She Opened the Way

This article draws upon Gordon Christo’s biographies of Georgia Burrus, Kheroda Bose, and Nanibala Burrus, published in the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists(ESDA), available at encyclopedia.adventist.org. It was prepared by Dragoslava Santrac, ESDA managing editor.—Editors.

This story follows how one woman’s faith started a mission that spread across India, and how Indian women became its first living proof.

Stepping Into the Unknown

On January 23, 1895, a single woman arrived in Calcutta, British India, with little more than a trunk, a sense of purpose, and quiet determination. Georgia Anna Burrus traveled alone from the far side of the world to a new country. At that time India was large and diverse, and had not yet seen Adventist mission work. There was no mission station waiting for her, no guaranteed salary, and no promise of success. What she did have was a strong belief that God had sent her and a willingness to start from nothing.

Her arrival marked a turning point in Seventh-day Adventist history. Georgia Burrus was the first Adventist missionary to the Indian subcontinent and the first single woman sent by the church to a non-Christian country. She began her work in the shadows by changing the lives of women hidden behind walls, customs, and centuries of silence. From these quiet beginnings would come the firstfruits of Adventist faith in India.

A Call That Would Not Be Silenced

Georgia Burrus was born on July 19, 1866. She joined the Adventist Church at 16, even though her family strongly opposed it. This choice shaped her life. She worked her way through Healdsburg College in California and later taught at the Bible Training School in Oakland. As a Bible worker she gained practical skills and a strong sense of mission.

When Stephen N. Haskell, a well-traveled early Adventist leader, asked for women to serve in India’s zenanas, the private areas where many women lived away from public life, Georgia answered right away. In 1893 the General Conference decided to send her and Myrtle Griggs to India. Knowing the challenges of working abroad, Georgia trained in nursing at St. Helena Sanitarium in California. She also took a special course at the Battle Creek School and Sanitarium in Michigan to prepare for overseas mission work.

Sadly, Myrtle Griggs had to give up her plans because of poor health. Georgia also faced health problems, but recovered. She believed her recovery was a sign of God’s guidance. After months of getting ready and waiting, she joined a group of missionaries going to South America via London. At first she was supposed to travel with Dores A. Robinson, who would lead the mission to India. When he was delayed in England, Georgia decided to go on her own and support herself until the mission was set up. The Mission Board paid for her trip, trusting she could earn a living by teaching and selling books while learning the local language.

Learning the Language of the Heart

Georgia sailed on the S.S. Bengal in December 1894 and reached Calcutta (now Kolkata) on January 23, 1895. She stayed at the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA). She quickly started learning Bengali, believing it was crucial to speak to people in their own language. Focused on her studies, she had little time to earn money. Although her simple vegetarian meals helped lower her food costs, she soon ran low on funds. When her Indian teacher found out, he offered to teach her for free. Around the same time, she got an unexpected letter from someone in South Africa she had never met, offering to support her for a year. This help reminded her that her work was supported by faith from far away.

Georgia spent her days studying the language, teaching, and visiting women in zenanas. She sang hymns, shared Bible stories, and patiently made friends. The work was slow and often unnoticed, but it was based on lasting relationships that quietly laid the groundwork for future mission efforts.

By the end of her first year, Georgia was renting a bungalow to serve as the first Adventist mission office in Calcutta. Missionaries Dores A. Robinson and Martha May Taylor arrived on November 8, 1895. In March 1896 Georgia and May opened a school for Hindu girls on the first floor of the mission house.

But even before official mission buildings were set up, something lasting had started. The gospel had reached Indian homes through trust and kindness.

Kheroda: Faith Forged in Suffering

One of the first people to respond to the Adventist message was Kheroda Bose. Born around 1870 near Calcutta, Kheroda was married as a child, which was common then. She lived with her parents until she was about 12, then moved in with her in-laws. Afterward, she endured many hardships and could leave the house only to bathe at the river with the other women of the household.

During her trips to the river Kheroda first heard about Jesus. A European Christian woman spoke to the women from a boat and later visited their home. Although opposition soon stopped these visits, Kheroda was deeply moved.

There was no mission station waiting for her, no guaranteed salary, and no promise of success.

Her life changed for the worse when her husband disappeared and was never found. Still very young, she was blamed for his loss and had to live as a suffering widow. Only her small knowledge of Jesus helped her through those years.

Things changed again when, after moving from Calcutta to Benares, the same missionary woman who had visited them before came to their door in Benares, handing out literature. The women recognized each other, and the missionary encouraged Kheroda to trust Jesus. One night, when her family was asleep, 21-year-old Kheroda escaped her difficult situation and found safety at the Baptist mission. She faced public anger and court cases, and was separated from her family for good. At the Baptist mission she got an education and trained to be a teacher, hoping to support herself with dignity. God had good plans for her life.

In 1896 D. A. Robinson announced his evangelistic meetings in a hall near where Kheroda lived. Even though she was warned not to listen to Adventist teachings, Kheroda went to the meetings. She was drawn in by the Bible’s message, especially the hope of Christ’s soon return. When the Adventists opened their first school in Calcutta, Georgia Burrus welcomed Kheroda as a teacher. They studied the Bible together, and soon Kheroda was baptized, becoming the first Adventist convert in India.

