Leader’s guide · 12 weeks

Leader’s guide: David Livingstone (For Children)

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This guide helps you lead twelve weekly sessions on David Livingstone (For Children), the true story of a Scottish mill boy who became a doctor and missionary, walked across Africa, worked to end the slave trade, and was carried home at the last by his faithful African friends. It is best for children aged 8 to 12, and younger ones can join in with a grown-up close by. It works for a Sunday school class, a homeschool group or a family around the table, with anything from a handful of children to about twenty.

Each session takes about thirty minutes. Welcome the children and say the memory verse together (3 minutes). Read the week’s chapter aloud (5–7 minutes). Talk together using the chapter’s three questions (5–10 minutes). Do the activity (10 minutes). Close by praying the chapter’s short prayer, or one of your own (2 minutes).

To prepare, read the chapter yourself beforehand so nothing in it takes you by surprise, and have paper and crayons or pencils ready. Some chapters tell of a lion attack, the cruelty of the slave trade, and the deaths of people David loved, so read those parts calmly, answer questions simply and truthfully without adding detail, never act those scenes out, and keep pointing to the people who are the real heroes of this story alongside David: Mebalwe, Sechele, Sekeletu’s men, Susi, Chuma, Jacob Wainwright and many more.

Week 1 — A Book on the Spinning Machine

David Livingstone is born on 19 March 1813 in Blantyre, Scotland, and grows up with his family in one crowded, tidy room in Shuttle Row, where the Bible is read every day and the family rule is to be honest. At ten he goes to work in the cotton mill as a piecer from six in the morning till eight at night, yet he buys a Latin book with his first pay, studies till midnight, and reads a sentence from a book propped on the machine each time he walks past. The big idea: God can use the small, dull work we do today to get us ready for what he has planned.

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” — from Ecclesiastes 9

Memory verse

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men.

Colossians 3:23

Talk together

  1. What job did David do when he was ten years old?

    He worked in the cotton mill as a piecer, joining the threads on the spinning machines when they broke, from six in the morning until eight at night.

  2. How did David manage to study while he worked?

    He went to the evening school after work, studied at home late into the night, and put a book on the machine so he could read a sentence each time he walked past.

  3. Is there a small job you could do with all your might this week?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God can use our work, even small and dull jobs, to get us ready for what he has planned.

Activity

A Sentence Each Time I Pass

You will need: One sheet of paper and a crayon, prepared by the leader

  1. Before the session, write the memory verse in large letters on a sheet of paper and stand it on a chair, like David’s book on the spinning machine.
  2. Have the children walk slowly in a circle round the room, pretending to watch the machines and mend the threads.
  3. Each time a child passes the chair, have them read the next few words aloud and keep walking.
  4. After a few rounds, turn the paper over and see if the whole group can say the verse from memory.

Pray

Dear God, thank you for my home and for the people who love me. Help me to be honest, and to do my work well, even when it is hard. Amen.

Read chapter 1

Week 2 — Seeing in Colour

David collects plants, rocks and shells and never stops asking questions, but for a while he is troubled because some people say a Christian should not study the rocks and stars. A book by Thomas Dick shows him that the whole world is God’s handiwork, and in his late teens he trusts Jesus for himself, which he says was like a colour-blind person suddenly seeing colours. When war closes the way to China, Robert Moffat tells him to go north in Africa, and in 1840 he becomes a doctor. The big idea: God made the stars, the rocks and us, and when one door closes he still knows the way.

“The heavens tell the glory of God, and the sky shows the work of his hands.” — from Psalm 19

Memory verse

The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork.

Psalm 19:1

Talk together

  1. Which book helped David to see that he could love science and love God?

    A book by a Scottish minister named Thomas Dick, who taught that the whole world is God’s handiwork.

  2. Why did David go to Africa instead of China?

    A war closed the way to China. Then he met Robert Moffat, who told him to go north in Africa, to lands where no missionary had been.

  3. What is something in God’s world that makes you want to thank him?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God made everything, and learning about his world can help us to praise him.

Activity

From Grey to Colour

You will need: Paper, pencils and crayons

  1. Have each child draw, in pencil only, something God made that they love: stars, rocks, shells, a tree or an animal.
  2. Talk about how David said trusting Jesus was like suddenly seeing in colour: nothing new was there, but everything looked different.
  3. Now have them colour the picture brightly with crayons.
  4. Hold the pictures up together and say the memory verse, thanking God for his handiwork.

Pray

Dear God, thank you for the stars, the rocks, the plants and the animals that you have made. Help me to see your love everywhere, and to use my life to help others. Amen.

