America’s first
foreign missionary, Judson endured heart-rending suffering during his
thirty-seven years in Burma. He left behind friends and family and a promising
career in Boston. He had to master the complex Burmese language without the aid
of any textbooks. He labored for six years before winning a single convert.
While on the mission field he suffered the untimely deaths of two wives (he
remarried after the death of his first wife), three children, and a number of
coworkers. Judson was incarcerated for nearly two years in a mind-numbingly
squalid prison—emaciated, filthy, shackled, and hanging upside-down much of the
time. His few Burmese followers faced the constant threat of persecution.
Still, Judson persevered in his work of preaching and translation.
When he returned to Boston for
his only furlough, Judson was asked by a prominent printer, “Do you think the
prospects are bright for the speedy conversion of the heathen?” Judson promptly
replied, “As bright as the promises of God.” Today, thanks in large part to
Judson’s pioneering work, there are at least four million Christians in Burma.
