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.

Elizabeth Prentiss (1818–1878) was an American Christian author, hymn writer, and mother whose life was marked by profound loss and unwavering devotion. She is best known for her hymn More Love to Thee, O Christ, a prayer born from suffering and a longing for deeper fellowship with Jesus. Whether in her novels, poems, or children’s books, her writing revealed a soul anchored in grace.

She is best remembered for how she turned sorrow into worship and penned timeless truths that still comfort the brokenhearted. After the deaths of two of her young children, Elizabeth clung more fiercely to Christ and poured her pain into words that strengthened others. Her best-known book, Stepping Heavenward, became a spiritual classic, offering an honest and grace-filled look at a woman’s journey toward holiness.

Elizabeth did not write for applause — she wrote for Christ. To her, every page was a prayer, and every lesson a path toward heaven.

Elizabeth’s Final Words:

“Love to Christ — that is all I have, and all I want.”
Spoken in her final hours, these words were not a goodbye — but a final stanza of the hymn her life had become.

Selected Anecdotes:

The Hymn from Grief
After losing her second child, Elizabeth wrote More Love to Thee, O Christ in her journal. Years later, it was set to music. “It was a cry of my heart,” she said, “not meant for public singing — but God had other plans.”

A Mother’s Quiet Strength
Despite recurring illness and family trials, she educated her children in the Scriptures and modeled prayer. “Holiness,” she once wrote, “is forged in the nursery as much as in the pulpit.”

Writing in the Early Morning
She often rose before dawn to write, saying “The soul hears best before the world wakes.” Her desk was filled with Scripture, unfinished letters, and story drafts.

Encouraging Other Women
In personal letters, she encouraged struggling mothers, grieving widows, and questioning believers. “We climb,” she wrote to one friend, “not with ease — but with eyes fixed on the summit.”

Her Fiction as Discipleship
Her novel Stepping Heavenward remains a beloved devotional journey for women of all ages. “The characters are flawed,” she noted, “because grace shines best in weakness.”

Quotes by Elizabeth Prentiss

“To love Christ more is the soul’s deepest longing.”
“Grief does not drown the gospel — it draws us to it.”
“Let our homes be lighthouses, not display cases.”
“The Christian life is not ease — it is ascent.”
“I write not because I am strong, but because I need Him.”
“Christ has never wasted one of my tears.”

Legacy:
Elizabeth Prentiss’s legacy lives in hymns still sung, stories still read, and lives still comforted by her words. She showed the Church that worship is often written in tears, and that faith grows not despite suffering, but through it. Through her pen, she pointed hearts upward — not to escape the world, but to endure it with Christ. Her life was a melody of surrender, and her writing a balm for the weary.

Clara Swain (1834–1910) was the first female missionary doctor to India and the first woman ever officially sent abroad by any missionary society in that role. A pioneering physician, teacher, and evangelist, she brought both healing and hope to thousands of Indian women who had previously been denied medical care due to cultural restrictions. Her life was a testament to the gospel’s power to touch both body and soul.

She is best remembered for founding the first hospital for women in India, training female nurses, and sharing the love of Christ with gentleness and skill. In an era when few women could study medicine — and even fewer could serve overseas — Clara Swain answered God’s call with quiet resolve and radiant compassion.

Clara did not see medicine as separate from ministry. Every bandage, every diagnosis, every prayer at a patient’s bedside was part of her mission. To her, healing was not just clinical — it was sacred.

Clara’s Final Words:

“Jesus has been with me every step. I want no other guide.”
Spoken near the end of her life, these words summed up a journey of faith that crossed oceans, cultures, and generations.

Selected Anecdotes:

A Room Filled with Women
On her first day in India, Clara was asked to treat a group of women who had never seen a female doctor. “Your hands,” one whispered, “do not frighten us.” Within weeks, she was seeing over 100 patients daily.

The Princess’s Recovery
Clara once treated a young Indian princess suffering from a hidden illness. After her recovery, the girl asked, “Who is this Jesus you serve?” Clara gently replied, “The Great Physician, who heals the heart as well.”

Training the First Nurses
At a time when few Indian women were educated, Clara began teaching them basic medicine. “You will not only help the sick,” she said, “you will lift your whole village.”

