"To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth."
- John Steibeck, The Grapes of Wrath
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
My dad posted this story the other day on Thinklings.
Katie is a 21 year old young woman living in Uganda as the adopted mother of fourteen little girls. She runs a non-profit organization called Amazima that provides free education, school supplies, food, and medical care, as well as love, fellowship and shelter. You can read her blog here. She has been updating since she left for Uganda in 2007, and the archives are filled with stories, pictures, and reflections that are simultaneously humbling and inspiring, heartbreaking and brimming with joy.
Even if you are not a Christian - even if you don't believe in any sort of God - this story is amazing. It's not about Katie - though she is very impressive - but it's about love being given to those who have known nothing but death and poverty and sorrow.
I read through a great deal of her blog today, and I couldn't help but feel inadequate and spoiled. It's not guilt. I didn't choose where I was born, or the family I was born into. But I'm sitting in a dorm at the most prestigious university in the world, getting a wonderful education, and I haven't really done anything to make the world a better place. I've argued about politics, books, music and history, but it's been so long since I did anything that was at all selfless.
It's not guilt. It's sobering.
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Comments on "Love Vast as the Ocean":
2. Mom
- 07/20/2010 4:48 pm CDT
I agree with what Papa said.
I spent the better part of Saturday reading her blog and cried and was so amazed-at her, and mainly at God. I was touched how her own girls at times shared her own conviction in helping others.
Glad you took the time to read her. It's no surprise that she is inspired by Mother Teresa.
Leave a Comment:
Yes, Andrew this story is very sobering. Katie is a very special young woman uniquely equipped for this role in life. Not all are called to give their life in this manner. We are all called to follow God's plan for us. Life is like a giant puzzle where all parts are different but fit together to form the whole. Pray for the Katies in life. But also pray that God will reveal to you his paln for you.
Most importantly that you will respond to his will in the manner he desires.
Praying for you. Love you.