Book Review: Kisses from Katie

Modern Day Mother TeresarnI’m not sure how long I’ve admired Mother Teresa and people like her. People who have a deep desire to help mankind far beyond the average person’s desire. They have a longing, an ache really that cannot be satisfied any other way. Their passion for their mission far outweighs any earthly convenience. To not do what they are compelled to do would kill their spirit and soul. Katie Davis is also one such person. She like Mother Teresa was called to work with orphans. They share a Catholic faith with a strong belief in God, a love for Him and a dependence on Him completely for the work they do. You can’t really call it work because it feels very natural. rnKisses from Katie is written by Katie Davis with the help of Beth Clark. In it Katie shares the trials and joys of her calling to missionary work in Uganda. Her desire for missionary work began in adolescence. Mother Teresa was one of her heroines. To her family’s surprise, she announced at her 16th birthday dinner that she would do missionary work for a year after high school graduation. rnAt a time when other young, talented, intelligent, women were going to college, she went to Uganda. The question is asked numerous times “why”? Why would a young person trade a nice, comfortable life in the U.S. for a life surrounded by severe poverty, dire health conditions, heat, dirt, insects, rodents and no family? Her answer time and time again is a call to do what God has said we all are called to do. The love of the children is her driving force. She can’t let them go and so she is the one who lets go of everything to live with them, love them, adopt them, and educate them. It’s a wonderful reminder that when we live our purpose we are fulfilled. rnThe spiritual maturity of Katie comes through on each page. She journals her story and that is also intertwined within the book. From time to time it can sound a bit preachy but then you realize these are her thoughts, her conversations with God and her immense desire to share the good news of Jesus to everyone. She reminds us how hard and unfair life can be but that the God we serve is great and we can see his goodness. Miracles do exist. This book raised a question for me again. Are there some people in this world who are called to do more than the average person? My answer is “yes” and she is one of them. Just as we admire world leaders, athletes, and billionaires, we can also admire the lifework of kindhearted, self-sacrificing people like Katie Davis. I believe that have a longing and that that longing is answered by God to work in an incredible and unconventional way. So to her and others like her I say thank you. My life is blessed by their life’s work.