Kisses from Katie: My Life in the Red Dirt of Uganda

Yesterday, I posted about Katie's story and her journey of following Jesus to Uganda. Watch the videos below and hear about Amazima directly from Katie's heart!

Read Katie's blog and follow her to Uganda on Twitter.

"Jesus does not ask that we care for the less fortunate. He demands it."

I tried to push back the tears, but I just couldn't. Katie pulled on my heartstrings and brought emotions to the surface of my heart that I haven't felt in a long time.

I can't begin to imagine being a single mother to 13 girls at the age of 22, but Katie is. At the age of 19, Katie went to Uganda, on a short-term trip, not knowing that she would end up making a lifetime decision.

While teaching kindergarten in Uganda, Katie not only fell in love with the Ugandan people, but she saw a desperate need for change. She could have finished her time teaching, come back to the U.S., and gone on with her life. Instead, she chose to follow Christ--wholeheartedly, passionately, unashamedly, and with her whole life.

Katie decided to stay in Uganda and adopted 13 girls while starting a ministry, Amazima that sends over 400 children to school, gives over 1,600 kids meals, hosts Bible studies, provides jobs, gives medical aid, and partners with parents in Uganda.

"People tell me I am brave. People tell me I am strong. People tell me good job. Well here is the truth of it. I am really not that brave, I am not really that strong, and I am not doing anything spectacular. I am just doing what God called me to do as a follower of Him. Feed His sheep, do unto the least of His people."

Katie's faith is unshakable. Looking into her eyes, I saw the honesty in her words. She truly believes that all she needs is Jesus. After hearing Katie's story at Catalyst, I picked up a copy of her book and was completely engrossed in her blog....story after story of what God is doing in Uganda kept leaping out at me, her words echoing in my mind.

Katie's story shook me to my core. A large part of that is because we are just two years apart in age. I keep thinking through life, right now, in this season, and what she has decided to follow Christ in. I want to follow Christ like that. I am done being a fan on the sidelines of life. I'm ready to step into my Uganda and not look back. I'm ready to follow Christ to do the unthinkable, the unimaginable....I'm ready to dive into what I could only do under complete & total surrender to Him.

Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you. ~Mother Teresa

I am so thankful to have met Katie several days ago and see the passion and love in her eyes. Amazima partners with Ugandan women, offering them an opportunity to work for their families by making and selling jewelry. I had the privilege of buying one of their necklaces and every time I wear it, I will be praying for Katie and her family in Uganda.

"Jesus does not ask that we care for the less fortunate. He demands it."

Connect with Katie & Amazima:

Website: amazima.org

Katie's Blog: Kisses from Katie

Twitter: @katieinuganda and @amazima

Facebook: Amazima Ministries

*All pictures and videos are from Amazima Ministries.

Day33~Serving Your Master

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
-Matthew 6:24

Serving Jesus requires complete devotion....none of this 99.9% stuff! David Nasser quotes, "Every moment, every word, every choice is a deposit either heavenly or earthly." Wow, that simple statement is so true. Every moment of every day we make choices and those choices can either make or break us.

At the end of my life will I kneel before Jesus and hear "Well done my good and faithful servant"? Or will I weep as Jesus sadly tells me I missed out on some great opportunities because I wasn't available to Him. Hmmmm.....

Day 32~Fasting

When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
-Matthew 6:16-18

"Fasting is spiritual concentration. In this case, you are concentrating your mind, soul, and body to know God and to know his will."
-David Nasser

Fasting from the world and feasting on God is such an important aspect of our faith. The key to fasting is to listen to what Jesus tells you to do. He might ask you to fast from television for a little bot so that you can spend time talking to Him. Whatever He calls you to do, do with all your heart. However, do not advertise the fact that you are fasting. Keep it between you and God. Allow Him to work in and through you. If you are going to fast from food, please consult your doctor or parents to make sure that it is the healthiest and wisest choice for you. Also, please note that fasting is not a way to lose weight. Many people fast as a way of dieting. But, in reality, when you fast, your metabolism stops functioning and you are not burning calories. Your heart needs to be in the right place to fast from anything--not on losing weight.

