faith

Augustine Salins – Life Story

Date of Birth: 1914
Date of Death: 1985
City: Udupi
Country: India
Place of Vision: India

God calls people to His work not based on their abilities, wealth, or physical strength. Instead, He equips those He calls with the talents needed for their mission. Augustine Salins’ life is a clear example of this truth.

Born in Karnataka, India, Salins suffered from a skin disease as a young boy and was naturally timid and weak in appearance. Despite this, God called him to serve in ministry. From an early age, he wondered, “Where will I go after death—heaven or hell?” When God called him, he obeyed immediately.

Salins’ calling was confirmed in 1934 when a missionary visited India. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he preached God’s Word with power and helped many come to Christ. Wherever he went, people experienced spiritual healing and revival. His deep, heartfelt sermons earned him the title of “the Weeping Prophet of India.”

In 1971, he became the director of Ambassadors for Christ in India, dedicating his life to spreading the Gospel. Throughout his ministry, Salins prayed earnestly for God’s strength to proclaim His works, saying, “Lord, help me to receive your strength whenever I am weak and proclaim your great works to many, Amen!”

His life shows that God can use anyone, no matter how weak or ordinary they may seem, to accomplish extraordinary work for His kingdom.

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Allen Gardiner – Life Story

Full Name: Allen Francis Gardiner
Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Gardiner
Place of Birth: Basildon, England
Date of Birth: June 28, 1794
Spouse: Julia Susanna
Spiritual Conversion: At age 21
Date of Death: September 6, 1851

Contribution:
Allen Gardiner became a missionary in South America, spreading the message of Christ to people who had never heard the gospel. He founded the “Patagonian Missionary Society,” trained young missionaries, and brought spiritual revival to several regions in South America.

Personal Life:
Allen Gardiner was born in England in 1794. From childhood, he loved adventure and exploration. With this passion, he joined the Naval College at a young age and became a naval officer by age 16. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant by 20 and later became a ship captain.

His mother was a devout Christian, and inspired by her faith, Allen began reading the Bible. He understood God’s love through Jesus and accepted Christ as his personal Savior while serving in the navy. During his naval journeys, he observed the lives of the people wherever his ship docked. Once, while visiting Tahiti in the Pacific, he noticed children learning about Christ, which made him realize that God wanted him to share the gospel with those who had never heard it.

Missionary Work:
Allen left his naval career and initially prepared to serve as a missionary in Africa. He learned about the Zulu people, who were feared for their cruelty, and attempted to bring the gospel to them. However, soon after arriving, a war broke out, forcing him to leave.

Believing God was calling him to South America, he traveled there with his family in 1833. Despite many challenges, he built relationships with the local people and planned to establish a missionary society. He even returned to England seeking support but faced discouragement.

Nevertheless, within three years, he successfully founded the Patagonian Missionary Society. Attempts to set up mission stations in 11 villages in Bolivia were initially refused, and when permission was granted, war and theft caused further setbacks. Allen faced failures, disappointments, and extreme hardships. At times, he felt like giving up, but he resolved to continue sharing the gospel with the indigenous people of South America.

Tragically, repeated sea voyages and harsh conditions led to serious illness, and his companions died one by one. Alone and suffering from starvation, Allen Gardiner recorded his plans for the mission in his diary but passed away on September 6, 1851.

Legacy:
Although Allen Gardiner did not live to see his mission fully succeed, his vision inspired others. News of his life reached England, which revived support for the mission. The Patagonian Missionary Society eventually became established, and other missionaries, including Gardiner’s own son, carried on his work. Many young people volunteered to spread the gospel in regions that had never heard it. Through his unwavering dedication, Allen Gardiner’s mission brought spiritual life to South America, all sparked by his desire to serve God.

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Alice Maud Clark Biography

Alice Maud Clark was working as a stenographer in Iowa, United States, when she felt a strong calling to serve the Lord. Wanting to become a missionary abroad, she decided to train as a nurse. She enrolled in the Johns Hopkins Training School for Nurses and completed her studies in 1924.

Biography:

• Birth: –
• Home Calling: –
• Homeland: United States of America
• Place of Vision: India

Afterwards, she attended the College of Missions and Butler College. Upon graduating in 1928, she set sail for India.

In India, after completing her language studies, Alice was assigned to the Jackman Memorial Hospital and the Nurses’ Training School in Bilaspur. The hospital, along with its dispensary, served around 30,000 people from Bilaspur and nearby villages and was the only hospital for women and children in the area.

