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Saturday 26 May 2012

Katie Davis and Amy Washington - changing the world one Ugandan life at a time

I am both humbled and amazed by the lives of two women I recently encountered on my trip home to Georgia.  Both women are under the age of 25 and both were called to live in Uganda and minister to the poorest of poor, the sick, the elderly, the orphaned, the hopeless.  They've both adopted multiple Ugandan children - Katie, 14 and Amy, 6.  They have endured hardship that those of us in the Western world can not fathom and they have done it all because of their love for Jesus and his commandment to love others. They take the bible literally when it says, "feed the poor", "feed my sheep", "do it unto the least of these". 

Amy actually spoke at a dinner I attended with some women from the church.  She was home for 6 weeks raising funds and seeing family.  Her parents own Washington farms, a nearby location where we pick strawberries in the spring and enjoy their corn maze and pumpkins in the fall.  Katie, I do not know but I just finished her book, "Kisses from Katie" which both my sister and mother had read and recommended.  She's from Tennessee and has been in Uganda a couple years longer than Amy but they are both doing amazing things.  Amy and Katie don't work together but apparently see eachother in Uganda working occassionally.  Both these women are such inspirations to me and what I find the most interesting is that they truly love what they are doing and this shows as they radiate joy, peace and goodness to everyone they encounter. 

Thank you Jesus for the opportunity to read about these women and to hear their stories.  Thank you God for their work in Uganda and how they just LOVE.  They love because you first loved them.  They do more in a day than I do in a week (or a month) and they do it without complaining.  They see the sick and the hurting and the poor and they don't wait for someone else to fix the problem, they fix it themselves.  They hear your voice and they obey it and for this you teach them what it means to be in the center of your will and how you will provide and how you will sustain and love them. 

Thank you Jesus that the problems or difficulties we face in Germany seem so small now after hearing about and reading these stories.  Thank you God that some of us are called to Germany and some are called to Uganda but that you can work miracles and use each of us if we truly open ourselves to being used.  Forgive me God for having my own plans and trying in my own strength to thrive or survive each day.  Forgive me God for not seeking you as I should or your heart or desire for the country of Germany. 

Thank you God that we can partner with people like Katie and Amy in their ministries and that we can enjoy the blessings that will come from helping them to help others.  Please God take what we have and multiply it a hundred fold.  Please God lead others to give and to help so that one more orphan can find a mom or one more grandma can live in good health and surrounded by love.  

God I pray that you will fling open the doors of revival in Europe and that the stagnancy that comes from too much wealth and too much complacency toward the gospel would be shattered and people would recognize their desperate need for you.  Please God set our hearts on fire for you and may we not forget the way you want us to truly love eachother.  A love that invites the orphan into our home or that is willing to sell our "stuff" so that one more mouth can be fed and one more life saved.  God we are so selfish. I AM so selfish.  I want to provide for myself and my family but I'm completely missing the point aren't I?  You want all of me.  You allowed me to be born into this country and into this family not because you love me so much more than the children of Uganda but because you expect - no DEMAND that I use my resources to help them - not buy a fancier car with air conditioning or better toys for my daughter (who is perfectly content with an old tupperware container).  Change my heart first God and help me to give even when it seems difficult or impossible.

God bless Amy and Katie and their ministries.  Give them strength when they feel like they can't possibly do anything more.  Give them love when they feel they have nothing more to give.  Meet their needs - physically, emotionally, spiritually.  Love on them and tell them we're praying for them.  Bless their children.  Bless little Jane who was taken away.  Oh how I cried when I read her story.  Please God protect her and reunite her with her family.  Bless Amy and Katie's families here in the states.  God help them when they are absent from eachother to recognize this life on earth is such a short time til the time we will all have together in heaven.  God help us when we're homesick and want to move back to England or to Georgia to recognize we're still needed in Germany and our work is not yet done.  Bless the families and individuals that come and work with us and the church and community we serve.  You are a good God and we do everything for your glory and yours alone.

To find out more about Amy Washington go to:
Kupendwa Ministries - http://kupendwaministries.org/
or read Amy's blog at: http://whatitmeanstolove.blogspot.com/

or to find out more about Katie Davis go to:
Amazima Ministires - http://amazima.org/
or read Katie's blog at: http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/