Birth: 18-07-1792
Home Calling :10-02-1822
Native Place: Massachusetts
Country: United States of America
Place of Vision: Palestine, Asia Minor and Egypt
Just like prophet Samuel, Levi Parsons was dedicated by his mother to serve the Lord all the days of his life. Although he had a religious upbringing, he lived a life of a hypocrite. He read the word of God, feared it, yet couldn’t mould his life according to it. He was torn with distressing internal conflicts. Once he participated in a revival meeting where God spoke to him through the verse – “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself” (Hosea 13:9). Immediately he was overwhelmed by his sinful wickedness. He cried out for redemption and God was faithful in forgiving him.
After his graduation, in 1817 he offered himself to serve in Palestine, a place that others didn’t dare to enter. Along with his friend Pliny Fisk he reached Smyrna in 1819. He was overjoyed to look at the city that once accommodated a church, to which Christ himself wrote a letter. Oh, but the joy turned to sorrow when he saw Christianity degenerate into ceremonies and rituals. He was agitated in the spirit looking at the false prophets running the churches. Then Parsons decided to either set things right or die. Ignoring the life threats and hatred from the Mohammedans and Catholics, he boldly preached Christ, the resurrected. He visited the spiritually blind leaders and convinced them of their wrongdoings in the church. Though many scoffed at him, his sight was set on the duty and not the outcome.
Along with Fisk, he journeyed to seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation. He also established a mission station in Egypt. At the end of 1820, he visited Jerusalem, distributed tracts and Bibles hoping to establish a mission station one day. His reports of the ministry in the Holy land encouraged many Americans, who later took up their cross to work in Palestine.
In 1821, he suffered from serious illness and went to be with Lord at the very young age of 29.
