Fired with the vision of missionary work in Africa, Merfyn Temple trained as a Methodist minister and sailed for Northern Rhodesia in 1943. Yet he soon came to reject the classic colonial-missionary mould. He joined the campaign for Zambian independence and became a close friend of President Kenneth Kaunda, working for the new Zambia in its struggles and mistakes. In his seven years of grass-roots life in the village of Chipapa, Merfyn combined the roles of rural development manager, outspoken advocate for justice, and local community worker, encouraging self-reliance and organic agriculture....

Returning from his 31 years as a Methodist missionary in Zambia, Merfyn Temple tries to settle down into a quiet pastoral ministry in Oxfordshire. But his impulsive energy and charisma soon find other causes to follow and wrongs to right. From his efforts to sail to the Falklands at the height of the war, to his cycle ride through Africa to promote organic agriculture, Merfyn sweeps us all into his passion for justice. At the age of 83 his journey to Harare and deliver a personal letter to President Mugabe, ends him in the city jail for a few days. Liberally illustrated with photographs and...