Work in India
Initially Carmichael traveled to Japan for fifteen months, but after a brief period of service in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), she found her lifelong vocation in India. She was commissioned by the Church of England Zenana Mission. Hindu temple children were young girls dedicated to the gods and forced into prostitution to earn money for the priests i.e Devadasi. Much of her work was with young ladies, some of whom were saved from forced prostitution.When the children were asked what drew them to Amy,they most often replied It was love.Amma (Amy) loved us. The organization she founded was known as the Dohnavur Fellowship. Dohnavur is situated in Tamil Nadu, thirty miles from the southern tip of India. The fellowship would become a sanctuary for over one thousand children who would otherwise have faced a bleak future.She had often said that her Ministry of rescuing temple children started with a girl named Preena. Having become a temple servant against her wishes, Preena escaped in an opportune day to Amy Carmichael. Amy Carmichael provided her shelter and stood against the threats of the locals, who insisted that the girl be returned. The number of such incidents soon grew and Amy Carmichael's new Ministry began.
In an effort to respect Indian culture, members of the organization wore Indian dress and the children were given Indian names. She herself dressed in Indian clothes, dyed her skin with dark coffee, and often travelled long distances on India's hot, dusty roads to save just one child from suffering.
While serving in India, Amy received a letter from a young lady who was considering life as a missionary. She asked Amy, "What is missionary life like?" Amy wrote back saying simply,
| “ | "Missionary life is simply a chance to die." | ” |
Carmichael's work also extended to the printed page. She was a prolific writer and poet, producing thirty-five published books including Things as They Are: Mission Work in Southern India (1903), His Thoughts Said . . . His Father Said (1951), If (1953), Edges of His Ways (1955) and God's Missionary (1957).
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