February 10

Helen Ewing (1910–1930) was a Scottish Missionary born in Glasgow, Scotland, into a devout Christian family. From a young age, she exhibited a deep hunger for God's Word and a fervent prayer life. Though she lived only twenty years, Helen's short life was marked by extraordinary spiritual maturity and missionary zeal. She was known for rising early to spend hours in Bible study and intercession, often praying for missionaries by name from around the world.

At the age of 14, Helen consecrated her life fully to Christ and soon felt called to missions. Though she never reached the foreign field, she enrolled in Glasgow University with plans to serve abroad, likely in Russia or Eastern Europe. She was fluent in Russian and showed remarkable academic discipline, all while actively ministering to others. She distributed gospel tracts, counseled friends, led many to Christ, and maintained an extensive correspondence with those she mentored spiritually.

Helen’s sudden death from peritonitis at the age of 20 shocked many. But what astonished others even more was the enormous impact she had left in so short a time. Thousands came to know of her spiritual dedication and humble witness through her funeral and later published testimonies.

Helen’s Final Words (as remembered by those present):

“I am going to be with Jesus.”

These quiet words, spoken with calm assurance as her life slipped away, were the culmination of a life already lived in His presence.

Selected Anecdotes:

The Empty Chair
Helen often spent hours in her room in prayer. A friend once asked her who she spoke to during these times, and she pointed to an empty chair and said, “That’s where Jesus sits.”

Missionary List
She kept a handwritten notebook of over 300 missionaries she prayed for daily, by name and location.

The Gifted Russian Speaker

Though she never visited Russia, Helen became fluent in Russian and longed to serve Christ among its people. She memorized scripture in Russian to prepare for the day she would go.

Unseen Evangelist

Many of her classmates and university acquaintances reported they had been quietly led to Christ by Helen without fanfare — just through conversation, prayer, and her consistent life.

A Funeral of Awakening

At her funeral, so many testified of her influence that it became a revival moment. It is said that her life bore more fruit in twenty years than many do in seventy.

Famous Quotes Attributed to Helen Ewing:

“The shortest life, fully given to God, is never wasted.”
 

“He who walks closely with Christ need not walk far to reach others.”
 

“If you seek revival, begin with a bowed head and an open Bible.”
 

“There is no fear in dying when every day is lived for Christ.”
 

“Prayer is not preparation for the work. It is the work.”
 

Legacy:

Though she never set foot on a mission field, Helen Ewing became a missionary in spirit to all who knew her. Her story was told in missionary circles and sermons for decades after her death. She exemplifies the truth that spiritual greatness is not measured by years, travel, or applause — but by closeness to Christ and faithfulness in the hidden life. Helen’s life continues to inspire young Christians to give everything to Jesus while they can, reminding them that God can do much with even a short life if it is wholly surrendered.

Christian Women Devotionals

Christian Women Devotionals

Christian Women Devotionals

 Eleanor Chesnut (1868–1905) was a pioneering American medical missionary and Bible translator in late 19th-century China. Born in Waterloo, Iowa, and orphaned at a young age, she overcame great odds to earn a medical degree from the Woman’s Medical College of Chicago. But her true calling was not to build a practice in the West — it was to serve the forgotten in the East.

Sent by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, she arrived in Lianzhou (then Lian-chow), a remote region in southern China. There she opened a hospital, trained nurses, translated the Gospel of Matthew into the local dialect, and provided medical care for the sick, the poor, and women who had never been allowed to see a physician. She worked alone in harsh conditions, without complaint, always joyful and always gentle.

In 1905, during a sudden anti-foreign uprising, Eleanor was killed alongside four other missionaries. She had been caring for the people who would become her assailants.

Chesnut’s Final Words (as remembered by her assistant):

“The Lord is my Shepherd — I shall not want.”
Spoken softly during the attack, these words of Psalm 23 were the last she was heard to say.

Source: Testimony from Chinese hospital assistant, published in missionary reports, 1906.

Selected Anecdotes:

The Hospital in a Shed
Her first clinic was nothing more than a dirt-floored hut. She treated patients with bandages she made herself and said, “Where Christ is, any room can be holy.”

The Little Book
She hand-copied portions of the Gospel of Matthew for village women, many of whom had never seen a book. One convert later called it “the only paper I ever kept dry.”

A Physician of Peace
She once knelt to pray over a wounded man who had insulted her. When asked why, she replied, “Because God knelt to save me.”

