Front Matter
Triumphant Love
The contextual, creative and strategic missionary work of Amy Beatrice Carmichael in south India
Triumphant Love
The contextual, creative and strategic missionary work of Amy Beatrice Carmichael in south India
J. (HANS) KOMMERS
Head Office
AOSIS (Pty) Ltd
Postnet Suite #110
Private Bag X19
Durbanville 7551
South Africa
Tel: +27 21 975 2602
Fax: +27 21 975 4635
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.aosis.co.za
© J. (Hans) Kommers 2017. Licensee: AOSIS (Pty) Ltd
The moral rights of the authors have been asserted.
First Edition published in 2017
Impression: 1
Listed in OAPEN (http://www.oapen.org), DOAB (http://www.doabooks.org/) and indexed by Google Scholar.
Some rights reserved. This is an open access publication. Except where otherwise noted, this work is distributed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), a copy of which is available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.
Enquiries outside the terms of the Creative Commons license should be sent to the Rights Department, AOSIS, at the above address or to [email protected] Published in South Africa by AOSIS (Pty) Ltd, 15 Oxford Street, Durbanville, Cape Town, 7550.
Book Title: Triumphant Love: The contextual, creative and strategic missionary work of Amy Beatrice Carmichael in south India
ISBN: 978-1-928396-21-5 (pdf)
ISBN: 978-1-928396-22-2 (e-book)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2017.tl41
How to cite this work
Kommers, J. (Hans), 2017, Triumphant Love: The contextual, creative and strategic missionary work of Amy Beatrice Carmichael in south India, AOSIS, Cape Town.
Printed in South Africa This cover photo was provided under the CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/choose/zero), via Pixabay The map on the cover photo was provided by © Bruce Jones Design Inc. 2010 The publisher accepts no responsibility for any statement made or opinion expressed in this publication. Consequently, the publishers and copyright holder will not be liable for any loss or damage sustained by any reader as a result of his or her action upon any statement or opinion in this work. Links by third party websites are provided by AOSIS in good faith and for information only. AOSIS disclaims any responsibility for the materials contained in any third party website referenced in this work.
Every effort has been made to protect the interest of copyright holders. Should any infringement have occurred inadvertently, the publisher apologises and undertakes to amend the omission in the event of a reprint.
Out in the garden little groups of missionaries walked together and talked. From a room nearby came the sound of a hymn. It was peaceful and beautiful everywhere, and the gold of sunset filled the air, and made the garden a glory land of radiant wonderful colour. But for one woman at least the world turned black. Only the thought of the children nerved her to go on.
Lotus Buds, 291.
For Aly
On 01 March 1970, God arranged that the main path of my life would cross the path of the one who agreed to be my wife. Walking together, Jesus, our Lord himself, drew near and walked with us, and he gave each to the other. In you I found the crowning gift, a woman with a mind and soul that answered my own and together we started along the way that leads to life.
Religious Studies Domain Editorial Board at AOSIS
Chief Editor: Scholarly Books
Andries van Aarde, Post Retirement Professor in the Dean’s Office, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Board Members
Warren Carter, Professor of New Testament, Brite Divinity School, Fort Worth, United States Christian Danz, Dekan der Evangelisch-Theologischen Fakultät der Universität Wien und Ordentlicher Universitätsprofessor für Systematische Theologie und Religionswissenschaft, University of Vienna, Austria Pieter G.R. de Villiers, Associate Editor, Extraordinary Professor in Biblical Spirituality, Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, South Africa Musa W. Dube, Department of Theology & Religious Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Botswana, Botswana David D. Grafton, Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations, Duncan Black Macdonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, Hartford Seminary, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Jens Herzer, Theologische Fakultät der Universität Leipzig, Germany Jeanne Hoeft, Dean of Students and Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Pastoral Care, Saint Paul School of Theology, United States Dirk J. Human, Associate Editor, Deputy Dean and Professor of Old Testament Studies, Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria, South Africa D. Andrew Kille, Former Chair of the SBL Psychology and Bible Section, and Editor of the Bible Workbench, San Jose, United States William R.G. Loader, Emeritus Professor Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia Isabel A. Phiri, Associate General Secretary for Public Witness and Diakonia, World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerland Marcel Sarot, Emeritus, Professor of Fundamental Theology, Tilburg School of Catholic Theology, Tilburg University, the Netherlands Corneliu C. Simut, Professor of Historical and Dogmatic Theology, Emanuel University, Oradea, Bihor, Romania Rothney S. Tshaka, Professor and Head of Department of Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa Elaine M. Wainwright, Emeritus Professor School of Theology, University of Auckland, New Zealand; Executive Leader, Mission and Ministry, McAuley Centre, Australia Gerald West, Associate Editor, School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics in the College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Peer Review Declaration
The Publisher (AOSIS) endorses the South African ‘National Scholarly Book Publishers Forum (NSBPF) Best Practice for Peer Review of Scholarly Books’. The manuscript was subjected to rigorous two-step peer review prior to publication, with the identities of the reviewers not revealed to the author(s). The reviewers were independent of the publisher and/or authors in question. The reviewers commented positively on the scholarly merits of the manuscript, and recommended that the manuscript be published. Where the reviewers recommended revision and/or improvements to the manuscript, the authors responded adequately to such recommendations.
