By: Casey Zachary

David Brainerd lived a short life from 1718-1747. He was born one of nine children, with his mother and father both passing away before he was 14. He studied at Yale for three years, until he was expelled for criticizing a tutor. Although he did not received a degree from Yale, while matriculating there he heard of missionary work among Native Americans. He entered into the work himself in 1742 under the Society of Scotland for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge. He served communities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. In four years he saw 150 conversions among Native Americans in New Jersey, however, at this time his health failed, and he died of tuberculosis the following year at age 29.

Brainerd’s work was successful, although he has been criticized himself for being unwilling to learn from others who ministered among Native Americans. What distinguishes him in the history of missions/ causes him to continue to influence missions even today was his deeply intense devotional life. His Life and Diary has proven to be an inspiration for generations of Christians seeking to devote their lives to the missionary call.

• “Here am I, send me; send me to the ends of the earth; send me to the rough, the savage pagans of the wilderness; send me from all that is called comfort on earth; send me even to death itself, if it be but in Thy service, and to promote Thy kingdom.”
• “All my desire was the conversion of the heathen… I declare, now I am dying, I would not have spent my life otherwise for the whole world.”
• “If you hope for happiness in the world, hope for it from God, and not from the world.”
• “Worldly pleasures, such as flow from greatness, riches, honours, and sensual gratifications, are infinitely worse than none.”
• “I have received my all from God. Oh, that I could return my all to God.”

**Information comes from the Evangelical Dictionary for World Missions