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As someone involved in cross-cultural missions with children, Kisses from Katie was really talking my language. I was truly inspired by such a young American woman leaving her home, family, friends, boyfriend and expectations of a degree or career behind in order to follow God’s call. It is a heart-warming, thoroughly inspiring read giving a stark reminder of the real and deep needs of children around the world. However, the ‘fruit’ of the read doesn’t apply only to those in missions, or even in creating some motivation to support missions or children in poverty around the world – but here you will find some powerful take-home thoughts for life in post-modern Britain. Katie’s honest extracts from her diary on this brave journey of adopting 13 children in Uganda show her wrestling with belonging and values in the West; the abundance and choices we have here, for example. Not only that, Katie’s aims and goals in bringing up her ever-expanding family, and the sacrifices she makes are a challenge and inspiration to the reader. This book caused me to reconsider: do we love the children in our care (not just our own) enough to make sacrifices for them that really hurt? What values are we really instilling in them? This is well worth getting hold of – it would make a great summer holiday read.

Helena Kittle works for Youth with a Mission (YWAM) and is an experienced leader of all-age international mission trips