Unforgettable Moments
As we travel throughout life there are moments that define us and mark us in unimaginable ways. Moments that indelibly leave a significant and permanent impression upon our hearts and souls that seem to beckon us forward, direct our steps and highlight the path that we should take in our time on earth.
One of my earliest unforgettable memories was as a quiet and reserved eight year old. It was a moment in time that significantly defined my young heart. My family had moved often in the first eight years of my life (and would continue to do so throughout my childhood and teenage years). Finding myself in another new school, new town and new friends, I often buried myself in a great book. My love of literature stems from the compelling stories I read and the places I travelled to in this solitary place. I met wonderful people along the way.
It was in this place that I met Amy Carmichael amongst the pages of quiet contemplation. She was an Irish missionary to Japan, China, Ceylon and finally India, where she devoted fifty-three years of her life to rescuing India's orphaned and abandoned children from deplorable temple practices. As a young girl Amy despised her plain brown eyes so she prayed for pretty blue ones instead. She was bitterly disappointed when God did not grant her the longing of her heart. Significantly it was these same brown eyes that aided her mission work later in life. With her coffee stained skin and suitably attired sari she blended in to Indian life. It was in this way that she was able to slip into Indian temples and rescue the lost children of India. I learnt early on that God does not always grant us the longings of our heart ..... his plans are beyond our simple desires and have much greater potential for our lives. Because of her work thousands of children were rescued.
Amy's story captured my young heart and a small seed of purpose nestled itself firmly and deeply within. Her story is inspiring, confronting and completely delightful. This story opened my eyes and broke my heart, stirring something within me. I was given the book at a Scripture Union afterschool program. (Thank you Scripture Union) I know that I won it for something…..I have no idea what for, but this book changed my life….Ha!...all eight years of it! ..... but some how it reached into my future and began shaping who I would become and what I would put my hand to today. Missions is still on my heart.
(Her example as a missionary inspired others (including Jim Elliot and his wife Elisabeth Elliot) to pursue a similar vocation - Source)
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