All our bags are packed and we are ready to go! Project HEAL's inaugural mission team consists of Tara, Jana and Colleen Taylor.

I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of Project Heal Foundation. I’m beyond excited for our upcoming journey to Ethiopia. I’m most looking forward to connecting with the kids firsthand and seeing their vibrant personalities come alive. Being a photographer, my hope is that the images brought back will allow those who cannot go to Ethiopia a look at how their donations are making a HUGE difference by empowering the children with the necessary tools to excel. I can’t wait to witness the impact Project Heal will have on the lives of these children and their families as the foundation continues to grow. - Tara

For over a decade, I have had a heart for Africa.  While opportunities have come and gone, none have grabbed my attention quite like Project HEAL.  From the first moment that I heard Dan and Colleen's vision, I was all in.  Partnering with Project HEAL was the perfect way to engage in something bigger than what we face on a daily basis and an opportunity to get out of the bubble of comfort we have at home.  Jesus calls all of his followers to live on mission where they live, work and play, but he also calls us to the ends of the earth.  Working with Project HEAL has provided a great opportunity to show the love of Jesus to people at home and in Ethiopia.  - Jana

Sitting here at the airport in DC and typing this blog post has made this all very surreal.  Our dreams are becoming a reality and my only sadness stems from the fact that Dan cannot be here with us on this first trip.  I cannot wait to see all of our dear friends when we arrive in Addis and am so anxious to travel to Chacha to meet the students and staff at our school, Love for the Children Academy.  Please keep Tara, Jana and me in your thoughts and prayers.

As I sit here and try to come up with the perfect way to start this blog, all I can think about is how far we have come in such a short amount of time.  We have dreamed about starting a school in Ethiopia for a long time, but making this dream a reality only began this past March.  Fast forward to today, we have a building/compound for Love for the Children Academy in Chacha, Ethiopia, and we have registered 65 students with the help of the local government and our partner organization in Addis named Love For the Children Ethiopia (LFCE).  We have uniforms, student furniture, playground equipment, and education materials.  Just this past week we hired 3 teachers, a cook, and a guard for the Academy!  AND, we have school supplies that we will personally deliver to the school on August 14th!  None of this would be possible without the help of our family, friends, general donors and child sponsors.  We have been completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support we have received both financially and emotionally over the past four months.  Many of you have had to listen to our ideas, our concerns, our joys, etc. day after day after day!  Many of you have attended our events or have supported us financially from afar.  You have all spread awareness about Project HEAL, and for this we are eternally grateful.  It means the world to us to have you all alongside us on this journey and we are looking forward to sharing details of our upcoming trip with you.  I've included some pictures below to show you what we've been up to the past few months and I'm hopeful you will check back in soon so you can stay up to speed when our travels begin ONE WEEK FROM TODAY on August 11th!  Next time, I promise to share more about our "first travel team".

Until then, tschao/ciao (goodbye in Amharic) for now...

Colleen and Dan 

Project HEAL Founders