Robinson, Raleigh P.

Missionary. Born in Escondido, California, of Seventh-day Adventist parents, he attended the first permanent West Coast church school, which operated in San Pasqual. From 1902 to 1905 he was a student at the San Fernando Academy. During 1907 and 1908 he spent some time canvassing, and was also connected with the Bible training school in Los Angeles.

In 1909 he married Lena Clark, and three years later the couple was called to Africa. Their first station was Solusi Mission in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where Robinson worked for seven years, assisting in the school and taking most of the responsibility for the farm.

In 1921, the Robinsons were invited to work in the Belgian Congo (now Zaïre). Far beyond the railhead, they settled on the Songa station in the southeast part of the Congo. Later they pioneered the work at the Bikobo Hill Mission. Because this station was in a wild region, the family underwent many hardships, such as the children’s suffering severely from malaria.

Through the years Robinson was stationed on a number of missions, most of them distant and isolated outposts. In fact he always preferred frontier life, and frequently asked permission to work in difficult areas. He spent many years at Chimpempe and Rusangu missions in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).

Because his children had taken up mission service in Africa, Robinson, instead of retiring in America, built a cottage at Chisekesi, about six miles (ten kilometers) from Rusangu Mission. Despite retirement he continued to take an active interest in missionary work. In all, he gave nearly fifty years to the cause of African missions.

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