Dr. Thomas Alexander Lambie (1885 – 14 April 1954) was a
missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
medical doctor noteworthy for becoming an Ethiopian citizen, being responsible for several early medical efforts in
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
(including the founding of two hospitals). He also worked as a medical doctor in
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
and
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
, where he died.
Life
Dr. Lambie was born in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, United States. He worked as a missionary with his family in
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
among the
Nuer Nuer may refer to:
* Nuer people
* Nuer language
The Nuer language (Thok Naath) ("people's language") is a Nilotic language of the Western Nilotic group. It is spoken by the Nuer people of South Sudan and in western Ethiopia (region of Gamb ...
and
Anuak people
The Anyuak, also known as Anyua and Anywaa, are a Luo Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting parts of East Africa. The Anuak belong to the larger Luo family group. Their language is referred to as Dha-Anywaa. They are primarily found in Gambela Region in ...
, and then sailed up the
Baro River
The Baro River ( am, ባሮ ወንዝ) or Baro/Openo Wenz, known to the Anuak as Openo River, is a river in southwestern Ethiopia, which defines part of Ethiopian border with South Sudan. From its source in the Ethiopian Highlands it flows west ...
into Ethiopia in 1918, becoming the first American missionaries in Ethiopia. He began work in
Sayo,
Welega
Welega (also spelled Wollega; ; am, ወለጋ) was a province in western Ethiopia, with its capital city at Nekemte. It was named for the Wollega Oromo, who are the majority of the population within its boundaries.
Welega was bordered on the w ...
, and
Gore
Gore may refer to:
Places Australia
* Gore, Queensland
* Gore Creek (New South Wales)
* Gore Island (Queensland)
Canada
* Gore, Nova Scotia, a rural community
* Gore, Quebec, a township municipality
* Gore Bay, Ontario, a township on Manitouli ...
in
Illubabor Province
Illubabor (Amharic: ኢሉባቦር) was a province in the south-western part of Ethiopia, along the border with Sudan. The name Illubabor is said to come from two Oromo words, "Illu" and "Abba Bor(a)". "Illu" is a name of a clan, and "Abba Bor ...
.
Dr. Lambie removed a small beetle that had crawled into Governor ''
Ras
Ras or RAS may refer to:
Arts and media
* RAS Records Real Authentic Sound, a reggae record label
* Rundfunk Anstalt Südtirol, a south Tyrolese public broadcasting service
* Rás 1, an Icelandic radio station
* Rás 2, an Icelandic radio stati ...
''
Tessema Nadew
'' Ras Bitwoded'' Tessema Nadew (died 10 April 1911) horse name Abba Qamaw was an Ethiopian military commander and a government official who on 28 October 1909 was proclaimed as Ethiopia's future ''Balemulu Enderase'' (Regent Plenipotentiary)''B ...
's ear that was causing great pain. ''Ras'' Nadew's gratitude led him to write a letter of commendation and an introduction to the prince regent, ''Ras'' Tafari (later Emperor
Haile Selassie
Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...
).
[Coote, Robert. 1998. "Lambie, Thomas", in ''Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions'', ed. by Gerald Anderson, p. 381-382. New York: Simon & Macmillan. 0-02-864604-5]
When the Lambie family traveled to
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
, ''Ras'' Tafari requested that Dr. Lambie build a hospital there, offering him a tract 12 acres in size at Gullele outside the city. Upon his return to the United States, Dr. Lambie approached his board for help with this endeavor. Although they recognized the need for a hospital the board was unable to provide him with the necessary funds, which led Lambie to embark on a fund-raising tour of his country. It was while visiting a small town in Ohio that he encountered W.S. George, a successful businessman who provided him with
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
70,000 to found the hospital. Construction on the hospital began in 1922, which became the biggest building in Ethiopia at the time.
In 1928, having initially launched the Abyssinian Frontiers Mission in 1927, then merged it with SIM (at that time "
Sudan Interior Mission
SIM is an international, interdenominational Evangelical Christian mission organization. It was established in 1893 by its three founders, Walter Gowans and Rowland Bingham of Canada and Thomas Kent of the United States.
The initials originally ...
