I've always been interested in/excited about Adoniram Judson because of my connection to him through camp Judson. In the course of my research, however I'm becoming more and more impressed by his first wife Ann Hasseltine. (In the course of his missionary work Judson was twice a widower and three times married.) The Judsons, in 1812, were the first missionaries to be sent out from America, along with several others from the ABCFM. Their mission was to India. I was especially moved by a sermon I found in the Congregational Library collection. While not an official commissioning service, the message does address the imminent departure of the missionaries, paying special attention to the women, which is surprising for the era. Following is an excerpt of the "Sermon, delivered at Haverhill, February 5, 1812, on the occasion of two young ladies being about to embark as the wives of Rev. Messieurs Judson and Newell, going missionaries to India. By Jonathan Allen, pastor of the First Church in Bradford." Please forgive awkward phrasing, grammar and punctuation--it was 1812, after all. This section was addressed directly to Ann Hasseltine Judson and Mary Newell.
My dear children--you are now engaged in the best of causes. It is that cause for which Jesus the Son of God came into the world and suffered and died. You literally forsake father and mother, brothers and sisters, for the sake of Christ, and the promotion of his kingdom. In this employment you, probably, have an arduous work before you--A work, that will occupy all your talents and much of your time.
"When I was at Chinganoor," says Dr. Buchanan (a place inhabited by christians) "the sight of the women assured me I was once more in a christian country. For the Hindoo women, and the Mahomedon women, and, in short, all women, who are not christians, are accounted by the men an inferior race, and, in general, are confined to the house for life, like irrational creatures."
It will be your business, my dear children, to teach these women, to whom your husbands can have but little, or no access. Go then, and do all in your power, to enlighten their minds, and to bring them to the knowledge of the truth. Go, and if possible, raise their character to the dignity of rational beings, and to the rank of christians in a christian land. Teach them to realize, that they are not an inferior race of creatures; but stand upon a par with men. Teach them that they have immortal souls; and are no longer to burn themselves, in the same fire, with the bodies of their departed husbands. Go, bring them from their cloisters into the assemblies of the saints. Teach them to accept Christ as their Savior, and to enjoy the privilages of the children of God.
[...]
And may the Lord himself be with you, and support and comfort you, and be your portion forever.
And now I use Allen's powerful words to commission and encourage Dianna Anderson, on her own mission to India with Faceless International to join the fight against human trafficking.
Dianna, in this employment you have an arduous work before you--a work that will occupy all your talents and much of your time. It will be your business to teach the world of these women, who suffer in sexual slavery and destitution. Go then, and do all in your power to be enlightened and to enlighten our minds, and to bring us to the knowledge of the truth of these gross injustices. Go, and if possible, raise our character to the dignity of rational beings, and to the rank of Christians who do not ignore evils present in the land. Teach us to realize that these girls are not an inferior race of creatures to be bought and sold but stand upon a par with all mankind. Teach us to remember that they are children of God. Go, and show them the love of their Redeemer. Go, and may the Lord himself be with you.
Go, and in serving, inspire us to serve.
-Kim
Learn more about Dianna's mission to India here.
