1918,
1913
March 1 Amethyst
- They took off their jewlery
- They didn't do it to get paid
The Dohnavur Fellowship
People started to call her the "child-stealing amma"
The Hindu Traffic of Children
- parents would sell their girls to the temple, to the Hindu gods
The Starry Cluster
- A touring evangelistic group on a bandy
- Preaching in the market place, talking to anyone who are willing to listen
They have 80 boys aged from newborn to 14 years old
1926
Respect for the Indian Culture
- the member of the Dohnavur Fellowhsip wore Indian dress
- gave rescued children Indian names
- Amy herself wore Sari and dyed her skin with dark coffee
June 1902
March 6, 1901
Had about 8 girls, 4 of them baby girls
June: 17 children under Amy's care
- gave the children work to do
- since many of them don't have a family
- a way to help the community as well
Enough funds and labourers to fund a hospital
Jan 14: A baby boy was given and Amy opens for Boy's work
- either sold to the temple
- or born from temple prostitude
Received Preena a 7 years old girl from the Hindu Temple
53 years old Amy received the Kaiser-i-Hind medal
Landed in India
Nov 9, 1895
July 1895
Accepted by Zenana Mission Society to work in southern India
India
- Went under the authority of Zenana Mission Society
- Noticed the the missionaries reported no converts and expected no converts
- Noticed that the missionaries were in everyway separatef rom the people they were trying to reach
- Shocked to hear that there were no Indian believers who would help out with no pay checks
- The christian schools were taught by Muslims and Hindus
- Caste system and Hinduism was a great barrier
- people are really afraid of breaking caste
- loyalty: event to burning of widows
- She started to want to wear native dress
- wanted to live with the natives but it made people really uncomfortable because of the caste system
Dec 1897
Nov 27, 1894
Headed back to England because Rober Wilson had suffered a serious stroke
Sep 12, 1882
Wrote the book From Sunrise Land about mission in Japan
- Was excited because of India's rich christian history
End of 1894
Back in England
1883
July 28, 1894
May 1, 1893
Amy arried at the ancient town of Matsuye
headed for Columbo because of "Japan Head"
Adopted native dress as (Hudson Taylor did in China)
Japan
- On her last boat to Japan, her attitude on the ship impressed the Captain that he became a Christian. This teaches us to be thankful in all circumstances, to be a witness of Christ. [[Phil 4#11|Phil 4:11-13]]
- She ministered through an interpreter. She had to leave because of a serious illness.
Mar 3rd, 1893
Sailed for Japan
Other Facts
- Had 6 Younger Brother and Sisters
- Mother: Catherine Carmichael
- Father: David Carmichael
- Uncle: William Carmichael
- Family were Scottish Presbyterians, and took their faith seriously
- Father and Uncle were irish millers
Born
1904
Started the Dohnavur Fellowship (Nursery)
How she often rocked the boat
- No time for Christian who only went meeting after meeting to soak up knowledge but never went to share the good news
- Many Church members didn't like her brining "the shawlies" to the church
- Becoming like the native to win the natives, something the missionaries around her didn't do
I was in a ministry that was over whelmed with non-christian’s. Many wanted to help, but because we had different vision for the ministry. We couldn’t allow them to be part of planning.
- She was careful on selecting workers
- one of the reason for "no-salary" policty
- many indians would have gladly got baptizd and worked for the mission in order to make a living
- Guard You Gate was one of her favorite warnings
- Many of her friends and supported was suprised when she rejected applicated who seems ideally suited for the ministry
- She prayed for men and women into places of services and that the Lord would prepare, protect, and provide for them
Discussion Questions
Do you think Amy's policy about laboreres is too strict?
Should the various ministries around church or even out reach ministry that are usually short staff have a policy like this? Only accepting help from christians
Going Native
[!QUOTE]+ [[1 Cor 9#19|1 Cor 9:19-23]] $^{19}$ For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. $^{20}$ To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. $^{21}$ To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. $^{22}$ To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. $^{23}$ I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
First Fall
Amy (63) suffered her first fall. Partly paralyzed
Oct 24, 1931
June 19, 1905
1912
Rober Wilson passed away
Serving 130 girls
Funds came for a House of Prayer and finished on Nov 1927
Nov 1927
1919
Jan 15: prayed for funds for a boys nursery and the fund was given yesterday!
Jan 18, 1951
Second Fall
Suffered her second fall. Bed ridden
Passed Away
1948
Legacy
-
The Dohnavur fellowship is still operating
- Fun fact: if you search Dohnavur, the Dohnavur Fellowship is the first thing that shows up
-
The Welcome Evangelical Church still stands today
-
Burried in an unmarked grave, without even a coffin
-
Her family did build a birdbath with the name Amma on it.
- She had great love for nature, for animal, for birds
- anbd everyday they would refill the water to ensure the birds would enjoy this spot
Jan 2, 1889
Moved to England
Moved in with the Wilsons
What she believed about ministry partners
- She didn't want those who just wanted to "do something good with their lives" but wanted people who served out of their dedication to God
The Welcome Completed Construction
Call to be a missionary
-
She had a bad experience with asking for money before.
-
She was helping out her grandma with a charity.
-
When asking a wealthy Irish Christian for some funds, she was rejected.
- Confused at first, but she realized the man was wealthy he just didn't want to give any of it away
-
She decided she would not ask for money, but accept money from those that would give out of their own free will.
"Real Christian people, she decided would gladly give money to help others. So why bother to ask people who didn't want to give?"
What she believed about financial support
-
Did not ask for financial support but have financial needs met on time
-
The 500 pound and the funds for the land was provided without her asking for it.