") in Ethiopia, Dr. Lambie negotiated permission to begin mission work south of Addis Ababa, as far as
Sidamo. This was a delicate procedure because ''Ras'' Tafari was subject to strong pressures from some in the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church
The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ኦርቶዶክስ ተዋሕዶ ቤተ ክርስቲያን, ''Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan'') is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Chris ...
.
[
In 1932, Dr. Lambie built a ]leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...
hospital on the edge of Addis Ababa, now part of ALERT. At the urging of Ras Kassa, Dr. Lambie investigated building a hospital in Lalibela
Lalibela ( am, ላሊበላ) is a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Located in the Lasta district and North Wollo Zone, it is a tourist site for its famous rock-cut monolithic churches. The whole of Lalibela is a large and important site ...
in 1934, but the outbreak of the war prevented this. Emperor Haile Selassie I appointed Dr. Lambie secretary-general of the new Ethiopian Red Cross
The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) ( am, የኢትዮጵያ ቀይ መስቀል ማህበር) is a health facility in Ethiopia. It was founded and recognized by the ICRC
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité ...
to oversee the efforts of Ethiopian and foreign medical teams.[
After Italy occupied Addis Ababa in 1935, Lambie at first submitted to the Italian regime in order to continue his work, going as far as to retract his reports about Italian use of ]mustard gas
Mustard gas or sulfur mustard is a chemical compound belonging to a family of cytotoxic and blister agents known as mustard agents. The name ''mustard gas'' is technically incorrect: the substance, when dispersed, is often not actually a gas, b ...
in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression which was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Itali ...
. Upon the restoration of Emperor Haile Selassie to the throne, Dr. Lambie left Ethiopia; because he had acquired Ethiopian citizenship in order to own the property his hospital was built on, he was forced to apply for naturalization.
In 1946, he joined the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions The Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions (IBPFM) is a small Presbyterian mission organization, which early in its history became an approved agency of the Bible Presbyterian Church. Founded in 1933 by J. Gresham Machen, the IBPFM pla ...
(IBPFM). He went on to work in Nigeria, Sudan, and in Palestine where he built the 90 bed Berachah Tuberculosis Sanitarium in Bethlehem and started Baraka Bible Presbyterian Church
Baraka Bible Presbyterian Church is a reformed and fundamental Bible Presbyterian church located in Bethlehem and Shepherd's Field. The first and only Bible Presbyterian Church in Israel, it is often attended by Pilgrims who visit the Holy Land. ...
, Bethlehem in 1953.
He died at Christ’s tomb, on April 14, 1954.
Writings
*Lambie, Thomas. 1935. ''Abayte! or Ethiopia's Plea for Help''.
*Lambie, Thomas. 1939. ''Doctor Without a Country'' (later reprinted as ''A Doctor’s Great Commission''). New York.
*Lambie, Thomas. 1942. ''A Doctor Carries On''. New York.
*Lambie, Thomas. 1943. ''Boot and Saddle in Africa''. New York.
*Lambie, Thomas. 1954. ''A Doctor's Great Commission''. Wheaton, Illinois.
References
Relevant literature
*Anderson, William B. 1998. Thomas Lambie: Missionary Pioneer in Sudan and Ethiopia, 1907-1942. In ''Gateway to the Heart of Africa'', edited by Francesco Pierli, Maria Teresa Ratti, and Andrew C. Wheeler, 126-145. Nairobi: Paulines Publications
*Balisky, E. Paul. 2020. ''Thomas A Lambie: Missionary Doctor and Entrepreneur''. Wipf and Stock: Eugene, OR; 312 pp.:
*Unseth, Peter. 2007. "Lambie, Thomas Alexander". ''Encyclopaedia Aethiopica'' Sigbert Uhlig, ed., vol. 3:491.
External links
* http://www.dacb.org/stories/ethiopia/lambie_thomas.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lambie, Thomas
1885 births
1954 deaths
American Presbyterian missionaries
American emigrants to Ethiopia
American expatriates in Nigeria
American expatriates in Sudan
American expatriates in Mandatory Palestine
People from Pittsburgh
Presbyterian missionaries in Ethiopia
Presbyterian missionaries in Sudan
Presbyterian missionaries in Palestine (region)
Presbyterian missionaries in Nigeria
Christian medical missionaries