Today’s Leader of Faith
ISOBEL SELINA MILLER KUHN
Home Call : 20 March 1957
Missionary, Inspirational Author, Translator, Evangelist, Bible Teacher
Isobel Selina Miller Kuhn (1901–1957) was a Canadian missionary and author known for her work among the Lisu people of China and Thailand. Kuhn and her husband, John Kuhn, served with the China Inland Mission (now OMF International). They worked primarily among the Lisu people in remote regions, focusing on evangelism, discipleship, and Bible translation. Despite hardships such as war, illness, and persecution, they remained committed to their mission. They founded schools and educated many children. Isobel’s Rainy Season Bible School trained many Lisu believers, who later became evangelists and pastors, leading to the rapid growth of Christianity in the region. She authored nine books about her experiences.
Kuhn was born on 17 December 1901 in Toronto and raised in Vancouver. She grew up in a Christian home but became agnostic during her university years. A personal crisis led her to seek God, and she committed her life to Him. After graduating from the University of British Columbia, she taught briefly before attending Moody Bible Institute, where she felt called to minister to the Lisu people on the China-Burma border. Facing family opposition and delays in mission approval, she eventually joined the China Inland Mission and sailed for China. Before her departure, she worked as superintendent of the Vancouver Girls’ Corner Club, an evangelistic outreach to businesswomen.
Kuhn sailed to China on October 11, 1928, facing cultural and personal challenges but adapting over time. She married John Kuhn in 1929, and they ministered together for 24 years, primarily among the Lisu people. Their ministry was interrupted by furloughs, war, and political upheaval. In 1942 the Kuhns started a Bible school for girls and in 1943, one for boys. Their daughter Kathryn was interned in a Japanese detention camp but later reunited with them in the U.S. in 1944. The communist revolution forced Isobel and their son Danny to leave China in 1950, with John following 18 months later. In 1952, they resumed ministry among the Lisu in Thailand but retired in 1954 due to Isobel’s cancer diagnosis.
After Isobel Kuhn’s cancer diagnosis in 1954, the Kuhns returned to Wheaton, Illinois, where she continued writing until her passing on March 20, 1957. Their son, Daniel Kuhn, served as a pacifist in Vietnam and lived a quiet life in the U.S. Their daughter, Kathryn, married Don Rulison, and they ministered among the Hmong for over 40 years. Her legacy endures, especially through the Lisu Christians in China, whose numbers grew dramatically. Her missionary writings remain in print, continuing to inspire generations.