Mary Slessor: Light for the Dark Continent

Mary Slessor had every reason-except one-to be afraid. Her God was with her in Calabar, West Africa, in 1876 as He had been during her dreary upbringing in Scotland. Surrounded by warring tribes governed by witchcraft and barbaric rites, Mary Slessor nonetheless went where few others dared-to bring hope and light to the once Dark Continent. Armed with a relentless faith, abetted by her medical skills, linguistic abilities, and a contagious sense of humor, Slessor succeeded in opening Africa to healthy trade- and the message of Christ. And, like David Livingstone, with whom she shared an abhorrence of slavery, she was committed to breathing her last while charting new territory for the Lord.