Ovid Elbert Davis was born in Michigan on April 3, 1868. In 1902, he was inspired by Ellen White’s counsel to become a missionary, so he completed a ministerial course and accepted a call to work among the indigenous peoples of Alaska and then British Columbia.

On January 19, 1906, the General Conference voted to send Ovid Elbert Davis to British Guiana (Guiana), where the Adventist work had been recently started. He married Carrie Rosley in April, and the couple went to their new mission field the following month.

Davis distributed literature during his first two years in British Guiana. Then, in 1910, he reported organizing a new church 160 miles up the Barama River. It would become the Rio Paruime Mission. It was also in 1910 that Davis received a request from tribes deep in the interior that had never been visited by white men, asking to be taught the message of salvation.

These tribes had learned about the Adventist work by contact with indigenous people at the mission at Tapagruma Creek. There were reports that an old chief had been visited by a “shining being” who taught them about Creation, the entrance of sin, the story of the promised Redeemer, and Christ’s Second Coming. He also showed them how to worship on the seventh-day Sabbath and live a healthful life. He told him that a man with a black book would come and teach them more.

The journey took Davis two months. In one report, he stated that he had traveled 29 days by boat and an additional 10 days through dense forest.

Davis taught the Word of God to the forest tribes with his “black book” and reported the establishment of three mission bases among them. He noted that 187 people “took their stand to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” He built three church buildings and began to instruct the new believers “on the points of our faith.” He also taught them to sing a song in English, ‘There’s Not a Friend Like the Lowly Jesus.’”

Davis returned for a second visit in 1911. He complained about a fever and heart problems just before departure. The last entry in his diary in his handwriting was “Monday, July 17—The day was spent in further instruction and naming the people.” Naming people referenced the desire of new converts for a new name representative of their resolve to follow the Christian’s God and learn His ways.

This story was adapted from Michael Campbell’s biographical article in the online Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists. We invite you to visit encyclopedia.adventist.org to enjoy more stories about Adventist missionaries. Read the rest of this story next week.