mountain. 6 hours of hiking, that involved some rain, cold swimming, and the high light mud slide. We then had closing ceremonies to close out the week and the team just left.

This was the best mission trip ever, let me just be real. It could not have gone any better. Everyone on each side experienced the favor of God and were blessed in many tangible ways. Can’t wait to see the seeds sown from this trip.
Wish I could go on, but another blog soon with photos. Thank you to NCC!!!!

PS: This doesn’t even include a report about the hard working video team that got amazing footage!! Amazing story lines. God is working big time!

Change

We call our project in Addis Ababa, Change for Change. Well our name doesn’t depict enough how much major change we and especially I will experience over the next few months.

At this point, after so many blessings and miracles, it’s impossible to feel fear, concern, or worry without thinking “ don’t be a doofus, God has proven Himself more faithful over the last three years!”

All at once, I am hitting a time of reflecting about the unbelievable last three years, while truly eager to see what the future holds for me, my new spouse, the current group of boys, and our future plans to serve street children the best way suitable.

In the next 6 months, we will graduate our first group of boys, assess and make improvements for the next group of boys, take action toward starting a business, and I will not just be married, but move my bride to Africa, start a new life, and expect generous people to pay our bills!!

It seems like insanity. Part of me has to work hard at fighting any temptation to worry, while the other part of me is so confident and excited to see what January looks like after God provides, teaches, blesses, and directs.

You know the hole “ pick up your cross or lose your life to find it” parts of the Bible? Well, these three years have proven that these directives are authentic, vital, and completely worth it! Before these last three years, I would have looked towards the wedding and major changes, shaking with anxiety, but now I can’t wait for the adventure and the chance to testify to God’s faithfulness when we put ALL(like every tiny bit) of our faith in Him.

Prayer: 21 NCC’ers will be coming this weekend! Intense. The boys 2 year anniversary in the house with us is August 13th, where we will chose to do our “graduation ceremonies” . Sunshine has worked wonderfully hard at getting our wedding together and it is. We need some seemingly crazy provision to make the next year, the start of our lives together a success. Where to take faithful steps in wanting to start this business here. Finally, there are visa “issues” after my current one ends in December.

Too Much To Write

How boring are bullet points? Well, how else can I convey the awesome things God is doing? There is too much.
-We celebrated our boys 2nd year graduation of school. The numbers are alarmingly glorious, with nearly every boy ranking higher than 10 in their class.
-We celebrated our cook. We have this amazing woman, who lives with us. I imagine it was her first experience of having the spot light shown on how special she is. LOVED her joyful tears
-3 boys have jobs, three are nearly guaranteed employment after apprenticeships, and 2 others have a great chance. That means all our vocational/night school tracks will be exactly where we hoped. God is so good and our faith was strong.
-Only 2 out of the four boys that left our house last month finished school. My heart still goes out to them, but glad 2 finished. I still hold out tons of hope for Lilly. As far as we know, he has joined a government economic empowerment program, making cobblestones for the streets of Ethiopia.
-Our program coordinator is working crazy hard to get our three year plan submitted and approved by the government. She is an amazing asset.
– NCC arrives in a month. Getting really excited to boast to my church family about our boys.
-Sunshine’s visit was amazing. We had what seems like a perfect 10 days. I’m blown away how our time together always goes better than I would ever expect. We met a couple who just moved here, gave up everything to build up Ethiopia through economic empowerment. All this with 3 kids! I am very impressed by them. Check out their website steadfastlove.org.
-Today is my close friend and brother Ermias’s birthday. He continues to be one of the greatest friends, examples, Christ followers that I have ever met
– We have less than a month left till our 2 year anniversary and the boys official “graduation” from our program. It is insane to process that and reflect on where we were and where we are now. The kingdom dividends to this project are immeasurable. We have a lot of changes coming our way, so praying for continued provision and direction. We will not move out of our house till the end of September and there are many things to get done before then. Also praying the boys and our team finish very strong. It is tempting to be lax since it’s near the end and our boys are already so amazing.

Special thanks to the four folks who blessed Sunshine and I by sponsoring her flight back!

She is a natural with just about everyone

Celebration for completing another year of school. They exceeded all expectations

Honoring our cook who lives with us and serves us amazingly

Just wanted to show this amazing flower on our compound. We are leaving our house in two months, which will be exceptionally sad. The intricate detail is a great reminder of God’s glory

Rejuvenated

I am not clear if I am just prone for roller coaster rides, or if that’s pretty much life for most people. After an amazing season of joy, blessings and so, I entered a pretty brutal two month stretch. Well, that stretch is behind me and my team. My team and I are rejuventated and excited about things to come.

So why is that?

