Missionary Person: David Livingstone (1813-1873) Essay

David Livingston was a renowned Scottish missionary. He came to Africa as a medical missionary. Dritsas (2010) identified Livingstone as “one of the most popular national heroes of the late 19^th century in Victorian Britain” (p. 37). He had a legendary status that worked on numerous interrelated echelons. Livingstone was not an ordinary missionary. He was an anti-slavery campaigner.

Moreover, he was a motivational speaker, legal reformer, and a voyager. Livingstone facilitated the discovery of River Nile, which marked the end of colonial infiltration of the African soil. Further, his work as a missionary resulted in the establishment of numerous key Christian missionary projects in Central Africa. This article will discuss a brief history of David Livingston as a missionary.

Early Life

Benge and Benge (1999) hold, “David Livingstone was born on 19 March 1813 in the mill town of Blantyre, Scotland in a tenement building for the workers of a cotton factory” (p. 93). He hailed from a family of nine. The father was called Neil Livingstone while the mother was Agnes Hunter. Livingstone started to work in the cotton factory at the age of ten. He was hired as a piecer where he served for twelve hours per day. Despite the tight working schedule, Livingstone enrolled in a community school together with other children.

His family encouraged him to carry on with the studies. In 1834, he came across a plea by Gutzlaff, who needed medical missionaries to serve in China. His determination to work as a medical missionary made him start saving money to finance his college education. In 1836, “Livingstone enrolled in Anderson’s College in Glasgow” (Dritsas, 2010, p. 67). He also registered for theology and Greek classes at the University of Glasgow (Dritsas, 2010). He could not join medical school without a background of Latin. Therefore, Livingstone sought the assistance of Gallagher, who was a Roman Catholic serving in a local outstation. Besides, he enrolled for divinity lessons, which were essential for anyone that wished to become a missionary.

Livingstone’s desire to serve as a missionary led to him undertaking a rigorous missionary training. Enrollment for missionary training did not stop him from pursuing medical studies. Livingstone believed that as a Christian, he had a duty to spread the gospel. Having been brought up in a Christian family, he dedicated his life to missionary work. He claimed, “It is my desire to show my attachment to the cause of Him who died for me by devoting my life to his service” (Benge & Benge, 1999, p. 114). Livingstone believed that every person has been called to serve the Lord in one capacity or another. He meditated about religion at all times and made it an integral part of his life. His intention was to ensure that God’s message reached the heathen.

Married Life

Little is known about Livingstone’s married life. He spent most of his time “spreading the gospel and exploring Africa” (Dritsas, 2010, p. 69). In 1841, he docked at Cape Town. After being in Africa for four years, Livingstone wedded Mary Moffat. Mary was the daughter of Dr. Robert Moffat. She had lived in African since childhood. The two were blessed with six children. In spite of Marry residing in Africa for a long time, she did not have an interest in exploration. Hence, she was left with kids as the husband went about his research escapades.

According to Dritsas (2010), Livingstone did not have adequate time with his family. His absence led to Mary becoming an alcoholic. At one point, Livingstone blamed himself for what befall his wife. Despite the challenges in the family, he did not stop the desire to explore Africa. He made numerous discoveries as he traveled across Africa. For instance, he discovered a waterfall (Victoria Falls) that he named after Queen Victoria (Dritsas, 2010). Between 1854 and 1856, Livingstone managed to traverse Africa from Luanda to Quelimane.

Missionary Journey

At first, Livingstone planned to go to China for his religious mission. However, he could not make it due to the eruption of the First Opium War. He continued his medical studies hoping to find an alternative region to go and carry out mission work. In 1840, “he met Robert Moffat, who had traveled to Britain from South Africa” (Driver & Lowri, 2009, p. 41).

Moffat told him about his intention to spread missionary across Africa. Additionally, he convinced him that introduction of “authentic trade” would abolish the slave trade in Africa (Driver & Lowri, 2009). Livingstone chose Africa since he was determined to transform it. He considered the trade, civilization, and Christianity as the three core components that would liberate Africans. He was against the ruthless activities that other Europeans perpetrated in Africa. Thus, he sought to establish independent Christian missions that would cater for political, fiscal and religious needs of the Africans.

Moffat was Livingstone’s mentor. He influenced his decision to go to Africa. Moffat made Livingstone believe that he was the appropriate missionary to take the gospel to the northern part of Bechuanaland. Livingstone’s journey in Africa was not void of obstacles. At one point, he was injured by a lion as he tried to prevent it from attacking sheep (Livingstone, 2011). The lion left his left arm paralyzed permanently. Besides, he was not always on good terms with his colleagues. Livingstone encountered difficulties in the effort to convert Africans to Christianity. In the 1840s, he only managed to convert one African. He opted to concentrate on exploration.