Research Justification
The book is a treasure trove for scholars in the field of science of religion who focus on comparative religion, spirituality and the reception of Christianity in India and Ireland. The strength of the book is its comprehensive scope, critical and narratological methodology, and the depth of the data analysis. The exposition of the contextual, creative and strategic missionary work of Amy Beatrice Carmichael in south India is innovative and highly informative. The book contains a high level of original research in that it goes beyond the existing research on the Carmichael biographies. The knowledge of the field is comprehensive and the number and quality of sources impressive. The biographic genre and methodology complement the extensive research in the book. This combination constitutes a genuine historical foundation for the scholarship. The main purpose of the book is to open the field of science to and pique the interest of professional theologians with an interest in missiology and in the valuable contribution of Amy Carmichael of Dohnavur. The book includes a comprehensive overview of the existing scholarly work on the topic and then makes a further innovative contribution to and, in the end, provides the most comprehensive picture of the work of Amy Carmichael to date. It will become the definitive reference book on the history of Christian missionary work in south India. It is original research and no part of the book was plagiarised from any other publication or has been published elsewhere before.
Dr J. (Hans) Kommers
Faculty of Theology North-West University
South Africa
Contents
Abbreviations appearing in the Text and Notes xvii List of Figures xix Acknowledgements xxii Glossary xxv Foreword xxvi Impressions of a photo xxvii
Chapter 1
Women in mission work: Strategic to God’s vision for the world 1 Impression 1 1 Impression 2 1 Impression 3 2 Crossing the frontiers 4 Walking the ‘high road’ 7
Setting the scene: Unprecedented instability and dawning of a vision 21
Chapter 2
Dawning of a vision 23 Disturbing times 24 Exciting times 27 Changing times 32 The involvement of women in mission 34
Chapter 3
The girl from Millisle 39 Home in Millisle 40 Even a child is known by his doings 43 Covenanter ancestry: The forming of a character 46 ‘Please come and sit with me’ 49 Harrogate: Drawn into his fold 54 Belfast: The emerging city 58 The encounter at the old Victorian fountain 61 Contents
The tin tabernacle 63 Scraps: A family magazine 67 Broughton Grange: Turning the corner 69 ‘All rays in this one centre meets’ 73
Chapter 4
Amy Carmichael’s Keswick connection 81 Meeting place with God 82 The Keswick Convention 82 The Keswick Convention’s outlook:
Introspective and Christian service 86 Pre-millennial: Focus on mission 88 The Keswick Convention Mission Committee 90 The young lady in the big tent 92
Chapter 5
Always watching for great things 97 Called for mission work 97 Glasgow 1886: ‘All means all’ 98 ‘I cannot be mistaken’ 100 ‘The rudder set’ 104 Doubtful experiences and preparation 107 The Japanese Evangelistic Band 110
Chapter 6
He goes before 115 ‘He does the parting’ 116 Matsue at last 119 Temptation and testing 124 Skies not always blue 126 Arima: ‘Crucified with Christ’ 127 Leaving Japan 130 ‘Just following’ – ‘He goes before’ 133 Heneratgoda, Ceylon and back to Broughton Grange 135
Contents
Chapter 7
India at last: God’s chosen heritage 145 The growth of a missionary 145 ‘Launch out into the deep’ 146 ‘Ye also helping’ 146 ‘My life shall be Thine: I consecrate all to Thee’ 149
Chapter 8
India at the time Amy arrived 155 Britain’s ‘rightful’ empire 155 Sorrow and sunshine 157 A world of fashionable poses 159 Religion: Carved in stone 160 The need of India 163
