Praying For Girls - Harriet Winslow

1796–1833

We know it as Sri Lanka, but when the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions sent Harriet Winslow and her husband there, the island was known as Ceylon. The Winslows worked with the people of the region, and Harriet took a special interest in making sure that girls received an education.

Eventually, Harriet was able to open an all-girls boarding school, the Missionary Seminary and Female Central School. The girls attended classes in sewing and household skills as many girls of the time did, and of course they were taught about Christianity. Harriet also made sure they had lessons in arithmetic and geography, subjects that were usually taught only to boys. The school is still in existence today as the Udival Girls’ College and has more than one thousand girls, ages five through eighteen, enrolled.

Harriet’s care for the girls went beyond school hours, though. It’s said that Harriet chose one girl each day to remember while she was saying her prayers. We don’t know exactly what she prayed for, other than their general well-being, but she probably prayed that the girls, brought up in a predominately Hindu region, would embrace Christianity.

Harriet’s prayers ended when she was thirty-six years old. She died suddenly in childbirth. There’s no telling what difference her prayers for those girls and young women made, but we can be assured they did make a difference.

Girls today still need older women to pray for them, and Harriet’s example of praying each night for a different girl is an inspiring one. Think about all the girls and young women you come in contact with: daughters, nieces, girls in your church, neighbors, girls from your community, perhaps even students. They need prayer.

If this idea appeals to you, go for it. Make a list of girls you can be praying for, with a few specific requests for each one. Then rotate them into your daily prayers. You might want to tell them you’re praying for them or just keep that between you and the Lord. Either way, it will be exciting to see how your prayers impact their lives.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.

1 Timothy 2:1