This is the final part of a three-part series of posts on ten impactful missionaries every Christian should know. See parts one and two here!
8. Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)
Amy Beatrice Carmichael was an Irish Christian missionary in India for 55 years. She is well known for rescuing children from trafficking in Hindu temples, opening an orphanage in India, founding the Dohnavur Fellowship, and writing several books and poems about Christ.
Amy was born on December 16, 1867, to a large family of seven children in Millisle, Northern Ireland. Both her parents were devout Christians who taught Amy the fear of the Lord. But it was only when she was fifteen that Amy came to a saving knowledge of Christ.
When she was about 16, Amy’s family moved to Belfast, and two years later, her father died from an illness. As the oldest child, Amy spent the next ten years helping her mother take care of her younger siblings.
In the mid-1880s, Amy discovered the Shawlies, poor local girls who worked at the mill for long hours and wore shawls because they could not afford hats. Amy shared the gospel with them and began a Bible study for the girls at her church, Rosemary Street Presbyterian Church. The study gained in popularity and grew to several hundred attendees. Consequently, Amy had to find a new building to accommodate all the girls.
By God’s providence, they found a building in 1887 and named it the Welcome Hall, known today as the Welcome Evangelical Church. Amy ran that ministry until 1889, when she left to do similar work in Manchester.
Around that time, Amy also attended Keswick convention meetings. She heard Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission (CIM), talk about missionary work. Amy knew then and there that God was also calling her for foreign missions. But unfortunately, Amy suffered from Neuralgia, a nerve disease that weakened her entire body with terrible aches and left her bedridden for days, if not weeks. As a result, the CIM rejected her application, believing her poor health made her unfit for missionary work.
Nevertheless, Amy did not give up. She reapplied for missionary work with the Church Missionary Society (CMS) and got accepted as the first Keswick missionary to CMS.
On March 3, 1893, at age 26, Amy sailed for Japan with three other missionary women. But she had to return to England after only 15 months as the Japanese climate worsened her Neuralgia. When Amy recovered from her illness, she was invited to volunteer at the Church of England Zenana Missionary Society in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. She served there for a while, then went to Bangalore, India, in November 1895. She stayed there for the rest of her life.
Amy moved in with fellow CMS missionaries Reverend Thomas Walker and his wife. While living with them, Amy learned the Tamil language, talked to locals about Christ, and served persecuted Christian Indian women.
One day, a girl of 7 named Preena, who once heard Amy talk about God, ran away from a temple where she had been sold as a prostitute. Twice she had run away, twice she had been caught and severely punished. But on her third attempt, she reached Amy’s door seeking refuge. Amy took Preena in despite the possibility of being jailed.
Through this encounter, Amy became aware of the Hindu practice of selling little children as temple prostitutes and made it her life’s mission to fight it. Over the next fifty years, Amy devoted her life to rescuing children from temples, providing a home for them, and teaching them the love of Christ. In 1901, Amy and the Walkers moved to Dohnavur, India. There she founded the Dohnavur Fellowship, a haven for former child prostitutes.
Amy’s rescuing mission was met with a lot of resistance from the Hindu priests. She was even threatened with prison charges. But Amy did not back down and continued accepting all who came to her for refuge. By 1913, the Dohnavur Fellowship had 130 girls and 30 Indian Christian women volunteers. Amy then opened a home for young boys in 1918, most of whom were former temple prostitutes.
She became known as “Amma,” which means mother in Tamil.
In 1931, when she was 63, Amy had a bad fall that damaged her hip, back, leg, and ankle. These injuries and her Neuralgia kept her bedridden for the remainder of her life. And for twenty years, she continued her ministry from her bed, writing books and poems about the love of Christ and ministering to her children. She died in 1951, at 83, and was buried in Dohnavur. Her children put a bird bath over her tomb with the word “Amma” on it.
During Amy’s lifetime, the Dohnavur fellowship housed over 2000 children; today, it still cares for needy children. Amy’s life has left a long-lasting legacy in India and inspired many other missionaries like Jim and Elisabeth Elliot to pursue mission work and have a chance to die for Christ.