Not in an order,

Our boys finished their second full year of school with us. To see the pride and joy in their face after finishing another year and getting through exams is all the rejuvenation a person should ever need. Love it. Bihilu has stood out to me. He is one of our shyest and quietest boys. After exams though these last two weeks he has been off the walls, playing around, laughing, and so loud. Love it.

We have 8 boys on the night school/vocational track. Like our faith expected, we are seeing great things happen with these 8 boys. With different boys trained in different things from finishing work to cooking, each has found an apprentice ship opportunity in the last two weeks. Almost all of them have been offered paying jobs either immediately or after the apprenticeship. Girum stands out in this category because he has always been a tough nut to crack. HE LOVES his cooking training and went out just today eagerly to seek employment. His proud recounting of his experience today was the best!

Another piece to my refreshed spirit is what I believe to be a huge directional blessing from God. My mind is consumed with dreaming, researching, and pursuing some ideas on the business front. I am not ready to spill the beans yet, but I can’t iterate how much this is an answer to prayers and it has giving me so much energy.

Last but not least and definitely the hottest reason, is Sunshine is coming to visit. This is the exact dose of Sunshine I need during Ethiopia’s rainy season. This is just another reminder of God’s provision and His utilization of the amazing support group I have at NCC and beyond. I can’t say enough about how grateful I am and how foolish I feel after spending a couple months fighting self pitty!!!

On a daily basis I wish people could witness, learn, see the things that unfold in our line of work. I get frustrated from wishing everyone had a chance to see the truth about God’s love and grace. Most people who read my blog have seen it I am sure, which makes me pray I will figure out a better way to reach those who have not seen the truth of it all.

PS: I couldn’t figure out how to make the photo’s look better. Oops

Girum is practicing some of his new skills of cooking. He is really good and eager to learn more.

An oldy of Bihilu showing up Brian.. This kid has changed so much.

Big Ermias, myself, Muleken, and Masresha leaving for a needed trip out of the city. I can’t say enough about Ermias, great friend, mentor, brother. Big things are going to come out of our relationship.

SHE IS COMING BACK. Me disheveled, her puuurty as usual in a taxi, through rain the last time she was in Addis.

Compilation

Losing Lilly : Lilly had struggled with the structure of our house over the last couple months. He took off one day, returned, only to take off again. We have not seen him since. Lilly was the boy that showed me his home in a sewer during my fateful trip in March 2009. Losing one of my favorites who I had so much hope for is a punch in the gut. Actually each boy that chooses a different path is a punch in the gut. I sometimes question my sanity, signing up knowingly for such a hard demographic to reach.

Direction: My mind and consequently my teams minds are flooded with ideas to start a social entrepreneurship venture that would solely benefit boys like the ones we work with. The dreaming is exciting, various, and intense as we wait for answers on which direction to take. There is huge opportunity for our boys and the ministry. Networking, researching, partnering, and brain storming is our priority right now. Can’t wait to prove the impossible to be possible via God’s power. We need people’s help in a major way. Resources regarding small business, HR practices, international business, loans, donors and more are just a touch of what I am spending my time on researching.

The Little Things: I am learning to find solace in the little things as I tough out this rough season. Mango’s, Avacodo’s and fresh coffee are just my beginning to taking better care of myself(motivated to do so by approaching marriage). Mango’s represent joy, they are so fun to eat since I learned how to really enjoy them from the boys and their very “unique” way of eating them. Avacodo’s are nostalgic, since the first time I ate them fresh and pealed by my own hands was soon after we and the boys were kicked out of our first house. Coffee.. Represents my dabbling of culture. Coffee began in Ethiopia and I have recently began to buy the beans fresh, roast them, then pound them into powder. It’s a very enjoyable process that the boys often enjoy with me, creating fun banter.

Rainy Season: It fast approaches. It truly is a rainy season, but what compounds it is the seemingly forever without Sunshine. We are praying for a miracle gift for Sunshine to visit me during rainy season. The flights are obviously ridiculously expensive and way out of our budget, but our emailing, Im’ing, skyping (when it works) is wearing on us. Seems like a lot to ask, until I remember what I gave up to be here. So humbly, almost meekly

I am asking

.. Anyone got a spare $1700 laying around?

Boys expressing the values they hold dear through creative arts

This was a great day making coffee by hand as a punishment as we bonded, just a week before two of these boys decided to leave the house. Ugh.

Through the last few months in the house we are teaching a host of life skills to the boys. This is nurse Hanna, volunteering her time to teach them about health.

These three boys are learning finishing work. It is actually a great training and great opportunity for them. Its prob near the best training we have been able to find.

This is not the awesome way they taught me how to eat mangos. They love them as much as I do!

ALEX! I know how to do it!