No one can be successful
in this life as a Lone Ranger. We all need the support that comes from strong relationships. William Carey of England knew
the value of strong relationships. He knew the importance of having friends who would support him in his endeavors.
Carey was ordained in August
1786. During a ministers meeting that year, Carey suggested that Jesus’ command to His disciples “to teach all
nations” was still in effect. Mr. Ryland, the meeting chairman, rebuked him and accused of being an enthusiast! Well
Carey was quite embarrassed. His fellow ministers treated his ideas as impractical. But that same year he met Thomas Potts,
who had visited America and saw the need for missionary work. Potts supported Carey in his vision.
Carey began to realize
that his dreams would never be fulfilled if he worked on his own. In time, God brought other people across his path that encouraged
and helped him. As a direct consequence of Carey’s work, the first Evangelical missions agency was created in 1792.
One day in 1793, Carey
and some friends were discussing the need for foreign missions. Andrew Fuller, a fellow minister who was at that gathering,
recalled, “We saw there was a gold mine in India, but it was as deep as the center of the Earth.” Fuller asked
who would venture to explore that mine. Carey spoke up and addressed his friends: “I will venture to go down, but remember
that you must hold the ropes.”
By “holding the ropes,”
Carey meant consistently praying for him, financially supporting him, and regularly communicating on his behalf with the churches
in England. His friends agreed.
Carey went to India and
made possible the translation of the Bible into numerous languages. Many have called Carey the father of modern missions,
but he saw his relationship with his supporters in England as a brotherhood. He traveled to India, but he knew he was only
able to accomplish what he did because his partners back in England were “holding the ropes.” There are many ministries
in need of your help in “holding the ropes;” and supporting them financially and prayerfully and Save My Loved
Ones is such a ministry.
Please consider joining us as a prayer volunteer or becoming a sponsor.
