September 27. Prince Kaboo. In the jungles of Liberia, nearing the end of the nineteenth century, people were always preparing for tribal warfare. Or they were recovering from tribal warfare. Or they were in the middle of tribal warfare.
It was a hard way to live.
But fifteen-year-old Prince Kaboo—the son of a Kru tribal chieftain—bore more than his share of the tribal-warfare pain. Already he had been kidnapped and held for ransom—twice.
Does life seem like it is over? There’s still hope.
The third time the Grebo tribe defeated the Kru and captured Prince Kaboo, they held him for ransom—as usual. And as usual, the prince survived at the mercy of the drunken Grebo chief.
But this time, no matter how much rice, ivory, or other gifts Kaboo’s father brought, the Grebo chief refused to free Kaboo.
Now—after all this fighting—that crazed Grebo chief had plans. He told Kaboo the Grebo were going to tie Kaboo to a tree and beat him until he passed out.
Then they were going to bury him up to his neck and prop his mouth open with a stick. Next, they would smear honey all over the boy to attract flesh-eating driver-ants.
And when the ants had had their way, the Grebos would hang Kaboo’s skeleton as a warning that ransom must be paid.
The time came. Warriors bound Kaboo to the whipping post. With poisonous, thorny vines, his captors lashed him over and over. His body was shredded, and escape was impossible.
Suddenly a blinding light from above shone on Kaboo’s mangled body.
“ … the Grebo chief screamed in terror.”1
Everyone there heard a voice that seemed to come from above them. “The voice said, ‘Get up, Kaboo, get up and run away.’”
The vines that had held him to the tree fell off, and he burst free.
He bled. A lot. But his body surged with new energy.
Miraculously strong, Kaboo ran.
He saw a soft light ahead, and he followed it. That unexplainable light led him through the thick maze of murky jungle to a coffee plantation, where he met missionary Anna Knolls. And he stayed—there where he was safe—and he could heal.
One day during normal Bible study time, Anna told the story of the light that had blinded the Apostle Paul.
“I have seen that light!” Kaboo yelled. “When they were whipping me, and I was about to die, I heard that voice. … Now I know who it was who saved my life. It was Jesus!”
Stunned, the missionary explained that Jesus died on a cross to pay the ransom for all people. Kaboo understood being ransomed.
One night he was again surprised by light. “The room grew brighter until it was filled with glory. The burden of my heart suddenly disappeared. … I … shouted until everyone in the barracks was awakened: ‘Praise God! Praise God! I am His son! He is my Father!’”
“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15 NASB).
For the rest of his short life Kaboo, who was later named Samuel Morris at his baptism, clung to the truth that he was a son of God, who loved him.
A missionary advised Kaboo to go to the United States for education, and he did. Since he had no money, he started off to America on foot. For several nights, he slept on the beach until he could barter his passage for work.
He was on his way, but they beat him and gave him the dirtiest, most dangerous jobs. By the time Kaboo arrived in New York, the captain and most of the crew had become Christians. In the United States, Kaboo preached the gospel to anyone who would listen.
Have you been through some battles? Is there a way to use that to speak into someone else’s life? Does life seem like it is over? There’s still hope.
1 Brother James. “Samuel Morris aka Prince Kaboo.” Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
http://www.courtofheaven.com/pdfs/books/15-Sam-Morris-22-pages.pdf
Whalin, W. Terry. Samuel Morris: The Apostle of Simple Faith. Heroes of the Faith. Uhrichsville OH: Barbour Publishing, 1996.
Keller, Kenneth B., ed. Journal Gazette. February 14, 1971.
Would You Like to Learn More About This Man?
Would you like your children or grandchildren to know more about Samuel Morris? Quest for the Lost Prince, written for children by Dave and Neta Jackson, tells more of his story. You can view this and other Trailblazer books at http://trailblazerbooks.com.
Taylor University President Thaddeus Reade said, “[Kaboo] thought he was coming over here to prepare himself for his mission to his people, but his coming was to prepare Taylor University for her mission to the whole world.”
Story read by: Peter R Warren, https://www.peterwarrenministries.com/
Introduction read by: Daniel Carpenter
Audio production: Joel Carpenter
Story written by: Paula Moldenhauer, http://paulamoldenhauer.com/
Editor: Teresa Crumpton, https://authorspark.org/
Project manager: Blake Mattocks
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