Today's Female Christian Role Model is.... Amy Charmichael!
Amy Charmicheal was a very spirited child, born to Christian parents, in Ireland in 1867. She attended several schools and was quie the trouble maker as a young girl. Prior to becoming a missonary, Amy created and taught classes for over 300 of the poor and orphaned children in her hometown. Amy served as a missionary in Japan and India despite never marrying. Amy's mother taught her from a very early age to listen to God and be ready for His answer, even when the answer is no. These teachings from her mother fueld her thinking for many years to come.
So why is Amy Charmicheal on our list of noteable Chrisitan role models? Amy served despite having a desiease that caused her entire body to be in excruciating pain. Many people thought that she wouldn't be able to be a missionary because of the condition. Amy istened to God's call and went to India anyways. Despite the fact that many other missionaries in Japan told Amy to slow down and not reach for so many converts, Amy persisted. She went on winning more people to the goespel in one day than many missionaries reached in an entire year. Due to her failing health in the cold climate of Japan, Amy was forced to return to England where she immediately started looking for opportunities to serve again. Warm and sunny India allowd Amy to work in missions wihout being very ill due to her desease. Once in India, Amy heard of the plight of children being sex slaves in the temples. Amy had to dress in a sari and paint her skin to be able to enter the temple and see what was happening to these children. Other missionaries told her not to get involved because it aggitated local leaders and made things difficult for everyone. Amy didn't care about the difficulty. Once God placed it on her heart to help these children, she did not stop and she could not be deterred.
Suggested reading:
Great Women in Christian History: 37 Women Who Changed Their World
50 Christian Woomen Every Christian Should Know: Learning From Heroines of the Faith
With Daring Faith: A Biography of Amy Charmichael
That's amazing! I wonder what happened to the children, I'll have to check that out.
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