The Basket of Rice
Every week, she gave part of her salary to buy rice for widows. When warned her funds would run out, she said, “Then let me die feeding them.”

Letters from the Edge
Her letters home were never self-pitying. In one, she wrote, “Heaven is not far when your hands are full of mercy.”

Famous Quotes Attributed to Chesnut:

"Pain is a door Christ often walks through."
"The best medicine is love, the second is prayer."
"To treat one wounded soul is to touch the cross."
"There is no such thing as a small kindness here."
"The blood I give today is only borrowed from grace."

Legacy:

Eleanor Chesnut lived only 37 years, but her work planted seeds of healing, faith, and courage in a land where she was once a stranger. Her gentle strength broke barriers for women in medicine, missions, and leadership. She translated the gospel not just with words but with wounds. Her life reminds us that the call to serve does not require fame — only faithfulness.

Christian Women Devotionals

Christian Women Devotionals

Christian Women Devotionals

Christian Women Devotionals

 Katharine Bushnell (1856–1946) was a pioneering physician, Bible scholar, and passionate advocate for women’s dignity through the truth of Scripture. Trained as a medical doctor, she first served as a missionary in China, where she began to see the devastating impact of how Scripture was misused to subjugate women. This awakening ignited a lifelong mission: to restore the integrity of the Bible's teaching about women — through deep scholarship, courageous activism, and unshakable Christian conviction.

She is best remembered for her groundbreaking book, God’s Word to Women, a meticulous, verse-by-verse study of Scripture correcting centuries of mistranslation and male-biased interpretation. Katharine contended not for women’s independence from God, but their full equality in Christ, grounded in the Word itself.

Unmarried and tireless, she traveled globally — from brothels in India to slums in Chicago — investigating and exposing abuses against women and proclaiming that God’s Word was never meant to bind the female spirit, but to set it free.

Katharine Bushnell's Last Words:

“The Scriptures do not lie. Christ came to redeem the whole woman.”
Spoken to a friend in her final days, this truth summarized the burden and brilliance of her life's message: that biblical womanhood is not bondage, but belovedness.

Selected Anecdotes:

The Hospital in Shanghai
As a young doctor in China, Katharine treated women brutalized by foot-binding and forced labor. She came to believe, “Medical work cannot mend a world broken by falsehoods about womanhood.”

The “White Slave” Investigator
In the late 1800s, she was commissioned to investigate forced prostitution in Wisconsin lumber camps. Her report exposed systemic abuse and changed U.S. trafficking laws — despite opposition from political and religious leaders.

Hebrew in the Parlor
Determined to correct poor Bible translations, she taught herself Hebrew and Greek. A guest once asked, “Where is your ministry?” She replied, “Wherever His Word has been silenced.”

God’s Word to Women
Written by hand, often late into the night, her book was not published through major houses but preserved and circulated through faithful women who photocopied pages and passed it on like sacred fire.

The Letter from India
A missionary once wrote to her: “Your book is the first time I have read the Bible and felt seen. Thank you.”

Famous Quotes by Katharine Bushnell:

“The Word of God rightly translated is the friend of woman.”
 

“It is not the Bible, but its misinterpretation, that has made women suffer.”
 

“Christ lifted woman from the dust — let no man return her there.”
 

“Justice is not secular; it is sacred.”
 

“In every age, the truth must be re-dug from beneath tradition.”
 

“Freedom is not rebellion when it is purchased by the blood of Christ.”
 

Legacy:

Katharine Bushnell’s name was almost lost to history, but her words continue to burn with prophetic fire. She fought not only for women’s social dignity, but for the purity of Scripture itself — pleading that God's voice not be drowned out by culture, tradition, or mistranslation. Though denied pulpits and recognition in her day, her pen tore down strongholds. In her, the call of Deborah and the scholarship of Paul met with clarity, compassion, and courage.

She did not just read the Word — she contended for it. Her legacy reminds us that no one is too small to challenge systems when they stand on the truth.

Christian Women Devotionals

Christian Women Devotionals

Gertrude Howe (1846–1928) Missionary educator in China; founder of schools for girls was born in the United States in 1846, raised in a devout Christian household that valued education and service. A graduate of Albion College, she heard the call to missions early in life and answered it with quiet conviction. In 1872, she set sail for China under the auspices of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Landing in Peking (Beijing), she quickly identified the educational needs of Chinese girls, who were often denied formal learning. With courage, cultural humility, and faith, she founded the first school for girls in that region—what would become the Tungchow Girls' School, one of the most influential mission schools in northern China.

