Closed Doors
Amy Carmichael wanted to be a missionary to China. But ill health closed that door. She tried Japan. That door closed too. Finally, at age 28, she sailed for India.
A Child Escaped
In 1901, a seven-year-old girl named Preena escaped from a Hindu temple and ran to Amy's mission. Preena had been sold to the temple as a child bride to the gods - a practice that was essentially religious exploitation.
Amy discovered that thousands of children were trapped in this system. She began rescuing them - buying them, hiding them, sometimes sneaking them out at night.
The work was dangerous. Temple authorities threatened her. Lawsuits were filed. Once, someone was sent to harm her. Yet Amy never took a furlough for fifty-five years.
Fifty-Five Years Without Furlough
She founded Dohnavur Fellowship, a safe haven that would rescue over a thousand children. She refused to distinguish between castes - unheard of in India.
In 1931, Amy fell into a pit, leaving her bedridden for the last twenty years of her life. Yet she continued writing - thirty-five books that have inspired missionaries worldwide.
"One can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving."