Photo by US Army Africa
Mary Slessor is the stuff legends are made of. At only 5 feet tall with bright red hair, she traveled deep into the interior of Africa where no Westerner had ever set foot. She stood up to many witch doctors, saved many babies, earned the respect of tribal chiefs and stepped between warriors to stop fights.
“Lord, there are other villages back in the jungle where no Christian has gone. They need Jesus, too. Help me reach them,” was her prayer.
As a woman, Mary was less threatening than a man, so once she learned the language she chose to walk into the heart of the jungle COMPLETELY alone. She was known for her bravery and fearlessness and was extremely adapted to the local culture, gaining respect even from those she stood up to.
Her childhood was pretty rough, but she didn’t let that stop her. Her father was a serious alcoholic and abusive to the family. At 27 years old, she was working in a cotton mill and decided to follow the call of her hero, David Livingstone, to “Go Forward.”
At the end of her life Mary had traveled to where no other foreigner had ever gone. She had saved scores of children, prisoners and slaves and brought the Gospel where it had never been.
So, no matter what your background, God can use you to make a difference for Him. What do you think He might have in store for YOUR future?
To read more visit http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b1maryslessor.htm or purchase her biography at Amazon.com.
November 12th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
There are a number of biographies out there. This last year I read “Mary Slessor: The Barefoot Missionary,” by Elizabeth Robertson – short, but good,and easy to digest, and “Mary Slessor – Everybody’s Mother: The Era and Impact of a Victorian Missionary,” by Jeanette Hardage – which was more thorough and well documented. “Mary Slessor of Calabar,” by W.P. Livingstone, was published right after her death in 1915, and it’s in the public domain so you can find and download it from the Internet for free.
June 25th, 2010 at 9:44 am
My Mother is now in possesion of a letter written to my grandmother Mrs. Ruth Campbell, from Mary Slessor thanking her for her kindness and gift when she visited Edinburgh, she even mentioned her in a book she wrote .This letter has obviously been passed down through the years, and I was just curious to see if anyone else was interested in it , and to see if there was any other mention of my grandmother