Chapter 9
Itinerating work 169 Bangalore experiences 169 Mission to India: How it started 175 Tinnevelly (Tirunelveli) 183 A cry from the Zenanas, ‘No Without’ 185 A missionary in India: ‘But all through life I see a Cross’ 189 Itinerating work: India 1897–1904 193 ‘A woman or such a thing’ 203 ‘The dust shown – The whole of the actual never’ 205
Chapter 10 The beginning of the Dohnavur Fellowship 217 Rooted for life 217 Service in a sari 221 The time appointed 224 ‘Drawn as by an angel’s hand’ 231 Asingam: ‘She always stopped dead’ 232 ‘When Jesus came to Dohnavur’ 239 Hidden jewels 241 The glory of the usual 243 Contents
Chapter 11 Under the shadow of his wings 249 The education of the children 249 Precious jewels for God 263 Joppa and the Forest House 273
Chapter 12 Leadership 283 The unseen leader 283 Sisters of the Common Life 292
Chapter 13 The sanctuary in the desert 299 Abounding love 299 The House of Prayer 307 Opposition. ‘Never promised fair weather’ 314 The place of Heavenly Healing 315 Rules and way of life 323 Love for God’s creation 326 Conflict with Stephen Neill 328 ‘… and the fellowship of His suffering’ 332
Chapter 14 Amy’s missionary approach 345 Sacrificial service 345 ‘Good, acceptable, perfect’ 347 Towel life: Amy’s view on mission 348 The missionary 351 Who influenced her? 353
Education at home 353
Robert Wilson, Handley C.G. Moule, Andrew
Murray and Arthur T. Pierson 353 ‘A very beloved friend’ 354 Hudson Taylor and George Müller 356 Thomas Gajetan Ragland 357 Rev. Thomas Walker 360 The message 370 The method 373 The Holy Spirit 374
Contents
Chapter 15 Under the obedience of Christ 381 ‘Yes Lord’ in practice 381 A fight 384 ‘God of mountains, I will climb’ 392 ‘Sorrows for consolation’ 396 Love: Amy’s keyword 396 Living by the ‘sparrow method’ 400 Faith deepened through trials 409 Practical: Contextualisation of a mission vision 411
Chapter 16 The Missionary: ‘I was sent, so speak’ (1) 415 ‘Grace to help in time of need’ 415 The interposition of God 418 Her spirituality: Intimacy with solidarity 421 The mystics she read 430 The desert sanctuary 438 A holy, loving, lowly life 440
Chapter 17 The Missionary: ‘I was sent, so speak’ (2) 449 The Bible in Amy’s life and work 449 An eye-opener 456 In the searchlight of the cross 458 ‘Lord, I come’ 462 The very cream of life 464 Mission method 466 Prayer: ‘Something Understood’ 468 Dependence and urgency 474 A corn of wheat 475
Chapter 18 Sunset 481 A reminder of ‘pain far greater than mine’ 481 In his likeness 493 Contents
Chapter 19 After Amma 501 The extent of her influence 501 Appreciations: ‘Amy my beloved friend’ 506 The end of an era 511
Chapter 20 Global thinking – heart searching 517 Changed perspectives 517 A new day dawning 523
Chapter 21 Dust of the earth, dust of God 531 Books and poems 531 A singing heart 534 Her readings 536 A work of love 537 Scripturally soaked 542
Chapter 22 Loving God enough to break ancient rules 553 Secluded openness 553 A real inspiration 556 Amy’s significance 561 A faithful steward 574 Retrospect 585 Landmarks of the Dohnavur Fellowship 586
Bibliography 587 Appendix 603 Index 608
Abbreviations appearing in the Text and Notes
AIM Africa Inland Mission BMS Baptist Missionary Society BCMS British Church Missionary Society BCP Book of Common Prayer CEZMS Church of England Zenana Mission Society CSI Church of South India
CIM China Inland Mission
CMS Church Missionary Society
CSSM Children’s Special Service Mission
DF Dohnavur Fellowship
DOM Dear Old Man
EIC East India Company
EFI Evangelical Fellowship of India
ESV English Standard Version
