Clara Hill

Clara Hill was a missionary's daughter who defended Dr. William Leslie when Belgian soldiers mocked his work in the Congo. She later returned to nurse him through smallpox after he endangered himself caring for young Patrice. Following a year of courtship, Clara married William and shared his long medical mission. Together they raised children, served patients, and moved upriver when Vanga Village appeared ready to hear the Gospel. The invitation collapsed after villagers connected the mission family with soldiers who had enslaved their people. Clara endured the family's rejection and eventual return to America while William believed their labor had failed. Loyal, courageous, and compassionate, she shared a calling whose greatest results emerged only generations after the Leslies could see them.