Livingstone, David

<<missionary, explorer>>

He lived between 1813-1873 and although trained in medicine, the normal mission station concept bored him. He turned his attention to the vast unexplored interior of Africa. He spent 30 yrs there and was an avid anti-slavery campaigner. When he died the Africans said, ‘You can have his body, [which was buried in Westminster Abbey] but his heart belongs in Africa’.

He is quoted as saying, ‘God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to yours…Cannot the love of Christ carry the missionary where the slave-trade carries the trader? I shall open up a path to the interior or perish…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’.