Ann Judson, part 1: Expecting a Short Life
(4 minutes)
Pioneering missionaries
It’s hard to be the first at something. With the release of a new product, people often say, “That was so simple—why didn't someone think of it before?” Being second is easier. Being first also comes with failures and uncertainties. Without a guide or lessons learned by others, honest ignorance brings confusion.
When we look at people willing to lead the way, we should admire them for their courage, not criticize them for their mistakes. They blazed the trail and made the mistakes for us. We stand on their shoulders.
For centuries, there were hardly any missionaries. After Jesus returned to heaven, the apostles took God’s word into the world, but when those early generations died away, nearly 1500 years passed without foreign missions. An occasional monk or priest would cross a sea or continent, and after the Reformation the church began to think of far-off people.
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, this changed.
William Carey is usually given credit for launching this movement in 1792 when he formed the Baptist Missionary Society in England. He sailed for India the following year. Following his example, other societies were created in England, and they sent other missionaries. But it took American Christians nearly twenty years to do the same.
Adoniram Judson plans for overseas missions
In 1810, Adoniram Judson was a 22-year-old graduate of Andover, a seminary in Massachusetts. He and a few friends longed to be missionaries, but there were no organizations to send them.
That June, some pastors were scheduled to meet in Bradford, Massachusetts. Judson and his friends took advantage of the opportunity and pleaded with them to establish a mission society. Their request was accepted, and the young men were hopeful that they might soon be able to sail for distant shores.
Youthful dreams often don’t see the obstacles in front of them. The young men learned that it would take time to organize the society, determine its goals, and begin to raise funds. This was discouraging, but God mixed joy with sorrow.
Adoniram meets Ann
During his visit to the pastors, he met Ann Hasseltine, a young schoolteacher who had been born, raised, and educated in Bradford. They quickly grew close to each other.
In that day, most pioneers travelled west toward the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. But Adoniram and Ann were to be pioneers of a different sort. After a time of praying, planning, and waiting, they sailed east, into their own uncertainties.
By its close, the 19th century would be known as the great century of missions. In the decades following the Judsons, thousands Christians left homes and families to spend their lives in China, India, Africa, and the South Pacific. But the Judsons, and their few friends, were the first.
They had no missions manuals or language classes. They were heading into a tropical climate full of diseases – without effective medicine. They’d had few experiences with other cultures, since the America they were leaving wasn’t the diverse nation we know today. Their communications with family and supporters at home couldn’t travel any faster than a sailing ship. At times they would not have a single Christian to speak to.
Ann Judson’s resolve, no matter the consequences
The Judsons finally left for India in 1812. They arrived in June but quickly learned they couldn’t stay. Through trials and discouragements, God led them to Burma, where Adoniram served for the rest of his life. In 1850, he died while on a voyage and was buried at sea.
Ann's race was shorter. She did live to see some fruit come from her sacrifices, but died after 13 years as a missionary. Her grave in Burma is still there today, surrounded by a golden fence, within sight of the ocean that separated her from America, the country she always loved.
She had known the risks. She had once written, “I consider how short my life will probably be.” But Ann found joy in bringing the good news to people in spiritual darkness, and she is now experiencing eternal happiness.
