Encounters with the Living God: The Eicher Family’s Journey

When Elmore Eicher received his diploma from Taylor University in 1926, he had no idea he was planting the seeds of a legacy that would flourish for over a century. What began as a single step of faith has grown into a remarkable story of four generations committed to Christ-centered education and service. This past May, his great-grandson Enoch Eicher ’25 became the latest to walk across the Taylor stage—joining the ranks of his great-grandfather, great-great uncle, grandfather, father, uncle, and sister in continuing a powerful family tradition. 

Here’s a short version of the past century: Elmore and his brother, Albert, were raised in India by missionary parents. Elmore and his wife, Alice, returned to India as missionaries and adopted a child there in 1941. (Albert also returned to India as a missionary, raising his family there.) That child, Raymond, became a student at Taylor in the 1960s and returned to India to serve with Operation Mobilization after graduation, later marrying a fellow missionary from Germany named Christa. Their son Andi was a Taylor student in the early 1990s, along with his brother Stefan. Andi returned to his homeland to work in community development and married Sheba, a family practice physician. Andi and Sheba’s children, Asha ‘24 and Enoch, are now Taylor graduates, and have returned to India to live, work, and serve.  

For the last 100 years, the Eicher family has made an indelible impact on India, serving in medical care, care for HIV-positive individuals, evangelism, music ministry, community development, and more.  

“Taylor is no stranger to generational families; in fact, approximately 30% of our students have had a family member attend Taylor,” said Holly Whitby, Vice President of Admissions and Enrollment. “Many of our graduates have gone on to serve in missions around the world. But the Eicher family’s commitment to both Taylor and the world is particularly special. We’re so grateful for their continued trust in Taylor and trust in the Lord as they’ve touched so many lives for the gospel.” 

Offering Physical and Spiritual Healing   

In celebration of Enoch’s graduation in May, Andi and Sheba travelled to the United States for an extended visit. Andi spoke in Taylor’s chapel on May 7, where he shared his story with the Taylor community. Part of their ministry included 14 years at an HIV home-care program and hospital in Mumbai, where they gave compassionate care to any who needed it. He emphasized the mandate Christians are given to walk with those who are suffering, offering physical and spiritual healing.  

“Beyond medications, we saw the need for inner healing. We saw the power of forgiveness, of parents being comforted. We experienced many tears but saw the depths of Jesus’ love,” Andi said.  

“Eternity is populated with men and women who were outcasts, considered trash. But in heaven, they are treasured children of God.” 

During that time in Mumbai, Andi and Sheba fostered an HIV-positive orphan whose parents had died of HIV. Eventually, after a long, difficult process, they were granted legal access to care for him. Now 22, he is on the long-term HIV medications, healthy and employed at the hospital where Sheba practices medicine.  

“He wants to tell everyone about Jesus,” Sheba said. “With all the negative things that have happened in his life, he could have been bitter and rebellious, but it’s the exact opposite. We can see how God himself is taking care of him.” 

Their daughter Asha, who graduated in 2024, also lives in India, where she is pursuing an advanced music degree.  

Enoch’s Story 

Growing up in Mumbai and later in the rural north of India, Enoch felt a strong pull towards helping people through entrepreneurial and community development. He chose to major in Multimedia Journalism at Taylor, which has honed his written communication skills. He undertook a variety of internship opportunities, including working in Washington, DC, for a trade journal called Broadband Media and writing for Christian news publication World Magazine. He was also heavily involved in The Echo, Taylor’s student newspaper.  

Now back in India, he’s reviewing job offers in administration roles for community development organizations and is also considering serving in similar programs in Africa.   

“It’s all glory to God. None of this is me or my family or anything like that. It's all God's generosity, which I don't think I deserve, but I'm grateful for,” said Enoch.  

Enoch thoroughly enjoyed his experiences living on campus during his time at Taylor. He also learned early on the power of bringing people together over a meal. It’s where friendships blossom, walls come down, and where people feel at home. So, as a freshman, he would cook enough Indian food for 10 people at a time and invite them to enjoy a taste of his homeland. As the news spread, more and more people joined in, and by his senior year, he and his friends were cooking for between 80-100 people at a time. (Everyone chipped in to cover the costs.)  

Over time, he encouraged other international students to cook their country’s cuisine. Sometimes it was a potluck from all over the world. Enoch went on a Lighthouse service trip to Uganda during January term, and he used one of his dinners to raise funds for the trip.  

“I can look back and see how so many other people have started cooking more, and it’s become a big thing for our international students. They feel more connected to their homelands and are bolder to share that heritage with everyone else here.”  

A Place for Encounters with the Living God 

From Elmore and Albert flourishing on campus in the hardscrabble 1920s, to Raymond attending all-night prayer gatherings that helped to fuel the start of Operation Mobilization in the 1960s, to Andi and Stefan being instrumental in starting MuKappa (a support organization for MKs), to Enoch and Asha hosting international meals for dozens of students at a time, the Eicher family has made a powerful mark on Taylor University. And likewise, the Eicher family has been shaped by Taylor.  

“I think we’ve all had encounters with the living God in different ways here, and each one of our stories has been quite different,” Andi said. “But Taylor has always been a safe place for us in our various generations to experience Christ, in our ways and in our times.”