Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. This is the first of our Christmas-themed podcasts this season, and I want to start with a story that beautifully illustrates how God works on Christmas morning—a story of a desperate prayer, a miraculous escape, and a rescue that would save thousands of children.
Women have played a crucial and often overlooked role in spreading the Gospel throughout history. Today's story is about one of those women: Amy Carmichael, an Irish missionary who served in South India for 55 years without a single furlough. And it begins on Christmas morning.
Amy Carmichael arrived in India in 1895 and eventually settled in the town of Dohnavur in Tamil Nadu, South India. What she discovered there broke her heart. Young girls—some just toddlers—were being dedicated to Hindu temples as "devadasis," which means "servants of the gods." In reality, these children were being sold into ritual prostitution and abuse. Their families received money, and the children were trapped in temple slavery with no way out.
Most people in Amy's day—including many missionaries—turned a blind eye to this practice. It was considered part of Indian culture, too controversial to confront. But Amy couldn't ignore it. She saw these children as precious souls that Jesus loved and died for. She began praying for a way to rescue them.
In a Hindu temple not far from Dohnavur, there was a young girl named Preena. She had been given to the temple by her family, and she was suffering terribly. The temple women were cruel to her. She was burned with hot irons as punishment for trying to escape. She had no hope, no help, no way out.
But somehow, Preena had heard about Jesus. Perhaps from a passing missionary, perhaps from a Christian neighbor—we don't know exactly how. But she knew enough to cry out to Him. On Christmas Eve, this little girl—trapped in darkness, surrounded by Hindu idols, bearing the scars of her failed escape attempts—prayed a desperate prayer:
"If You are there, save me!"
That's all she knew to pray. She didn't know theology. She didn't know doctrine. She just knew that there was supposed to be a God who could save, and she was begging Him to prove it.
That night, Preena escaped from the temple. A little girl, alone in the darkness, running for her life. She wandered through the night, not knowing where to go, not knowing if anyone would help her.
And on Christmas morning—Christmas morning!—she found her way to Amy Carmichael's mission in Dohnavur.
Can you imagine that scene? Amy Carmichael waking on Christmas Day to find this frightened, scarred little girl at her door. A child who had prayed "If You are there, save me!" and then walked through the night until God led her to the one person in the region who would take her in and protect her.
Amy didn't hesitate. She took Preena in. She became her "Amma"—her mother. And that Christmas morning rescue marked the beginning of something that would grow far beyond what Amy could have imagined.
Preena's rescue on Christmas morning launched the Dohnavur Fellowship. Amy Carmichael began actively rescuing temple children, hiding them, raising them, and teaching them about Jesus. It was dangerous work. Temple authorities and families who had sold their children were furious. Amy faced threats, legal challenges, and opposition from both Indian and British authorities.
But she persisted. Over the following decades, the Dohnavur Fellowship rescued thousands of children from temple slavery. Amy became "Amma" to hundreds of girls and later boys. She raised them as her own children, gave them education and skills, and most importantly, introduced them to Jesus—the God who had answered Preena's Christmas Eve prayer.
The Dohnavur Fellowship continues to this day, over 100 years later. It still cares for children in need in South India. All because one little girl prayed on Christmas Eve, and God led her to Amy Carmichael's door on Christmas morning.
I love that this story happened at Christmas because it perfectly illustrates what Christmas is about. Christmas is the story of God answering desperate prayers. For centuries, humanity was trapped in the darkness of sin with no way out. And God sent His Son—on that first Christmas—to rescue us.
Preena's prayer—"If You are there, save me!"—echoes the cry of every human heart. And God's answer to her prayer echoes His answer to all of us: "I am here. I will save you. I am sending a Rescuer."
Jesus is the ultimate Rescuer. He came on Christmas to save us from a slavery far worse than temple bondage—slavery to sin and death. And just as Preena found her way to Amy Carmichael's door, God makes a way for all of us to find salvation in Christ.
This story also reminds us of what we explored in our episodes on women in missions. Throughout history, God has used women in powerful ways to advance His kingdom. Mary carried the Savior into the world. The women at the tomb were first to proclaim the resurrection. Priscilla taught Apollos. Phoebe carried Paul's letter to Rome. Lottie Moon transformed Southern Baptist missions. Gladys Aylward rescued children in China.
And Amy Carmichael rescued temple children in India. She never married. She gave up comfort, safety, and her homeland to become "Amma" to thousands of children who had no one else. She served for 55 years, the last 20 of them bedridden after an accident, yet still writing and leading the ministry from her room.
These women didn't let cultural expectations or opposition stop them. They saw needs that others ignored. They went where others wouldn't go. They loved people that others considered unlovable. And God used them to change the world.
Friends, there are still children today who need rescuing. Human trafficking remains one of the greatest evils in our world. Millions of children are trapped in slavery, prostitution, and exploitation. Organizations like International Justice Mission, Compassion International, and many others are doing the work Amy Carmichael pioneered—rescuing children and showing them the love of Jesus.
This Christmas, as you celebrate the Rescuer who came to save you, consider how you might help rescue others. Pray for organizations fighting trafficking. Give to support their work. And remember that no child is beyond God's reach—just as Preena wasn't beyond His reach on that Christmas Eve when she prayed, "If You are there, save me!"
Let me pray: Dearest Lord Jesus, You are our Rescuer! Your Father sent You to earth on the greatest rescue mission ever! As we gaze on and think about the baby in the manger, may our eyes immediately go to our Savior on the cross and Your sacrifice for us! Every day, You rescue people from the Kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Your Father and You fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Please be with the children held captive by traffickers. Thank you for the efforts being made in our own country to release them. We pray for those people, around the world, dedicated to rescue in Your name. Guide them we pray. In Your name, Jesus, amen.
As we enter the Christmas season, may you celebrate the Rescuer this season—and may you be part of His rescue mission to the world.
Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations, and never forget that God hears the prayers of desperate children.
Scripture: Isaiah 61:1 (freedom for captives) | Source: Amy Carmichael biography, Dohnavur Fellowship | Read more: nations4jesus.blogspot.com
Here this in podcast form at Spotify podcast
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