From an early age, Daniel Comboni believed he was called to missionary work in Africa. And indeed, within three years of his ordination at age twenty-two, Daniel and five other missionaries were in Sudan. There, his dream collided with reality. The climate was far different from that of his native Italy. The Sudanese were leery of the men, regarding them in the same light as slave traders. The work was hard with little fruit. Daniel returned home in 1859 and spent a few years teaching and rethinking his missionary strategy.