Day 31~Praying

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
-Matthew 6:7-8

We live in a world of constant communication with our friends through texting, emailing, cell phones, school, and just "hanging out". You obviously talk with your friends. When you spend time together you don't just sit there and stare into each others eyes (well, at least I hope you don't!). You communicate. Prayer is a fancy word for "talking to God". Talking to Jesus doesn't require any special formula or routine. All you have to do is open up and be honest with Him. Share your feelings, hopes, dreams, and desires. Tell Him your hurts, struggles, and pains. Cry with Him, laugh with Him. He is there for you all the time, ready to talk and listen whenever you come to Him. In fact, your conversation never even has to end! You have direct service to Jesus all day, every day. Get into the habit of talking to Jesus wherever you are. You don't necessarily have to bow your head and close your eyes (that could definitely be dangerous if you were driving! Please do not try that!). Praise Him all the time. Jesus is all about a relationship, not religion. He wants you to talk to Him, but be ready to listen as well. You have done your share of talking and know it is time to sit back and listen. Jesus will comfort you, protect you, guide you, and mold you. All you have to do is open up. He is ready......are you?

Day 30~Hold Things Loosely

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

-Matthew 6:3-4

David Nasser says that "Giving, not acquiring, is the lifestyle of the person who is sold out to Jesus Christ." There are 11 days until Christmas and my mind is already racing towards the hustle and the bustle of holiday traditions like shopping while sipping a chocolate mocha and reading the Christmas story or exchanging gifts with my cousins and family members. Christmas is a time of giving--time, love, and gifts. God's Word tells us not to hold on to things tightly. I know that when Christmas rolls around we make our "wish lists" and hope that we receive that "perfect" gift as we anxiously await Christmas morning. But, what if Jesus asked you to give away your "perfect" gift. Would you say no and hold onto it tighter or would you be willing to give up anything for the sake of Jesus? That is a tough question for me to answer. I love receiving and giving presents, but when I receive what I have been waiting for I am not really in a rush to give it away. Now, the Bible isn't saying to open your gifts, thank you parents, and then host a garage sale. Jesus is saying that the "stuff" of this world is temporary...here today and gone tomorrow. Focus on Jesus, He is the true gift of Christmas. Hold onto Him tightly, let everything else fall out of your grasp.

Day 29~Love One Another

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
-1 John 4:11

It's all about love! As His princess, we are set apart....we are uniquely and beautifully handcrafted by Jesus. He loved us so much. I have never before been loved as much and as deep as Jesus Christ has loved me. Let his love flow through your entire being. Be radically set apart as HIS princess. Let you light so shine unto men....that they may glorify God.

As we begin to look towards Christmas, remember not only the birth of our Savior, but meditate on his great love for you and for me that He would die to save us from our very own sin. That makes me want to love somebody else today!

Day 28~Don't Take Revenge

You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to them the other also.
-Matthew 5:38-39

Pain is very real in our lives. Everyday something in the world around us happens. Just this past week there were two public shootings--one in a mall and another in a church in Colorado. When we have been hurt deeply it is so hard to forgive. I have been there and you have been there. When someone we loved and trusted betrays us and steps out of our lives. When a best friend lies behind your back. When your parents go through a divorce. When you are abused by a family member. Pain hurts, but when we hold onto that pain negativity affects us! We can become depressed or constantly worried. We anxiously look around wondering who we can trust.

It is so easy to make plans of revenge when someone has hurt us. However, God calls us to forgive. Ouch....but that is so hard! Well, with the power and strength of Jesus anything is possible. First and foremost we must remember that we have been forgiven of our sins by Jesus who gave His very life for us on the cross. Instead of taking revenge, study God's Word and pray for the person who has hurt you. Let Jesus heal you from the inside-out. Healing takes time. Forgiveness is a process. It might just take a while for your mind to be completely renewed. So while you trust Jesus, simply bask in His love. He will guide you through it all. However, if you are being or have been abused both mentally and physically please,please,please speak to a trusted adult today. The actions of the person taking advantage of you are not right. Seek help today.

I am praying for you as you make this step towards forgiving those who have wounded you. As I was reading today's chapter God shed light upon some people that I still need to forgive. Let's work on it together. Hang in there.

Day 27~Speak the Truth

And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
-Matthew 5:36-37

OK, so today is pretty straightforward....let your yes really mean "yes" and your no really mean "no"! You don't have to swear by anything or over exaggerate. Just state the facts as they are--as yes or no!

