The Story of Amy Carmichael

Over the past few weeks in our midweek gatherings, we’ve been diving deep into Paul’s letter to the Philippians, especially those powerful verses about humility and the self-giving love of Jesus. It’s challenged us — not just to talk about these things, but to live them out. That’s why Amy Carmichael’s story felt like such a perfect fit for us to explore together. Born in Belfast in 1867, Amy’s life was marked by a quiet but fierce determination to serve others, starting with young women in her hometown and later giving her life to children in India who were being exploited and abandoned. She didn’t just speak about the love of Jesus — she embodied it. Whether it was opening the Donavur Fellowship orphanage or writing 35 books while bedridden, she showed us what it looks like when someone says ​“yes” to Jesus and never takes their eyes off Him.

What grips us about Amy’s story isn’t just what she did — it’s how she did it. She carried herself with radical humility, choosing to sit with the girls she served rather than standing in the spotlight. She loved sacrificially, moving into the heart of poverty and pain, and enduring relentless hardship without giving up. Even after a life-altering injury left her confined to her bed, she poured herself into prayer, writing, and discipling others. Her life transformed not only a village in India, but also the way we think about what’s possible when we live like Jesus — serving, loving, enduring. And the most incredible part? Amy was just an ordinary person from a small place like many of us. Her story reminds us that transformation doesn’t start with the extraordinary — it starts with surrender. If we’re willing to follow Jesus the way she did, there’s no telling what God might do in and through us, even here, even now.