Be generous enough to give without being asked
The Welcome
-
Amy was already serving the Shawlies, a bible study on Sunday Morning in the church of Rosemary Street Presbyterian in the mid 1880s
- The church memebers were not happy with the Shawlies in the church
-
Attendance grew quickly into the hundreds
- then quickly into the 400s
-
But after the Keswick Convention she thought if God wanted this ministry to expand then He would be able to provide the fund.
- Amy prayed that if this worked is something God wanted, then He alone would provide the fund and the labourers
- For the Tin Tabernacle (500 Pound that would seat 500 people)
-
Financial Support
-
Labourer
Started a bible study
Decide to live in the slums
She heard Hudson Taylor in the Keswick Convention
Was in the slumb for about a year untill she got really sick
Went to London to apply for China Inland Mission. But was rejected due to her health
Jan 13, 1892
Mission
- Greatly inspired by Hudson Taylor
- Obstacle: Robert Wilson and Family
- Was rejected by China Inland Mission because of her health
- She would then take on the name "Wilson". Robert Wilson was like a father to Amy
- Want to go to missions but felt obligated to care for Robert Wilson an old family friend, and chairmen of the Keswick Convention
When asked about what mission is like by a young lady. Amy replied "Missionary life is simply a chance to die."
Amy's Mission Policies
- largly modeled after Hudson Taylor's mission
- did not solicit funds
- she refused when people wanted to sponser a child instead told them to support another mission
- The many worker that God brought to them were not paid workers
- The mission never borrowed money or went into debt
- Amy never criticized other ministry with differeing policies, she prefered to work as the Lord had led her
The Keswick Convention
- O Lord, you will keep us from falling
- Closing prayer -> How to Live a Holy Life
- God will keep us from falling Jude 1:24
- Amy no longer thinks of what she is able to do for God, but what God is able to do through her.
1887
Apr 1885
September 1886
August 1892
The fountain that Amy saw (probably one that replaced the old one)
Death of Father from pneunomia
Amy(17), Father (53)
Went Marlborough House boarding school, a private boarding school
The Great September Comet
Started school in Wesleyan Methodist school.
She came to faith here
- Early Life
- The Welcome
- Mission
- Rejection by China Inland Mission
- Japan
- India
- Before Iyer Walker
- Starry Cluster
- Dohnavur Fellowship
- Legacy
- The Welcome Evangelical Church
- Dohnavur Fellowship
- Books
21 College Garden, probably a building replacing the actual house that Amy lived in when her family moved in at age 16
She was 14
Dec 16, 1867
Formative Years
-
General information of her child hood, and then few key events, and then take-away/discussion points
-
Amy was born on Dec 16, 1867 Millisle, Ireland.
-
She is the oldest of 7 siblings.
-
His dad is David Carmichael
-
She went to a Private Boarding school in Malborough, but then had to leave school in the middle of the school year when she was 15 because of changes in the milling industry.
-
Her father and uncles owns and managed several flour mills. So her family is fairly comfortable
-
Due to changes in the milling industry they had to move to Belfast
-
Her parents came from Covenanters (Scottish Presbyterian) and were serious about their faith. They were strong Christians
-
But the Carmichael's live changed dramatically when her father passed away in 1885
- Being the eldest of the sibling, she took responsibility
Holy Living
- For Amy holy living meant sacrifice and ministry. She always had trouble with Christians who went to meetings after meetings soaking up biblical truths but never bothered to share Christ with anyone.
[!NOTE] Having the Downcast and Rejected (riff-raffs) in our church building? How comfortable would we be to have those that society looks down upon in our church?
Encounter with Old Pathetic Women
- When returning home from church Amy and her 2 brothers saw an old poor and pathetic old women carrying heavy bundle.
- The three of them saw her and decided to help.
- The relived her of the burden, took her arms and then helped her along
- Soon all the other "proper presbyterians" caught up to them.
- She was wearing muddy rags and they were wearing their Sunday best.
- And the "icy stares of the proper Presbyterians" embarrassed them and
- They felt embarrassed from the looks of others
- Until Amy heard a voice paraphrasing 1 Cor. 3:12-14
- "Gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw... the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward."
- After that she held her head high, no longer embarrassed
- She decided that she would no longer waste time on things that weren't important in God's eyes
- She would never worry about what people thought of her. If what she was doing was pleasing to God, that would be enough for her
[!QUOTE] Later Years Amy Carmichael Wrote
We went on. I said nothing to anyone, but I knew that something had happened that had changed life's values. Nothing could ever matter again but the things that were eternal.
[!QUESTION] About Doing What Is Pleasing to God Perhaps this verse/encounter is what made Amy so fearless and so effective in the mission field. It allows her to do and try things that her contemporaries didn’t do. And it made a very big different in how mission is ran today. What are somethings that we can be fearless in that will be pleasing to God? Will your work stand the test of God? What can you do for God?
Overview of Her Life
- Dec 16, 1867 - Jan 18, 1951 (83)
- She was an Irish Missionary that served in Japan (15 month) and India (55 Years)
- The theme of her mission is to help the rejected and the helpless and share the good new of Jesus Christ
- The Welcome, ministered to the Shawlies, who were women's that were poor and marginalized
- Started orphanages for children that were sold into the Hindu temples. Rescuing them from forced prostitution. The Dohnavur Fellowship.
- Everywhere she goes, she starts a bible study.
- Even on the ship to Japan, within a week she had a bible study group
Christian Role Models
- Robert Wilson
- Hudson Taylor
- And others in the field helped and influenced her
Questions to Answer
- her formative years
- What was her ministry?
- Who, What, When Where Why
- What was her legacy?
- Books
- Things As They Are
- Books