Alexander Mackay was born in Scotland in 1849. His father was a preacher, and often when he was away, his mother would tell him stories of the brave missionaries who changed the world for Christ.
He not only loved the Lord, but also was gifted at mechanics. He would go to the building site of the local church to watch the men work. The men would ask him if he was going to preach to them. Alexander's response was, "Give me a trowel, so I can build and preach at the same time."
He wanted to learn about the trains that passed through 4 miles from his home. He learned all he could about the ships in the docks. He wanted to learn about engineering, and went to Germany to further his studies in this field.
The stories of David Livingston never left his mind. "What could an engineer do in Africa?", he would ask himself.
One night, in 1875, he read an article in the Edinburg Daily review. The article was written by Henry Stanley. It told of King M'tesa of Uganda who wanted to know about the "white man's God". Stanley wrote that someone who could cure diseases and build dwellings would be welcomed.
Alexander always liked John the Baptist- the man who was sent to prepare the way for the Lord. Now, he saw that he could be both a minister and an engineer in Africa. He could build the village and show people the gospel of Christ.
He wrote the Church Missionary Society telling them of his burden. Just 4 months later, Alexander and seven others were on their way to Africa.
They landed in Zanzibar in 1876 and then had to make the 800 mile trip to Lake Victoria. Before leaving, however, Alexander got very sick. He had to stay while the others went on ahead.
When he recovered, he was told to wait until the rainy season had ended. He wasn't idle during this time, though. He built a 230 mile wagon road from the coast to Mpwapwa. What once was dense forest was now a road wide enough for 2 wagons to pass each other. Alexander said that he hoped this road would prepare the way of the Lord into the heart of Africa.
Alexander arrived in Uganda in 1878.
Uganda is the home of Lake Victoria. The people lived in fear of evil spirits and sorcerers. The natives had charms on their bodies and their homes to ward off these spirits, and would often offer sacrifices for protection. There were many different gods who each had a specific charm that was needed. People would have charms for snake bites, diseases, and and even to prevent earthquakes and famines.
At the time, it was ruled by King M'tesa of the Waganda. It was customary for King M'tesa to sell his people into slavery to Arabians in exchange for clothes and weapons.
The thought of human trafficking was unsavory to Alexander. He thought of John the Baptist losing his head for standing up to King Herod. But, he knew he must do what was right. He pointed out the as King, he was like a father to his people. He talked of the cruelty that his people would face if they were sold as slaves to the Arabians.
King M'tesa thought about what Alexander had said. He realized it was wrong and said he would no more sell his people as slaves. He later sent a present, a small goat, to thank the "white man". Because of his honesty the chief made him his blood-brother.
Alexander tried hard to show them that their charms couldn't protect them. One day, he bought a powerful charm and then asked the people if he could burn it. They said that he would anger the god of the charm.
He burned the charm to ashes. Half of the crowd fled, and the rest watched to see if some tragic disaster would claim his life.
When speaking to King M'tesa about death, he said that what you're buried with didn't matter. He pointed out that the Waganda lived in fear of witches and sorcerers, and the fear didn't end when they died. He said that their souls were lost in the darkeness of the belief of witches and charms, but that his own soul was saved by Jesus Christ and that he had no fear of what would happen at death.
Alexander set up a workshop and built things for the people. He was a curiosity to the Waganda who thought that women were for work and men were for war. They called him "White man of work".
Many of the people got sick from drinking the marsh waters. So, Alexander dug a well. The people thought it was funny because they knew that water came from the heavens, not the ground.
He took ox fat and made candles. This was very interesting to the Waganda, who watched him intently.
He started a school and taught some of the people to read and write Suahili (the native language). He translated and printed portions of the New Testament for the people to have their own copy of God's Word. He also translated the gospel of Matthew into Luganda.
His desire to see souls saved was never lost during his improvement of the Uganda civilization.
His life was not without it's problems. The Arabians were not happy about the loss of their "trade negotiations". And the French priests had come, and started stirring up trouble. King M'tesa himself turned out to be a blood-thirsty tyrant.
The King wasn't happy with Alexander because he didn't think having 300 wives was wrong. Though Alexander plainly told him the truth, the Arabians used subtlety and diplomacy and the French spouted policy and conduct. They even overlooked the 5 times in 2 years that King M'tesa sent his warriors to destroy and take captives and plunder from the neighboring villages.
King M'tesa's cruelty extended to his own people. Though he had stopped selling them into slavery, he hadn't stopped killing them to seize their assets. Alexander witnessed what he called their butchering almost every day.
On top of these routine killings, there was also a ritual where they would gather many victims and at the end of a certain amount of time they would be sacrificed to the various gods. In 1881, Alexander witnessed 2,000 people slaughtered in one day for this ritual.
In 1883, the King had come down with some sickness, and the witch doctor told him that he needed a mass killing to appease the god and so he could get better. Though Alexander tried to plead with the king that this was wrong, he was ignored.
When M'tesa died, his son M'wanga took the rule. He was a cruel child of 18. He blamed the Christians for his troubles. Along with an Arabian, M'wanga caught 3 of the converted Waganda. The oldest was 15 and the youngest was 12. They wouldn't denounce Christ, and so they were mutilated and burned.
A man who had come to help Alexander was met by his soldiers at Lake Victoria and speared before he had even made it to the village. His last words were, "Tell your king that I give my life for the people of Uganda."
Next, the king had 200 Christians tortured and killed. His head executioner told him that he had never seen such calmness and bravery from those who faced death.
Alexander was able to meet up with Henry Stanley, the man who's article had encouraged him to come to Uganda. Stanley wanted Alexander to come back to England and refresh himself, but Alexander wouldn't leave the work without someone to finish it.
Only a few months later, in 1890, he contracted a fever and went on to meet those who had gone before him. His life was spent teaching, building, helping, and serving- the impact of his sacrifice wouldn't be seen for a few more decades.
In 1922, Basil Matthews, Prime Minister of Uganda, told a story of being beaten by King M'wanga because he believed in Christ. But, he also told of M'wanga's son, King Kaudi the Christian. In the spot where the 3 young boys gave their lives for Christ stands a cross, erected by 70,000 Waganda Christians. And the capitol of Uganda has a beautiful church. No more slave trade or ritual sacrifice.
Alexander Mackay may not have lived to see these results of his life's work, but somehow he knew that his life wouldn't be in vain. He said, "The conquest of Africa has already cost many lives; but the end to be gained is worth the price paid. Let us not forget that the redemption of the world cost infinitely more."
