Since my son is learning about the 13 colonies in history I thought it would be an interesting addition to learn about a missionary from that time period.  

David Zeisberger was a missionary to the Native American's that lived within the 13 colonies. He was a Moravian clergyman. 

If like me you wonder who are the Moravians, they are a group of Protestants founded in Saxony by folks who emigranted from Moravia.  They believed the bible to the only source of faith, and held to many views of the Hussites (who were followers of John Huss). The Moravians were one of the first Protestant Groups to send out missionaries.

When he was five years old his parents left to be part of a settlement in the New World, he was considered too young to make the journey.   Leaving him with other Moravians who raised him in a rather harsh manner led him to run away from that community to seek out his parents in the New World.   Another teen joined him.    It is said that In Georgia David was reunited with his parents but they didn't recognize and had to accept his word that he was who he said he was.

David has a quick affinity with other languages and quickly learned the languages of the Native People.  This allowed him to serve as an interpreter for the government, but his true gift was travelling amongst the Native Americans, establishing mission stations as he went.

David didn't marry until he was 60 years, and spent the bulk of his life among the people he served, living in and starting up mission stations.

It was rather frustrating for him as the Native Americans would be driven out of their land and the mission stations he started destroyed so he needed to keep moving and restarting.    In fact a rather sad moment occurred in his life (according to Wiki)

You can learn more about that incident here.

In 1798 he established the Goshen Mission and stayed there the next 10 years, translating hymns and books into the language of the Delaware Indians.  He taught many hymns to the converts, and while he lay dying they gathered around him singing hymns.   (source)

Francois Coillard was a protestant missionary who served in Africa.  His parents were Hugenots and he received his ordination in Paris.

Regional warfare held up his placement in Basutoland, but when he finally arrived he stayed until 1877.

Mr. Coillard was a firm British Imperialist, which caused him to be temporarily ousted until Basutoland became a British Protectorate.   Over time he became influential in the area especially after the Afrikaner Leader became a Christian.

It took some time to get permission to start a new mission, each region's king kept expelling him.   He did manage to get an invitation to Barotseland in western Zambia where he established a flourishing mission.  He learned that "he could not serve two masters" when he had to work hard to work a treaty between the British South African Company and Barotseland.

He worked in Barotseland until he was done serving except for a stint where he returned home to Britain for convalescence.  Upon his return he found his mission in difficulties, many of his converts having moved to another mission and many of his staff dead or having moved on.

He worked hard to advance British Colonialism because he believed it was the only way to end the tribal strife in Africa.  He strove hard to advance Western methods in order to help the people advance their lot.   He was well respected by both the Afrikaners (because he sought to protect and help them) and by the British as he sought to advance their cause.

This was the question posed to Robert Pierce one day as he worked for Youth for Christ doing evangelistic rallies in China.   A lady presented him with a child who was sorely in need of care.  She asked him "what will you do for this child"?    He gave her $5 immediately, and every month thereafter, and so World Vision was on it's way to being founded.   It took an additional three years before World Vision International was officially founded.

Robert Pierce, also known as Bob, was a post WWII man out to evangelize the world.   Strongly opposed to communism and strongly advocating the spread of the Christian Gospel worldwide, he thought spreading the Christian gospel was the best way to counteract the spread of communism.

Pierce started on his evangelistic journey travelling to China with Youth For Christ.   His daughter Marilee Pierce Dunker later wrote "My father went to China a young man in search of adventure, and he came home a man with a mission."   He dragged his camera across Asia making films, which he showed to people, begging them to help just one child.   Can you help one child?     He desperately wanted to shake people out of their complacency and turn their hearts to God and helping children in need.

He was a man of strong emotion, leading with his heart, which was both a good and a not so good thing.   It helped him talk with large groups of people and they could see his heart for the children he was so desperate to help which in turn help them to see and feel the need to help these children but the flip side was his anger and he would have angry clashes with the Board of World Vision.

The ministry was conceived in 1947, founded in 1950, formal sponsorship beginning in 1953, Pierce left the organization in 1957.

Pierce put his ministry first and the needs to fund it he considered more important than minding his own family.  He would say "that I'll take care of [God's] helpless little lambs overseas if he'll take care of mine at home".   He was legally separated from his wife, lost a daughter to suicide, and was estranged from his family until four days before his eventual death. 

He worked tirelessly for World Vision except when his health and mental stasis determined otherwise.  Clashes with the board led to his being fired.  From his efforts an organization that now cares for more than 1/2 a million children worldwide was made.

