Day 6: A Day at Amazima (Truly Amazing)

The place we’re staying at in Jinja is called Kingfisher. It is just beautiful and right next to Lake Victoria which is the source of the Nile River. Amazing! It is a wonderful place, but it been quite funny getting used to the electricity constantly flickering on and off and only being able to have hot water after 6pm. Honestly I’ve kind of enjoyed it. I don’t want to have all the comforts of home while I’m here. I want to be able to identify with those who live here even if it’s only on a small scale.


We spent almost the entire day yesterday at Katie Davis’ house. (Take a look at her blog: Kisses From Katie and the Amazima Website.) She is a young woman who is about 20 years old from Nashville. She runs a ministry called Amazima Ministry in Uganda. It mostly a child sponsorship program, but she is also personally Mommy to 13 beautiful Ugandan orphan girls. We had the privilege of meeting her a week before we left the U.S., and she told us some of the most amazing stories about some of her girls. She is truly a remarkable woman. Can you imagine at age 20 giving up every comfort you have, moving to a third world country, becoming a single mom to 13 girls while also running a large ministry and planning on spending the rest of your life there? She is truly living out the Gospel.

Even though we were at Katie’s house, she was not there. She is currently in the U.S. sharing her story and working on getting more kids sponsored. There were two young woman there carrying for her kids while “Mommy Kate” was gone. They looked about the same age as Katie. Katie also has a few employees that help her run her ministry. They were all so wonderful!

Our job for the day was to help with the Amazima Saturday program. Every Saturday all the sponsored children with Amazima along with some waiting for sponsors come to Katie’s house for singing, Bible Study and food. There were over 300 children who all came to this one house! Almost all of them walk there. A few of the littlest get picked up in Katie’s van. For some it took several hours of walking to get there. The kids ranged in age from three to early teenagers. Many Ugandan children do not know their age since it is not a hugely celebrated holiday, and most of these kids live in extreme poverty.

As far as I understand, sponsorship through Amazima pays for the children’s school fees, food, and medical care. Each week, the children receive a bag of beans, rice and corn flour to take home to share with their family. One of the things some people in our group helped do, upon arrival, was to prepare these bags of food for the children to take home with them.

We played with the kids and loved on them for a while. They are so kind, but very different from Ethiopian kids we met. The Ugandan people in general seem to be much more reserved and shy.

Our time with these kids was so special. My heart broke for all of them, though. I don’t know what they live with every day, but most likely it includes some sort of hardship. Many would barely speak a whisper when asked their name. Most seem to be having a great time though and participated in all the activities we did with them. Katie, her staff, and the other volunteers have really developed an amazing program, and you can see clearly how they have worked in the lives of these children. I was blown away.

When it was time to eat, these kids got in the longest line I’ve ever seen and waited to receive their food. I can’t imagine any American child I’ve ever seen wait in a line that long to receive an egg or some beans and rice. I know I live in an area where most people do not go hungry, but we truly have no idea.

I thought it was weird before lunch that Rowoul kept praying & having the children pray that God would help them finish their food. I didn’t think that deeply about it, but I remembering thinking, “Well, that an odd thing to pray about.”

It all became clear though when they got their food. These children received a very large, and I do mean, VERY large, plate of chicken, rice, and beans. Now the prayer made sense. They definitely would need God to help them eat it all. This was probably the best meal they would receive all week so it was important to get as much of it as they could into their little bodies.

I was so blessed to be able to be a part of Amazima. I would write more, but I’m falling asleep as I write this. The kids truly touched me and caused me to totally fall in love with the Ugandan people. What a blessing!

After Katie’s, we got back to the Kingfisher Resort to have dinner. It takes well over an hour to get our food once we order it, so we always have time to chat. On this night, Paul, got to share his testimony and his thoughts about orphans with us. Paul works with New Hope Uganda and has been staying with us and helping with our trip. I wish I would have video-taped his entire talk. It was one of the most powerful things I’ve heard about how God is a redeemer and the journey from true tragedy and complete heartbreak to a life full of wisdom, hope, and redemption. He has more insight on the heart of an orphan than anyone I have ever spoken with or heard. Sitting and listening to him changed me forever. I’ve heard people speak before in person or on the computer, but it is different when you are sitting face to face. God must be so pleased with him. He is a world changer.