Nanibala: A Child’s Courage

Soon after Kheroda was baptized, Georgia Burrus met someone else whose life would be changed. This time it was a child.

Nanibala Biswas was born in 1885 into a high-caste Hindu family in Calcutta. Similar to Kheroda, she was married and widowed at a very young age, a victim of the child marriage custom. When Nanibala was 11, she met Georgia Burrus in 1896 when Georgia visited homes to find students for the Adventist school. Nanibala loved the songs and Bible stories and asked Georgia to come back. Georgia returned regularly for the next several months.

As Nanibala became more interested, she refused to worship the idols in her home. Her father became very angry, locked her up, and threatened her if she tried to escape. He also told Georgia not to visit again.

One night, while everyone was asleep, a kind aunt helped Nanibala climb over the compound wall with a ladder. Scared, Nanibala ran to the Adventist mission office where Georgia lived. Even though her father tried to bring her back, Nanibala refused to leave. She chose her faith and gave up worldly riches and status.

Nanibala was later baptized, becoming the first non-Christian to accept the Adventist message in India. Georgia Burrus made sure she got an education and cared for her, helping her grow both spiritually and in daily life. To show her thanks, Nanibala took the last name Burrus, honoring the woman who had led her to Christ.

Lives That Continued the Mission

Nanibala trained as a nurse with Adventist missionary Dr. Olney Galen Place and later went with his family to the United States. There she continued her studies at the Glendale Sanitarium, California, and Battle Creek Sanitarium, Michigan. She settled in Attleboro, Massachusetts, where she opened a health center and helped young people who wanted an education. Although she could not return to India, the faith she found as a child stayed with her until she died on December 4, 1958.

Kheroda Bose also trained as a nurse with Dr. Place and worked faithfully in Adventist treatment rooms in Calcutta. She later worked with other Adventist medical staff, including Drs. Robert and Olive Ingersoll. After retiring, she spent her time visiting women in zenanas, carrying on the work Georgia Burrus had started. Kheroda stayed active in church until she died on February 22, 1948, remembered for her deep love for Jesus and steady service.

When the Road Grew Longer

Georgia Burrus’ influence went far beyond the first baptisms that started Adventist work in India. In 1902 she married Luther Burgess, who was the secretary and treasurer of the India Mission. Together they continued to lead the work in Bengal, Punjab, and the Himalayan foothills, learning new languages and encouraging other missionaries to do the same.

The year after they married, Luther left his office job, and the couple moved to Karmatar to run the Adventist school and orphanage. But soon Luther’s health got worse, and they had to return to the United States in mid-1904. Since the Mission Board did not have enough money to send them back to India, Georgia and Luther came up with a plan to raise the funds themselves. They decided to sell 20,000 copies of the Bible Training School magazine. For months they traveled, spoke to many groups, and raised money not just for their return but also for such needs of the India mission as school costs and student fees.

Their hard work paid off. In 1906 the Burgesses returned to India and settled in the northwest. There they learned Hindustani and started Adventist work in Almora, Dehradun, Najibabad, and Patiala, in the Garhwal and Punjab regions. One of their first converts was John Last, the first Punjabi Adventist and later the first Adventist martyr in India. The Burgesses also played a key role in the important 1907 conference that sent Adventist workers all over the country and encouraged them to learn local languages. After the conference the Burgesses returned to work in the northwest, where in 1910 they started the Garhwal Industrial School near Dehradun.

In 1914 Georgia’s ongoing health problems forced the couple to return to California for a short time. But her illness did not stop her missionary spirit. After only a few months they went back to Calcutta, where Luther became superintendent of the Bengal Mission. Together they started a Bengali Girls’ School, which helped strengthen Adventist education in the area.

In the 1920s they helped start Adventist work in Ranchi and Hazaribagh. They later moved to Shillong, a hill station about 5,000 feet above sea level, where they began ministry among the Khasi-speaking people.

During these years Georgia carefully recorded the mission’s progress. She regularly reported on the work in the Review and Herald and the other Adventist periodicals. Her writing inspired ongoing support for the growing mission in India.

Poor health finally forced the Burgesses to return permanently to the United States in 1934. They settled near Paradise Valley Sanitarium in National City, California. Luther died on May 4, 1946.[1] Georgia died on September 25, 1948.[2]

A Pioneer’s Enduring Legacy

Georgia Burrus’ legacy includes nearly four decades of mission service and the many lives she helped transform. From her obedience to God’s calling came the first harvest of the Adventist mission in India. From her whispered hymns and Bible stories came faith strong enough to withstand loss, opposition, and separation. And from those early converts came a witness that outlived the missionary herself. Through Nanibala and Kheroda the Adventist message took root in India as a lived faith. The quiet light kindled behind the closed doors of the zenanas has never been extinguished, but continues to shine today through the lives of millions of Adventists across India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and beyond.

[1] “Burgess, L. J.,” obituary, Review and Herald, June 10, 1946, p. 86.

[2] “Burgess—Sister Georgia Burrus,” obituary, Pacific Union Recorder, Oct. 25, 1948, p. 11.