Praying with the Dying
Clara was often called to comfort women in their final hours. One convert told her, “I never knew peace until your prayers touched my pain.”

Returning Without Regret
When she returned to America late in life, someone asked if she had missed home. Clara replied, “My home was where I saw Christ’s face in the suffering.”

Famous Quotes by Clara Swain:

“To treat the body is to open the door to the soul.”
“Christ sent me not only to preach, but to heal.”
“There are no closed doors to the hands of compassion.”
“Where women suffer in silence, Christ sends His servants.”
“Medicine and mercy belong together.”
“I did not go to India for fame, but for faithfulness.”

Legacy:

Clara Swain’s life united science and spirit, duty and devotion. She broke barriers for women in medicine and missions — not with fanfare, but with faith. Through her, the love of Christ reached places no missionary had entered before.

Her legacy lives on in every Christian doctor who sees Christ in their patients, and in every woman who rises to serve because someone once believed she could. Clara Swain reminds us that the world’s wounds are many — but so are God’s healers.

Annie Walker Armstrong (1850–1938) was a pioneering American Christian leader whose passion for missions and the advancement of women’s ministry helped transform Baptist life in the United States. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Annie was raised in a devout Baptist home and quickly became known for her vibrant faith, organizational skill, and tireless energy for gospel work.

She was instrumental in the founding of the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) in 1888 — a national auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention that mobilized women across the country to support missions through prayer, giving, and hands-on service. She served as the WMU’s first corresponding secretary and personally wrote thousands of letters to churches, missionaries, and leaders to raise awareness and support.

Annie lived simply and gave sacrificially. She refused a salary, traveled constantly, and used her own funds to support missionaries. For her, mission work was not a task but a calling — and every believer, regardless of gender, was a partner in God's mission to the world.

Annie Armstrong’s Last Words (recorded by a friend):

“I have only tried to be faithful — nothing more.”
A simple yet profound expression of her humility and unwavering devotion to Christ’s call.

Selected Anecdotes:

Thousands of Letters
Annie once wrote over 18,000 letters in a single year — each one personal, full of encouragement, and focused on advancing missions. “Ink and burden,” she said, “go hand in hand.”

Sleeping in Churches
She often slept on church pews or in unheated rooms during her travels so as not to burden the congregations she served. “Comfort is not the missionary’s goal,” she once quipped.

No Salary Accepted
Though offered financial compensation for her work, she declined it every year. “I cannot ask others to give if I myself do not give all.”

A Woman’s Conviction
When questioned about women’s leadership in missions, she responded, “A woman may be quiet, but her obedience can shake the nations.”

Famous Quotes by Annie Walker Armstrong:

“Go forward — with prayer, with purpose, with praise.”

“The gospel is not bound by geography — or gender.”

“We are debtors to every soul who does not know Christ.”

“Missions is not a department — it is the heartbeat of the church.”

“If I cannot go, I will send. If I cannot preach, I will pray.”

“There is no such thing as a small offering when it is given in love.”

Legacy:

Annie Walker Armstrong's life embodied humble leadership, sacrificial service, and unshakable commitment to the Great Commission. The annual Annie Armstrong Easter Offering, established in her honor, has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for North American missions and continues her legacy of prayerful giving.

She opened the door for thousands of women to actively participate in gospel ministry and reminded the church that everyone — man or woman, young or old — has a vital role in God's mission.

 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.

Mary Rowlandson (1637–1711) was a Puritan minister’s wife in colonial Massachusetts whose life was transformed by tragedy, captivity, and the sustaining power of Scripture. During King Philip’s War, she was taken hostage by Native American forces and held for 11 harrowing weeks. In the ashes of loss and fear, she clung to the promises of God and later published The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, one of the earliest American spiritual memoirs.

She is best remembered for the raw honesty and enduring faith expressed in her captivity narrative. As she wandered through the wilderness, starving and grieving, the Bible became her daily bread. Every trial, she wrote, “was sanctified to my soul.” Her account influenced generations of believers, becoming a spiritual and literary landmark of early America.

