Hey everyone,

Tonight has been a very special night for me. Tonight I determined my future as an artist, as a person and as a Christian. My dream has always been a person who inspires the world. Who changes nations, youth and generations to live a better life, full of love. To find something meaningful in life and to fight for what you believe in. I have always wanted to be an influential leader in some sort. When I moved to Germany, joining YWAM Herrnhut, God finally showed me what He wanted me to do with my life, and with my photography. I finally found the real way to live, to be honest. I finally found the best way to live as an artist, and the way that God wants me to use my photography. He wants to use my photography to fight injustice in this world. I finally found out why I am blessed with the gift of photography. It's not for me, it's for the world, it's for the unfortunate. The ones who suffer from war, from prostitution, from extreme poverty, from HIV/AIDS, from sex trafficking, from cursed traditions. It is to give a voice to the ones who are weak and dying. I finally found a way to see the beauty in the ones who are called worthless. I found a way to bring hope to the hopeless, and give light in the darkness. Upon finding this passion, this answer to the search of what God wants me to do, I now want to live it out. I want to live out the calling that God has placed on my heart to live out. I want to walk out in faith, and believe that God will end extreme poverty by using me, my camera, and most importantly my new family I am a part of. The Red Sea did not part before Moses took the first step. God told Moses to go, Moses went, in faith, knowing that God will provide. And when Moses reached the sea, God parted it. I personally believe that God would have never parted the sea if Moses never took the first step of faith, believing that God will follow him the whole way. This is how it is for me. How can extreme poverty end if we never take the first step of faith and believe that WE ARE THE SOLUTION. We always pray for things to change, for God to "do this and do that" when we are honestly the answer to our own prayers. We pray for people to help victims in wars, to help extreme poverty families, when we are simply the answers to those prayer requests. I realized that I am the answer to ending extreme poverty when I pray for it. If I don't take a step up, who will? God will ask someone else to do it, but what if they don't? This is when I know I can become the leader God has always wanted me to be.

Today, when I was on the train in Brighton, London, I thought of the saying "I'm a lover, not a fighter." I was thinking how I am more of a lover than a fighter. I don't know how to fight, and I love to love people more than fight people. But then God gave me understanding how this saying is a lie. How we only have to choose one or the other in this saying. How it is "not allowed" to be both. How the world puts us in categories, how we are "this and not that." I realized that I am a lover AND a fighter. I am becoming more a fighter everyday when I wake up. I'm fighting for my friends I've met in Ethiopia. I'm fighting for the ones who have no hope, and have seen their dreams disintegrate into the mud that they live in. I'm a fighter for God's heart and God's dream for this world. To bring His Kingdom to everyone I meet. I am a fighter for hope and for dreams. I want you to have dreams and hope in your life.

With this, I have joined Pick-A-Pocket on April 4th 2009, with faith and belief that this war I'm fighting is a war I'm going to fight til death, or until I have won. Period.

Right now, Pick-A-Pocket is based out of Herrnhut, Germany. We plan on moving to a major city in Europe or America within the years. Wherever we decide to move, I move with them. Whatever we decide to do, I am with them. I have the freedom to start projects, to start movements in Pick-A-Pocket to help end extreme poverty. I'm not just a second hand helper, I'm a leader in this group, along with everyone else who is in it. I will live off of support basically my entire life. I am in Pick-A-Pocket until God calls me out of this ministry or until I die. I am in this for the long run, to see extreme poverty end.

I hope you all can take a stand with me, and fight the battle alongside me. I hope you all have hope. Simple enough. Hope is what keeps us waking up everyday still, hoping that today will be a better day than the next. Believe that you are a part of my life as much as the people who I see physically everyday. With your prayers, your love, your encouragement, your thoughts and your support, you are changing extreme poverty just as much as I am.

I love you all. I hope you will respond back with questions about this lifestyle I've chosen to live, and how you can possibly help.

I'm ready for change in this world... so I'm stepping up and going out.

It's going to be worth it.

Taylor Pool