Book Review - Kisses From Katie

To see my review for Adopted For Life, click HERE. 

Out of all the books I read over Christmas break, this one was my fav.  Gah...I cannot emphasize how much this book made an impact on me.  My husband gave me Kisses From Katie as a Christmas present, and I devoured it in just a few short days.  It's a must-read for anyone who cares about living for Jesus, caring for orphans, or Christian missions.

 

KISSES FROM KATIE   -- By: Katie Davis

• This book is sort of a memoir of Katie's, partially written in journal-style; ya know with dates at the top of the entry and all.  Some of the entries are excerpts straight from Katie's blog.  (which is also an excellent read I must say)
• Katie details her call to leave her comfortable home in Tennessee, and move half way around the globe to serve the least of these in Uganda.  
• This girl is impressive, although she claims over and over in her book that she does not feel brave or special or impressive at all.  As a nineteen year old single gal, she gives up her cute car, cute clothes, nice home, promise of a college education, and her family, friends, and love of her life to take sick, needy orphaned girls into her home in Uganda.  Although she lives very poorly by the world's standards, she describes feeling rich beyond measure.   She eventually takes 13 children into her family!!
• Katie's book will make you laugh, and, if you have a heartbeat, it will most definitely make you cry.  She paints dire life and death situations in vivid detail, and she humorously describes the antics of living as a white girl among many lively African children.  
• She also illuminates the need for adoption, orphan care, and loving on people in general.  
• Again, my favorite thing about this book is that it is a book about missions-- dirty, sweaty, exhausting, rewarding Christian missions. 

FAVORITE QUOTES:

 “The truth is that the 143 million orphaned children and the 11 million who starve to death or die from preventable diseases and the 8.5 million who work as child slaves, prostitutes, or under other horrific conditions and the 2.3 million who live with HIV add up to 164.8 million needy children. And though at first glance that looks like a big number, 2.1 billion people on this earth proclaim to be Christians. The truth is that if only 8 percent of the Christians would care for one more child, there would not be any statistics left.”

“God reminded me how beautiful we all are to Him, after all, we were created in His own image, and He looks at me, at you, in all our sweat and dirt and brokenness, and says, "I choose you. You are beautiful.”

“Adoption is a beautiful picture of redemption. It is the Gospel in my living room.” 

“I have learned that I will not change the world, Jesus will do that. I can however, change the world for one person. I can change the world for fourteen little girls and for four hundred schoolchildren and for a sick and dying grandmother and for a malnourished, neglected, abused five-year old. And if one persons sees the love of Christ in me, it is worth every minute. In fact, it is worth spending my life for.”

“I am blown away that my God, who could do this all by Himself, would choose to let me be a little part of it.” 

“People from my first home say I'm brave. They tell me I'm strong. They pat me on the back and say, 'Way to go. Good job.' But the truth is, I am not really very brave; I am not really very strong; and I am not doing anything spectacular. I am simply doing what God has called me to do as a person who follows Him. He said to feed His sheep and He said to care for 'the least of these,' so that's what I'm doing, with the help of a lot people who make it possible and in the company of those who make my life worth living” 

Okay, so I could probably pull out a quote from every page that I love, so I'd better stop there.  Visit Katie's website here, where you can learn more about how to get involved in her ministry, AMAZIMA.  Missionaries:  this book will inspire you to diligently speak TRUTH into people's lives everywhere you go and point them toward God.  Moms: this book will inspire you to selflessly love your children in a RADICAL way.  Christians: this book should challenge you to consider how you are denying self and seeking to live like JESUS each day. 

Definitely my fav book of 2012!

Thanks for reading,

-Shelly