Edith Schaeffer facts for kids

Edith Rachel Merritt Schaeffer (born Edith Seville) was a Christian author and teacher. She helped start a special Christian community called L'Abri (pronounced "Lah-BREE") in Switzerland. L'Abri is a place where people can visit and talk about big questions about God and life. Edith was married to Francis Schaeffer, and they had four children together.

Early Life and Family

Edith Schaeffer was born on November 3, 1914, in Wenzhou, China. Her parents, George and Jessie Seville, were missionaries from the China Inland Mission. This means they traveled to China to share their Christian faith. Besides her English name, her parents gave her a Chinese name, Mei Fuh, which means "beautiful happiness."

Edith went to Beaver College in Glenside, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It was there that she met Francis Schaeffer. They got married in 1935. Edith and Francis had four children: Priscilla, Susan, Deborah, and Frank.

Starting L'Abri

In 1948, Edith and Francis Schaeffer moved to Switzerland. In 1955, they opened L'Abri. This was a unique community where people from all over the world could come to explore questions about God, life, and culture in an honest way. It was a place for deep discussions and learning.

Edith's husband, Francis, passed away in 1984. However, Edith continued to be a part of the L'Abri organization they had started together.

Edith Schaeffer's Books

Edith Schaeffer wrote many books. She wrote some before her husband died and many more afterward. Her books often shared her ideas about Christian life and family.

• Her book Affliction (1978) talks about how Christians can deal with suffering and difficult times. This book won an award called the Gold Medallion Award in 1979.
• In What is a Family? (1975), she compared a family to a mobile, showing how each part is connected and moves together.
• Her book The Tapestry: the Life and Times of Francis and Edith Schaeffer (1981) tells the story of her life with Francis. It also won an award in 1982.
• The Hidden Art of Homemaking (1971) was another very popular book. It shared creative ideas for making everyday life special and meaningful at home. Many Christian women found this book inspiring.

In 2000, Edith Schaeffer was recognized in a book called 100 Christian Women Who Changed the Twentieth Century.

Later Life and Death

Edith Schaeffer lived a long and full life. She passed away at her home in Gryon, Switzerland, on March 30, 2013, when she was 98 years old.

Some of Her Works

Edith Schaeffer wrote many books during her life. Here are a few more of her well-known titles:

• L'Abri (1969)
• The Hidden Art of Homemaking: Creative Ideas for Enriching Everyday Life (1971)
• What is a Family? (1975)
• Affliction (1978)
• The Tapestry: the life and times of Francis and Edith Schaeffer (1981)
• A Way of Seeing (1977)
• The Life of Prayer (1992)
• Mei Fuh: Memories from China (1998)