Mary did not romanticize suffering — she redeemed it. To her, hardship was not a hindrance to faith, but the crucible in which it proved true.

Mary’s Final Words:

“He hath delivered me — and He will again.”
These words, spoken to her family in her final days, echoed her belief in a God who rescues not just once, but always.

Selected Anecdotes:

Held by Providence
While held in captivity, Mary was denied food for days. Yet she wrote, “I never missed the comfort of His Word.”

The Baby She Buried
Her youngest child died during captivity. Mary carried the grief quietly and wrote later, “My tears were prayers when words had failed.”

A Bible in the Wilderness
One Native warrior gave her a torn Bible. She read it daily. “Every leaf,” she wrote, “was a promise I clung to.”

Writing as Testimony
Her narrative was not written for sympathy but for the glory of God. “That others may see His hand, as I have,” she explained.

Faith in the Furnace
Mary called her captivity “a furnace,” but said it purified her love for God. “The Lord tried me, and I saw more of Him,” she confessed.

Famous Quotes by Mary Rowlandson:

“Affliction reveals what comfort never could.”
“The Lord showed me that His mercy does not depart, even in the wilderness.”
“Scripture was my food when flesh failed.”
“Deliverance is sweet — but so is trust.”
“Every trial is His tutor, every pain His providence.”
“I would not choose my suffering, but I bless the fruit it bore.”

Legacy:
Mary Rowlandson’s legacy lives in her faithful recounting of pain without bitterness, and trust without full understanding. She gave the Church a model of spiritual endurance — a testimony that the Word of God is enough when all else is taken. Through her story, future generations learned that faith can walk through fire and still sing. Her voice still echoes: not in fear, but in faith made fierce by trial.

Lydia Prince (1827–1883) was a devoted missionary and Christian educator whose life was spent serving others across the African continent. Leaving behind the comforts of home, she poured her heart into teaching, nurturing, and discipling young girls — many of whom had never heard the gospel or entered a school. Her calling was not to fame, but to faithfulness — brick by brick, soul by soul.

She is best remembered for her deep love for the students she taught and the homes she helped establish. Lydia believed that education without Christ was incomplete, and she filled her classrooms with prayer as well as instruction. She walked miles to reach remote villages, often under harsh conditions, just to bring the light of Scripture and the hope of Jesus.

Lydia did not count cost — she counted children. To her, every soul reached was worth a life spent in humble service.

Lydia’s Final Words:

“All I ever gave — He gave first.”
These words, spoken quietly before her death, revealed her heart: gratitude, not regret, for the life she gave back to the Savior.

Selected Anecdotes:

The Bible in a Basket
Lydia once fashioned a small basket of food and slipped a New Testament inside for a child’s family. “The Word is the true bread,” she told her pupils.

Teaching under Trees
When no building was available, Lydia taught under shade trees, using the dirt as her chalkboard. “Let the earth be our witness,” she said, “that truth was planted here.”

Rescuing the Forgotten
She welcomed abandoned girls into her home, feeding them, clothing them, and calling them daughters. “They are Christ’s,” she said, “and I am only His steward.”

Walking Miles to Preach
She often walked alone to far villages, holding a lantern and Scripture in hand. “If the light is in us,” she once wrote, “let us not wait for the dawn.”

A Teacher’s Prayer
Before each lesson, Lydia would kneel by her desk and pray. “Not knowledge alone,” she said, “but wisdom from above.”

Famous Quotes by Lydia Prince:

“A heart taught of Christ will teach others.”
“We must go where the silence is deepest — and speak of Him.”
“The soil is ready; the gospel is the seed.”
“Let us raise daughters who walk in the Word.”
“Love never counts how far it’s carried.”
“The truest lesson is the one lived out.”

Legacy:
Lydia Prince’s legacy lives on in the generations of women and children who were lifted from ignorance into light — not only through literacy, but through the love of Christ. She showed the Church that education can be evangelism and that obedience often looks like a worn path, a simple prayer, and a faithful hand. Through her, the gospel did not shout — it whispered its way into hearts, and stayed.

