Amy Carmichael was born in Millisle, County Down, Ireland in 1867. When she was 20 years old she heard Hudson Taylor (Founder of the China Inland Mission) speak about missionary life at the Keswick Convention of 1887. Shortly after the convention she became convinced that missionary work would be her life long calling.
She applied to the China inland mission first, but was rejected because of her battle with Neuralgea, a disease of the nerves. Some time later she decided to join the Church Missionary Society and traveled to Japan for 15 months, however, after a brief trip to Sri Lanka she decided to settle in India.
Much of her work was with young girls, many who were saved from forced prostitution. Her organization was known as Dohnavur fellowship. The fellowship became a sanctuary for over 1000 children who probably would never have had a future otherwise. In order to respect Indian cultures all those who assisted with Dohnavur wore Indian attire and the children were given Indian names. Carmichael dyed her skin with coffee and she would often travel long distances on foot in the worst weather conditions just to save one child from suffering.
She was also a prolific writer, producing 35 published books. She served in India for 45 years while at times the Neuralgea would weaken her body so much that she could be bedwridden for weeks at a time. Amy Carmichael died in 1951, she was 83 years old.