“When I consider the cross of Christ, how can anything that I do be called a sacrifice?” – Amy.
Learn more about Amy Carmichael with these books:
- Amy Carmichael: Beauty for Ashes by Ian Murray
- A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot
- Amy Carmichael: Rescuer by Night (Trailblazers) by Kay Walsh
9. John and Betty Stam (1907-1934, 1906-1934)
John and Betty Stam were two American missionaries who served in China in the mid-90s. They are well known for their capture and beheading by Chinese communist soldiers.
Elisabeth “betty” Scott was born on February 22, 1906, in Albion, Michigan. Her father, Charles E. Scott, was a professor who became a pastor and then a missionary. Shortly after Betty’s birth, Charles was asked to serve as a missionary in China. So he moved his little family to China, where Betty grew up.
When she was 17, Betty returned to the United States for college. She enrolled at Wilson College in Pennsylvania, where she excelled and graduated with honors. Afterward, Betty attended Moody Bible Institute (MBI) to prepare for mission work in China. While at MBI, Betty regularly attended a weekly prayer meeting organized by a reverend and veteran missionary with the China Inland Mission (CIM). During one of those meetings, she met John Stam, a fellow student who matched her zeal for Christ and commitment to serve Him.
John was born on January 18, 1907, in a godly Dutch immigrant family. He grew up with the knowledge of God and confessed Christ as Lord and Savior at an early age. He soon sensed God was calling him to the missionary field in China. And like Betty, John enrolled at Moody Bible Institute for preparation.
John and Betty became fast friends, then lovers. But since their missionary callings and God’s plan for them were still uncertain, they refrained from marriage.
In 1931, Betty graduated from MBI and joined CIM as a missionary. She arrived in Shangai on November 4, 1931, and spent her first year doing CIM training and evangelistic work. Meanwhile, John, who was a year behind Betty, finished his final year at MBI. He was reunited with Betty in Shangai on October 1932, and they got engaged. But per CIM requirements, they had to wait a year before getting married.
They got married on October 25, 1933, and their first child, Helen, was born on September 11, 1934, in Shucheng.
About a month after the birth of their daughter, the Stams moved to Jingde to replace the missionaries in charge while they were away on furlough. Only a few weeks after they moved into Jingde, the Stams’ lives turned upside down.
On the morning of December 6, while Betty was bathing the baby, she heard gunshots nearby. Communist soldiers had marched into the city and were going house to house, taking captives. By then, it was too late for the Stams to run, so they stayed and entrusted themselves to God. The Red Army soldiers found the Stams in their home and arrested them with many others. When they arrived at the Red Army’s headquarters, the communists made John write a letter to CIM demanding a $20 000 ransom.
John wrote the letter and closed it with, “The Lord bless and guide you—and as for us—may God be glorified whether by life or by death.” The letter never got delivered.
On the next day, the soldiers marshaled the prisoners for 12 miles toward Miaoshou and stopped for the night at the residence of a local merchant who had fled. The following day, before soldiers and prisoners resumed their journey, Betty hid baby Helen in a blanket bundle and left her behind. The soldiers never noticed the baby’s absence. When they arrived at their destination, they stripped the Stams of their outer garments, knelt them to the ground, and beheaded them. John and Betty were 27 and 28 years old.
Thirty hours later, a local pastor found little Helen in the house with money pinned to her cloth. He used it to provide for her and take her to safety. She was then sent to the United States, where her grandparents raised her.
The Stams were buried in a Christian graveyard in the province of Anhui. Their gravestones read,
John Cornelius Stam, January 18, 1907, “That Christ may be glorified whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20
Elisabeth Scott Stam, February 22, 1906, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21
December 8, 1934, Miaosheo, Anhui, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Revelation 2:10
The impact of the martyrdom of the Stams on the evangelical world cannot be overstated. They incited hundreds of young Christians, such as Elisabeth Elliot, to lay down their lives for Christ and glorify Him, whether by death or life.