Dorothy Day (1897–1980) was a radical Catholic convert, writer, and activist who co-founded the Catholic Worker Movement during the Great Depression. Turning from a life of political disillusionment and personal searching, she embraced Christ and the poor with equal fervor. Her mission was not charity alone, but solidarity — to live among the broken, not merely to serve them.

She is best remembered for opening houses of hospitality in cities across America, where the homeless, hungry, and forgotten could find food, friendship, and dignity. With newspaper in hand and Scripture in her heart, she challenged the Church to live its faith at the margins. For Dorothy, justice was not a slogan — it was a sacrament. Dorothy did not separate liturgy from life. To her, the Eucharist must echo into the streets.

Dorothy’s Final Words:

“The mystery of the poor is this: that they are Jesus.”
Spoken often throughout her life, and again near its end, these words sum up her theology — Christ in disguise, waiting to be loved.

Selected Anecdotes:

A Conversion on Her Knees
Dorothy’s conversion to Catholicism came after the birth of her daughter. “I knelt not because I understood — but because I believed,” she wrote.

Feeding the Hungry Daily
She served thousands of meals, often with nothing but trust. “We feed the hungry because He said to,” she explained, “not because it’s efficient.”

Protesting in Prayer
She was arrested multiple times for peace activism. In jail, she recited Psalms. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” she whispered as the cell door closed.

The Paper and the Poor
The Catholic Worker newspaper reached tens of thousands. “Write what you live and live what you write,” she told young editors.

A Saint with Calloused Hands
She washed dishes, changed sheets, and held dying strangers. “There is no substitute for presence,” she often said.

Famous Quotes by Dorothy Day:

“Don’t call me a saint — I don’t want to be dismissed so easily.”
“Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing — but it is love.”
“We cannot love God unless we love the poor.”
“The gospel takes away our right forever to discriminate between the deserving and the undeserving poor.”
“What we would like to do is change the world.”
“If I have achieved anything, it is by grace.”

Legacy:
Dorothy Day’s legacy is a challenge to comfort and a call to compassion. She did not wait for permission to act — she obeyed Christ’s commands with fierce tenderness and relentless hope. Through her, the gospel returned to the soup line, the picket line, and the prayer circle. She reminded the Church that holiness must walk barefoot into the hardest places, and that mercy has a name, a face, and a need — and it is Christ.

Hannah Whitall Smith (1832–1911) was a Quaker-born holiness preacher, spiritual writer, and global speaker whose words brought peace and power to weary believers. Her most famous book, The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life, became a devotional classic, offering rest to hearts caught between legalism and liberty. She lived what she preached — a life of trust, surrender, and quiet strength.

She is best remembered for her message of victorious Christian living, not through striving but abiding. Traveling from America to England and across Europe, she shared the secret not of perfection, but of confidence in the goodness of God. When others taught effort, she taught rest. When others pointed to self, she pointed to Christ. Hannah did not preach emotion — she preached endurance. To her, holiness was not loud — it was lasting.

Hannah’s Final Words:

“All is well — for He holds all.”
Spoken gently before her death, these words captured her life message: God’s sovereignty is the believer’s joy.

Selected Anecdotes:

A Book Born from Brokenness
After facing personal trials and disappointments, Hannah wrote her most famous book. “This is not theory,” she said, “this is survival.”

Preaching to Thousands Abroad
In England, her simple yet profound messages filled halls. “The secret is not strength — it is surrender,” she told her audience.

Letters That Healed
Her spiritual letters brought comfort to the bedridden and burdened. “If you cannot stand, then lean — and that is enough,” she wrote.

A Message to Ministers
She once told a room of pastors, “You cannot give peace until you live it.” Silence followed — then revival began.

Faith During Family Trials
Even when her children wandered spiritually, Hannah held firm. “The Shepherd seeks,” she whispered, “even when sheep forget the fold.”

Famous Quotes by Hannah Whitall Smith:

“God is not a hard master — but a loving Father.”
“The soul’s rest is not in trying, but in trusting.”
“Faith is simply saying yes to God’s yes.”
“He holds the key to every door — and the door to every heart.”
“Christ is not only the way to life, He is the life.”
“Worry is faith in the wrong direction.”

