The children in India were in trouble. They were being dedicated to the gods as slaves, wives, and also because they had no other parents. The temples where they were taken were dark places full of evil. These children needed to be given a Light. Who would be willing to go and help them?
It would have to be someone who was strong already. The children needed someone who had already experienced pain in order to be able to fully understand their pain. This person must be willing to leave father, mother, sisters, and brothers, friends, and the chance of finding a lifelong love. It must be a person who had a strong heart, and one who was not afraid of death. Many of these children would die young no matter what help they were given. Oh yes, there was one more requirement- this person must be capable of camouflage.
"Dear God, Mommy says that you always answer prayer. I want blue eyes like Mommy has, God. Blue is my favorite color, you know. So when I wake up I'll just look in the mirror and believe you do answer prayer."
But the next morning the child found her eyes were just as brown as they had ever been. It seemed God did not always answer prayer, but Mother could not have lied to her dear daughter. There must be another answer. "Isn't no an answer?" the voice whispered in her heart.
Amy realized at the tender age of three that God does always answer prayer, it is just not always the way we think it should be answered.God had a purpose in mind for Amy's brown eyes, but she needed to wait to find out why.
God had many plans for Amy's life, and these plans included much pain and sorrow which she must be prepared for early on in life. He began by giving her a tough background. Her mother's maiden name was Dalziel which means "I dare". Her mother certainly taught Amy to be brave and strong. One day Amy came to her mother saying,
"Oh, mother, I've such a pain!
"Have you dear? I hope it will do you good."
"But Mother, I can't bear it! It's a dreadful pain.
"Is it dear? I'm afraid you will have to bear it" (Elliot, 22).
This response from Amy's mother may sound harsh until you consider that Amy was the oldest of seven children. Her mother could not possibly take away every pain each child had. Her children must learn to trust their Heavenly Father who has more than enough time for each of His children. God was using Amy's family to prepare her to trust Him, and also to equip her with the skills necessary for working with many different people.
He gave her a varied religious background including Quaker, Baptist, Anglican, and Irish Presbyterian. This helped her to be more accepting of "the varied ways in which Christian worship found expression..." best summed up by the motto "All one in Christ Jesus" (Elliot, 51). She needed this background as she was to switch mission boards many times in order to find the exact spot where God wanted to use her.
Although Amy grew up in a strong Christian home, she did not actually put her life in God's hands until she was fifteen. She came to know Jesus through Anna B. Warner's famous song, "Jesus Loves Me" (Elliot, 28). At the age of eighteen, the early death of her father prompted her to become much more involved in helping children, including her own six siblings. She worked with city kids and many different organizations.
At the age of 22, she decided God was calling her to remain unmarried. Little did she know, that did not mean she was not going to be a mother. In fact, she raised over 1,000 Indian children and rescued them from the dreaded life as temple slaves. Sometimes she disguised herself as an Indian woman by staining her skin with coffee. This allowed her to see what life in the temple was really like. This is the reason God had deemed it necessary to give her brown eyes. She never could have passed for an Indian woman if she had her longed for blue eyes. They did not have colored contacts way back then. I am sure having brown eyes made it easier for the Indian children to identify with her as their Amma, the word for mother in Tamil.
Amy did not have an easy, carefree life, but she definitely had a profitable life. Of her eighty-three years on Earth, she spent fifty-five of them as a missionary, raising children. She wrote at least thirty books about her life as a missionary, and many books have been written about her. God does not call His children to an easy life, but He always provides rewards to those who follow Him.
"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those that lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." Daniel 12:3
This story was based on facts taken from many sources which are listed at the end. However, the story itself is of my own creation and should be read as historical fiction. It was written for Christian school students grades four through eight.
Questions
- Why did God refuse Amy's request for brown eyes?
- Based on what you read in the story how do you think the children who were adopted by Amy felt about her?
- Tell about a time you prayed for something God apparently did not want you to have. How did you respond to Him when He told you "No"?
- What does Amy's mother's maiden name, Dalziel, mean?
- What were some of the ways in which God prepared Amy for her life as a missionary?
Amy Carmichael by Kristyn Carter
Answers
- God knew Amy would need to blend in with the Indian people, and so He gave her brown eyes.
- The student's own opinion is fine as long as they take into account the fact that the children called Amy "Amma", which means "Mother".
- The student's give their own example and explain how they reacted.
- It means "I dare".
- He gave her six brothers and sisters, a strong mother, said "no" to her prayer, varied religious background, and gave her strength to help raise her siblings after her father died.
Outline
I. Introduction
A. Indian children in the temples
Slaves, wives, orphans
B. Strong Person Needed
Experience pain firsthand, willing to leave all, unafraid of death, camouflage
II. Childhood
A. Prayer for blue eyes
God says "no" when Amy is three
B. Background in pain
Story about her mother
C. Varied Religious background
Quaker, Baptist, Anglican, Irish Presbyterian- "All one in Christ Jesus"
III. Lifelong Legacy
D. Amy's Preparation
Saved at age fifteen- "Jesus Loves Me"
Father dies at age eighteen- responsible for younger siblings
E. Amy's decision
Never to marry when she was 22, Amma (mother in Tamil) to over 1,000 Indian children
F. Amy's Legacy
Lived to be 83- 55 years as missionary and wrote 30- 40 books
IV. Conclusion- Daniel 12:3
Props- wear an Indian dress (use a bed sheet), bring in coffee to show student's how it stains
Sources
- http://sbweb3.med.iacnet.com/infotrac/session/26/921/7228534/3!xm_1&bkm_3
- Elliot, Elisabeth. A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael. Tarrytown: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1987.
- Houghton, Frank. Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur. Fort Washington: Christian Literature Crusade.
- Skoglund, Elizabeth R. Amma: The Life and Words of Amy Carmichael. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994.