Be filled with Jesus' truth today!

Day 26~Sex

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
-Matthew 5:28-29

Sex inside of marriage is beautiful thing--God even thinks so! The thing we need to guard ourselves against is an obsession with sex, or lust. Jesus says that to even look at someone of the opposite sex and imagine them in sexual ways is just as bad as doing the act! We need to protect our minds as well as our bodies for our future prince. Jesus has the perfect man out there for you. Don't you want to wait for him?

A Little Clarification

I wanted to clarify one really important fact from our study in David Nasser's book A Call to Die. It would be pretty easy to over-analyze what Nasser is saying and angrily declare that he wants us to become a monk or a nun. Not that being a monk or a nun is a bad thing, but Nasser's whole purpose in writing his book was to encourage everyday Christ-followers to make Jesus their number one priority. He isn't telling us to go sell everything we own, dress in rags, and shave our heads (uh, no....I would have stopped reading the book a LONG time ago if that is what he wanted us to do!). A Call to Die is a plea for us to live the Romans 12:2 lifestyle--"Do not be conformed any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--His good, pleasing, and perfect will."

Be encouraged....Jesus loves you just as you are!

Coming up....what does God have to say about SEX???

Day 25~ Be Reconciled

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
-Matthew 5:23-24

Asking for forgiveness is pretty hard. OK, it isn't just pretty hard--forgiveness can be down right painful! We never like to admit that we are wrong or that we didn't have the best judgement in a situation. But Jesus calls us to be reconciled with those around us. We need to keep good relationships. Now, I do understand that someone may not accept your apology. People can get mad and refuse to forgive. You have done your part of trying to make the relationship better, trust Jesus to take care of the rest. Asking for someone's forgiveness takes courage. Let Jesus be your strength. Set aside all of your excuses and obey Jesus' calling today.

Day 24~Our #1 Priority

One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
-Matthew 22:35-40

I bet you can probably guess what this chapter is about! Jesus should be our #1 priority! In the verses above, a man asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was. Jesus told Him it was to love the Lord with every part of your being.....your love for Jesus will reflect onto others. Focus on Jesus, not the things around you....whether they be good situations or bad situations. If you keep your eyes on your Maker, you can still radiate His love.

Day 23~Daily Grace

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"
-John 8:3-5

I love this story in the Bible. It is an intriguing story of a woman caught in the act of sin and redeemed through Jesus' grace. I am sure the woman brought to Jesus was terrified. Her life was flashing before her eyes because she knew the custom of the times--anyone caught in the act of adultery was stoned to death. A pretty scary thought, right?! Jesus saw the ugliness of her sin, but saw one of His beautiful princesses before Him. He loved this woman just like He loves you and me. Jesus forgave her--He showed her grace.

We will mess up in this life. There is real pain in this world. But in the midst of the pain and sin, there is real hope in Jesus Christ. Bask in His grace today.

Day 22~Be a Doer

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
-James 1:22, 25

I love these verses! James is telling us to actually do what we read! Wow, so when I read a verse in the Bible, I need to really meditate on it and apply it to my life. David Nasser states that "good Bible study contains three parts: observation (What does the passage say?), interpretation (What does it mean?), and application (What does it mean to me?). Of these, application is the hardest because it requires change."

Apply Jesus' Words to your life today. You never know what kind of impact you may have.

Day 21~True Worship

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
-Romans 12:1

This chapter is honestly one of my favorite chapters in A Call to Die. It is so easy to confuse "worship" with just singing songs in church on Sunday. Worship is a lifestyle. Every single day we have the opportunity to draw closer to Jesus and radiate His love. Although worshipping Jesus through songs in church is definitely important, we often don't truly "worship" Him. I have caught myself missing truly worshipping God because I am nervous that my voice doesn't sound too good to those around me or that I will look silly. It makes me pretty sad to realize that even in church we compare ourselves to others and care about how we look to those around us when we are supposed to be there to worship Jesus! This Sunday I am going to sing with my entire heart (even if my voice isn't that great) and I am going to love Jesus with my entire being. I am going to worship Him in the hallways of my school too. I arrive at school pretty early so I normally listen to praise and worship songs on my iPod. Then in class the songs are stuck in my head and I literally praise Jesus all day in my head! We also praise Jesus through our actions, how we treat people and point others to Him.