Even though Livingstone was able to forge a friendship with the local communities, he always quarreled with his colleagues. The members disapproved of his leadership and decision-making mechanisms. Livingstone did not stomach censure and suffered from mood swings. At one point, he fought with his brother. Driver and Lowri (2009) allege that Livingstone held bitterness for many years. He was unable to control his emotions. As a result, he preferred to stay alone and read books.

His criticism of racial prejudice created enmity between him and the white Afrikaners. The Afrikaners burnt his church and stole the animals as a strategy to send him away. Livingstone was not in good terms with the London Missionary Society. The society felt that he did not focus on what took him to Africa (Benge & Benge, 1999). The love for exploration hampered his ability to carry out missionary work. Nevertheless, Livingstone did not see anything wrong with research. According to him, exploration was part of the missionary work. It helped him to discover new areas that had not received the gospel.

In spite of Livingstone not being in good terms with the whites, the local communities loved him. Livingstone’s coarse paternalism, common touch, and inquisitiveness fascinated the natives. The natives also considered him as their protector (Benge & Benge, 1999). They hoped that he would one day provide them with firearms. Livingstone was friendly to the natives and respected their culture. Livingstone established a rapport with the local leaders to overcome his obstacles. He hardly traveled with soldiers.

It enabled him to avoid an altercation with the local communities. The communities regarded him as a mere missionary and were ready to welcome him at any time. Driver and Lowri (2009) claimed that Livingstone was able to identify with the Africans who affectionately remembered him. He helped to establish a cordial relationship between the Africans and the British. Unlike other missionaries, Livingstone did not force Africans and local leaders to embrace Christianity.

Livingstone had a conviction that opening the heart of Africa to the coast would facilitate the spread of Christianity, trade and civilization. However, the task entailed a lot of sacrifice and hardships. Livingstone had to send his wife and children back to England to avoid distractions. He faced stiff opposition from the Dutch Boers. They stole all his properties and destroyed his house (Driver & Lowri, 2009). The attack by the Boers did not deter Livingstone from pursuing his mission. He continued to explore the region with an aim of opening it to the coast. Additionally, he taught, preached and healed the natives as a way to build a rapport.

Other Interesting Information

Livingstone suffered an awful experience in his exploration journey. He endured hardships for over seven months before he could find his way to the St. Paul de Loanda. Along the way, Livingstone suffered from “thirty-one attacks of intermittent fever that were accompanied by dysentery of the most severe type” (Driver & Lowri, 2009, p. 47). Besides, he ran out of food supply. Other horrible experiences included the danger of cannibalism. Livingstone suffered the spite of slavery in his exploration mission. He came across multiple carcasses of Africans who were killed for opposing slavery. The experience haunted him for the rest of the years that he spent in Africa.

Nobody thought that Livingstone would make it to St. Paul de Loanda. He stayed there for a short while to recover from illness. Livingstone declined to proceed to England. Instead, he opted to embark on a mission back to the heart of Africa (Benge & Benge, 1999). Livingstone had promised Chief Sekeletu that he would bring back his men safe and sound, and that is what he did. Having been lost for a long time, the people in England thought that he was dead. Nevertheless, they were surprised to learn that he was alive. Livingstone’s expedition surprised the Royal Geographical Society, which honored him with a gold medal (Benge & Benge, 1999).

Conclusion

Livingstone was renowned for his contribution as a missionary, explorer, and anti-slavery advocate. He was born in 1831 in a family of nine. The determination to work as a medical missionary led to Livingstone enrolling for studies. He could work during the day and go to college in the evening. After completing his studies, he was determined to serve in China as a medical missionary. Later he met Moffat, who lured him to come to Africa. His missionary work in Africa was fraught with numerous challenges. Converting Africans to Christianity was hard. Additionally, he was attacked by a lion which rendered his left hand paralyzed. Despite the difficulties, Livingstone managed to traverse Africa and made numerous discoveries.

References

Benge, J., & Benge, G. (1999). Christian heroes: Then & now. New York: YWAM Publishing.

Dritsas, L. (2010). Zambezi: David Livingstone and expeditionary science in Africa. London: I.B. Tauris.

Driver, F., & Lowri, J. (2009). Hidden histories of exploration. London: Royal Holloway, University of London.

Livingstone, J. (2011). The meaning and making of missionary travels: The sedentary and itinerant discourses of a Victorian bestseller. Studies in Travel Writing, 15(3), 267-292.