Born on this day 291 years ago, David Brainerd had a weak constitution for much of his life and died of tuberculosis at the age of 29, but he is revered in the US as a pioneer of modern missionary work. Brainerd became an orphan at the age of 14. He subsequently obtained admission to Yale University, but was expelled for making an adverse comment about a college tutor. He received his preaching licence in 1742 and began missionary work with native Americans in 1743.
Although Brainerd was on the whole well-received by the Indians, his work amongst them was accompanied by many hardships, including isolation, loneliness and frequent bouts of illness. He travelled considerable distances on horseback to meet with and preach to different groups of Indians, but was frequently discouraged by their lack of responsiveness to the gospel. More than two years passed before he baptised his first converts, who were his Indian interpreter and the interpreter’s wife.
The following month a number of conversions occurred as he preached to a group of 65, and as news of this travelled more Indians and some white settlers began to attend his meetings. 25 were baptised later than month, August 1745. His ministry amongst the Indians continued for one more year, with the number of converts reaching 85 before he became too ill to continue, and in 1747 he died at the home of the famous preacher Jonathan Edwards.