“At last I’m in Africa!” declared Dr. David Livingstone as he walked down the gangplank at Capetown in 1841. The man was happy to be on land again. The past six months had been spent on a ship coming from England.
But Livingstone was still not at the end of his journey. For another two months Livingstone walked or rode in an ox-drawn wagon over rugged trails. He was headed for Moffat’s mission station at Kuruman, about 500 miles north-east of Capetown.
In Kuruman, Livingstone said, “I cannot stay here to preach. The Lord is telling me to go farther north toward the centre of Africa which is still unexplored!”
So, with his helpers carrying the provisions on their heads, Dr. Livingstone started out. There were no roads. The foot travel led over swamps and through tangled forests. Blood-sucking bugs and stinging mosquitoes made Livingstone miserable, but for two years he traveled deeper and deeper into the interior of Africa. Wherever he went, he doctored the sick people he found and told every one about God’s love for them. The name Bwana Livingstone became a very special name in many parts of Africa. Bwana means friend or teacher or doctor in many of the African languages. The people called him that because he proved to be friend, teacher and doctor to them.
Livingstone felt God would have him make maps of the trails he traveled. “Many missionaries must come here and tell these people about God. I am only one person to tell of His great love. I can tell only a few! But if I map routes for other missionaries to follow, surely more will come and tell of God. These dear African people must know that God gave His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to be their Saviour!”
In those days, maps of Africa were blank in the whole central part. At the edge of this unknown part, several weeks’ walk north of Kuruman, Livingstone started a mission station. Using this as a place from which to work, the missionary went far in every direction, doctoring the people, telling them about Christ, and marking down the new-found trails and villages on his maps.
One day as he came near a village, he heard wild screamings. “A lion is after our sheep! It will kill us too! Help! Help!”
Livingstone and his men dashed to help hunt the lion. Livingstone sighted the beast and shot it twice! The great creature lurched into the air and jumped directly on Livingstone. It ripped the flesh on his left shoulder and splintered the shoulder bone. Then suddenly the lion crumpled over, dead.
Livingstone’s men lifted their beloved Bwana to his feet. The natives doctored the arm as the missionary directed. But an imperfect boneset caused the arm to trouble Livingstone as long as he lived.
The exploring missionary kept at his work as he felt the Lord leading him. He left the mission he founded first and went further into the heart of the continent to tell the people about God.
Livingstone discovered rivers in the central part that could be used for travel. The natives told him of a great wonder far away on the Zambezi River. “There’s smoke that thunders, there on that river!” they declared with excitement.
Livingstone pushed on until he beheld what the natives had tried to describe. The great falls of the Zambezi roared over the cliffs. The noise could be heard for miles! Livingstone watched the mists from the gigantic waterfall. It did look like smoke as it rose more than half a mile into the air.
“Smoke that thunders! How well these people describe their wonderful land!” Livingstone said to himself. “Victoria Falls will be its name, in honour of Queen Victoria of England!”
Soon Livingstone made a sad discovery. African people were being sold to other countries as slaves! The missionary wrote letters to newspapers in many parts of the world, describing the horrors of the slave trade. Many countries became aroused against it. Finally Livingstone wrote of watching helplessly as Arab slavers suddenly seized and killed scores of people in the busy market place in an African city. The missionary also described the hundreds being shot or drowned in the nearby river trying to escape.
From Livingstone’s reports, at last other countries helped to stop the slave trade. But it continued for many more years in remote areas of Africa. Livingstone found traces of it as he explored on and on in the great land.
Many times as he traveled, the explorer was almost dead from starvation or disease. Finally on one long journey Livingstone became so ill his faithful black boys carried him into the nearby village of Ilala. “This white man truly loves the black people!” they whispered.
Next morning the one who truly loved them so dearly and showed them God’s wonderful love was found kneeling beside his cot. He could not be awakened. Livingstone had died praying for Africa.
Under a tree in the village, Livingstone’s black friends buried his heart. “But his body must go back to his own people,” they said. So for fourteen days they dried the body in the hot sun and then enclosed it in a cylinder of bark and sailcloth. They carried it for nine months over a thousand miles through the jungles, sometimes crossing rivers four miles wide, until they reached the coast.
“Bwana Livingstone said God told him to come here and tell us about Christ!” said the African people. “And he came! He traveled from one end of the land to the other to tell people the good news that Christ died for them. He also taught how Christians should love and obey Christ. Bwana Livingstone surely did do what the Lord told him to do!”
When David Livingstone’s body was taken back to England, crowds thronged the street to pay tribute to the noble missionary. An elderly man among them sobbed aloud, and people wondered at his deep grief. It was revealed that he and Livingstone had been friends in their youth. As an ambitious young man, he had scorned Livingstone’s choice to give his life for Christ in Africa. Now, his life spent in selfish interest, the old man realized with regret that Livingstone had made the wiser choice, and he cried out, “I put the emphasis on the wrong world.”
PRAYER: (For Parents): Ask the Lord this concerning your children/ward each.
(For Sunday School Teachers): Ask the Lord this concerning each pupil under your care. Yes, ask that the Lord will guide them in following and obeying Him and to help each one make the right choice for his life.
