January 31, 2012
What if You Adopted 13 Kids?
Katie Davis is a 23 year-old American who has adopted thirteen orphans and now lives in Uganda. You might need to read that sentence again.
Davis moved from a wealthy Tennessee suburb to Uganda four years ago after being deeply affected by what she saw there on a trip in 2006. She began by teaching Kindergarten at an orphanage and as she walked the children home from school, she saw many neglected children. Some had been taking care of themselves since the age of nine.
Shortly after that, she started a child sponsorship program called Amazima Ministries which matches orphaned and vulnerable children who are unable to afford schooling with sponsors anywhere in the world. Today, the program has over 400 children. She has a wildly popular blog and also just released her first book.
Needless to say, I was nervous to meet and interview Katie Davis. Not nervous like when you’re getting ready to pick up your prom date, or nervous like I was going to meet someone famous. Many people have never even heard of Katie. I was nervous because I was intimidated by how much good she’s already done with her life . . . especially compared to what I’ve done with mine.
But she was incredibly kind. Her eyes lit up when she spoke about her children and about what God has been doing in their lives in Uganda. And more than anything, I think Katie would want YOU to know ways you can help out their ministry right now.
Also, special thanks to my friend Jenny Simmons who has followed Katie for a long time and helped me with some of my questions (including one about a chicken that Katie said was the most interesting question she’d heard all day [Part 2]).
Part 1: On falling in love with the people and children of Uganda and her call to adopt
Part 2: On the first time she had to kill a chicken in order to feed her family, as well as a Christian’s response to world poverty
Part 3: On her journey toward adopting, whether or not Americans are doing their part in regards to adoption, and what you can do right now to make a difference
Originally posted on October 19, 2011
About the Author
Ryan Gregg
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Ryan is the Faith & Culture Editor for FaithVillage. He lives in Plano, Texas with his wife and two year-old daughter. Ryan has gotten faster on his feet after chasing his little girl around all the time. Ryan was a founding member of the band Addison Road and played with them for ten years before leaving to pursue a career with less travel. He wrote the songs, “Hope Now” and “This Little Light of Mine.”
FV Editors
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The FV Editors organization serves as the administrative hub for all FV content and community.