My friend introduced me to Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis years ago. This young girl from Tennessee left for a mission trip to Uganda over her Christmas break and returned with a passion for those people so she returned. She traded in her comfortable life to live down red-dirt roads and minister to the Ugandan people. I couldn’t put the book down so when I had the opportunity to be part of the launch team for her second book, Daring to Hope, I jumped on it.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him. Romans 15:13

The essence of the book is hope. Daring to hope despite our circumstances. Daring to make ourselves vulnerable, throwing our arms wide open, and reaching for our Savior. Trusting that He may not give us the answer we prayed for, but knowing He loves us anyway and gives us what He knows to be best for us.

In her newest book, Daring to Hope, Katie shares the messy and painful moments of her life in Uganda. The horror from the living situations to the most destitute of living situations cause a well of sadness to rise up in me. The people love Katie and she loves them. The problem with loving people is that we become vulnerable and it hurts when they’re gone.

As friend after friend leaves this earth, Katie turns to God with her doubts and a shaky faith. And He answers her. He renews her spirit and gives her fresh hope when she wonders how she can open herself up to loving yet another person who’s unexpected to live. How can God expect her to love and care for this person when she’s probably going to die anyway?

A flickering flame of hope sends her straight to God, asking Him for more faith to believe in what she could not see.

And He provides.

No one wants to suffer. No one wants to experience the pain of wounds and loss. As I’m writing this, my daughter burned her hand. The unbearable pain sent her to the sink, washing the red blistering skin with cool water. She cried, asking God to remove the pain. He didn’t right away. After medicating and doctoring her, she returned to her original task –sewing a small quilt for her sister’s birthday.

When I asked what she was doing and didn’t her hand hurt, she said it did. “It hurts but I can’t think about it. If I think about the pain, then I just hurt. But if I’m only thinking of my sister when she sees this and how happy she’ll be, then I don’t hurt so bad.”

We’ve known physical pain and emotional pain. Have you? Do you know that God sees you in your hurting places and He loves you so much? He hurts with you.

When I read the love and loss and love again in Daring to Hope, I experienced my own pain from loss again. Through each account Katie shares of love and loss, my heart twitched and my eyes filled with tears. But this time, I knew the same God of hope that filled Katie’s heart with joy and peace as she trusted in Him did the same for me and will do the same for you.

As Katie shares stories, experiences, and revelation from God through His word in her newest book, you’ll laugh and cry as she testifies of God’s goodness so that we too can have full and abundant life in Him. You’ll read how God answered her prayers beyond anything she could imagine. You’ll get a taste of that hope which is so readily available to you if you’ll just ask and trust God.

Do I think you should own this book? Absolutely. But have yourself a box of tissues and a highlighter nearby!

Daring to Hope releases October 3, 2017 and you have the privilege of FREE goodies if you preorder! (This frugal mama says, “Yes! Yes! Pre-order for the Freebies!”)

You can watch the book trailer here.

You can download the first chapter here.

You can find out more about Amazima Ministries here.

KATIE DAVIS MAJORS moved to Uganda over a decade ago with no idea that this would be the place that God chose to build her home and her family. Today, she is a wife to Benjie and mom to her fourteen favorite people. Katie and her family invest their lives in empowering the people of Uganda with education, medical care, and spiritual discipleship. She is also the founder of Amazima Ministries, an organization that cares for vulnerable children and families in Uganda and the author of the New York Times bestseller Kisses from Katie.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.