I spent a number of hours today being challenged and convicted as I read “Kisses from Katie,” by Katie Davis. In her book, Katie tells a portion of her own life story which resonated deeply with me. As a teenager graduating high school, she felt the Lord was calling her to spend a year working at an orphanage in Uganda. After convincing her parents to allow the trip, Katie traveled to the small African country to begin serving the children in a small village. She witnessed the drastic poverty and deadly illnesses which plague the nation and deteriorate its citizens. Katie fell in love with Uganda, despite the trying lifestyle she was forced to live, and her heart cried out particularly for the children. She ended up abandoning the life she desired in America, adopted thirteen Ugandan children, and founded a ministry which sponsors children in need.
I was hesitant to commit to the World Race Gap Year when I first considered applying. Since my acceptance, I have had doubts about whether or not it was God’s will for me to spend nine months outside of the United States, postponing college and parting ways with friends and family. However, the Lord worked in my heart while I read Katie’s story. He both convicted me, and confirmed for me with incredible clarity that I needed to go on this trip.
Katie details the luxurious life she lived in America. She had a nice car, nice clothes, and never found herself with the slightest worry over a lack of food or water. This cushioned, spoiled lifestyle is the only one I’ve ever known. God gripped my heart as Katie contrasted her former life with the gruesome image of life in Uganda. There, children are considered fortunate to have a mother or father, food and water, or to be free of illness. I felt ignorant and selfish seeing how comfortable my life is while millions of children remain in desperate need in Uganda alone. This comparison put before me a truth which I required the remembrance of. All of humanity shares the most pressing need which surpasses every physical necessity in importance. All people need a Savior. In many cases, such as those of the orphaned children of Uganda, this need can not be addressed immediately, for they have never been truly loved. Somebody who has never experienced a deep compassionate love from other people, will struggle to accept the unfathomable love of Jesus.The Lord made it clear that I must go and serve people in need that they might believe in an infinitely loving God, who stands with open arms, and fall into His embrace.
I was also convicted of one final thing. I often find myself planning extensively for the future. I read about the plans Katie crafted for her future and continued on to find that God had designed a completely different path for her life. The Lord showed me that trying to plan too far ahead is ultimately pointless, because He has already done the planning. If I lean on Him, He will lead me where I need to go. This applies especially to the challenge of fundraising I am now faced with. I have determined to lean into God’s grace and know that He will provide for His perfect plan. Our Father has an amazing way of supporting the good purpose He has called his followers too and I am excited to watch Him provide through the generosity of others.
The Lord has removed every doubt in my mind about entering into this ministry. He has given me full confidence that it is His will for me go out into the world to serve the needy. It is my prayer that God would use me to meet the physical needs of the people I encounter on my trip and that through this, they would see the love of Christ in me. For the most urgent need, which nobody can escape, is the immediate, critical necessity for Jesus Christ to enter our hearts.
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