“At last I’m in Africa!” declared Dr. David Livingstone as he walked down the gangplank at Capetown in 1841. The man was happy to be on land again. The past six months had been spent on a ship coming from England.
But Livingstone was still not at the end of his journey. For another two months Livingstone walked or rode in an ox-drawn wagon over rugged trails. He was headed for Moffat’s mission station at Kuruman, about 500 miles north-east of Capetown.
In Kuruman, Livingstone said, “I cannot stay here to preach. The Lord is telling me to go farther north toward the centre of Africa which is still unexplored!”
So, with his helpers carrying the provisions on their heads, Dr. Livingstone started out. There were no roads. The foot travel led over swamps and through tangled forests. Blood-sucking bugs and stinging mosquitoes made Livingstone miserable, but for two years he traveled deeper and deeper into the interior of Africa. Wherever he went, he doctored the sick people he found and told every one about God’s love for them. The name Bwana Livingstone became a very special name in many parts of Africa. Bwana means friend or teacher or doctor in many of the African languages. The people called him that because he proved to be friend, teacher and doctor to them.
Livingstone felt God would have him make maps of the trails he traveled. “Many missionaries must come here and tell these people about God. I am only one person to tell of His great love. I can tell only a few! But if I map routes for other missionaries to follow, surely more will come and tell of God. These dear African people must know that God gave His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to be their Saviour!”
In those days, maps of Africa were blank in the whole central part. At the edge of this unknown part, several weeks’ walk north of Kuruman, Livingstone started a mission station. Using this as a place from which to work, the missionary went far in every direction, doctoring the people, telling them about Christ, and marking down the new-found trails and villages on his maps.
One day as he came near a village, he heard wild screamings. “A lion is after our sheep! It will kill us too! Help! Help!”
Livingstone and his men dashed to help hunt the lion. Livingstone sighted the beast and shot it twice! The great creature lurched into the air and jumped directly on Livingstone. It ripped the flesh on his left shoulder and splintered the shoulder bone. Then suddenly the lion crumpled over, dead.
Livingstone’s men lifted their beloved Bwana to his feet. The natives doctored the arm as the missionary directed. But an imperfect boneset caused the arm to trouble Livingstone as long as he lived.
The exploring missionary kept at his work as he felt the Lord leading him. He left the mission he founded first and went further into the heart of the continent to tell the people about God.
Livingstone discovered rivers in the central part that could be used for travel. The natives told him of a great wonder far away on the Zambezi River. “There’s smoke that thunders, there on that river!” they declared with excitement.
Livingstone pushed on until he beheld what the natives had tried to describe. The great falls of the Zambezi roared over the cliffs. The noise could be heard for miles! Livingstone watched the mists from the gigantic waterfall. It did look like smoke as it rose more than half a mile into the air.
“Smoke that thunders! How well these people describe their wonderful land!” Livingstone said to himself. “Victoria Falls will be its name, in honour of Queen Victoria of England!”
Soon Livingstone made a sad discovery. African people were being sold to other countries as slaves! The missionary wrote letters to newspapers in many parts of the world, describing the horrors of the slave trade. Many countries became aroused against it. Finally Livingstone wrote of watching helplessly as Arab slavers suddenly seized and killed scores of people in the busy market place in an African city. The missionary also described the hundreds being shot or drowned in the nearby river trying to escape.
From Livingstone’s reports, at last other countries helped to stop the slave trade. But it continued for many more years in remote areas of Africa. Livingstone found traces of it as he explored on and on in the great land.
Many times as he traveled, the explorer was almost dead from starvation or disease. Finally on one long journey Livingstone became so ill his faithful black boys carried him into the nearby village of Ilala. “This white man truly loves the black people!” they whispered.
Next morning the one who truly loved them so dearly and showed them God’s wonderful love was found kneeling beside his cot. He could not be awakened. Livingstone had died praying for Africa.
Under a tree in the village, Livingstone’s black friends buried his heart. “But his body must go back to his own people,” they said. So for fourteen days they dried the body in the hot sun and then enclosed it in a cylinder of bark and sailcloth. They carried it for nine months over a thousand miles through the jungles, sometimes crossing rivers four miles wide, until they reached the coast.
“Bwana Livingstone said God told him to come here and tell us about Christ!” said the African people. “And he came! He traveled from one end of the land to the other to tell people the good news that Christ died for them. He also taught how Christians should love and obey Christ. Bwana Livingstone surely did do what the Lord told him to do!”
When David Livingstone’s body was taken back to England, crowds thronged the street to pay tribute to the noble missionary. An elderly man among them sobbed aloud, and people wondered at his deep grief. It was revealed that he and Livingstone had been friends in their youth. As an ambitious young man, he had scorned Livingstone’s choice to give his life for Christ in Africa. Now, his life spent in selfish interest, the old man realized with regret that Livingstone had made the wiser choice, and he cried out, “I put the emphasis on the wrong world.”
PRAYER: (For Parents): Ask the Lord this concerning your children/ward each.
(For Sunday School Teachers): Ask the Lord this concerning each pupil under your care. Yes, ask that the Lord will guide them in following and obeying Him and to help each one make the right choice for his life.
