This Day in History November 10, 1871

By Kim Traynor (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

"Dr. Livingston, I presume?"  These were those ever-so-famous lines that were uttered on this day in 1871, by Henry Stanley upon his finding Dr. David Livingstone in Tanzania after searching for the Scottish missionary for about eight months.  Because Dr. Livingstone had been in Africa for quite some time and his correspondence had become less frequent, there was concern that he had been kidnapped or possibly even killed. Stanley was only a reporter who had not explorer experience.  He just wanted to find Livingstone.  He battled a lot of issues including malaria, starvation, and more to find this missionary.

I think the amazing thing throughout all of this is that through the life of Dr. Livingstone, Henry Stanley himself was converted to Christianity and became a missionary himself.  One can only imagine what their meeting on that day must have been like!

For more information:

http://www.crawfurd.dk/africa/livingstone.htm

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/November/Dr-Livingstone-I-Presume.html

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thisweekinchristianhistory/november10.html

This Day in History October 28, 1949

Today's feature is something that is indeed humbling to me, and I have heard about this amazing story since I was very young.  Have you ever heard of Jim Elliot?  Maybe you are familiar with his wife's work Through Gates of Splendor.  If not, let me tell you just briefly about Jim Elliot.

He was October 8, 1927, in Portland, Oregon.  He became a Christian at a young age, and he attended Wheaton College in Illinois.  He knew he was called to be a missionary, and although he met his future wife, they held off pursuing a relationship due to what they believed was God's will.  They did marry finally in October 8, 1953, as they had discovered it was God's will that they should marry.

Elliot and four other missionaries believed God had called them to the native peoples of Ecuador.  The Waodani people had not been reached with the gospel at this point.  January 8, 1956, he and the other missionaries' bodies were found.  The peoples had killed them.  You might be interested to know that his wife (now widow) had the privilege of leading the one who killed her husband to the Lord.  Talk about an absolute miracle!

It was on this date in 1949, that Jim Elliot wrote one of the most profound sayings that have impacted people all over Christendom.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

For more information, please check out:
http://www.christianheroes.com/people/christian_heroes_jim_elliot.asp
http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/bios/b4jelliot6ra.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Elliot
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thisweekinchristianhistory/october28.html