The Life of David Livingstone

David Livingston, born on March 19, 1813, was the son of Dr. David Livingston. He would later move to Africa after getting a medicine degree and there would find his wife, Miss Mary Moffat, and together they would have four children, along with many other exciting adventures and things that happened to him in his work as a missionary. In the late 1830s, he had a desire to be a China missionary. He went to Glasgow University and studied in medical missions. He applied to the London Missionary Society and was accepted, but later on his want and desire to go to China was not accepted. He was appointed to Africa to be a missionary there. In 1841, he arrived in Karaman. He later traveled a 700-mile journey to the Bakunin country, where there was a new station. There was a very bad problem with lions at that location and he has records of several women being seized by them, along with several cattle and other livestock. While at the Bakunin country, he influenced the chief, Bube, to make construction on a water dam. He later wrote to his friends and told them of his various excursions. While he was there, he was also able to minister to them and give them the gospel. In January of 1845, David Livingston married Mary Moffat, a teacher who was also there in Africa alongside him. Here is one of the pictures done of David Livingston while he was in college during the 1830s. During his time in Africa, David Livingston reportedly traveled some 29,000 miles, most of it on foot or by oxen. During one of his many excursions, David Livingston came upon this, the Victoria Falls. Being awestruck by its beauty, he knelt down and named it the first thing that came to his head, after his queen, Queen Victoria. One day, as a wagon was going down the path in Africa, the people on it saw a black rhinoceros, known for its aggression. When the rhinoceros saw them, it charged, puncturing one of the men's stomach and splitting the axle of the wagon, then just gingerly walked off. They sent out a messenger to get David Livingston, who rode through the night, through the jungle, to come upon the scene. But when he got there, the people had already left because this boy had died. So he had to ride back to the jungle at night, in the dark, but God spared his life. Another account of something that happened while he was there is his famous lion attack. The village where he was at had very many lions around it, that were constantly attacking their livestock and killing them. The people of the city were terrified, and one day, they had spotted a lion nearby. He immediately got his gun, loaded it, and took it to the field, along with a few of his friends. While he was there, he saw the lion, aimed both barrels, and shot them. The lion didn't seem to move, so he immediately started reloading his gun. When he looked up, the lion was pouncing upon him. The lion bit deep into his shoulder, shattering the bone. Then, one of his aides shot it as well, and when the lion went over and attacked him, the bullets that David Livingston had shot took their effect. One thing that not many people know is, a very kind lady back home had sent the money that was able to him to hire the man who distracted the lion long enough for the bullets to take effect. So, what no one really knows is that that kind lady's gift had maybe saved David Livingston's life. On November 10, 1871, Mr. Henry M. Stanley arrived at the village where Dr. David Livingston was staying and said these intrepid words, Dr. Livingston, I presume? Even in his later days, David Livingston continued to explore and find new areas and reach unreached people. On April 27, 1862, David's beloved wife, Mary, died of myleria. Even after this, he continued his missionary work and traveled for many more years. On May 1, 1873, David Livingston died after asking his servants if he could retire for the evening to pray. After a few hours, they were worried, and when they checked in on him, he was dead in the kneeling position. His heart was buried under a tree in Africa, but his body was shipped back to Europe. In memory of Dr. David Livingston, there was a statue of him placed outside of the Victoria Falls to remind people that he was the one who discovered it. In finishing, David Livingston was an intrepid man who was not afraid of what people might think of him, but only what God wanted him to do, and that is what caused him to travel into the inner parts of Africa in sake of souls for Jesus Christ.