Janet & Geoff Benge

Lottie Moon was born into an aristocratic Southern family in 1840. Viewmont, the largest of her grandfather's 10 Virginia plantations, was home for Lottie, her six siblings and her parents, Edward and Anna Maria Moon.

As a young girl, Lottie had heard too many denominational debates and arguments among family members to place much value on the church. But one night after attending a service and finding nothing to mock, she lay in bed, recalling the preacher's words. By morning, she had decided to become a Christian.

Lottie was highly educated and one of the first Southern women to earn a master's degree. She took a job teaching young girls after the Civil War and began dreaming of becoming a missionary.