Learn more about the Stams with these books:
- John and Betty Stam: To Die Is Gain (Trail Blazers) by Rachel Lane
- John and Betty Stam by Kathleen White
- The Triumph of John & Betty Stam by Mrs. Howard Taylor
10. Jim and Elisabeth Elliot (1927-1956, 1926-2015)
Jim and Elisabeth Elliot were two American missionaries to Ecuador and two of the most influential Christian figures of the 20th century. They became internationally known for their attempt to evangelize a primitive savage tribe and the brutal murder of Jim and four other missionaries.
Phillip James “Jim” Elliot was born in Portland, Oregon, on October 8, 1927. He and his three siblings grew up in a pious Christian home where God’s word was preached and obedience and honesty enforced. Consequently, Jim confessed Christ when he was only six years old.
From a young age, Jim knew he wanted to become a missionary and bring the gospel to unreached places. He had heard the stories of Christian missionaries like David Brainerd, William Carey, and Amy Carmichael and was inspired by their examples.
So in 1945, Jim enrolled at Wheaton College, Illinois, intending to become a missionary. He was so dedicated to serving Christ that he disregarded typical college experiences such as dating to avoid distractions. But it did not last long.
In 1947, during his sophomore year, Jim chose a Greek major to understand the Bible in its original language and to get the knowledge that would help him translate it. In his first Greek class, he met a student who shared his devotion to Christ and commitment to obey Him at all costs. Her name was Elisabeth Howard.
Elisabeth Howard was born in Belgium on December 21, 1926. Her parents were missionaries stationed in Brussels but returned to the United States shortly after Elisabeth’s birth.
Like Jim, Elisabeth grew up in a strong Christian family where daily devotions occurred, and God’s Word was preached. Elisabeth’s father worked as the editor of the Sunday School Times and often hosted missionaries on furlough. So she grew up hearing stories of past missionaries such as David Brainerd, Amy Carmichael, and Mary Slessor and living missionaries such as Betty Stam. The death of the latter affirmed Elisabeth’s desire to become a missionary.
After graduating from high school, she enrolled at Wheaton College in 1944. And in her third year, she took Greek classes as she aspired to translate the Bible into unwritten languages as a missionary. She came to know Jim through their many shared Greek classes and because Jim was her brother’s roommate.
Jim and Elisabeth had a lot in common, and they both believed God was calling them to be single missionaries. But as their knowledge of each other grew, so did their affections. They felt deeply in love in one another, but since Jim was convinced he was called to be a single missionary, he did not move the relationship forward. They remained good friends, and when Elisabeth graduated a year ahead of Jim, they kept in touch through letters.
After Jim graduated from Wheaton, he worked with a former missionary who told him about a savage tribe called “Auca,” who routinely murdered anyone who ventured into their territory. Jim immediately felt the burden of sharing the gospel with this tribe, but he was still unsure whether it was God’s will. Hence, when that missionary asked Jim for help, Jim knew God was calling him to Ecuador, and he fully trusted His will.
On February 21, 1952, Jim and his friend Pet Flemming arrived in Quinto, Ecuador. A few months later, Elisabeth also came to Ecuador after being convinced that God was leading her there. Jim and Elisabeth spent five happy months together, learning the local language and exploring Quito. They eventually parted ways as Jim was stationed in Shandia while Elisabeth went to minister among the Colorado Indians.
They were not a couple then, as Jim still did not know whether it was God’s will for them to marry. But on January 1953, after five years of uncertain courtship, Jim finally proposed to Elisabeth. She said yes, and they married at a courthouse in Quito on October 8.
The newlyweds settled down in the Shandia mission base, ministered to the Indians, and welcomed their first daughter Valerie. Jim and Elisabeth had a happy marriage and enjoyed their life and work among the Indians. But they both still felt a burden for the Aucas and were willing to do whatever it took to reach them.
One day, Nate Saint, a missionary in Ecuador and a friend of the Elliots, sighted a small Auca settlement near the Cuaray river during one of his flights over the jungle. This sighting provided the first real opportunity to make contact with the Aucas and evangelize them. So Jim, Nate, and three other missionaries, Ed McCully, Pete Flemming, and Roger Youderian, started Operation Auca.