Read chapter 2

Week 3 — The Lion at Mabotsa

David says goodbye to his father after the family reads Psalm 121, sails for Africa in 1840, reaches Kuruman in 1841, and lives six months among the Bakwena to learn Setswana. In 1844 at Mabotsa a lion attacks him and breaks his arm, and he lives because a Christian teacher named Mebalwe and another man bravely run at the lion and are hurt themselves. Leader’s note: read the lion scene once, calmly, and do not act it out or add detail; put the weight on Mebalwe’s courage. The big idea: God is with us in danger, and often he helps us through brave and kind people.

“The Lord stood by me, and strengthened me … and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” — from 2 Timothy 4

Memory verse

My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:2

Talk together

  1. Why did David go to live among the Bakwena for six months?

    So that he would hear and speak nothing but Setswana, and learn to talk to people in their own language.

  2. Who saved David from the lion?

    Mebalwe, a Christian teacher, who tried to shoot the lion, and another man who ran at it with a spear. Both of them were hurt, but as far as we know they got better.

  3. Who are some of the people God has given you to help you?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God is with us in danger, and often he helps us through brave and kind people.

Activity

My Help Comes from the LORD

You will need: Nothing

  1. Teach the memory verse with simple actions: hand on heart for “my help,” point up for “the LORD,” arms wide for “heaven and earth.”
  2. Sit in a circle and remind the children that God helped David through Mebalwe and another brave man.
  3. Go round the circle and let each child name someone who helps them, such as a parent, a teacher, a doctor or a friend.
  4. After each name, have the whole group say together, “Thank you, God, for [name]!”
  5. Finish by saying the verse with the actions one last time.

Pray

Dear God, thank you for keeping me safe. Thank you for the people who help me when I am in trouble. Help me to be brave and kind like Mebalwe. Amen.

Read chapter 3

Week 4 — The Chief Who Loved to Read

David marries Mary Moffat in 1845 and goes to live with Sechele, chief of the Bakwena, who learns the alphabet on the first day, loves the book of Isaiah, and asks hard, honest questions about God. David refuses Sechele’s offer to make his people believe with whips, because nobody can be forced to believe in Jesus. Sechele is baptised in 1848, later does wrong, but never gives up on God; he rebuilds his burned town and leads many of his people to Jesus. The big idea: Sechele is a real hero of faith, and when we do wrong God does not give up on us, so we need not give up on him.

“How can I understand, unless someone guides me?” — from Acts 8

Memory verse

Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105

Talk together

  1. What was Sechele’s favourite book of the Bible?

    Isaiah. He said Isaiah was a fine man who knew how to speak.

  2. Why did David say no when Sechele offered to make his people believe?

    Because nobody can be forced to believe in Jesus. Faith has to be freely given.

  3. What can you do when you have done something wrong?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God does not give up on us; we can say sorry, come back to him, and keep following him, like Sechele.

Activity

Sechele’s Reading Lesson

You will need: Paper and a crayon, prepared by the leader

  1. Before the session, write each word or short phrase of the memory verse on its own sheet of paper.
  2. Mix up the sheets and hand them out to children (in pairs if you have many).
  3. Have the group put themselves in the right order to make the verse, then read it aloud together.
  4. Mix them up and try again, a little faster, and cheer when the verse is right, as quick a reader as Sechele.

Pray

Dear God, thank you for giving me your word to read. When I do wrong, help me to come back to you, and to keep following you all my life, like Sechele. Amen.

Read chapter 4

Week 5 — Four Days Without Water

In 1849, guided by Ramotobi, a man Sechele sends, David crosses the Kalahari and reaches Lake Ngami, which the people there had always known. On later journeys with Mary and the children, baby Elizabeth dies at about six weeks, and the family goes four days without water before men find some on the fifth day; then David sees traders buying people with guns and cloth and resolves to help end it, and in 1852 he sends his family to Britain for four and a half years. Leader’s note: mention Elizabeth’s death and the thirst simply, without lingering. The big idea: the chapter honestly says David did not always think enough about what his choices cost his family, and being brave for God never means forgetting the people we love.

“The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.” — from Isaiah 35

Memory verse

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.

Isaiah 35:1

Talk together

  1. What happened when Shobo lost the way in the desert?

    The family had no water for four days, and the children nearly died of thirst. On the fifth day some of the men found water.

  2. What terrible thing did David see beside the Zambezi River?

    Traders buying people to sell as slaves, in exchange for guns and cloth. He made up his mind to help stop it.

  3. How can you show love to your family this week?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that being brave for God never means forgetting the people we love.