Legacy:
Hannah Whitall Smith’s legacy rests not in titles held or pulpits filled, but in the quiet transformation of hearts through truth. Her words live on in prayer closets, underlined pages, and tear-stained margins across the world. She reminded the Church that holiness is not achieved — it is received by faith. Through her, thousands found the joy of trusting a God who is always good and always near.

 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.

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896) was an American author, educator, and Christian reformer whose pen helped ignite a nation’s conscience. Her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin gave a human face to slavery and a spiritual voice to resistance, weaving together storytelling and Scripture to call America to repentance. She believed that fiction could be a form of prophecy — and her words became a trumpet.

She is best remembered for her fearless writing on the evils of slavery, rooted not just in political outrage, but in gospel truth. Her deep Christian convictions shaped every chapter she wrote, insisting that justice and love were not opposites, but commands. She saw Christ in the suffering and called readers to do the same. Harriet did not wait for change — she wrote it. To her, the pen was not for escape — it was for engagement.

Harriet’s Final Words:

“It’s all been a prayer.”
These quiet words, spoken near the end of her life, reveal the heart behind her work — a life of intercession through literature.

Selected Anecdotes:

The Book That Awakened a Nation
Uncle Tom’s Cabin sold hundreds of thousands of copies within a year. “I did not write it,” she said, “God wrote it — I only held the pen.”

Lincoln’s Remark
When she met President Lincoln, he reportedly greeted her, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war.”

Teaching Amidst Turmoil
She taught formerly enslaved people to read and insisted on Scripture as their first textbook. “Freedom begins with the Word,” she told students.

Writing by Candlelight
Often rising before dawn, she wrote at her kitchen table while her children slept. “This page may cost me sleep — but it may save a soul,” she once said.

Enduring Criticism with Faith
Vilified by pro-slavery advocates, she responded with gentleness. “Truth does not shout — it endures,” she wrote to a critic.

Famous Quotes by Harriet Beecher Stowe:

“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
“The truth of God’s Word is stronger than the chains of man.”
“It is a matter of taking the side of the weak against the strong.”
“The surest test of civilization is the treatment of its helpless members.”
“Scripture is not just read — it is lived.”
“Love is the essence of all true religion.”

Legacy:
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s legacy lives in the voices that rose because she wrote, and in the lives that changed because she dared to speak truth with grace. She showed the world that a Christian woman could shake empires with a story grounded in Scripture. Through her, literature became a mission field, and fiction became a force for justice. She reminds us still: words matter, and when guided by Christ, they can move mountains.

Mary (née Moth) Bunyan (1624–1659) was the first wife of John Bunyan and a steadfast Christian whose quiet courage helped shape one of history’s greatest spiritual legacies. Married young to the newly converted tinker-preacher, she encouraged his ministry and stood beside him as he grew in grace and gospel boldness. Her faith was firm, her love unshaken, and her prayers persistent.

She is best remembered for placing two precious books — The Plain Man’s Pathway to Heaven and The Practice of Piety — into John’s hands shortly after their wedding. These books deepened his hunger for God and helped ignite the theological fire that later birthed The Pilgrim’s Progress. Mary was not a public figure, but a private intercessor, whose devotion quietly shaped destiny.

Mary did not need a pulpit to preach — her life spoke volumes. To her, spiritual strength was not noise — it was nearness to Christ.

Mary’s Final Words:

“Keep walking the narrow way, John — Christ is enough.”
Though undocumented, tradition holds that her final encouragement to her husband was a whisper of eternal truth and trust.

Selected Anecdotes:

The Books That Changed Bunyan
As a wedding gift, Mary brought two devotional books into the home. “She gave me more than her hand — she gave me heavenward help,” John later said.

Faith in Poverty
Living in deep poverty, Mary managed a fragile household while John preached. “We were poor in coin,” she once told a neighbor, “but rich in Christ.”

A Steady Hand in Storms
When John was first arrested for unlicensed preaching, Mary urged him to stand firm. “Better a prison with Christ than peace without Him,” she declared.

Raising Little Souls in the Faith
Mary taught their children the Scriptures at home. “Though I stumble,” John once wrote, “her training steadied my children’s feet.”

