David Livingstone lived from 1813-1873 and was a missionary/ explorer to Africa. Although he dropped out of school at age 10, Livingstone had an intense spiritual experience that convinced him he was destined to be a medical missionary in Africa. After finishing degrees in medicine and theology, Livingstone set sail for South Africa in 1840 as a part of the London Missionary Society. Not content with remaining in easily accessible port cities, Livingstone was determined to “see the smoke of 1,000 villages that no missionary had ever seen before.”

He pushed north into the interior of Africa and endured many challenges including drought, fever, wild animals, animistic superstitions and problems related to slavery. Learning the language and seeking to understand the culture gave him insight into the mind of the Africans with whom he worked. Another contribution he made was pointing out the potential impact of training indigenous workers to lessen Africa’s dependence on Europe.

Quotes from David Livingstone

“All that I am I owe to Jesus Christ, revealed to me in His divine Book.”

“Fear God and work hard.”

“I am prepared to go anywhere, provided it go forward.”

“If you have men who will only come if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.”

**Information comes from the Evangelical Dictionary for World Missions