April 26 – Dr. Livingstone, I Presume
David Livingstone’s heart remains in Africa. On his last trip to Africa, he went for years without having any contact with the world. One day, Henry M. Stanley of the New York Herald found him in Ujiji and said those famous words, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume.” Livingstone wasn’t ready to come home and two years later, died on his knees in a hut. While his remains were returned to England, his heart was buried in the land he loved.
Livinstone grew up in Scotland. His father was a strong Christian and rejected science’s attempts to explain life. Livingstone was fascinated with science and while he read the religious books his father put before him, ended up moving to Glasgow to enroll in medical school. He applied to the London Missionary Society to make a difference in the world, and intended to travel to China, but the Opium War stopped travel and he adjusted after meeting Robert Moffat, making plans to travel to Africa in 1841.
He was fascinated by the African continent and felt that simply establishing a mission station and church in place after place took too long to reach the entire continent. He was restless and desired to explore what lay before him.
David Livingstone despised slavery and saw the distrust that this placed in the hearts of the African people. The missionaries that were coming into Africa had no knowledge of their culture and could not move past the African’s resistance. He decided that it would be better to travel further inland, help the Africans build trade and set up conditions that would lead to better chances for later generations to evangelize.
On one trip, he had been mauled by a lion. His arm was a mess, but his life had been saved. Moffat’s daughter, also in Africa, nursed him back to health and they married. He sent her and their family back to England and began exploring Africa. He discovered the Zambezi River and began looking for an inland river route that would open up trade between the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. He reached the Atlantic Ocean and rather than sailing for England, set back to find the Indian Ocean. Two years later he got there and sailed for England as a hero. He was writing maps of uncharted territory, his was opening up the mission field and working to eliminate slavery. His book “Missionary Travels” became an instant best seller.
He returned to Africa in 1858, no longer as a missionary with the London Missionary Society, but as a British government official. This trip didn’t go quite as well. He couldn’t find the inland route across Africa, back in England his wife had become a terrible alcoholic. She traveled to meet him and died soon after they got back together. He went back to England as a failure.
Once more, he went back to Africa, looking for the source of the Nile. He discovered and mapped several inland lakes and then lost contact with the world.
David Livingstone wanted more for the people of Africa. He didn’t want to see them colonized, but he did want to bring them Christ. His work did end up laying the foundation for the beginnings of the African church throughout the continent.
David Livingstone’s heart remains in Africa. On his last trip to Africa, he went for years without having any contact with the world. One day, Henry M. Stanley of the New York Herald found him in Ujiji and said those famous words, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume.” Livingstone wasn’t ready to come home and two years later, died on his knees in a hut. While his remains were returned to England, his heart was buried in the land he loved.
Livinstone grew up in Scotland. His father was a strong Christian and rejected science’s attempts to explain life. Livingstone was fascinated with science and while he read the religious books his father put before him, ended up moving to Glasgow to enroll in medical school. He applied to the London Missionary Society to make a difference in the world, and intended to travel to China, but the Opium War stopped travel and he adjusted after meeting Robert Moffat, making plans to travel to Africa in 1841.
He was fascinated by the African continent and felt that simply establishing a mission station and church in place after place took too long to reach the entire continent. He was restless and desired to explore what lay before him.
David Livingstone despised slavery and saw the distrust that this placed in the hearts of the African people. The missionaries that were coming into Africa had no knowledge of their culture and could not move past the African’s resistance. He decided that it would be better to travel further inland, help the Africans build trade and set up conditions that would lead to better chances for later generations to evangelize.
On one trip, he had been mauled by a lion. His arm was a mess, but his life had been saved. Moffat’s daughter, also in Africa, nursed him back to health and they married. He sent her and their family back to England and began exploring Africa. He discovered the Zambezi River and began looking for an inland river route that would open up trade between the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. He reached the Atlantic Ocean and rather than sailing for England, set back to find the Indian Ocean. Two years later he got there and sailed for England as a hero. He was writing maps of uncharted territory, his was opening up the mission field and working to eliminate slavery. His book “Missionary Travels” became an instant best seller.
He returned to Africa in 1858, no longer as a missionary with the London Missionary Society, but as a British government official. This trip didn’t go quite as well. He couldn’t find the inland route across Africa, back in England his wife had become a terrible alcoholic. She traveled to meet him and died soon after they got back together. He went back to England as a failure.
Once more, he went back to Africa, looking for the source of the Nile. He discovered and mapped several inland lakes and then lost contact with the world.
David Livingstone wanted more for the people of Africa. He didn’t want to see them colonized, but he did want to bring them Christ. His work did end up laying the foundation for the beginnings of the African church throughout the continent.
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