For Adolphus

From his biography, A Life For Africa.

This morning I had to research the first Presbyterian missionary to Cameroon during the latter part of the 19th century. Stick with me.

From his biography:
"...with his eyes shut he could see the uplands broadly plaided with alternating fields of winter wheat and plowed land, could point to the dip in the rounded hills where Pine Creek runs, or where the Little Mahoning marks a gap between forest trees..."

I got to this point and fairly shouted at my boss, "HE WAS FROM NORTHERN INDIANA COUNTY!" This is where my parents live. Rural. Not flashy.
His name was Adolphus C. Good. He was licensed by the Kittanning presbytery in 1881. He not only established the church in Cameroon (then a German possession), but opened a school for boys. Adolphus died at 38.
The effect of this life was enormous, though it appears he never got any accolades during his lifetime. The only biography I could find was the one published in 1897. He was even overlooked in the Foreign Missionary publication when he left for Africa, though he fulfilled the denomination's measly quota of one new worker each year! In fact, there's no mention of him in any publication for the first four years of his service. Ouch.
So enormous was his impact, though, that we got a call this morning from a pastor in Cameroon wanting to know the history of the Presbyterian churches in his country. He figured a random Philadelphia church would know the missionary because of the way it affected his entire country.

If you think your life is small, think of Adolphus.