Amy Wilson Carmichael (1867–1951) was the eldest daughter of a large Christ-centered family in Millisle, Ireland. She was impressed at an early age that “nothing is important but that which is eternal.” This understanding proved to be a foundation for her service to the Lord, which began among the mill workers of Ireland while she was still in her teen years. Moving to England in 1889, Amy ministered to women in the Manchester slums and also became involved with the Keswick Convention. During these years “came a word I could not escape and dared not resist”—and in 1892, Amy became Keswick’s first missionary appointee. Although leaving her family was painful, she followed God’s call and served briefly in Japan and then in Ceylon, finally settling in India where she began her ministry to children in 1895. The Dohnavur Fellowship, the family that developed from her work, was devoted to saving children from lives of temple service. Amy wrote over thirty biographical and devotional books, many of which are considered classics. Injured and bedridden for the last twenty years of her life, she remained in India until her death.