Alice Maud Clark’s Ministry in India

Alice was the only American nurse at the hospital, and at times, she managed the hospital and the nurses’ training school in the doctor’s absence. She was so devoted to her work that she once stayed on duty instead of going home, ensuring that both she and the doctor were never away from the hospital at the same time.

She also actively participated in the local church and helped translate textbooks for nurses. After nine years of continuous service in India, she returned to the United States to take a special course in anesthesia, which she later used to train Indian nurses. Her unwavering dedication greatly contributed to both the spiritual and physical well-being of many people in India.

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Life and Service of Adoniram Judson

Full Name: Adoniram Judson
Father’s Name: Senior Adoniram Judson
Mother’s Name: Abigail
Birthplace: Malden, Massachusetts, USA
Wife’s Name: Ann Hasseltine
Birth: August 9, 1788
Death: April 12, 1850

Service and Achievements:
Adoniram Judson endured many hardships and struggles while spreading the Gospel in Burma. He translated the Bible into Burmese and remained in the country until his death. He did not have a grave on land; he was given a sea burial.

Challenges in Service:
Judson desired to take the Gospel to lands where it was not known and save souls. On July 13, 1813, he arrived in Burma. People there considered those who preached Christ as crazy, and he was imprisoned and sent to Rangoon.

Even in a dirty, difficult town filled with strange customs and practices, he learned the Burmese language and shared the Gospel with the people. Despite many challenges, he was determined to reach Buddhists for Christ. His efforts bore fruit when, six years later, a man named Mann Son accepted Christ.

As the Gospel grew, the king passed a law forbidding the spread of any religion except Buddhism. Judson, however, remembered God’s promises and continued boldly, relying on God’s strength. He faithfully preached for 16 years, baptized hundreds, translated the Bible into Burmese, and even wrote a Burmese-English dictionary.

During this time, his eight-month-old son died. Later, when the British occupied Burma, they falsely accused Judson of giving secrets to them and imprisoned him for 20 months. During his imprisonment, his wife brought Bible translations and their daughter to see him. Tragically, after returning from prison, he found that his wife and daughter had passed away.

After 33 years of service, Judson’s health declined due to tuberculosis. He began a sea journey for treatment but died in 1850 during the voyage. His body was buried at sea by the ship’s crew at 4:10 a.m. on April 12, 1850.

In his 30 years of service, Judson established 63 churches with 7,000 members. Today, there are 163 missionaries continuing the work he began.

Famous Saying:
“I will stay here until the cross is firmly established.”

This asks us to reflect: Are we steadfast in the work God has given us? Judson remained faithful in his mission and accomplished great things for God.

Scripture Reference (1 Peter 5:10):
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

Life will bring hardships. If we stand firm in the Lord, He will do great works through us and strengthen us in Him. May God grant us that grace. Amen.

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Ada Boyd was one of the many missionaries who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Indian women living under the Purdah system. This practice, common among Muslims and upper-class Hindus, prevented women from appearing in public or interacting with men. Ada visited these women in their homes and introduced them to the love of Christ.

Biography:

• Birth: Around 1866
• Home Calling: 1915
• Native Place: Indiana, USA
• Place of Vision: India

Ada was born in Indiana and was raised by her grandmother. When the Christian Woman’s Board of Missions sought women to serve as missionaries in India, Ada volunteered. Along with Mary Graybiel, Mary Kingsbury, and Laura Kinsey, she arrived in India in 1882 and reached Bilaspur in 1885.

She was diligent and determined, and she immediately began learning Hindi so she could start preaching about Jesus as soon as possible.

Ada Boyd’s Ministry in India
Despite many challenges, Ada continued her mission and reached out to women of all castes. She befriended local women by teaching them sewing and knitting and offering medical help. She also taught them to read the Bible, believing that reading would help them think independently.

Since women were not allowed to gather publicly, Ada traveled from house to house, often in harsh heat and dirty conditions, to teach them. She was a compassionate woman. During the famine and disease outbreak of 1899–1900, she worked tirelessly and even used her own money to feed poor children.

Ada established an orphanage and adopted several homeless children. She also started schools and Sunday schools for them, and many of these children later accepted Christ and were baptized. Throughout her life, Ada remained a devoted servant of God, committed to her mission. After 33 years of service in Bilaspur, she passed away in 1915.

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