As a Christian music artist and former executive with Squint Entertainment (a label he founded), Taylor has visited many Third World countries. Taylor’s trip to Africa was his second … that's when he and his wife of 20 years met a little girl named Sarah, who grew up in Compassion International's Agape Children's Village, which houses more than 120 AIDS orphans.

 

When Debbie told her husband she wanted to adopt Sarah, he was “both stunned and really happy about the idea.”

 

It was just the beginning of what would turn into an arduous nine-month process. The Taylors learned that Uganda (along with most other African nations) has no provisions for international adoption. In fact, prospective adopters are first required to live there for three years.

 

“Traditionally, Africans take care of their bigger family,” Taylor explains. “There's not even really a word for orphans.” The problem is that AIDS has wiped out a whole middle generation, leaving many children without family members to care for them. “In Uganda alone, there are 20 million people and 2 million of them are AIDS orphans,” Taylor adds.

 

The Taylors found themselves on a whirlwind tour making frequent visits to Washington, D.C., to meet with the Ugandan ambassador as well as members of the U.S. Senate. They ultimately received a hearing before Uganda's high court, where a judge awarded them guardianship of Sarah.

 

Steve and Debbie are now working to change the laws to make it easier for others to adopt Ugandan orphans. Taylor is also enjoying being a new dad as a result of what he jokingly refers to as “an unplanned adoption.”

 

Taylor says: “Part of our job now is to raise her as an African as well as an American. I hope we do a good job.”

 

By Chad Bonham, contributing editor to New Man magazine.