While on furlough from missionary service in Africa, Robert Moffatt (1795-1883) spoke in England about his work. A young medical student in the audience had hoped to serve on the mission field in China, but that land was closed. He listened as Moffatt described a frequent sight in Africa. “There is a vast plain to the north, where I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been.”
“The smoke of a thousand villages.” Those words painted a vivid picture and gripped the heart of the young student. This was the challenge he was looking for in his desire to reach the unreached. Filled with a new vision, the young man went to Moffatt and asked, “Would I do for Africa?” That student was David Livingstone. Workers are still needed today.
The morning sun can paint so many pictures. Last week I joined Anne and Ian Clarke for a short part of their memory walk for Anne’s dad, George. It was very quiet at 5.30 am. The sea was calm and there was no wind. There was some cloud cover but it was a bit broken. In the breaks in the cloud, you could see the colours of the sun rising. While I was out you couldn’t see the sun coming up but you knew it was happening. When I came home and opened my blinds there were two bands of pink in the sea, reflections from holes in the clouds. It was so lovely. The sun did break through the clouds when Anne and Ian were at Cobbold point.
During our time of lockdown, we may not be able to carry out all our outreach work, in person, but the needs of people are still happening, just as the sun was hidden but still rising. Let’s pray for all those who are weighed down by the worries and stresses of daily life.
May we reach out to a world in need with the word it needs