The point of true worship is to be authentic. Worship Jesus alone. Radiate His love today.

Day 20~Grow Up

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!
-Hebrews 5:11-12

In case you haven't noticed, you have matured a lot since you were born. Right when you were born, you couldn't walk or talk or even feed yourself. Now we can talk and walk and eat and do a whole lot more! We have in reality, grown up. But how do we measure up spiritually? After we become Christians do we simply use God as a "get out of hell free" card? Or do we desire to grow in Him every day? One sign of growth is how we respond to sin. "Infant" Christians get as close to sin as they can, but a true sign of maturity avoids sin like the plague. Now, I do know that we do mess up--hello, we ARE human! No one can EVER be perfect, and I have to remind myself of this all the time! But we all mess up, so we have to pick ourselves up and move forward. And guess what...we have the BEST instructional book in how to grow up as Christians--the Bible! Dig into its precious words today!

Day 19~"God-And"

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
-2 Corinthians 11:3

I am self-centered. We ALL are self-centered. Unfortunately that is a part of human nature, but we can change that. Sadly, we adopt the "me" mindset in our relationship with Jesus. Instead of simply praising Him and just talking to Him about life, we give Him a "grocery" list of what we want. We have all at one point or another asked God to give us that newest, latest gadget. God HAS promised to bless us, but the best blessings come when we trust Him to take care of us instead of treating Him like Santa Claus. Jesus needs to be first in our lives--that is ultimately how we will break free of the self-centered plague. Take a careful look at what you spend the majority of your time thinking and dreaming about. What do you pray about right now? Is it deepening your relationship with Jesus or is it hindering you from His true blessings? Never treat Jesus as "God-and"....meaning you place Jesus and everything else in your heart. Your heart should be consumed with Jesus Christ alone.

"Look for Jesus. Listen. When you study the Bible, look for Jesus in each thought and each verse, and talk to Him about what you find. When you worship, sing to Jesus Himself, not for those around you. When you serve others, serve as if you were serving the Lord Jesus Himself."
-David Nasser

Day 18~The Cross: Are You Beyond It?

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
-John 3:16

We can often hear people say, "We need to move on to deeper things than the cross." What does that mean? David Nasser quotes, "The cross of Christ is not only the source of our salvation, it is our highest motivation, our clearest example of obedience, and it draws us to rich intimacy with with the one who loves us that much. I believe we never 'get beyond' the cross. We only go deeper into our grasp of what it means in every relationship, every desire, every goal, and every decision." Charles Spurgeon says, "If you sin, sin boldly. Every time you sin, you are saying that sin is worth more to you than the cross of Jesus Christ." Ouch! So every time we think mean thoughts and every time we lie or think that we are not good enough, we are placing sin higher than Jesus. But, that makes sense. Whatever we hold in our hearts, we make our greatest priority. Jesus paid such a huge price for our freedom from sin to be with Him in Heaven for eternity. He was beaten brutally and whipped savagely. A crown of thorns was shoved onto His head as blood ran down his forehead. His death wasn't a quick, clean sight. It was dirty and long. He suffered you my sins and He suffered for your sins. But throughout the whole thing He thought of His great love for me and for you. Wow, doesn't that make you want to run into His arms and give Him a HUGE hug! Just the thoughts of the scenes in the movie The Passion of the Christ make me shudder as I think about the pain that Jesus went through for me. Just the thought of His sacrifice makes me rethink my priorities. How can I live to bring honor and glory to Him today? How can I show Him my thankfulness for what He has done for me?

Day 17~The Crucible of Choice

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."
-Matthew 26:39, 42

Everyday we grow in our relationship with Christ. The first step to growth, however, is a choice to obey God through His grace. The choose to obey Christ involves sacrifice. We don't always like that word, but we are required to sacrifice our very identities to follow Jesus. Now I am not saying we should all go and literally die as a sacrifice, but I am saying that we lay aside our selfish desires such as to be the best at everything or to be popular and make Jesus the complete priority for our lives. Jesus gave up His very life just so that you and I could be with Him in eternity. What are am I willing to give up for Jesus today? We can't just ask this question when life is going good. We need to ask it when it is hard to make the choice to give up everything for Jesus--in the crucible of choice.