Sunday, April 11, 2010

Katie's Hope





...she was thirteen and pregnant. Tall for her age, she was a Dinka girl of Sudanese descent. While not her birth name, she responded to the title, Hope, which was ironic considering how small the amount of hope had been spared for her.





At the age of ten, Hope had been kidnapped by her Uncle and taken to Uganda in order to serve as the family's slave. Trapped in a house born of mud and clay, her job was to tend to the needs of the five adults and ten children of whom she shared residency. She cooked and she cleaned. Seven days a week without fail. Like a modern day Cinderella, an ocean away from Happily Ever After.





Miles from home, Hope was unfamiliar to Ugandan culture. She couldn't speak their language. She struggled to adapt. What she could understand was the order given from a pointed index finger. An angry shout. And the endless beatings.





She was repeatedly kicked and punched in the stomach, in hopes of terminating the life she was carrying. Because of the pregnancy, she was considered damaged goods, as useless as a homeless wanderer living under the shaded canopy of a rickety bridge during the rainy season. And she was treated as such.





Neighbors could hear her screams from behind closed doors. They grew concerned for Hope's safety and alerted the police. In time, a standoff took place, in which the adults blocked passage for the authorities to rescue Hope. The police prevailed however, and Hope was taken away.





Weeks later, the Sudanese Embassy ruled on the case, and rewarded custody of Hope back to the Uncle who had originally kidnapped her in the first place.





The beatings resumed.





At last, with the help of a concerned neighbor, Hope managed to escape in the middle of the night with nothing more than the clothes on her back, but freedom standing before her.





She was quietly moved from one home to the next, her exact whereabouts a mystery, and therefore remaining one step ahead of her uncle's search party.





And it was during this time, when her story was heard by the person known as "Auntie Katie." Hope didn't realize it just then, but her life was about to change.





Still in her early twenties, and known to the locals only as Auntie Katie, she is the adoptive mother of 16 African girls. In association with Amazima Ministries, this slim-figured brunette, born in America, now living in Africa, is saving lives and turning heads from across the globe.





Her blog, The Journey, kissesfromkatie, is now read by a multitude of followers worldwide. She is not a writer, and yet her words possess an awe-inspiring sense of urgency for all who treasure the experience. It's been said that if the Bible were still in the process of being written, Katie's name would surely appear in passage in the New Testament. The Book of Katie.





It causes one to think...if a simple twenty-something girl from the states can do so much, what if...





Hope gave birth to a healthy baby boy two weeks prior to her due date. One day after Christmas she was rescued by Auntie Katie and her ministry. Mother and son are currently living under Katie's care while her original family from Southern Sudan are located.





The link to Katie's blog and Hope's entire story are located under "The Journey," on my blog list, or go to kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com.

13 comments:

Kristy said...

She is amazing. I read her blog and cry, feel inspired, helpless and most of all challenged. I told Chris if the Bible was being wrote today, it would include her. She really is AMAZING!

B. Miller said...

Wow, what an inspirational post. Thanks so much for sharing!

**Heidi** said...

Katie is an inspiring, real, and amazing Godly woman. She is a gift to the world, giving hope and bringing peace. I admire her for so many reasons...she makes me strive to be a better person. Not only has she become a mother and auntie to many children she has brought the truth of God to many. Please visit http://amazima.org/ to read more and help the mission.

Lola Sharp said...

Wow, Elliot, you're getting all deep and mushy and stuff. What an inspiring story.

Thanks for sharing.

Elliot Grace said...

...one must possess multiple facets of the art in order to reach one's ultimate dream...or something like that:) Thanks for reading.

Moll said...

Wow, what an incredible story.

Robert Guthrie said...

Thank you, Elliot, for getting that story to more of us. Hard, but important for us to know.

A few years ago I heard Francis Bok speak about his co-authored book "Escape from Slavery". He lives in the US now & talks about being enslaved in Sudan.

So horrible to think how so many other people live. Thank you for helping us witness.

Unknown said...

This is an inspiring story. Having spent time in the Central African Republic, I have immense respect for people like Auntie Katie. Thanks for sharing their stories.

Thank you, too, for following my blog!

Anita said...

Totally cool. And you're right, it makes me wonder what I can do.

Elliot Grace said...

...it's a subject my wife is passionate about, helping the neglected children of Africa. Safe to say she's rubbed off on me. Many thanks for reading:)

Lola Sharp said...

I gave you an award today. :o)

prashant said...

what an inspirational post. Thanks so much for sharing!
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