Sickness in Silence
Mary’s final years were marked by illness, yet she never complained. “She suffered like a saint — not with bitterness, but with brightness,” a friend recalled.

Famous Quotes about Mary Bunyan:

“I married a poor tinker, but found in him a rich treasure of grace.”

“The world gave us little, but Christ gave us all.”

“While my husband sat in prison, I knelt before the throne.”

“Our home was small, yet heaven often visited its walls.”

“The Lord who led us into trial shall also lead us out in triumph.”

“Better to suffer with Christ, than to reign without Him.”

Legacy:
Mary Bunyan’s legacy lives not in chapters she wrote, but in the pages she helped turn in the life of her husband. She lit the spiritual lantern that helped guide one of Christianity’s most influential voices. Her quiet obedience, sacrificial love, and unwavering belief in God’s providence continue to echo through the story of The Pilgrim’s Progress. Through her, the journey began — not on paper, but in prayer.

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.

Hannah Royle Taylor (1855–1922) was an English missionary, explorer, and devoted servant of Christ who helped open inland China to the gospel during a time of deep danger and cultural resistance. With courage that defied Victorian conventions, she journeyed into regions few Westerners dared enter, bringing Scripture, compassion, and medical aid to those long unreached.

She is best remembered for her resilience in the face of illness, isolation, and unrest. As the wife of missionary Frederick Howard Taylor and daughter-in-law to Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, Hannah embraced not only her family’s legacy — but Christ’s Great Commission. Her life bore witness to the belief that no land is too distant and no soul too foreign for the love of Jesus.

Hannah did not see hardship as a hindrance — she saw it as a highway for the gospel. To her, sacrifice was not loss — it was the language of love.

Hannah’s Final Words:

“Tell them Jesus came all this way — and so did I.”

Spoken to a young Chinese believer, her parting words captured a life of incarnational ministry and grace.

Selected Anecdotes:

Crossing China by Foot
Hannah once traveled hundreds of miles on foot through mountainous regions to reach unreached villages. “If our Lord carried a cross, I can carry a pack,” she said.

Facing the Boxer Rebellion
During the anti-foreign violence of the Boxer Rebellion, Hannah remained calm and steadfast. “I am not foreign to them,” she told a friend, “only unknown — and love introduces us.”

Ministering to Women
She led Bible studies for Chinese women who had never read Scripture. “When a mother meets Christ, the whole home turns,” she often declared.

Letters from the Edge

Her detailed letters home described not just the landscape, but the spiritual hunger of the people. “China does not need sympathy — it needs the Savior,” she wrote.

Faith Through Sickness
Afflicted by recurring illness, Hannah never asked to be sent home. “If I am spent, let it be spent well,” she told the mission board.

Famous Quotes by Hannah Royle Taylor:

“The map of missions is drawn by the feet of the faithful.”
“Do not measure the journey — measure the joy of obedience.”
“We don’t bring Jesus to China — He’s already waiting there.”
“No mountain is taller than His love.”
“If one soul finds Him through me, no mile was wasted.”
“You cannot hold a lantern for others and walk in darkness.”

Legacy:
Hannah Royle Taylor’s legacy lives on in the villages she touched, the women she discipled, and the spiritual paths she cleared across inland China. Her quiet strength and unshakable joy inspired generations of female missionaries to follow Christ into the unknown. Through her, the love of God was made visible — not in sermons alone, but in sweat, steps, and service.

Anna Bartlett Warner (1827–1915) was an American hymn writer and devotional author whose gentle pen brought comfort and clarity to millions of Christian homes and churches. Best known for co-writing the beloved children’s hymn Jesus Loves Me, she believed that theology could be sung — and that even the youngest hearts could understand divine love.

She is best remembered for her enduring collaboration with her sister Susan and their shared commitment to Christian truth through storytelling and song. Though her family endured financial hardship, Anna’s spiritual riches poured out through poems, hymns, and Bible studies held in the parlor of their modest home on Constitution Island, just across from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Anna did not need fame to be fruitful — her impact came not through volume, but through the voice of a child singing the gospel. To her, simplicity was strength, and melody was ministry.

Anna’s Final Words:

“Tell them He still loves them.”
This parting sentiment, expressed to her niece, echoed the same truth she had sown in the hearts of children for decades.