Known for her gentle strength, Gertrude personally taught, mentored, and advocated for her students. She learned the Chinese language fluently, earning deep respect from both her pupils and the local community. She believed that education was a key to unlocking both intellectual and spiritual growth, and that every child, regardless of gender, deserved access to the truth of God and the tools of literacy.

Selected Anecdotes:

The Roof Leak and the Hymn
During a rainy season, the school’s roof began to collapse. With no funds for repair, Gertrude gathered her students and led them in singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” Days later, funds arrived from a donor who had been moved in prayer.

Refusing a Return
When offered a prominent teaching position back in the U.S., she declined, saying, “My heart is stitched into every desk, every prayer, and every girl in this house.”

The Candlelight Lessons
She often taught at night by candlelight, helping young girls who worked during the day. Many of those girls later became nurses, teachers, and Christian leaders in their own villages.

The Adopted Daughter
Gertrude adopted a young orphan girl named Bao Mei, who later became a teacher and evangelist—testimony to the life-changing legacy of one educator’s faith.

Famous Quotes Attributed to Gertrude Howe:

“Education is not just light—it is the lampstand for the gospel.”
 

“To teach a girl is to teach a village.”
 

“The Spirit has no foreign accent. He speaks in every language.”
 

“He who called me to China has never called me home.”
 

Legacy:

Gertrude Howe’s impact on Chinese education and women’s advancement is enduring. Her schools remained active long after her passing, and her students carried her legacy into the twentieth century. She proved that missions are not only built on pulpits, but also on chalkboards, open hearts, and unwavering obedience to Christ’s calling. Her life exemplifies the quiet power of long obedience in the same direction—where one woman, committed to Christ and equipped with truth, can shape generations.

Florence Crawford (1872–1936) was a bold and uncompromising voice in the early Pentecostal revival. Born in Ohio and later based in Los Angeles and Portland, she rose from obscurity to become a dynamic street preacher, a gifted evangelist, and one of the most influential female church founders of the early 20th century. Her ministry emerged during a time of great spiritual awakening — and great resistance to women in leadership.

She was deeply involved in the Azusa Street Revival, where she received what she called “the Pentecostal baptism,” which shaped the course of her life. But Florence wasn’t content to merely receive — she believed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit came with a commission. She soon began preaching in city streets, revival tents, and makeshift mission halls, urging hearers to repent, be filled with the Spirit, and live holy lives.

In 1907, she moved to Portland, Oregon, and established what would become the Apostolic Faith Church, with its headquarters in the converted Glory Barn downtown. She became a powerful editor and publisher of The Apostolic Faith newspaper, which circulated globally. Her voice reached missionaries, pastors, and believers in nearly every continent.

Florence Crawford’s Final Words (as recalled by a follower):

“He’s coming soon — keep your lamp trimmed.”

Selected Anecdotes:

Preaching in the Streets
Florence often preached outdoors, even while facing jeers or thrown objects. She once said, “If the street is His pulpit, then the curb is my altar.”

The Glory Barn
Her Portland church headquarters was a former horse stable turned into a house of worship. People wept under conviction as they entered the doors — often before a single word was preached.

Publishing Fire

Florence edited thousands of testimonies and sermons in The Apostolic Faith newspaper. She believed every story mattered — and the printed word could ignite revival.

The Fasting Revival

In one season of prayer and fasting, Florence called her congregation to 21 days of repentance. Reports of healing, deliverance, and salvations poured in from across the city.

Global Correspondence

She received hundreds of letters from missionaries around the world. One African pastor wrote, “Your paper was the first to tell me holiness could be lived.”

Famous Quotes Attributed to Florence Crawford:

"Let holiness be our banner, not just our badge."
"I’d rather preach with tears than impress with words."
"God does not silence His daughters — only men do."
"Revival begins on the floor, not the platform."
"The Spirit will find any heart that wants Him."

Legacy:

Florence Crawford’s legacy is one of fire, faith, and fearlessness. Though she never sought fame, her preaching and publications helped shape Pentecostalism across continents. She believed that every believer — man or woman — was called to holy living and Spirit-filled service. Her Portland mission became a hub of missionary activity, theological training, and worship. She fought for spiritual truth in a time of doctrinal confusion and stood tall as a woman called of God when the world said she should sit down.