For weeks, the team flew over the Auca settlement, dropped gifts, and shouted friendly phrases in the Auca language. When the Aucas responded and sent their own gifts, it excited the missionaries and their wives. It convinced them that God was opening a door at last.
So on January 3, 1956, the five missionaries went to the Cuaray river and resolved to stay there until the Aucas invited them to their camp. The first few days were uneventful. The missionaries waited for Aucas to come while shouting welcoming phrases to the jungle. On January 6, three Aucas, one male and two females, visited the missionaries’ camp and spent the day with them. But they left without inviting the missionaries to their camp.
On January 7, Nate sighted that male Auca with some other Aucas coming their way with a friendly demeanor. The missionaries believed they were coming to invite them to their settlement, so they promised to radio their wives at 4:30 pm the next day to update them.
But on the next day, the radio remained silent.
When the Aucas arrived at the missionaries’ camp on Sunday, January 8, 1956, they did not come to extend a hand of fellowship. Instead, they speared all five men to death and threw their bodies in the river. A search and rescue party recovered their remains later and buried them along the Cuaray river.
After the death of their husbands, the widows, Elisabeth Elliot, Marj Saint, Marilou McCully, Barbara Youderian, and Olive Flemming, remained in Ecuador and continued missionary work. None of the widows wanted revenge against the Aucas. Elisabeth longed to reach the Aucas with even greater urgency since Jim had given up his life for them.
After two years of uncertainty and prayers, Elisabeth finally received the long-awaited invitation to visit the Auca camp. The invitation came from two Auca women who had come to see the missionary base.
So on October 1958, Elisabeth, her three-year-old daughter Valerie, and Rachel Saint (Nate Saint’s brother) moved in with the Auca tribe. Elisabeth stayed there for two years, working on translating the Bible into their language and sharing the gospel. Many of the Aucas came to Christ, and one of the first converts was Mincaye, a man who personally speared two of the Auca five. The Aucas then became known as the Waorani tribe, as Auca was a pejorative term used by the Indians.
Elisabeth eventually left the Waorani tribe due to disagreements with Rachel Saint and new ventures. She returned to the US for good in 1963, wrote many Christian books, and traveled around the country to teach the Bible and share the story of Operation Auca. Elisabeth remarried in 1969 to Addison Leitch, a theology professor, but he died from cancer in 1973. She married again in 1977 to Lars Gren, a hospital chaplain; this time, she did not outlive her spouse.
On June 15, 2015, Elisabeth Elliot passed into glory in Magnolia, Massachusetts, at 88. She was survived by a husband, a daughter, and eight grandchildren.
Jim and Elisabeth Elliot left an enduring legacy in the Christian world that is still felt today. Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Roger Youderian’s devotion and sacrifice inspired countless Christians to give their all for Christ, whether in the mission field or at home.
And Elisabeth influenced many Christians, particularly women, to live in utter obedience to Christ and learn that the losses we suffer here are nothing compared to what we will receive in glory. As Jim famously said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
Learn more about the Elliots with these books:
- Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
- Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot by Elisabeth Elliot
- The Savage My Kinsman by Elisabeth Elliot
- Becoming Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn
- Elisabeth Elliot: Do The Next Thing(Trailblazers) by Selah Helms
- Jim Elliot: He Is No Fool (Trail Blazers) by Irene Howart
Lord, I give up my own plans and purposes,
Betty Stam
all my own desires, hopes and ambition,
And I accept Thy will for my life.
I give up myself, my life, my all,
Utterly to Thee, to be Thine forever.
I hand over to Thy keeping all of my friendships;
all the people whom I love are to take second place in my heart.
Fill me now and seal me with Thy Spirit.
Work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost,
for to me to live is Christ. Amen
I hope learning about these great missionaries blessed you as much as it blessed me! I highly encourage you to read more about them through the books I linked, as there is so much more I had to leave out.
