Day 59 of 1000
I wrote a post a little over a year ago about Katie Davis and her amazing Amazima Ministries. Kelly and I have read per personal blog ever since. There is a separate blog that belongs to the ministry, too. Katie Davis went to Uganda on a mission trip when she was still in high school. It so profoundly affected her that she went back to stay at age 19. She is now 22 and the adoptive mother of 14 little girls. That does not tell the half of it. Her story is truly inspirational and now she has written a book. I highly recommend you watch the promotional video on the Kisses for Katie page at Amazon.
Kelly told me about this book last night. The whole family had a wonderful talk about it. The following quote is the first paragraph from the book’s foreword by Beth Clark:
People who really want to make a difference in the world usually do it in one way or another, and I’ve noticed something about people who make a difference in the world: They hold the unshakable conviction that individuals are extremely important, and that every life matters. They get excited over one smile. They are willing to feed one stomach, educate one mind, and treat one wound. They aren’t determined to revolutionize the world all at once; they’re satisfied with small changes. Over time, though, the small changes add up. Over time, though, the small changes add up. Sometimes the even transform cities and nations, and yes, the world.
The whole family talked about this last night. Lorena and I plan to talk more about what we will do as the kids move on to college. Kelly expressed the thought that she was not doing enough and felt a little condemned by the whole topic. I felt the same way. The reality is that none of us are ever doing enough. The truth of her statement, though, is that we tend to focus on ourselves. With all our college entrance stuff, we have remained focused on ourselves and not others. We all agreed the best things we have done, the things that brought us the greatest sense of accomplishment and joy, were tied to the times when we saw someone’s specific need and worked to help them.
We live in a narcissistic, Facebook obsessed world where everyone wants everyone else to know about the great things they do. We decided that we did not want to feel bad about what we have not done. Even that is narcissistic. It is better to do something. Katie Davis wrote this book. She is currently touring the US talking about what she does and the needs and plans of her ministry. It this brings attention to Katie Davis for a short period, but, at the end of her tour, she will go back to Uganda and be a mother to 14 little girls. There is not a lot of glamor in that. There is a lot of very hard work and heart break associated with her day to day life. But there is a lot of joy, too. I think the part I like best is that none of what she says or does is about her. Read the book. Read the blog.
Update: Lorena just texted me to remind me that the narcissism extends well beyond Facebook to include many, many blogs, probably including this one in particular.