Activity

A Kindness Card for Home

You will need: Paper and crayons or pencils

  1. Have each child fold a sheet of paper in half to make a card.
  2. On the front, have them draw a flower blooming in the desert, like the memory verse.
  3. Inside, help them write one kind thing they will do for someone at home this week, such as “I will help set the table” or “I will play with my little brother.”
  4. Let them sign it and take it home to give, and pray together for each family represented.

Pray

Dear God, thank you for my family. Help me to be brave for you, and also to be kind and caring to the people closest to me. Amen.

Read chapter 5

Week 6 — Twenty-Seven Men

In 1853 David sets out west from Linyanti with twenty-seven Makololo men chosen by the young chief Sekeletu and led by Pitsane; the chapter is clear it was their journey as much as his. His magic lantern of Bible pictures makes the women run from Abraham’s knife and everyone laughs afterwards; the young woman chief Manenko leads them through pouring rain; and David will not hand over a single man to be sold. At Luanda he is ill and is offered a passage home, but he stays because he promised to bring the men home, and the ship sinks with his letters and maps. The big idea: God always keeps his promises, and he wants us to keep ours even when it costs us something.

“He keeps his promise, even when it hurts him.” — from Psalm 15

Memory verse

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope unyieldingly. For he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23

Talk together

  1. Who chose the twenty-seven men, and who was their leader?

    Sekeletu, the young chief of the Makololo, chose them, and their leader was a man named Pitsane.

  2. Why did David refuse to sail home from Luanda?

    He had promised Sekeletu to bring the men home, and they did not know the way back through dangerous country.

  3. Is there a promise you need to keep, even if it is hard?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God always keeps his promises, and he wants us to keep ours, even when it costs us something.

Activity

Magic Lantern Promise Pictures

You will need: Paper and crayons

  1. Remind the children that David carried a magic lantern that showed Bible pictures painted on glass.
  2. Have each child draw a Bible story in which God kept a promise, such as Noah’s rainbow, baby Isaac being born, or Jesus rising from the tomb.
  3. Let children hold up their pictures one at a time while the others guess the story.
  4. After each guess, have everyone say together, “He who promised is faithful!”

Pray

Dear God, thank you that you always keep your promises. Help me to keep mine, even when it is hard. Amen.

Read chapter 6

Week 7 — “The Smoke That Thunders”

After a year’s walk the twenty-seven men come home to Linyanti as heroes, and David heads east down the Zambezi with more than a hundred of Sekeletu’s men and the guide Sekwebu. Sekeletu’s men take him by canoe to the edge of Mosi-oa-Tunya, “the smoke that thunders,” which he names after Queen Victoria, though the people there had known it for centuries. Facing armed men at a river crossing, he reads Jesus’ promise to be with us always, feels calm, and stays on the bank until the last of his men has crossed; in 1856 he reaches the Indian Ocean, but grieves when Sekwebu drowns on the voyage. The big idea: when we are afraid, we can hold on to Jesus’ promise to be with us always.

“Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” — from Matthew 28

Memory verse

Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Matthew 28:20

Talk together

  1. What does the name Mosi-oa-Tunya mean?

    “The smoke that thunders,” because of the great clouds of spray that rise from the waterfall.

  2. What helped David to feel calm the night before he crossed the river?

    Jesus’ promise, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” David trusted that Jesus would keep his word.

  3. What could you remember when you feel afraid?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that Jesus has promised to be with us always, and we can hold on to that promise.

Activity

The Smoke That Thunders

You will need: Nothing

  1. Sit the children in a circle and explain that you will make the sound of a great waterfall together, copying you.
  2. Start quietly by rubbing hands together, then snap fingers, then pat knees, then pat knees hard and stamp feet for the thundering falls.
  3. Slowly go back down through the sounds until the room is quiet again.
  4. In the quiet, say the end of the memory verse softly together: “I am with you always.”

Pray

Dear Jesus, thank you for promising to be with me always. When I am afraid, help me to remember your promise and to trust you. Amen.

Read chapter 7

Week 8 — Setting the Captives Free

David comes home to Britain in 1856 to find his children hardly know him and his father has died; at Cambridge he says his work was “no sacrifice” but “a privilege,” though Mary and the children had given up a great deal. On the Zambezi expedition he reaches Lake Nyasa, on a main slave road, and in July 1861 at Mbame’s village he and his friends free a line of eighty-four captured people, most of them women and children, among them, as the story is usually told, a boy named Chuma. Leader’s note: describe the captives simply and never act out capture or rescue; let the people’s joy and Chuma’s freedom be the picture. The big idea: Jesus came to set people free, and God wants us to care for and stand up for people who are treated cruelly.