EUSA Evangelical Union of South America FES Female Education Society GATE Gospel from Africa to Europe GFA Gospel for Asia IBMR International Bulletin of Missionary Research IRTI International Reformed Theological Institute IVF InterVarsity Fellowship JEB Japan Evangelistic Band KCM Keswick Convention Mission KCMC Keswick Convention Missionary Council KCMMB Keswick Convention Mission Minute Book Abbreviations appearing in the Text and Notes
LMS London Missionary Society NEB New English Bible OMF Overseas Missionary Fellowship PKN Protestant Church in the Netherlands PRONI Public Record Office of Northern Ireland SVMU Student Volunteer Missionary Union TEE Theological Education by Extension UK United Kingdom WCC Women’s Christian College WMS Wesleyan Missionary Society
List of Figures
Figure 1: This card was found in Amy’s Bible. xxiii Figure 2: Amy with Lola and Leela. xxvii Parental home of Amy Carmichael in Millisle. 44 Figure 3:
Figure 4: Carmichael Clan Crest, a dexter hand and arm in pale armed
and holding a broken spear. 47 Figure 5: The Welcome Hall invitation, ‘Come one Come all to the Welcome Hall and
come in your working clothes’. 65 Figure 6: Brouhgton Grange, home of Mr Robert Wilson near Cockermouth in Cumbria. 72 Figure 7: Amy with her colleague Miss San in Japan on a mission tour around Matsuye. 122 Figure 8: Rev. C.T.E. Rhenius. This image in the study of the local pastor of the
‘Christ Church’ in Dohnavur town. 177 Figure 9: Amy with Rev. and Mrs Walker in their itinerant ministry in Tinnevelly District. 184 Figure 10: Amy with some members of The Starry Cluster on village outreach. 196 Figure 11: Amy with two children in Dohnavur (1912): ‘It is very comforting
in so sad a world to be allowed to make even a little child happy’. 219 Figure 12: Amy’s bungalow in Dohnavur. 226 Figure 13: Babies in Dohnavur. 229 Figure 14: Three girls amusing themselves. 246 Figure 15: Nesaruthina with the author’s wife in Dohnavur. 251 Figure 16: Some of the Dohnavur nurseries. 253 Figure 17: Amy with some girls at the coast in Madras (now Chenai). 257 Figure 18: Nesamitthirie with five of the children. 265 Figure 19: Boys in Dohnavur. Through the moongate the ‘House of Prayer’ is visible. 267 Figure 20: A boat trip with the boys on Red Lake. 270 Figure 21: The old ‘Joppa’ house in Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin). 274 A page in the Joppa Logbook from 1932. 277 Figure 22:
Figure 23: Comforting words in the house of Heavenly Healing (the hospital). 290 List of Figures
Figure 24: The cross at the end of the 200 foot long Path of Quietness. 302 Figure 25: Inside Amy’s living room in the bungalow on the northern side. 305 Figure 26: Amy at her writing desk. 306 Figure 27: The House of Prayer. 308 Figure 28: Inside of the House of Prayer. 310 Figure 29: The tubular bells in the tower of the House of Prayer. 312 Figure 30: Rev. Thomas Walker (1905). 362 Figure 31: Paper with the incoming gifts and legacies in the first half of
1931 for the Dohnavur Fellowship. 401 Figure 32: One of Amy’s annotations in E.K. Sanders, Sainte Chantal, 1572–1641. 433 Figure 33: One of the bookcases in Amy’s room. 451 Figure 34: On each of the six segments of the wheel on the bungalow’s verandah is a
Tamil word which indicates some part of the Fellowship’s work. 455 Figure 35: Amy’s private prayer room in the bungalow. 469 Figure 36: The Clock Tower. 482 Figure 37: Amy’s last resting place in ‘God’s Garden’. 498 Figure 38: Plaque erected on the Millisle Baptist Church. 512
Oh, lift our soul to higher things, And lift our thought to Thy desire;
Give us the faith, that mounts on wings,
Give us the love that burns like fire,
The love that leads to Calvary,
Not less than this, we ask of Thee.
