God’s Call to the West Indies
Was he to travel to the West Indies himself? God’s answer through the lot was, “Go to St. Thomas.” Knowing that he would not be immune to quick death in the tropical climate, Zinzendorf put his European affairs in order. To protect his estates from the suspicious Saxon government, Ludwig had already legally turned over all of his property to Erdmuthe. Now, he wrote out a detailed will concerning the rest of his personal effects and made arrangements to travel to the New World
A Wife’s Faith in God’s Will
Erdmuthe wrote to her brother of her husband’s zealous new plan. “You can easily imagine what a difficult test this is for someone like me to see my dear Ludwig begin such a long and dangerous journey.”
“I could not bear it if I were not sure it was the Savior’s will and not just some venturesome act. I believe the Savior will bring him back to me if it is His will and He will not place more on his shoulders than he can bear.”
Missionaries in Prison
Sailing from Europe in November 1738, Ludwig stepped onto West Indies soil at St. Thomas on January 29, 1739, officially becoming a foreign missionary for Christ. Asking a native worker on the docks for the location of the Moravian missionaries, Ludwig was incensed to hear that they had spent the last three months in a local prison!
Revival Behind Bars
With a smile, the slave reassured the count that the imprisonment of the missionaries had renewed the slaves’ interest to hear more about Jesus.
“A great revival is beginning here!” the man insisted. “You should be happy the missionaries have been in prison, for there is a great awakening among the slaves as a result! The imprisonment of the brethren is quite a sermon to them!”
Confronting the Authorities
Nevertheless, knowing that his missionaries had the support of the Danish king, Ludwig stormed into the governor’s office. “This is an outrage,” he protested. “These missionaries have permission from the Danish authorities to preach to the people. How dare anyone throw them into prison?” The governor quickly released the missionaries, fearful of the ire of the European nobleman.
Preaching to Hundreds of Slaves
Over the next six months, Ludwig preached to gatherings of six to eight hundred slaves from nearly fifty plantations every Saturday night, some meetings lasting into the following morning. The response of the natives to the gospel was exhilarating.
To be continued…
Tale Tuesday 119
Date: 4th March, 2025
Title: : COUNT NIKOLAUS LUDWIG VON ZINZENDORF (The Founder of The Moravian Community) (Part 16)
Source: God’s generals- The Missionaries
Author: Roberts Liardon
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