Helen Roseveare (21 September 1925 – 7 December 2016) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

, doctor and author. She worked with Worldwide Evangelization Crusade in the Congo from 1953 to 1973, including part of the period of political instability in the early 1960s. She practised medicine and also trained others in medical work.

Biography

Helen Roseveare was born in

Haileybury College Haileybury may refer to: Australia * Haileybury (Melbourne), a school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia **Haileybury Rendall School, an offshoot in Berrimah, North Territory, Australia China * Haileybury International School, an international ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

, England in 1925. Her father was Martin Roseveare, the designer of ration books for the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

used during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Her brother, Bob Roseveare, was a wartime codebreaker. She became a Christian as a medical student at

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sid ...

in 1945. She was involved with the

Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union The Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, usually known as CICCU, is the University of Cambridge's most prominent student Christian organisation, and was the first university Christian Union to have been founded. It was formed in 1877, but ...

, attending prayer meetings, Bible study classes and evangelical events. After completing her studies, Roseveare applied to WEC to be a medical missionary. In 1953, she went to the Congo, where she was assigned to the north-east provinces. She built a combination hospital/ training center in Ibambi in the early 1950s, then relocated to Nebobongo, living in an old leprosy camp, where she built another hospital. After conflict with other staff at the hospital, she returned to England in 1958. She returned to the Congo in 1960. In 1964 she was taken prisoner by rebel forces and she remained a prisoner for five months, enduring beatings and rapes. She left the Congo and headed back to England after her release but returned to the Congo in 1966 to assist in the rebuilding of the nation. She helped establish a new medical school and hospital, as the other hospitals that she built had been destroyed, and served there until she left in 1973. After her return from Africa, she had a worldwide ministry speaking and writing. She was a plenary speaker at the Urbana Missions Convention three times. Her life of service was portrayed in the 1989 film ''Mama Luka Comes Home''. Her touching story about the prayer of Ruth, 10-year-old African girl, for a hot water bottle to save a premature newborn baby after its mother had died has been widely forwarded by email. She survived rape and trial during the Congolese civil war in 1964 because of the intervention of the villagers she had helped previously. Roseveare died on 7 December 2016 aged 91 in Northern Ireland.

Publications

*''Doctor among Congo Rebels (1965), Lutterworth Press London * ''Give me this Mountain'' (1966), Christian Focus Publications * ''Enough'', Christian Focus Publications * ''He gave us a Valley'' (1976)'','' Christian Focus Publications * ''Living Sacrifice,'' Christian Focus Publications * ''Living Faith,'' Christian Focus Publications * ''Living Holiness,'' Christian Focus Publications * ''Digging Ditches,'' Christian Focus Publications * ''Living Stones'' (1988), WEC Publications * ''Living Fellowship'' (1992), Hodder & Stoughton * ''Count it All Joy'' (2017), 10Publishing

Video

Luka Comes Home''
original by CTA
''Mama Luka Comes Home''
Cross.TV

References

External links

Helen Roseveare's seminar on 'maintaining spirituality'

A Call for the Perseverance of the Saints
delivered at Desiring God's 2007 National Conference
Message at the Urbana 76 Conference

Article of Tribute on occasion of her death
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roseveare, Helen 1925 births 2016 deaths Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge English Protestant missionaries English evangelicals Protestant missionaries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Female Christian missionaries British expatriates in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Biography

Publications

Further reading

Video

References

External links