Gold Cord, 284.
Yes, God’s Glory is our plea, highest, strongest, most impelling and enduring of all pleas. But oh, by the thought of all the myriads who are passing, by the thought of the
Coming of the Lord, by the infinite realities of life and death, heaven and hell, by our Saviour’s cross and Passion, we plead with all those who love Him, but who have not
considered these things yet, consider them now!
Things As They Are, 303.
For I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to
give drink to My chosen people. Isaiah 43:20 (RSV).
Acknowledgements
For those longing for the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ this book presents a wonderful period in the history of Christian missions. It is my aim to give a full and rounded picture of Amy Carmichael and to uncover new aspects of her precious life. I will follow her in her childhood and formative years, her missionary training and the Keswick influences, her serving in Japan and the five uninterrupted decades as missionary in India (Figure 1). In thankfulness I see this work go to the press. After having received many blessings in the years of research, I now pass it on, with the goal that Amy’s message and character will give glory to God and strengthen the Church in the 21st century. My wish is that our generation will be connected to our heritage of faith and the faith principle that undergirded the life of Amy Carmichael, be singled out.
No book is the product of a single individual. I believe that this book can only be published due to the many people who chose to travel with me along this long road. Here I would like to thank all those who have supported me while writing this book. I could not have done all the research and the writing without the encouragement and the advice of many friends and fellow missionaries. An attempt to mention all will certainly fail, but love never fails to remember and I sincerely thank all of them. During the research for this book, my wife and I came in contact with many people in various countries and the unforgettable fellowship with them still affects us today.
The archives in Belfast and Carlisle and the records in the office of the Dohnavur Fellowship in the United Kingdom (UK) and in India revealed a fascinating life story. Sincere thanks are due to the friendly and helpful librarians of the County Record Office in Carlisle and the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) in Belfast, who supplied me with source material. The archivist of OMF International assisted me in getting information on Amy’s short stay in London.
I thank wholeheartedly the Dohnavur Fellowship in India as well as in England for their warm cooperation and support. During the visit to Dohnavur, many people, especially the elderly ones who had known Amy personally, told their stories, helping me find answers to specific questions that arose during my research. A special word of thanks is required for Ms Sura Carunia1, Ms Nesaruthina Carunia and Ms Kamavalli Carunia, all in Dohnavur. I am so grateful that they, and many others within the Dohnavur Fellowship, were willing to answer my questions and give me relevant information regarding Amy and her work. The books in Amy’s room were a real mère a boire for me. Never will we forget the kindness and hospitality we experienced during our three-week visit to Dohnavur and Kanyakumari. Our visit has been one of those precious gifts from God and definitely impacted our lives.
Without the help of Peter and Ria Schillemans this book would not have come out as it is now. Peter not only corrected the first draft of the English text but made several suggestions for improvements. I sincerely thank both of you for giving so much time and effort assisting me. Your hard work and diligence made it possible to complete this work; however, any errors still found are mine. John Peet in Guildford and Doug Curry in Liss also gave some assistance. Many thanks for your generous help.
1. On 07 January 2017 Sura Carunia went to be with the Lord.
How to cite: Kommers, J. (Hans), 2017, ‘Acknowledgements’, in Triumphant Love: The contextual, creative and strategic missionary work of Amy Beatrice Carmichael in south India, pp. xxii-xxiv, AOSIS, Cape Town. https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2017.tl41.0a
Acknowledgements
Source: © Dohnavur Fellowship Corporation. Permission to reproduce was obtained. Photographer unknown.
FIGURE 1: This card was found in Amy’s Bible.