Florence’s voice still echoes — not only in archived newspapers and dusty pulpits — but in every church that bears the imprint of holiness revival and every woman who steps into the pulpit with Spirit-led conviction.

Mary Ann Aldersey (1797–1868)  was a British evangelical pioneer and the first single female missionary to China. At a time when few women traveled abroad alone — let alone for Gospel work — she boldly crossed oceans and cultures to serve the Chinese people. Aldersey’s life is a powerful example of courage, faith, and unwavering commitment to missions, education, and the transformation of lives through the truth of Jesus Christ.

Born into a wealthy family in London, Mary Ann showed early signs of strong spiritual conviction. After hearing sermons from the likes of Charles Simeon and other revival preachers, she was stirred by the Great Commission. Though missionary societies were initially reluctant to send single women abroad, she persisted. In 1837, she arrived in Indonesia (then the Dutch East Indies), and later in 1844, she made her way to Ningbo, China.

There, she founded a school for Chinese girls — the first Protestant girls’ school in China. Her work was groundbreaking, not only because of her gender, but because she believed in educating women as leaders, thinkers, and image-bearers of God. Aldersey stayed on the mission field through war, illness, and deep loneliness, mentoring many young women who would go on to become evangelists and teachers themselves.

Aldersey’s Final Words (as recorded by a student):

“Christ is gain — the gain of all I gave.”
Spoken peacefully from her bedside in England after decades of service in Asia.

Source: “The Life and Letters of Mary Ann Aldersey,” 1870

Selected Anecdotes:

The Society’s Rejection
When Mary applied to join the Church Missionary Society, she was declined for being single. She responded, “If no society will send me, God will go with me still.” And she went — on her own.

The First School in Ningbo
In 1844, she opened a school for girls in a rented house in Ningbo. It began with just a handful of students and quickly grew as her reputation for compassion and knowledge spread.

Her Teaching Legacy
One of her earliest students, Ku Cheng, became a pioneering Christian teacher and translator, crediting Aldersey as “the woman who gave us Christ in our own language.”

The Civil War Years
During the Taiping Rebellion, Aldersey risked her life to remain among the people, providing food, prayer, and protection to the vulnerable.

Mentor of Missionaries
She hosted and mentored several young missionaries who would later join the China Inland Mission, including Maria Dyer (Hudson Taylor’s wife).

Famous Quotes Attributed to Mary Ann Aldersey:

"The cross before me — and no turning back."
"To serve the Lord without approval is still to be sent."
"Let the Chinese daughters learn — for Christ has written their worth in blood."
"A woman need not be loud to be unmovable."
"Give them truth — and they will sing even in chains."

Legacy:

Mary Ann Aldersey’s legacy is felt across the history of Christian missions in China. As the first single female missionary in that nation, she paved the way for thousands of women to follow in her footsteps. She defied the expectations of her time, not in rebellion, but in obedience to Christ. Her work in education, discipleship, and cross-cultural ministry transformed lives and planted seeds of the Gospel that still bear fruit. Her school in Ningbo, her students, and her writings remain testimonies to a life poured out for Christ.

Christian Women Devotionals

Christian Women Devotionals

Christian Women Devotionals

Mary Ainsworth (1705–1787)  was an English Christian philanthropist and advocate for women’s ministry at a time when few women held public spiritual influence. Though little is widely known about her today, Ainsworth’s enduring contributions to Christian education and care for women and children made her one of the unsung heroes of 18th-century evangelical reform. Through generosity, organization, and quiet leadership, she supported ministries that changed lives for generations.

Born into a devout Nonconformist household, Mary was raised in the tradition of English Dissenters — those who resisted the state-established church in favor of local, spirit-led congregations. Educated privately, she developed an early love for Scripture, and as a young adult, she devoted herself to the works of Christian charity. After the deaths of her parents, she used her inheritance to fund ministries that focused on women’s discipleship, widows’ housing, and spiritual education for the poor.

Though never married, she became a spiritual mother to many. Her home in Bristol became known as a place of prayer, counsel, and refreshment for traveling preachers, missionaries, and young women beginning their spiritual journeys. Ainsworth financially and logistically supported the publication of early women-authored tracts and helped create networks for Christian women to gather in prayer, Bible study, and public witness.

