Sophie de la Haye

Tommie Titcombe was small in stature physically, but spiritually he was a giant. Saved in his early twenties, he soon felt called of God to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who had never heard the good news of salvation. Twice he applied to the Sudan Interior Mission, and twice he was refused. He told the director, Rowland Bingham, that he was going to Africa anyway. Upon being asked what board he was going under, Tommie replied, “I don’t know, Mr. Bingham. It may be some old woman’s wash board, but I’m going to Africa!” Seeing Tommie’s determination, Mr. Bingham soon afterwards relented and accepted him into SIM and he became the first missionary to live among the Yagba people of Nigeria, West Africa. His story is a blood-stirring pioneer thriller. More than that, it is the record of how God used a very ordinary man to break into an animistic society and start a movement that produced a large and healthy church. Tommie Titcombe’s spiritual insights and personal courage have made his name a legend among the many Christians of Yagbaland. His story also provides us with an extremely relevant case history of sound missionary principles at work.