John Gibson Paton

John Gibson Paton was born on May 24, 1824, in Kirkmahoe, in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. His father, James Paton, was a stocking maker, and the family was poor but devout. As a boy, he saw his father pray in a small closet in their cottage, where he would retire for private devotion. He later said that the sound of his father's prayers, which he heard through the wall, left an impression on him that stayed with him for the rest of his life. He had little schooling, and he left school at the age of twelve to work with his father. He was a bright and eager youth who longed to study.

He saved his wages and put himself through school and then through university in Glasgow. He worked as a city missionary in Glasgow for ten years, and he reached out to the poor and to those who lived in the slums. He had a gift for speaking to the common people. In 1858, he was called to serve as a missionary in the New Hebrides, now Vanuatu, a group of islands in the South Pacific. The Presbyterian Church of Scotland had begun a mission there, but it had suffered terrible losses. Several missionaries had been killed by the islanders, and the work was in doubt. Paton volunteered to go.

He was married, in 1858, to Mary Ann Robson, and in the same year they sailed for the islands. They settled on the island of Tanna, where the people were known to be hostile. The people of Tanna were warlike and were practicing cannibalism. The Patons set up a home and began to work. They faced fierce opposition. The Tannese were suspicious of the foreigners, and they blamed them for the epidemics that struck the island. In March 1859, Mary Ann gave birth to a son, and within a few weeks, both she and the baby died. Paton buried them with his own hands by the house. He was overcome with grief but stayed on.

He remained on Tanna for several more years, and he was often in danger. He was threatened with violence and escaped death again and again. The people burned his house and tried to kill him. In 1862, he was forced to flee the island. He had made a small beginning in the work, but he could not stay. He went to Australia and to Scotland, where he raised funds for the mission. He told his story and urged the church to support the work. He raised money for a mission ship, the Dayspring.

In 1866, he returned to the New Hebrides with his second wife, Margaret Whitecross. They went to the island of Aniwa, which was close to Tanna. He spent the next fifteen years working there. This time, the work was a success. Through patience and kindness, he gained the trust of the people. He dug a well, which seemed a marvel to the islanders, who had never seen water come from the ground. It led them to ask about the God who gave water. He taught the people and translated parts of the Bible into the Aniwan language. By the 1870s, the entire island of Aniwa had become Christian.

He was a man of great courage and faith, and he was sometimes headstrong. He insisted that the work be done in a particular way and had disagreements with his colleagues. He was a tireless fundraiser and traveled widely to make appeals. He wrote an autobiography, John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides, which was widely read and brought the work to the attention of the world. It has been used to challenge many to go to the mission field.

He died on January 28, 1907, in Melbourne, Australia, at the age of eighty-two. By the time of his death, a large number of the islands of the New Hebrides had been won to Christ. His life shows that a missionary can overcome terrible loss and danger by faith and patient love.