I am deeply indebted to Arthur and Eileen Savage in Guildford for their friendship, care and hospitality on our various visits to England. You made your house a real home for my wife and me, and we will always remember the fellowship and the love so present at yours.
Dr Jacky Woolcock (MD), director of the Dohnavur Fellowship Corporation in the UK, has read the whole manuscript and saved me from errors and provided valuable comments on the final draft. Tahany Hanna, in the UK office of the Dohnavur Fellowship in Brentford was always ready to give necessary help. During several visits to the office, Jacky and Tahany were present to assist me and to sort out valuable information. I thank both of you so much.
I thank Ken and Helen Foot in Keswick for their hospitality during our short stay in Keswick. We were guests in the Congregational Church (Lake Road Chapel), where, after the evening service, a box with many Keswick yearbooks was put in our car and taken home diligently. Pastor Jonathan Clarke of the Welcome Evangelical Church in Belfast made Belfast, and Amy’s stay there, familiar to me.
All of you, in various ways, helped me through many obstacles and difficult questions. Doing research for a study like this one is at times a lonely adventure, but so much greater is the joy in having found new facts and becoming a fellow traveller with the person of one’s study.
Acknowledgements
Prof. Pierre de Villiers and Prof. Andries van Aarde, together with the whole AOSIS team in South Africa, were very supportive, guiding me through administrative procedures, and it is through their technical expertise and assistance that this publication could come out so nicely. My sincere thanks to Lourika Els, Elize Bronkhorst and Trudie Retief who with patience accurately made the design for the book cover, edited the text and the bibliographic entries and helped me so tremendously through this crucial stage of the completion of the book. You have all enhanced the accuracy of the book.
I do thank my colleagues at the Theological Faculty of the North-West University (NWU) in Potchefstroom (SA) who have always had a keen interest in their colleague so many thousands miles away and they have shown that distance does not interfere with mutual friendship. Prof. Koos Vorster of NWU gave the stimulus for the publication of this book and I express my appreciation for his initial push and wise council.
A generous financial support from the Stichting Zonneweelde (Zonneweelde Foundation) in the Netherlands - for which I am very thankful - made the publication of this book possible.
Missionary friends at home and in Africa, inside and outside the university, who also share Amy Carmichael’s longing and vision, stirred me to an abiding resolve.
Last in this list but first in my thoughts of thankfulness I pay special tribute to my family. With warm feelings I remember my childhood, being raised by our God-fearing parents into firm Christian belief. My wife, children, sons and daughters-in-law and grandchildren, you all are my firm anchors. You have given me support in various ways and for many years patiently listened when I endlessly talked about Amy Carmichael as if she was part of our family. In sharing my thoughts and visions, you have given me more than you can imagine. I do thank you for all your love and encouragement. In believing God’s faithfulness our work in the Netherlands and on the mission field is done because, to use an expression of the founder of the CIM/OMF, God is always advancing.
To my dear wife Aly I dedicate this work. I cannot say how much I owe her for her prayers, love, support, cheerful adaptability and having so much patience with me. On our journey through God’s wonderful world for so many years, in working together in the ministry in the Netherlands and on the mission field in Kenya and Mozambique, we are rich with God’s eternal grace and experience that this is the dominant note in the chord.
Glossary
Accãl Older sister
Ammã Mother; refers to Amy as the ‘Mother’ of the Dohnavur family
Ãnnãchie Older brother. The name given to men workers at Dohnavur
Ayer Teacher, both Indian and foreign. Or: Protector. In this book this name refers to Thomas Walker of Tinnevelly
Bandy A bullock cart on two wheels
Compound An enclosure in which are houses and gardens
Dai Midwife
Puja Hindu religious practice
Purdah Curtain, practice of female seclusion
Sittie Mother’s younger sister or aunts who are younger than the person’s mother. Also the title for all non-Indian women workers. The word indicates much affection Sonthum/sontha Own Tungachie Younger sister Zenana Inside women’s quarter
Note
yy The spelling of Indian towns and cities mentioned in the text are those found in the sources. A modern equivalent is given in parentheses after the first mention.
yy Verses of poetry not in inverted commas, are from Amy Carmichael’s own writings, unless otherwise stated.
yy The reader should bear in mind that in this book I deal with persons, situations and practices in the India of the first half of the 20th century.
yy Different editions of some books written by Amy have been used; pages mentioned in the footnotes of this book, therefore, may differ.