Selected Anecdotes:

The Hymn Heard Round the World
When missionary efforts reached remote villages, many children recognized Jesus Loves Me before any other gospel message. “The song found them first,” one missionary reported.

Writing Beside the River
Anna often wrote while sitting on the banks of the Hudson River. “The water sings God’s mercy,” she once said, “and I try to echo it.”

A Ministry to Cadets
She and her sister held Sunday classes for West Point cadets. “To teach a soldier to love Christ is to strengthen a nation,” she declared.

When Susan Fell Ill
During her sister’s long illness, Anna kept writing their devotionals alone. “We still write together,” she said softly, “I with the pen, she with the prayers.”

Declining Fortune, Rising Faith
After her family lost their wealth, Anna turned fully to ministry. “He took the silver — and gave me songs,” she wrote in her journal.

Famous Quotes by Anna Bartlett Warner:

“A child’s song may rise where sermons never reach.”
“Hymns are the prayers of hearts too small for theology.”
“The truest lyrics are those the Spirit sings first.”
“Jesus loves me — that is enough to begin with, and enough to end with.”
“Let our songs be as pure as the Savior they honor.”
“If they remember one line, let it lead them to Christ.”

Legacy:
Anna Bartlett Warner’s legacy lives in the hearts of generations who first learned to sing of Jesus’ love before they could fully spell His name. Her hymns crossed borders, ages, and denominations, uniting voices in the most basic and beautiful truth of the gospel. Through her, theology was tuned to a child’s voice, and truth found a home in the nursery and the nations. Her melody still echoes — not because it was clever, but because it was clear.

Ann Hinderer (1827–1870) was an English missionary who served courageously in Nigeria during a time of intense tribal warfare and political unrest. Alongside her husband David Hinderer, she labored to bring the gospel to the Yoruba people, establishing schools, churches, and a mission station in the heart of Ibadan. Her life was marked by resilience, faith, and a steady hand of peace in the midst of chaos.

She is best remembered for her quiet endurance through famine, disease, and siege. When war cut off supplies and threatened the mission, Ann chose to stay rather than flee. Her home became a haven for children and the wounded, her pen a lifeline of prayer and encouragement through letters sent back to England. She bore the cross not in theory, but in daily sacrifice.

Ann did not flinch when fear arose — she prayed, taught, nursed, and stayed. To her, mission was not a post — it was a place to pour out her life for Christ.

Ann’s Final Words:

“I have given them Christ — and He is enough.”
Spoken to a fellow missionary as her health declined, these words defined the purpose of her life and labor.

Selected Anecdotes:

The Siege of Ibadan
When conflict erupted around the mission station, Ann opened her doors to shelter children and families. “Let peace begin in our home,” she told the fearful crowd.

Teaching Under Fire
Even as gunfire echoed outside, Ann continued teaching local children Scripture. “These are the seeds of peace,” she said, “sown in the shadow of war.”

Letters from the Field
Her reports sent to England moved many to prayer and giving. “Ann’s words were soaked in faith and stained with tears,” a supporter wrote.

Caring for Orphans
After tribal violence left many children parentless, Ann adopted several into her home. “We may not mend the land,” she once said, “but we can love the little ones in it.”

Strength in Illness
Even when stricken with tropical disease, she wrote: “My body is failing, but the Word is not bound.”

Famous Quotes by Ann Hinderer:

“Mission is not safety — it is surrender.”
“Peace is not found in quiet lands, but in quiet hearts.”
“The gospel belongs in the fire — not just the pew.”
“To teach one child of Jesus is to reach a nation.”
“Obedience does not ask for ease — only for Christ.”
“In every wound I bandage, I remember His.”

Legacy:
Ann Hinderer’s legacy lives on in the students she taught, the lives she rescued, and the gospel roots she helped plant in Nigeria’s soil. Her courage did not roar — it knelt, bandaged, and believed when all else was uncertain. Through her, a testimony of steadfast love and quiet strength rose from the ashes of unrest. Her life reminds us that missionaries are not measured by what they escape, but by what they endure — for the sake of the cross.

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."

Legacy:

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.