“I’m sorry, but we cannot treat those who cannot pay,” the doctor explained.
Katie Davis blinked in shock. How could a physician turn away an injured child, even if she was an orphan? Then again, this was Uganda, not Brentwood, Tennessee where she grew up. Fifty percent of the population here lived in poverty, and the under-resourced hospital couldn’t handle all the overwhelming needs.
People waiting in Ugandan hospital
But Katie, a kindergarten teacher, couldn’t accept the doctor’s pronouncement. This child was a student in her school, living in a shack down the street. She was the oldest of three and caretaker of the younger two; their parents had died of AIDS.
The orphanage was already full to capacity; Katie feared for the girls’ future. That very day she managed to secure custody papers, and single Katie became a mother of three—at age nineteen.[1]
What will Mom and Dad say about THIS? she must have thought.
They’d already been hesitant about Katie’s first three-week trip to Uganda, to work at a Christian orphanage her senior year of high school, 2006. Almost as soon as she arrived, Katie fell in love with the staff and students.
Upon returning to the States, Katie couldn’t wait to get back to Uganda after graduation, to take the kindergarten position offered her. The Davises had agreed, with the understanding she’d begin college the following year.
Katie returned home as promised, but her heart remained in Uganda. After one semester, her parents acquiesced and Katie flew back to the people and country she loved.
Uganda–a small land-locked country of East Africa
It was January 2008 when Katie’s adopted daughters moved into her small living quarters, but God soon provided a house to rent.
Over the next eighteen months, more orphans were brought to Katie—girls who’d been abandoned, abused, or whose parents had died of AIDS. One baby was given to Katie by an HIV-positive mother, just twelve years old herself. Child-by-child, Katie’s family grew to thirteen.
Of course, her teacher-salary couldn’t cover all the expenses. But Katie had already researched how to start a nonprofit organization, to aid Uganda’s children. Amazima International Ministries was established in 2008, based in Katie’s hometown of Brentwood.[2]
Soon 150 children were receiving assistance that included school supplies, basic medical care, and two hot meals a day—things their families couldn’t afford.
Two years passed. Katie’s life brimmed with all the responsibilities that thirteen children entail. In addition, numerous houseguests came and went—people in dire circumstances needing temporary lodging.
As with any household, disagreements and frustrations flared. But the word Katie chose to describe the atmosphere was elation—for the laughter, singing, happy noise and gratitude that filled her home.[3]
Then tragedy unfolded. A dear friend and mother of five, died. And the biological mother of one of Katie’s adoptees returned to claim her daughter—a mother unfit for parenting—but Katie had to let the child go. Grief beyond words gripped her heart as she turned to her Heavenly Father for solace.
Early in 2014, twenty-something Benji Majors arrived in Uganda on a mission trip. He soon recognized the need for young men to be mentored. So Benji decided to stay and come alongside those wanting to become God’s men of integrity.
When Benji asked Katie out–twice, she said no both times, not sure if marriage was part of God’s plan. Besides, what man would commit himself to a woman with thirteen children? Better not to get involved, she thought.
But Katie found herself attracted to Benji’s passionate heart for God and for people. She finally invited him for coffee—the first of many dates.
The following year Benji proposed over a picnic. When Katie said yes, her thirteen daughters jumped out of the bushes and tossed flowers at the couple. Benji had included them as part of the plan. He and Katie were married in late 2015.
The couple still lives in Uganda, running Amazima Ministries. They provide education for hundreds of children in their own Amazima School, food and health services for thousands of families, as well as job opportunities.
Who could have imagined such a far-reaching outcome when young Katie left for Uganda?
GOD could.
P.S. Ben and Katie no longer parent 13 children; the number has grown to 15 with their two biological sons.
[1] Though Ugandan law specifies an adoptive parent must be at least twenty-one, a judge can override the law in the best interest of the child(ren).
[2] Amazima means “truth” in Lugandan.
[3] https://youngadults.lifeway.com/2012/01/no-ordinary-life-katie-davis-story-of-serving-children-in-uganda/
Sources:
https://amazima.org/about/ . Visit here for numerous photos and information about Amazima Ministries.
https://justbetweenus.org/magazine/exclusive-interviews/extraordinary-love/
https://myhero.com/katie-davis-a-serving-heart-2
https://toptwentyfiveinterviews.transistor.fm/episodes/7-daring-to-hope-part-1-katie-davis-majors
Photo credits: http://www.commons.wikimedia.org (Toshihiro Horii); http://www.wikimedia.org; http://www.flickr.com; sni.no/Skole_og_utdanning_i_Uganda (Richard Lord); http://www.publicdomainpictures.com (Michael Spisak).
From the Inside Out 