He also helped in the formation of Samaritan's Purse.  It was a small hunger organization when he took over running it in 1970.   He continued to be lead by his statement "Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God."    He lead this organization until Franklin Graham took it over.  He died in 1978 from leukemia.

Going for a few years and suddenly it was 45 years later....Frederick W.S. O'Neill was an Irish Presbyterian, who worked among the people of Faku, a small town in Manchuria.

O'Neill was witness to many things in China until he was expelled by the Japanese Army... the Boxer Rebellion, The Great Manchurian Plague, the overthrow of dynasties and the Japanese evasion of Manchuria.    He lived through it all.    His heart was firmly with the people of Manchuria even wanting to return after he was expelled.   He lived in China from 1897-1942, taking one brief year out during the Boxer Rebellion.

When his wife arrived in Manchuria, O'Neill told her bluntly to learn Manchuria or she'd be useless and she'd have to go home again.    She stayed, they ended up having children, of which three survived.    One of his grandson's ended up writing a book about him.

It was not an easy mission field but by the time his time in Manchuria was over, he had a school, a hospital and a church.   Converts were not easy to come by.     Life was very difficult for missionaries living in China, conditions were tough, but they were made of tough stuff and stuck it out, expecting to die in the Land they were sent to.  They made it their home.

O'Neill spent some time in the Chinese Labour Corp during WWI in France.   His work was to help the Chinese Migrant workers.     For this he received the Order of the Striped Tiger from the Chinese Government.    His grandson needed to buy the medal back from auction.   You can find that story here.

George Richmond Grose was a Methodist Missionary to China.    It was actually rather difficult to find a lot of information on Mr. Grose.

Mr. Grose married his college sweetheart and went on to father five children.   He served in various churches for several years.   Eventually being elected to serve as president of the DePauw University in Indiana. His service there brought stability and financial strength to the school.

After serving there for 11 years he accepted a position as Bishop Missionary to the church in China.  A missionary bishop was appointed to oversee churches not already organized under a bishop.   For more on what a missionary bishop is see this link.

Linking up with Blogging through the alphabet.  This week it's the letter G.  :)

 Anthony Norris Groves was a missionary within the Brethren Church.   If you read up on him you'll find he was a rather amazing fellow.  :)

He is known as the "father of faith missions".   Started one of the first missions to the Muslims.    He believed the churches should be given over to indigenous peoples as soon as possible, so that they don't have to rely on outsiders to run their churches, or do their training.   Indigenous believers should be responsible for their own churches and methods of finance, training and authority.  He declared, “My earnest desire is to re-model the whole plan of missionary operations so as to bring them to the simple standard of God’s word."

Originally he sought ordination within the Church of England but became convinced that ordination was not necessary in order to do missionary work.    So off he went along with his family,ending up in Baghdad, where the next two years were spent in turmoil from civil war, plague and floods.   Unfortunately there were many dead among the local population along with his wife Mary.

Groves called upon other missionaries to live lives of simplicity and to trust that God would supply what they needed, he called them to live by faith.   Many were unhappy with him over this, but some listened.  One named, John Aroolappen, lived as a missionary by faith and successful ministry in South India, leading to a mini-revival and several new churches being formed.

Groves was less of a church builder and more of a steady evangelist and teacher.    His focus was on helping people understand God.

He left behind a legacy to emulate on trusting God and being devoted to one's calling.

Sources:
Wiki.
Boston University School of Theology.  
Brethren Writers.
Path 2 Prayer.
Brethren Archive.
PDF Letter.

Doing a bit of a different thing this morning since yesterday was the Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.   Thought I'd talk on that for a bit instead.   It is a mission that EVERYONE who loves the Lord can take part in.  :)

Starting off first with this fact.   There are over 200 million Christians being persecuted in the world THIS VERY MOMENT.    Think on that.  People being starved, beaten, killed, imprisoned, families in poverty because the breadwinner was removed from the home, beheadings, torture, kidnapping of children and adults... ALL for the sake of Christ.   THINK on those numbers.  Think on those people.

This is not people being mildly sneered at or frowned at for expressing their faith.  This is not groups being not allowed to perform because they mention the name of Christ.   This is real, earnest HARD stuff for people to go through.   ISIS is a threat, but so are governments that hate Christians.  This is groups of militants terrorizing countrysides.  It's real and it's hard and we NEED to pray and think about our suffering brothers and sisters in the world who NEED to be reminded of the comfort that God is.  They need us to pray for strength and steadfastness and hope in better things to come.  For us to pray that they remember they need not fear death for God is indeed the overcomer.