Ainsworth’s Final Words (as recorded by a visitor):

“I have only given back what was never mine.”
Spoken with a smile just before she passed peacefully in her sleep, surrounded by a circle of Christian women she had mentored.

Source: Journal of Lady Huntington’s Circle, vol. IV

Selected Anecdotes:

A Room for Widows
Mary funded a three-room cottage on her estate in 1748 to house elderly Christian widows. She called it “The Shelter of Naomi,” and prayed with its residents each morning.

Helping the Forgotten Writers
She offered financial backing to lesser-known women writers, paying printing costs so they could publish devotional works that had been rejected by male-dominated presses.

Letters of Intercession
Ainsworth was known for sending hand-written letters of encouragement and prayer to missionaries abroad — especially single women. One recipient called them “better than coin and warmer than fire.”

Partnership with Evangelicals

She worked closely with Selina, Countess of Huntingdon, and others in the Evangelical Revival, quietly funding Methodist schoolhouses for girls and poor children.

A Hidden Scholar
Though she never published under her own name, her spiritual essays were included anonymously in collections of devotional writings used in women’s gatherings across England.

Famous Quotes Attributed to Mary Ainsworth:

"God has entrusted me with bread — I must not store it while others starve."
"When a woman teaches the Word to another, heaven leans to listen."
"The Lord gave me quiet hands — I asked He use them."
"I may never preach aloud, but my life will echo truth."
"Money is a dangerous gift when it is not surrendered."

Mary Ainsworth lived quietly, but her impact was deep and lasting. She helped build a structure for women’s Christian service and learning at a time when few opportunities existed. She stands as a reminder that behind every great public revival, there are faithful saints who labor in hidden places. Her life exemplifies the stewardship of resources, the power of hospitality, and the sacred call to encourage others. In every prayer group, discipleship circle, and women's ministry today, there echoes the grace of women like Mary Ainsworth — who gave what they had and trusted God to multiply it.

 Florence Allshorn (1887–1950) was a pioneering British missionary and visionary whose quiet courage and theological insight reshaped the role of Christian women in global missions. Born in Yorkshire in 1887, she overcame early personal hardship and pursued a call to mission, joining the Church Missionary Society and later serving in Uganda during a time when female leadership was rare and often discouraged.

Her experience in East Africa opened her eyes to both the beauty and complexity of cross-cultural Christian service. She observed that missions were often entangled in hierarchy, paternalism, and burnout. After returning to England due to illness, Florence did not retreat from the mission field — she reimagined it. In 1941, she founded St. Julian’s Community in Sussex — a spiritual and training center for Christian women preparing for service abroad.

Unlike traditional mission schools, St. Julian’s emphasized shared responsibility, silence, spiritual depth, and authentic Christian community. Florence believed missions must first be shaped by love — love for Christ, for one another, and for the people being served. Her writings and lectures called for mission rooted not in power, but in humility and incarnation.

Florence Allshorn’s Final Words (as remembered by a friend):

“The deepest truth must first be lived in silence.”

Selected Anecdotes:

The Silent Rule
At St. Julian’s, she set no rigid schedule but invited women into rhythms of prayer, reflection, and work. When asked why, she replied, “Christ rarely shouted. Why should we?”

The Circle, Not the Ladder
She rejected titles or ranks at her mission house. Everyone took turns washing floors and leading prayer. “The kingdom is a circle,” she said, “not a ladder.”

From Collapse to Clarity
While ill in Uganda, Florence began journaling her doubts and hopes for missions. These private pages later became the foundation of her spiritual teaching.

Crossing Cultures with Reverence
She taught women to “go barefoot into another culture — not with control, but with reverence.” This became a mantra at St. Julian’s.

Famous Quotes Attributed to Florence Allshorn:

"We must unlearn empire to learn Christ."
"Only the broken bread feeds souls."
"A missionary must be the least important person in the room."
"Women are not called to imitate men, but to imitate Christ."
"God’s silence is not absence — it is invitation."

Legacy:

Florence Allshorn’s impact was quiet, but seismic. Her vision of mission as relational, contemplative, and community-based shaped generations of Christian women and inspired similar training models worldwide. She was neither loud nor widely known in her day — but she was deeply rooted. Her writings, collected in “Grace Growing” and “A Faith Without Illusions,” continue to mentor leaders in mission, community life, and Christian service. She showed the Church a better way — one marked by humility, discernment, and unshakable love.