Amy Carmichael; The Unpredictable Missionary

The average church or missions board would have a hard time supporting Amy Carmichael's ministry. Although she spent nearly 60 years in the field she never once reported to her board of the people who supported her. She went out into the field under the authority of a board but pretty much did her own thing. She did not ask for financial support, yet she saw every need met right on time. When people offered to sponsor part of her ministry, she suggested they support a different mission. She was unpredictable and independent and the average missions board would have dropped her like a hot potato. We like the ministry to be carried out in a predictable way with no surprises, no changes, and no unexpected decisions that pioneer new territory for the gospel. It might upset the donors. But Amy wasn't wired that way and she did not fit into our modern world of interchangeable parts, because she was unique. She knew what God wanted her to do and she did it. She was not a rebel; her board and co-laborers were full partners in the ministry. She was one of the Lord's special servants and he used her to accomplish a miracle ministry in South India.

She was born December 16th, 1867 in County Down, North Ireland. Her father and uncle owned a flour mill business and she grew up rather comfortable. Changes in the milling business forced the family to move to Belfast where her father died in 1885. In September of 1886, some friends invited Amy to Glasgow where she atte4nded meeting along the lines of the Keswick Convention. For many months she struggles with how to live a holy life. She found her answer at the Glasgow meetings; ironically not through any of the speakers or their sermons, but through the closing prayer offered by the chairman. He paraphrased Jude 1:24, "O Lord, we know that you are able to keep us from falling". Those words brought light into the darkness and Amy Carmichael entered into a life of faith and victory.

But Holy living was not a luxury for her; it meant sacrifice and ministry. She had no time for Christians who went from meeting to meeting and soaked up bible truth but never reached out to share Christ with others.

It was said there were three crisis in her life: her conversion, her entrance into the life of faith, and her call to be a missionary. That third crisis took place January 13th, 1892. It was not in some dramatically but quietly and uneventfully. But the Lord made it clear to her hat she was to give her life to him to live as a missionary, and permit Him to direct as He pleased.

On March 3, 1893, she set sail for Japan. She had some remarkable experiences ministering in Japan through and interpretor, but Japan was not to be her final mission field. A serious illness forced her to go to China to rest them Sri Lanka. By the end of 1894 she was back in England but a year later, on November 9, 1895 she landed in India where she remained until her death on January 18, 1951.

On March 6, 1901 something happened that dramatically changed Amy's life and ministry. a 7 year old girl named Preena fled one of the temples into her mission compound and begged for protection. I was then Amy discovered one of the ugliest sores on "Mother India's" body--the secret trafficking of young temple girls. Mothers and Fathers shamelessly sold their sons and daughters to the temple gods for temple prostitution. Infuriated, Amy declared war. Many hours were spent in prayer. One more than once occasion, Amy and her co workers risked their lives, and faced arrest and imprisonment just to save a child from defilement and destruction. One by one the girls found their way to Amma (the Tamil word for "mother) , and she protected them.

On October 24, 1931 Amy Carmichael suffered a serious fall, other complications set in, and she had to end her active ministry. She was limited to her room and an occasional veranda stroll but that did not stop her. In the next 20 years she wrote 13 books, and directed the ministry from her bed. In 1948 she suffered a second fall and from then until her homecoming, she was confined to bed. That didn't stop her either. she continued to appear before the throne of grace, and God answered her prayers. God is still answering her prayers. The Dohnavuer Fellowship she established in South India continues to function to this day.

We in the ministry need to be organized and efficient but Amy reminds us to be flexible and open to adjusting our "Day Timers" and leave room for God's divine appointments. May we never become so ensconced in our agendas that we miss the fact ministry is about people. They are not interruptions to our ministries they are the ministry!

I think it would be good for us to end with Amy Carmichael's principles for prayer. 1) "We don't need to explain to our Father things that are known to him. 2) We don't need to press Him as if we are dealing with an unwilling God; and 3) We don't need to suggest to Him what to do, because He Himself knows what to do".

If all of us took these principles to heart, I think the religious speeches many of us make under the guise of prayer, would be silenced in many of our prayer meetings.



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