“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” -Amy Carmichael
Amy Carmichael was born in Ireland in 1867. Her father, David Carmichael, was a wealthy businessman that owned a flour mill business. Amy attended Harrogate Ladies College for four years in her youth. It was there that she converted to Christianity and devoted her life to serving God. At a young age, the family business entered a hardship and was forced to close, ultimately leading to her father’s death. Amy and her family could no longer enjoy the blessings of a wealthy life. She was forced to drop out of school and use the remaining years of her youth helping her mother take care of her younger siblings, whom she was the oldest of seven.
Amy had a servant’s heart. One day, an encounter with an older homeless woman left her longing to make a difference for those less fortunate than herself. God put it on her heart to help others. On Saturday evenings Amy would disperse food and scripture among the poor people, which were commonly known as the Shawlies. The Shawlies were a very poor people, however they were very eager to learn about God. Amy felt God compelling her, and her heart began to cry out for them. So, with God on her side and the people in her heart, Amy moved into the neighborhood of the Shawlies. She endured very poor conditions to be closer to the people, eating and sleeping in bug infested environments- something far from the customs of her early life, being born from a wealthy family. She ministered and prayed with the people and began asking God to provide a church for the Shawlies to worship. After much prayer and reflection God answered and a church was built. Amy continued to work and minister among the people for many years until one day, she felt the Lord compelling her to spread the Gospel abroad. She began her transition into the missionary field.
Amy Carmichael
Amy suffered from neuralgia, a disease of the nerves that often made her very weak and even bed ridden for weeks at a time. Many thought it unwise for her to consider missionary work. Despite this, Amy was inspired by missionaries such as Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, after hearing him speak at the Keswick Convention in 1887. Regardless of her physical condition, Amy felt the Lord continue to pull her toward the mission field. After much prayer, Amy set off to pursue ministry in Japan.
Amy was only in Japan for a couple of years before she was forced to leave her work due to illness. Undeterred, Amy made the decision to continue her mission work somewhere else. She arrived in India two years later at the age of 28. Her doctors recommended India only because it was a more suitable climate for someone with her condition. Amy did not know at the time why the Lord had led her there. She only knew that her passion for Christ outweighed her physical shortcomings, and that God was able to use her wherever she ended up. She arrived in Bangalore in 1895 to begin what would become one of the most significant mission trips in the history of India. One that saved the lives of thousands of abused children and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through some of the darkest parts of India.
It was 1901 when Amy first met Preena. Amy had just returned from a year long ministry in the villages when a little girl came to her, crying for help. Preena was seven years old and had just escaped
from a nearby temple. Her mother had given her to the temple after her father died -an effort to please the Hindu gods. Abused and neglected, Preena fled the temple only to end up at the feet of the young missionary from Ireland. Incredibly moved, Amy was determined to save young Preena despite the contrary views and protests of the local temple. Eventually, after much debate, Amy was allowed to keep Preena permanently. It was then that the Lord revealed His true purpose for Amy, and the first child of the Dohnavur fellowship found a home.
At the time, Indian girls dedicated to the temple were often beaten, abused and used as prostitutes. Unwanted and disowned by their parents many children had nowhere to go and were forced to endure unspeakable things. So, within the same year Amy began taking in abused children. She started what is known as the Dohnavur Fellowship. Convinced that God did not want her to marry or have children of her own, Amy is still considered mother (Amma) to thousands of children still to this day. Not only did Amy save hundreds of children from a life of abuse, but she raised every child she took in as if they were her own, instilling the love of Christ into each one.
Today, the Dohnavur Fellowship stretches over 400 acres and is equipped with its own hospital and over fifteen nurseries. Since 1901 the Dohnavur Fellowship has accepted and saved thousands of neglected children. Today it can house approximately 500 children at once and continues to grow and prosper for the Lord. Amy stayed in India at the Dohnavur Fellowship until she died in 1951 at the age of 83. She left behind a legacy that still inspires evangelists today. Amy Carmichael serves as a great example of a life exemplified through Christ. The work that she accomplished in India has long succeeded her time on earth and has changed the life of thousands of God’s children.
https://www.kidsofcourage.com/?p=10004 http://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/article/a-living-legacy https://simplychurch.com/2013/12/11/some-quotes-from-one-of-my-heroines-amy-carmichael/ https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/church-history-for-kids/amy-carmichael-helped-the-helpless-11634859.html http://dohnavurfellowship.org/