“He has sent me … to proclaim liberty to the captives.” — from Isaiah 61

Memory verse

Who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners.

Psalm 146:7

Talk together

  1. What did David say at Cambridge about the sacrifice he had made?

    He said, “It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege,” and “I never made a sacrifice.”

  2. What happened at Mbame’s village in July 1861?

    A line of captured people was brought in. The men driving them ran away, and David and his friends set eighty-four people free, most of them women and children.

  3. How can you stand up for someone who is being treated badly?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that God cares about people who are treated cruelly, and he wants us to care and to help.

Activity

What Could I Do?

You will need: Nothing

  1. Explain that God cares about anyone who is treated unfairly, and that we can stand up for people too, in everyday ways.
  2. Read out short situations one at a time, such as “Someone is left out of a game,” “A new child has nobody to sit with,” or “Someone is being laughed at.”
  3. After each one, let children suggest kind and brave things they could do, such as inviting, sitting with, or telling a grown-up.
  4. Close by praying together for people who are treated cruelly in the world today.

Pray

Dear Jesus, thank you that you came to set people free. Please help everyone who is treated cruelly today, and show me how I can help too. Amen.

Read chapter 8

Week 9 — Goodbye Under the Baobab Tree

Mary Livingstone, called Ma-Robert, “mother of Robert,” was a brave missionary in her own right: she grew up in Africa speaking Setswana, ran schools, made soap, candles and clothes, and nursed the sick. After years apart she sails to join David, and they have a few weeks together at Shupanga before she catches a fever and dies on 27 April 1862, at forty-one, and is buried under a baobab tree. David is heartbroken, weeps and prays, trusts she has gone ahead to be with God, and begins to see what his journeys cost her. Leader’s note: some children may have lost someone, so keep the talk gentle and do not ask anyone to share their own losses aloud. The big idea: it is right to cry when we lose someone, and God stays close to the brokenhearted.

“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart.” — from Psalm 34

Memory verse

The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.

Psalm 34:18

Talk together

  1. What did the people call Mary, and what does it mean?

    Ma-Robert, which means “mother of Robert,” after her eldest son.

  2. Where was Mary buried?

    Under a great baobab tree near the house at Shupanga, beside the Zambezi River.

  3. Who could you talk to when you feel very sad?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that it is right to cry when we lose someone, and God stays close to people whose hearts are broken.

Activity

Ma-Robert’s Busy Hands

You will need: Paper and crayons

  1. Remind the children of all the good work Mary did: teaching little children, making soap, candles and clothes, and nursing the sick.
  2. Have each child draw a big picture of Mary at one of these jobs, with lots of people she is helping.
  3. Help them write “Thank you, God, for Mary” across the top.
  4. Pray together quietly, asking God to stay close to anyone who is feeling sad today.

Pray

Dear God, thank you for the people I love. When I am sad, please come close to me and comfort me. Amen.

Read chapter 9

Week 10 — Susi and Chuma

Back in Britain, David hears that his eldest son Robert has died as a prisoner in the American war; in 1865 he leaves Britain for the last time to seek the source of the Nile and to show the world the slave roads. Chuma and Wikatani, now young men, and Susi go with him; Wikatani finds his lost family and stays with them; porters run off with the medicine box; and when David is near death and then unable to walk for months, Susi, Chuma and Gardner stay, find food and nurse him while he reads the whole Bible through four times. Leader’s note: mention Robert’s death briefly. The big idea: Susi and Chuma are real heroes, and staying with a friend who is weak and sick, when it would be easier to leave, is a beautiful way to love God and people.

“By faith Abraham obeyed and went out, not knowing where he was going.” — from Hebrews 11

Memory verse

A friend loves at all times; and a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 17:17

Talk together

  1. What was stolen from David in January 1867, and why did it matter?

    His medicine box. Without his medicines he had no way to fight the fevers that made him ill.

  2. Who stayed with David and cared for him when his feet were too sore to walk?

    Susi, Chuma and a young man named Gardner. They found food for him and looked after him.

  3. Who is someone you could be a faithful friend to?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that staying with someone who is weak or sick is a beautiful way to love God and people.

Activity

Stay With Me Walk

You will need: Nothing (move chairs to make a simple path)

  1. Put the children in pairs and set out a gentle path round the room, going round a few chairs.
  2. Have one child in each pair close their eyes while the partner holds their elbow and guides them slowly and safely along the path, talking kindly all the way.
  3. Swap over so everyone gets a turn at being the faithful friend.
  4. Ask how it felt to have someone stay right beside them, then say the memory verse together and thank God for Susi and Chuma.

