Amy Wilson

Carmichael

born on 16th December 1867 in Millisle,
Northern Ireland

Amy Wilson

Carmichael

Born on 16th December 1867 in Millisle, Northern Ireland

Miss Amy Wilson Carmichael was born on 16th December 1867 in Millisle, Northern Ireland. She was the first missionary sent out by the Keswick Convention. After a few years in Japan she came to Southern India in 1895 through the Church of England Zenana Mission. She then founded the Dohnavur Fellowship in 1901 and remained in India for 56 years till her last breath, without ever returning to Ireland. As she learnt more of the plight of innocent children, her heart burned with God’s own love and indignation, and she obeyed by laying down the evangelistic work that she loved. She began rescuing the many children in need against much opposition and danger, and stood steadfast even as many of the first babies died. She wrote words which stirred others to come and join her in Dohnavur, the tiny village tucked far away near the tip of South India, where the children had their home.

From the beginning it was a family, never an institution. Amy was the mother, loving and loved by all. As the family grew, its activities grew too. Baby nurseries led on to cottage homes, schools for all ages from toddlers to teenagers, a dairy farm, rice fields, fruit and vegetable gardens, tailoring departments, kitchens, laundries, workshops, and building offices with teams of builders, carpenters and electricians. From the small beginning of one obedient woman and one small child came a ‘model village’, complete with its own simple Indian facilities and even a hospital to cater to the sick from the surrounding villages and share the Gospel through loving service.

Amy loved and adored God’s creation and wrote hundreds of poems inspired by all Nature, from the tiniest of creatures to the grand vistas of the western ghats mountains near Dohnavur. She nurtured the children to appreciate and care for Nature and worship the Almighty, the Creator of all.

Amy Carmichael was a down-to-earth mystic whose life fused deep contemplation with practical, sacrificial life. She believed that true union with Christ is proved not in visions or words but in quiet obedience, simplicity and self-giving service to the least and the lost.The story of her life and the legacy of her own writings still inspire people throughout the world today.

Amy loved and adored God’s creation and wrote hundreds of poems inspired by all Nature, from the tiniest of creatures to the grand vistas of the western ghats mountains near Dohnavur. She nurtured the children to appreciate and care for Nature and worship the Almighty, the Creator of all.

Amy Carmichael was a down-to-earth mystic whose life fused deep contemplation with practical, sacrificial life. She believed that true union with Christ is proved not in visions or words but in quiet obedience, simplicity and self-giving service to the least and the lost.The story of her life and the legacy of her own writings still inspire people throughout the world today.