Christian Heroes Who Changed The World
MOTHER AMY CARMICHAEL
By Bishop Ezra Sargunam, Bishop, Evangelical Church of India,
Chennai
(Thanks - Nirubam, March 2003)
Introduction
When my father was five years old, their parents and my grandfather
Mr. Sargunam and my grandmother who where residing in Sakkamalpuram
at Tuticorin District converted to Christianity. The main reason for
my father Mr. Manuel, Catechist (Manuvel Ubathesiyar) converting to
Christianity and his spiritual growth were Pannaivilai Bungalow
based Rev. T. Walker and Ireland based and world famous Amy
Carmichael. (The ancient Tamil Bible printed at CLS press and used
by Lord Walker is with me till date. I am considering it as a great
treasure and am keeping it safely.) There is an important reason for
my writing about Mother Amy Carmichael in this article. The fact
that Mother Amy Carmichael chose our Pannaivilai village when she
first came to minister in India makes me feel proud. The Coir (Palm
Tree Coir) cot used by Mother Amy is still in Pannaivilai Circle
(now Pannaivilai Pastorate) Chairman Pastor's mission home.
Born in Ireland, in the year 1867, Mother Amy Carmichael, in her
26th year, dedicated her life and left for Japan to minister there.
But she had to return to England within two years after falling sick
due to hot climatic conditions. Then in her 28th year, she again
chose to do her evangelical work in India and arrived in Bangalore
city. At that time, when she went to proclaim the gospel with the
Indian ladies, she was heartbroken for many days, after seeing
little girls being forced to undergo a very brutal habit of 'Pottu
Katti Viduthal' to become temple 'dasis'. From that time onwards,
she decided to deliver such little girls and orphans and to grow
them up, as an evangelical work given to her by God.
Beginning of Evangelism
While preparations were on for the vicious ritual of leaving a seven
year aged girl Preena, as a temple "dasi" in the year 1901, she
escaped and went to Mother Amy Carmichael. Preena was the first one
to whom Mother Amy gave protection. But Mother Amy had to become the
victim of the anger of those cruel people who were hell-bent on
making Preena a temple 'dasi'. After that, " No matter how much
sufferings come across, I will bare it like Jesus did, and continue
with my deliverance work", saying so she decided to dedicate her
life for the up bringing of such suffering children and went to stay
in Donavur, Tamil Nadu. Thousands and thousands of children
suffering from poverty, dispossession by parents, torture of being
forced to temple 'dasis' came into the loving care of Mother Amy
Carmichael at "Donavur Fellowship".
From the early days, my father Mr. Manuel Catechist was very much
involved in Mother Amy Carmichael's ministry. Hence, he used to tell
us children a lot about Mother. She used to fondly take orphans,
whose clothes were thickly covered by dirt or soot, to her breasts.
I have heard so many heart breaking incidents about Mother
Carmichael from my father.
Avid Dedication
Mother Amy Carmichael endured tirelessly for 53 years without
returning even once to her native country, Ireland. Even though the
cruel practice of temple 'dasi' was abolished through a government
law in 1948, Mother Carmichael continued to raise up the children,
who were living in those conditions and those who were left by their
parents in the streets and dustbins due to poverty, with love and
care. She worked very arduously in the divine work, and set up
responsible 'dadiyargal' to bring them up as children of God. As
Jesus, was a 'Lover of Children', the same way Amy loved the orphans
who as 'Buds of Lotus' were waiting for their lives to blossom.
Through Donavur Fellowship outreach ministry, she gave more than
thousands of children more love than the love of a mother, and
sponsored their studies. After they grew up, Amy even arranged for
their marriage.
The Story of Gopal Turning 'Deva Bakthi' (A Devout) Christian
Mother Amy Carmichael's ministry grew like a banyan tree, in whose
shadow, not only orphans, but also hundreds of other people were
blessed.
When my father was a catechist in a church at Pudukottai located
near Tuticorin, Amy guided a young man named Gopal, belonging to a 'vellalar'
caste, into Christ. After uniting with the Love of Calvary, he
received baptism with a strong faith in Christ, and lived as an
esoteric Christian. When his parents and relatives forced him to
marry a girl, belonging to their caste and religion, my father
brought him to our house, and that very night wrote a letter to
Mother Amy Carmichael and joined him in the 'Donavur Fellowship'.
Mother Amy Carmichael arranged for his marriage with an orphan girl,
belonging to a high caste, whom she had brought up, immediately
after Gopal reached Donavur. It was this Gopal who later, went on to
work as a professor at Madras Bible Seminary which was run by our
church's mother society, Oriental Missionary Society, under the new
baptized name of Deva Bakthi. He also was a successful editor of the
monthly newsletter 'Uyir Meetchi'. Many people who accepted Jesus
Christ as their personal savior, through his ministry, became
leaders of various Christian organizations.
Free Medical Aid Ministry
'Galaxy' ("Natchathra Kootam") and 'Karunya Family' were the names
fondly referred to 'Donavur Fellowship' by Mother Carmichael. During
the lifetime of Mother Carmichael, this grand Karunya Family, did
good and evangelism work, with thousands of children and more than
two hundred 'dadiyargal / thathiyarkal' (in Tamil). With a hospital
in a surface area of nearly 37 acres, and with sixteen orphanages,
Mother's ministry shone truly like 'a galaxy'. Apart from providing
a specialized free medical aid for the poor and lowly people in
Nellai District (now Tirunelveli), the hospital run by Donavur
Fellowship, also spread the gospel and induced many of them to live
as God's children.
Amy Carmichael's Composition
Amy was a good writer since her youth. After becoming a missionary,
she wrote twenty books in the midst of her strenuous works. One
evening, in the year 1931, when she had gone to Kalakadu near
Donavur, she stumbled and fell into a pit due to duskiness, and
broke her legs. Hence she was forced to spend the rest of her life
in her room. She looked after the official work of the fellowship,
sitting on a three-wheeled cycle, for 17 years. In 1948, she again
slipped and fell in her room thereby breaking her hip and her right
elbow. Enduring with her pain, she wrote 15 books. It includes the
story of 'Jembulingam' called Raj (named by Mother), a true incident
of how the chief of dacoits, turns into a disciple of Christ in the
year 1922, through her ministry. In English, she wrote this under
the title, "Raj, The Brigand Chief".
Amy's Challenge ("Araikooval") To Us Indians
In the year 1951, Mother Amy Carmichael passed away to eternal glory
at the age of 84. Mother Amy started, and lived a modest life for
the poor and the lowly. Earth was dug in the fellowship's ground and
her body was laid in a grave, as the body of one of the village's
simple Christian's body would be buried. Sowed in the land of India
for about half a century the holy body of Amy, though dead, gives us
Indians a message saying:
Instead of living an inconsiderate life, if each and every Indian
lives a public-spirited (unselfish) missionary life, grace and
riches will flourish in India. We should respect God's saying, "The
poor are mine", and follow the immolate life of Jesus who took the
casting of a poor to salvage human life. You are being invited to
put a stop on the policies similar to Nazism, hypocrisy, converting
religious matters into politics, and start being considerate towards
other human beings, encouraging religious social work, not
interfering in social welfare work, stopping to be selfish, being
public-spirited, and work voluntarily for the welfare of our
country.
This late eminent missionary calls out, giving all of us this
challenging message.
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