This Prayer Litany may prove helpful.

Leader: Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow.” (Luke 9:23)
People: Lord, we follow you, casting aside all earthly treasures and our own selfish desires.
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me, will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? (Luke 9:24-25)
Lord, we remember those who have literally lost their lives, only to be found in you. Grant us grace not to love our own lives, even unto death.
“If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory, and in the glory of the Father, and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)
We are not ashamed of the cross, or of Christ’s sufferings. We are not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16)
Paul, a prisoner for Christ said, “Do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner.” (II Timothy 1:8)
We are not ashamed, but we join with those who are suffering for the Gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life. (II Timothy 1:8-9)

Voice of the Martyrs
How to Pray for Persecuted Church (PDF)
Biblical Prayer for persecuted church.
Open Doors - specific situations to pray for
PrayerCast - teaches about nations around the world and how to pray for them

Alexander M. MacKay was a teacher, engineer, and missionary.   He originally wanted to work in Madagascar but was rejected, instead he applied to work in Uganda and was accepted.

His degree in engineering proved to be most useful in his work as a missionary.  Helping to repair ships, build roads, and work with metal.    This impressed the king of the area who allowed him to work among his people.    Some of his work he did in a cave.

He taught various skills to the Ugandan people, including carpentry and farming, as well as other practical skills.   He laid down the foundation for education. He was named Muzunguwa Kazi by the Ugandans. The name means "white man of work."

A visiting bishop created problems for the Christians in the area, bringing in a time of persecution.   Mr. Mackay was eventually forced to move south of the lake.   He managed to translate the gospel of Matthew into the language of the people before contracting malaria and dying.

Sources:
biblical training
World digital library
Worldwide missions 2
wikipedia
Mackay college
Worldwide missions

Learn to love these people, THEN they will listen to you.

This is a lesson that Frank Laubach needed to learn when working among the Muslims.

Step by step Mr. Laubach, a congregational minister from Pennsylvania, learned to love the Muslim people.  Studying their Koran so he could find similarities between his faith and theirs.  Teaching them to know how to read, teaching one to teach another.   Fighting illiteracy in a battle against poverty and to help people learn about God in their own language.

in 1955 in founded Laubach Literacy.   Eventually this became ProLiteracy Worldwide.  He thought that literacy and world peace were linked, and travelled extensively talking about the needed for people to be literate, promoting peace through literacy.  

His conversations with God helped to formulate his approach to working among the Muslim people, gaining their trust and acceptance.   His literacy approach was very popular in the Philippines and from there spread through several countries.

He wrote many books and pamphlets.  One of his pamphlets encouraged people to spend one second of every minute focused on God, thereby encouraging people to always be in an attitude of prayer.  He wanted people to always be focused on God.  He detailed these in his Letters by a Modern Mystic.

"His work touched 103 countries, involved 313 languages, and taught 100 mission people to read. His fifty-six books promoted both literacy and the intense spirituality which marked his life. In 1984 a U.S. postage stamp in the Great Americans series was issued in his honor".

Sources:
Missionary Hero stories (book)
Wiki:
Boston University:  
Dallas Willard:

Hedley Bunton, son of a mission minded pastor, married Peggy Paton in November 1932.  Peggy came from a family of mission minded folks, so going into mission work was a natural thing for this young couple.  

After their honeymoon, they headed to China to found their first mission house in Canton.   They had five children over the course of their marriage.     Part of his job was to train native people to be able to go out into villages to spread the gospel.  First he had to learn the language, something that took him three years to learn.  

In 1937, Peggy was on a trip out of China, when the Japanese invaded China.  She was not allowed to return but needed to stay in Hong Kong with the two children she had taken along with her.    Living under Japanese occupation was a very difficult time for Bunton, he had to learn to rely on God to supply his every need since the Japanese simply wouldn't.  Chinese Christians helped to supply him with food.   Overtime he took a furlough, retrieved his wife and children and went back to Australia.   When the furlough was over his wife remained in Australia while he went back to Canton. 

Pearl Harbour happened.   He ended up in a refugee camp.   He ended up being traded for a Japanese prisoner.     He ended up working in a Melbourne Church until the end of the war and his ability to safety return to his work in China.  He served there from 1947-1950 when increasing tensions forced him to leave China again.   He worked in for a good while in Australia until he was invited back by the Chinese church to assist in their work in Hong Kong.   

The Bunton's lived by the motto "Where God guides, he provides".   

Sources

wiki
google news
google book.
harmonic life.
snipView,