I Presume you are Disoriented, Dr. Livingstone

The first westerner to see Victoria Falls and live to tell about it was the great missionary, Dr. David Livingstone.  Livingstone is a legend in more realms than anyone I know.  He was a great missionary physician, an explorer, an anti-slavery advocate.

Among his discoveries was the great falls on the Zambezi River, locally known as, "the smoke that thunders" (Mosi-oa-Tunya).  Unfortunately this beautiful descriptive name was replaced by, "Victoria" Falls, after Queen Victoria.

Despite all his efforts, reportedly Livignstone only had one convert to Christianity, a chief in the Kwêna tribe of Tswana people, Setshele.  Allegedly because Setshele was the local rainmaker, and gave up his rainmaking, Livingstone  was run out of the areas.  Later, allegedly, despite Setshele's testimony, Livingstone denounced him as a Christian. Setshele is reported to have told Livingstone "I shall never give up Jesus. You and I will stand before him together."

I think this story is instructive from several perspectives.  Livingstone, if he actually had the problem described, made the classical Christian mistake of imposing western standards instead of Christian ones.  Additionally, people underestimate Livingstone’s work.  Whether or not there are more is unknown, and can never be accurately known.  He sent five of his children to be educated by another missionary, Robert Moffat.  who knows the impact these five had on the spread of Christianity.

The lessons are for us also.  We may labor for years, as did Livingstone, with limited demonstrable results.  But, remember the goad is obedience to the true and living G^d, not notches on our Bible.  We will never know the influence we have had; we walk by faith, not by sight.

G^d give us the boldness, the patience, the energy, the perseverance of Dr. David Livingstone. L^rd give us the desire to follow your path for us.  Wherever it may lead!

Oh, and I think Setshele was correct rather than the Dr.