Ann Hasseltine Judson
1789-1826 19th century
A body worn out by what one carries for another, and the giving of oneself renewed each day.
Who was Ann Hasseltine Judson?
Born in Massachusetts, she married at twenty-two a man bound for Asia and sailed with him, among the very first American women to do so, alongside Harriet Newell, who sailed the same day. In Burma she learned Burmese and Siamese, opened a school for girls, translated. When war came and her husband was thrown in irons into the Death Prison, she walked there daily, pregnant and then with an infant, carrying food and pleading for him; she died of fever at thirty-six, not long after saving his life.
In their own words
I have this day renewedly given myself to God, to be used and disposed of as he sees best. I feel that I am but an empty vessel, which must be cleansed and filled with grace, or remain forever empty, forever useless.
My illness has led me to think of death, and inquire whether I am prepared for that solemn event. […] And yet my heart feels a pang at the thought of leaving my dear husband to bear alone the trials and fatigues of a missionary life.
I rejoice that I am in his hands, that he is every where present, and can protect me in one place as well as in another. […] Jesus is faithful; his promises are precious.