This message explores the life and legacy of Amy Carmichael (1867–1951), an Irish-born missionary who served in India for over 55 years — never once returning home.

Life Highlights

• Born December 16, 1867, in Ireland — the eldest of seven children
• Came to faith as a teenager through the hymn "Jesus Loves Me"
• Attempted mission work in China and Japan; poor health redirected her to India
• Bought a one-way ticket — and never left
• Learned Tamil and lived among the people to share the gospel

Ministry in India

• Traveled to villages, gathered crowds, and shared the gospel through conversations
• Faced two major obstacles: the caste system and the established religions of Hinduism and Islam
• Understood the work as spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12)

Dohnavur Fellowship

• Began rescuing young girls from temple prostitution after meeting a woman and a 7-year-old girl named Prina
• Children and pastors brought babies and children to her care
• Eventually settled at Dohnavur, a permanent compound that became home to hundreds of children
• Over 1,000 children called her Amma (Mama)
• Established a separate space for boys as the family grew
• Created "God's Garden" — a graveyard on the compound — as children and babies died in their care

Later Life

• Confined to bed after a bad fall but continued writing and communicating with her children daily
• Wrote special "coming day" letters to each child (the anniversary of their arrival at Dohnavur)
• Died at age 83 and was buried in God's Garden; a birdbath inscribed "Amma" marks her grave

Closing Quote "The sweetest things in all my life have been the handicaps." — Amy Carmichael

Julia Cogan, wife of Pastor Marc and mother of four, shares the story of how she came to faith at age 11. Raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico by devoted Christian parents, Julia grew up immersed in the gospel — through her parents' teaching, their example, and a steady soundtrack of early 2000s Christian rock (think Zoe Girl).

The turning point came when her parents announced they felt called to homeschool her, just as she was excitedly anticipating middle school. Julia was furious — at her parents, and at God — and wrestled with whether she really wanted Him involved in the details of her life.

But that summer, alone in her room listening to the very Christian music her dad had poured into her life, the lyrics hit differently. Convicted by the Holy Spirit, she surrendered control and gave her life to the Lord.

Years later, in her 20s, Julia revisited her faith to make sure it was truly her own — tracing the fruit of the Spirit through her childhood desire to honor her parents, love her sisters, and pursue community with other believers. She concluded that the roots went all the way back to that pivotal summer at age 11.