Foreword
Sura Carunia
President Dohnavur Fellowship
India Dr Jacky Woolcock Dohnavur Fellowship Corporation
Served in Dohnavur 1969–1987
I met Dr Kommers in the Dohnavur UK office in 2015, being offered to read the first complete draft of this book for accuracy of factual content. Before the meeting I was a little sceptical. The fact that there are already so many biographies about Amy Carmichael made me wonder what more another book could say about her. So I asked Dr Kommers, ‘From what angle are you going tackle the subject?’ ‘From the factors that made her what she became’ was his answer. This aspect sheds new light on Amy and enables us to understand her better.
I read this book enthralled by the detailed and exhaustive research that had gone into the writing. Dr Kommers has used so many sources outside of Amy’s own writing that he gives a very rounded picture of her. There is much here for everyone. For those who, like myself, never met Amy, but have been inspired by her life and writings, there are new insights. There is the tremendous challenge of her spirituality and her high standards of Christian living. Both Christians and non-Christians can learn from her manner of life and be inspired. This really is the definitive biography of a most remarkable missionary and a very challenging read.
Her children, who now have the charge of the work Amy began, are so happy to have this new source of information. The current president, Sura Carunia, who came to Amy in 1940, says, ‘As one who had never met her, Dr Kommers writes with an amazing depth of understanding of the personality, character and spirituality of “Amma”’. She held nothing back from her Lord and Saviour, desiring always to FOLLOW Him and to live ‘the crucified life’ with, as she put it, ‘my spirit tender of the glory of God’2.
1He brings her to life in a way that will touch the hearts of all of us, her children, many of whom remember her as the very loving, special person she was. We would hope that all who read this book would be challenged and motivated to live for the glory of God with a renewed commitment.
2. ‘Where Thou Hast Trod’, Mountain Breezes, 220.
How to cite: Carunia, S. & Woolcock, J., 2017, ‘Foreword’, in J. (Hans) Kommers, Triumphant Love: The contextual, creative and strategic missionary work of Amy Beatrice Carmichael in south India, p. xxvi, AOSIS, Cape Town. https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2017.tl41.0f
Impressions of a photo
Disciples of Christ follow him, the Lamb of God, wherever he goes. They don’t imitate him, it is just the opposite; to follow the Lamb is to deny oneself, to give away one’s own wants and wishes and like a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die. This is the way to bear much fruit for the glory and honour of God.
Looking at this magnificent image of Amy (Figure 2) convinces us that it shows exactly as it appears at first sight: an image with great persuasive power. It brings the modern viewer to feel so close not just to the history this picture presents, but to Amy herself. This image reminds me of the paintings of the subtle 17th century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer; it captures a small corner of the visible world in its totality. The serene peace and joy provide a reflection of the fascination it holds for the viewer, avoiding everything that can disturb the inner equilibrium – a picture of poignant and pregnant stillness. The face in this picture is a text, often difficult to read or to explain. A text from which the past speaks; a life lived and a life being lived, for it shows the future in the expectation of a full life and it shows the present too, that is, the one of the picture.
This picture is a dual text: the person we meet in the picture, what it shows us, also in her face and in what she wrote. What do we see? Which spirit do we encounter seeing her in the face? A very selfeffacing woman, who almost never allowed her photograph to be taken. Pictures of her are rare, and we are glad to have some. The question now arises: What kind of image do they evoke? Which spirit does
Source: © Dohnavur Fellowship. Permission to reproduce was obtained from Jeremiah Rajanesan. Photographer unknown. FIGURE 2: Amy with Lola and Leela.
How to cite: Kommers, J. (Hans), 2017, ‘Impressions of a photo’, in Triumphant Love: The contextual, creative and strategic missionary work of Amy Beatrice Carmichael in south India, p. xxvii–xxix, AOSIS, Cape Town. https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2017.tl41.oxxviii
Impressions of a photo
that face reflect? Is this what she looks like according to what she wrote? Can we discover something from that face? A missionary, asked to give her impression after having seen this picture for the first time, said: ‘I see genuine love’.
