Kisses From Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption – by Katie J. Davis.
Here’s a warning: this book will mess you up. Seriously. I mean, I’ve been reading Katie’s blog for years so I went into the book thinking I knew what to expect. I was familiar with her ministry, her writing style, her ability to make me see beyond myself. I truly only bought the book because purchasing it was another way to support her ministry. I thought it would just be an extension of what I’ve read on her blog. But it was so much more.
I think of all the people who I admire that I’ve never met, Katie tops the list. A homecoming queen from an affluent town in Tennessee, she left home at eighteen not to attend college but to move to Uganda and teach kindergarten. By herself. And then after that? She decided to stay there. And adopt fourteen orphan girls. What? Yes, like really, legally adopt them. Forever. Which meant giving up her life of comfort here in the States. And the man she loved. And, well, a LOT of things.
And then she went and started a ministry. She feeds over 1200 children every day. But it isn’t what she’s accomplished that impresses me, although it’s an impressive list. It’s what she’s taught me. It’s how she lives out a life of service and grace. It’s how she genuinely loves her neighbor as herself, or maybe more. It’s how she gives. Her life is hard but amazing. Her story is beautiful but messy.
It’s beautiful because it’s right. It’s right for us to reach out our hands and serve. It’s messy because here is this 21 year old girl feeding 1200 starving children each week and what am I doing? It’s messy because it isn’t a story you can read and move on from. It’s beautiful because it isn’t a story you can read and move on from.
And aside from all that? Katie is a compelling writer and the glimpse into her life and the stories she has to tell are fascinating. It’s completely worth a read. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.
