It all began with a slave named Anthony. He came to talk to the Moravians about his country, The West Indies, needing missionaries. John Leonard Dober was touched by this man's plea. He told the Lord that if he could find one other person to go with him he would be a missionary to The West Indies. It took a whole year, but John was finally on his way with a fellow Christian named David Nitshman.
David only remained in The West Indies for a few months. But that didn't stop John Dober from accomplishing what God had called him to do. He moved into a small hut so that he could witness among the slaves about Christ. He was able to lead Anthony's brother and sister to Christ.
John was recalled back to Germany by the Moravians, but that wasn't the end of his work for Christ. The Moravians started having a prayer vigil for the lost. Their crest had an ox with a plow on the one side and an altar on the other. This symbolized that, like the ox, they would work for Christ or lay down their lives in His service.
The Lord used the Moravians to send out hundreds of missionaries all over the world. They seemed to always choose difficult regions and hard to reach places, but their influence didn't stop there. Their examples encouraged men such as Robert Moffat, William Carey, and others. Only the Lord knows how many souls came to know and serve Him because one man was willing to give up his life to serve the Lord among some slaves.
To learn more about the Moravian missionaries, click here.