A face that tells us that her life is hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3), that she does not yet appear what she shall be (1 Jn 3:2). It is a face telling us that she rested in the presence of a gracious God. The appearance expresses which kind of spiritual child someone is. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks and the eye looks compassionate. She has something special. The Lord had imprinted on her a character of such a great majesty, holding unto the vision and the voice, convinced it was given her from above. A mere look at the picture gives me the feeling that she was spiritually different from the common run of people one meets. I see in her a person of rare spiritual qualities increasing my interest the more I know of her. She personified an inner beauty, which is from the transcendental world. She embodied the nobility and the beauty of a soul in full love and rest in God. By her strength of mind, she possessed an inner power, which outweighed all the evil she discovered and difficulties she faced in the running of the Dohnavur Fellowship. She lived with such an intensity in which she unreservedly gave herself and was open for what the Lord gave her to do.
The longer I studied her life and work, the more I had to look her in the face. Her eyes look at the children from a gently expressive face, and her whole gesture tells us that with her thoughts she dwells at the bosom of the Saviour and with the children she cared for. Looking at her picture I see what is so rarely seen: a saved person, a servant of the Lord looking like him. The closer this person grows to the resemblance of God, the more the image of God lightens her face, a servant of God looking on to God. We look at her face from that perspective. We see a Christian who trusts. Behind this old picture, hidden behind our own horizon, is an experience we have lost, an experience of striking holiness, a revelation of a deeper spirit showing. She kept in perfect peace of mind looking at him to guide her dreams. There is a radiance and glow about her that cannot be captured in any picture. We honour the Holy Spirit when we ‘see’ the invisible in the visible. He creates the inner shine of the Christian and reveals the inside. In the words of the Psalm: ‘Look towards Him and shine with joy’ (Ps 34:5 in the NEB). This is what Paul meant when he wrote: ‘Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you?’ (1 Cor 6:19). This is what other people see. Moses did not know ‘that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God’ (Ex 34:29), but Aaron and the others did. The echo of this shining Moses (2 Cor 3) is:
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into His likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (v. 18)
The glory of Christ is interconnected with the words in the books Amy Carmichael wrote. They meant only to tell about his gracious deeds in her life in the Dohnavur Fellowship. The few photos we have from her tell us a lot. This picture (Figure 2) expresses the human face and, as author, I am dealing with her texts, as one who knows his limits. Amy has already been transferred to higher Glory and from what we see, hear and read, we return to what we see in Dohnavur and read now. Called to a God-given order and with no rest of mind until she could lay the task in other caring hands, and having passed away, far from family and other fellow missionaries, her legacy is still cared for by faithful Indian friends and children.
Biography and missionary endeavours – in which way are they to be connected? As we look at some old prints, as we read about lives being lived in respectable mission houses, top-hat men and exceedingly prim ladies, neat local clerics in the background, and read of their work in offices, hospitals and villages, all this feels millenniums remote from our world and our ways of living in the 21st century. It is all
Impressions of a photo
history now, but ‘history is not that of an outward incident, but of a spiritual situation’.31Amy herself ever had this question in what way biography and missionary endeavours are connected, but, in her own words, ‘we leave the pictures with their disguising exteriors, looking in, we understand each other’.42What happened in the first half of the 20th century in south India to bring the children home is not to be experienced in the one moment we look at a picture, but in the particular details of the very place. Written words are like a picture, an instantaneous exposure. We will leave the exterior and look into the matter, to come to an understanding of what happened in Dohnavur, this vibrant place with hundreds of children’s voices, and at the same time the place of the working stillness. I would like to invite you to join me in the disclosure of the intention of the duologue of the photograph and the texts and in finding a distinctive personality, Amy Carmichael, in the many-coloured tissues of her life.
3. In Windows, quotation added to Amy’s dedication to ‘The Friends of the Dohnavur Fellowship’.
4. Ragland, Spiritual Pioneer, 28.