Make us Thy warriors,
On whom Thou canst depend to stand the brunt
Of any perilous charge on any front,
Give to us skill to handle sword and spear
From the rising of the morning till the stars appear.
Not far from us, those stars,
Unseen as angels and yet looking through
The quiet air, the day’s transparent blue.
What shall we know, and feel, and see, and hear
When the sunset colours kindle and the stars appear?2
The Dohnavur Fellowship
More than fifty years have passed since Amy Carmichael’s death. The principles on which she founded the Fellowship remain the same, based on the pattern set in the Bible, but the Fellowship has moved with the times and is no longer the isolated, protected Christian community of Amy’s day.
For some years boys, for whom there are other Christian Homes in the area, have not been admitted. The last boys left in 1984 after completing their education. Many of the Old Boys are active witnesses for Christ, and keep in touch and pay visits with their families.
Although the dedication of girls to the temples is now illegal, there are still many babies and young girls who, without protection, would fall into the hands of those wishing to exploit or abuse them. The Fellowship seeks out such children in order to give them a secure, happy Christian home. After completing their education and training, many marry or take jobs, and Amy’s children can be found all over India serving the Lord, often in very respectable positions. They continue to regard Dohnavur as home, and some eventually return as fellow-workers.
The leadership of the work is now almost entirely Indian. For instance, the medical superintendent of the hospital grew up in Dohnavur from infancy. The hospital treats patients from the surrounding countryside, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians (who are in the minority), rich and poor, educated and illiterate. It aims to demonstrate the love of the Lord by the standard of its medical and personal care, and it works for spiritual as well as physical healing.
There are many different facets to the work and several outposts. Always the goal is the same: “We preach Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.”
For support the Fellowship depends on the faithfulness of the Lord, who leads His children to send what is needed and Himself balances the books. Most of all it depends on prayer.
The Dohnavur Fellowship
(In the United Kingdom)
Dohnavur, Tirunelveli Dist.
15 Elm Drive
Tamil Nadu 627 102
North Harrow
INDIA
Middlesex HA2 78S
ENGLAND
BOOKS BY AMY CARMICHAEL IN PRINT IN THE UNITED STATES
Published by Christian Literature Crusade
Candles in the Dark
Edges of His Ways
Figures of the True
Gods Missionary
Gold by Moonlight
Gold Cord
His Thoughts Said. . . His Father Said
If
Mimosa
Rose From Brier
Thou Givest. . . They Gather
Toward Jerusalem
Published by Fleming H. Revell Company
Whispers of His Power
Published by Zondervan Publishing House
If
1. 1 Corinthians 2:14, 15 (Phillips).
2. Toward Jerusalem, p. 98.
Elisabeth Elliot is a popular speaker, radio teacher, and much-loved author. Her first book, Through Gates of Splendor, became a best seller, and she went on to author more than twenty-five books, including Passion and Purity and The Journals of Jim Elliot. She and her husband, Lars Gren, live in Magnolia, Massachusetts. For more information on Elisabeth Elliot’s books, please visit www.elisabethelliot.org.
