by Leah Raich | Nov 1, 2011 | News Slider
When Katie Davis told Lipscomb students how she went from being a homecoming queen in one of the nation’s most affluent suburbs to becoming a mother to 13 Ugandan orphans, it struck a note. “Katie came to speak in chapel last week, and I was truly inspired for the rest of the day,” said Megan Crawford, a senior elementary education major from Bartlett, Tenn. Four years ago, Davis was homecoming queen at Ravenwood High School in Brentwood. Her life was full of good friends, a loving family and boyfriend, and a cute yellow convertible. She was planning to go to college with her boyfriend in the fall of 2008 and study nursing. But God had other plans. After graduating high school, she went to Uganda for a year to teach kindergarten at a local orphanage. She saw this as a temporary move, but God didn’t. Today, Davis is living in Uganda sharing her home with 13 orphaned or abandoned girls, ages 2 to 15. Davis is the legal guardian or foster mother for all of them and hopes to one day adopt them. “As someone her age who has been to Africa, I could relate to a lot of the poverty and emotions she has experienced while living there,” said Crawford. By law, Davis is too young to adopt in Uganda, said child welfare officer Caroline Bankusha. The rules say an adoptive parent must be at least 25 years old and at least 21 years older than the child being adopted. Davis has also started a nonprofit organization called Amazima Ministries. With support from U.S. donors, Amazima helps 400 children go...
by Emily Snell | Oct 13, 2011 | News Slider
Katie Davis faced a dramatic life transformation nearly five years ago, and now at age 22, as the mother of 13 Ugandan children, she is changing the world one life at a time. Davis spoke at The Gathering on Thursday Oct. 13 to tell her story and the stories of people she has met and to encourage students to walk in obedience to God’s call. During her senior year of high school, Davis went on a Christmas break mission trip to Uganda. Her heart was so deeply touched by the people she encountered that she had to go back to the East African nation and care for them. “I wanted to do something, even if it was small,” Davis said. Davis established Amazima Ministries in 2008, in order to help more children by partnering them with sponsors around the world. The organization “feeds, educates, and encourages orphaned and vulnerable children and the poor in the country of Uganda.” A $300/year sponsorship provides some medical care, school supplies, three meals a day and spiritual encouragement. When Davis began Amazima, which means “truth” in Lugandan, she said she expected to have a couple dozen children involved. In January 2008, there were already 150, and now the ministry has more than 450 sponsored kids. Davis has adopted 13 AIDS orphans, some of whom have special needs. “God created this family out of brokenness,” she said. Davis said most people hear her story and either think she is crazy or extraordinary. But she says she simply obeys the commands Jesus gave. “I’m just a normal person,” Davis said, “and in these little ordinary...
