Katie turned away from the array of options that lay before her and instead embraced a life that few could fathom.
At just 18 years old, Katie Davis took a risk few girls her age would take. The senior class president and homecoming queen had plenty of opportunities available to her, but she chose to pass them all up in favor of a life few could imagine.
When God put a new desire in Katia’s heart and revealed a different kind of potential, she went on a mission trip to Uganda in December of her senior year of high school.
After praying and asking God for direction in her future steps after graduation, Katie decided to give up college and her yellow convertible. Instead, she volunteered a year of her time to teach kindergarten at an orphanage in Uganda.
With her devotion to God and faith in what she could not see, Katie decided to make Uganda her permanent home in 2008.
She founded Amazima Ministries, which is taken from the Ugandan word “amazima” which means “truth”. The organization seeks to heal lives, repair relationships, and make a meaningful impact on communities through the truth of Jesus Christ.
Katie’s Kisses — Published by the New York Times bestseller, A story of relentless love and redemption.
By the time Katie was 23, she had raised 13 little girls as her own and became a mother to them.
Katie tells TODAY that she learned the most important lesson about true love and what it means to love during her foster care and adoption process.
“In those early days, when I laid sleepy heads on pillows and trained little hearts to know Jesus when I laid sleepy heads on pillows and trained little hearts to know Jesus, I had no idea of ​​the wild, heartbreaking, overwhelming love I would have for children. I did not realize that they became an extension of me, that when they hurt, I would hurt much more than before, and that when they showed joy in victory or zeal for God’s word, my heart would expand inside and I would not be able to hold back my tears of joy. Little did I know that sometimes just looking at them would give me such intense feelings of love that my heart would really hurt.
Majors spoke for the first time when he arrived in Uganda to complete his assignment. They both grew up in Franklin, Tennessee, in the same town.
As Katie writes on her blog, “We shared a hometown with several hilltops, so our teenage lives never collided.”
My husband’s love is another manifestation of God’s abundant love for me, a constant reminder of His joy in me and in each of our daughters. I hear the happiness and assurance in their voices as they call their new father “Daddy” and watch them come to life under their new father’s loving gaze.
When the couple married in 2015, Katie had no sisters or close friends to serve as bridesmaids, but she had 13 gorgeous ladies who continue to serve as living examples of God’s faithfulness, healing and love.
According to Katie, the fact that she lives in Uganda and spreads the gospel to everyone she meets doesn’t make her any more of a “missionary” than the rest of us.
“My husband and I together with our three children live in Uganda. Here I live with my friends, my family, my neighbors. These are the streets we live on, the people I wave at on the street, the congregations we worship with friends and friends, with whom we eat I consider this my home You can act here as I do.
One of the many ways you can join the movement and help educate and empower a generation of children is through Amazima Ministries.
As Katie points out, you don’t have to be in Uganda to be a missionary. You don’t have to adopt 13 children to be the hands and feet of Jesus. You just have to act to show your loved ones what God’s love is like. Be a good neighbor, try to meet new people, enjoy each day and be filled with the desire to bless others around you. “Right where you are,” the narrator replies.
Katie’s story is undeniably extraordinary and highlights that living in Uganda and sharing the love of Jesus does not make her any more of a “missionary” than anyone else. She and her husband live in Uganda with their three children and consider their neighbors, friends and community an integral part of their lives. Katie emphasizes that the missionary role can be fulfilled right where they are. It doesn’t necessarily require adopting 13 children or living in a foreign country. Katie encourages everyone to be the hands and feet of Jesus in their own communities. Being a good neighbor, reaching out to new people, approaching each day with joy, and embodying the spirit of blessing can all be powerful ways to share God’s love with those around us.