Pray

Dear God, thank you for faithful friends like Susi and Chuma. Help me to be a faithful friend, and to stay close to people who need help. Amen.

Read chapter 10

Week 11 — “Dr. Livingstone, I Presume?”

At Nyangwe in July 1871 David sees men working for a slave trader shoot into a market crowd; he cannot stop it, but he prays and writes it down, and his report helps close the great slave market at Zanzibar. Back at Ujiji, sick and thin, Susi runs to tell him an Englishman has come: Henry Morton Stanley, who by his own telling greets him with “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” and brings food, medicine and letters from his children. They spend about four months together, David will not go home until his work is done, and on his birthday he writes, “My Jesus, my king, my life, my all; I again dedicate my whole self to Thee.” Leader’s note: mention Nyangwe in a sentence and move on, without detail. The big idea: God sends help at just the right time, and we can give our whole selves to Jesus again every day.

“Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.” — from Proverbs 25

Memory verse

Like cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

Proverbs 25:25

Talk together

  1. Who came running to tell David that an Englishman had arrived?

    Susi. The visitor was Henry Morton Stanley, who had come to find David.

  2. What did Stanley say when he met David, by his own account?

    “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” David said yes, with a kind smile.

  3. What could you say to Jesus to give yourself to him today?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that, like David on his birthday, we can give our whole selves to Jesus again, every day.

Activity

Map of David’s Journeys

You will need: Large sheets of paper and crayons

  1. Put the children in groups of three or four with one large sheet of paper each, and have them draw the outline of Africa big in the middle, with Scotland as a small island shape at the top corner and the sea between.
  2. Help them mark the places from the story: Kuruman and the Kalahari in the south, Lake Ngami, Linyanti, Luanda on the west coast, the great waterfall on the Zambezi, the Indian Ocean on the east, Lake Nyasa, and Ujiji.
  3. Draw a dotted line for the walk to the west coast and back with the twenty-seven men, and another for the walk east to the Indian Ocean.
  4. Draw two little smiling figures at Ujiji for David and Stanley meeting, and write “Good news!” beside them, then say the memory verse together.

Pray

Dear Jesus, you are my king and my all. Thank you for sending help when I need it. Today I give my whole self to you again. Amen.

Read chapter 11

Week 12 — Carried Home by Faithful Hands

In 1872 David sets off again with Susi, Chuma, the boy Majwara and Jacob Wainwright, who had been freed from slavery as a boy; through swamps his friends carry him on a bed of poles. At Chitambo’s village, around 1 May 1873, Majwara finds him kneeling by his bed as if praying, and his friends believe he died praying. Led by Susi and Chuma, they bury his heart in Africa under a tree and carry his body about a thousand miles to the coast, refusing to leave him; he is buried in Westminster Abbey in 1874, “Brought by faithful hands over land and sea,” Susi is later baptised David, and the Zanzibar slave market is closed and a church built there. Leader’s note: tell David’s death and the long journey simply and calmly, and do not dwell on the burial details. The big idea: David did not see the fruit of his life, but God did, and God uses faithful people like Susi and Chuma to do great things.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” — from Psalm 116

Memory verse

I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7

Talk together

  1. What did Majwara see before dawn at Chitambo’s village?

    He saw David kneeling by his bed with his head in his hands, as if he were praying. Later he saw that he had not moved, and he fetched the others.

  2. What did David’s friends decide to do after he died?

    With Susi and Chuma as their leaders, they buried his heart in Africa and carried his body about a thousand miles to the coast, so that his own people could bury him.

  3. What does it mean to be faithful, like Susi and Chuma?

    Any honest answer is good here. The chapter’s point is that faithful friends keep going and stay loyal even when it is hard, and God uses their faithfulness to do great things.

Activity

Faithful Hands

You will need: One large sheet of paper and crayons or pencils

  1. Write across the top of the large sheet, “Brought by faithful hands over land and sea,” and read it to the children.
  2. Have each child trace round one of their hands on the sheet.
  3. Inside their hand, have them write or draw one way they will be faithful to God or to a friend this year.
  4. Look back over the whole story by naming the faithful friends together: Mebalwe, Sechele, Pitsane, Manenko, Sekwebu, Mary, Susi, Chuma, Majwara and Jacob.
  5. Pray, thanking God for faithful hands and asking him to make each child faithful too.

Pray

Dear God, thank you for David Livingstone and all his faithful friends. Help me to be faithful to you and to the people you give me, all my life. Amen.

Read chapter 12