Trying to Put Tragedy Behind Them
Trying to put the tragedy behind them, William and Dolly moved to a new cottage in Moulton. Dolly was haunted by the loss of her baby girl, but William threw himself into his work. On August 10, 1786, he was ordained as a Baptist minister and became the pastor of a small church and the local schoolmaster in Moulton. Working hard to provide for his family, he taught school during the weekdays, repaired shoes at night, and preached on Sundays.
A Growing Hunger for the Nations
During this time, William also taught himself French, Italian, and Dutch. As a teacher, his most passionate subject was geography. Zealously, Carey uncovered all the mysteries he could about foreign lands and created mural-sized maps for the students, detailing every country, capital, river, and mountain. As the months grew into years, his longing to see these lands grew.
Family Joy and Renewed Sorrow
From 1785 to 1789, Dolly gave birth to three boys:
Felix, William Jr., and Peter. Their laughter helped ease the pain in Dolly’s heart over the death of little Ann. But there were still times when Carey would find her sitting alone, staring into space or crying silently. William prayed for her emotional health to return.
Unfortunately, childhood disease was common. Dolly and William’s fifth child, Lucy, was born in 1791. She was a sweet, healthy baby, but in her second year, she became ill with a sudden fever and died. Once again, Dolly retreated into anguish. William dealt with it by pushing on with his work.
God of All Peoples
When God issues a call on a man or woman’s heart, it might come in the roar of a thunderstorm or in the quiet of the night, but he or she hears His voice distinctly. William had a growing conviction that God wanted to send Christian missionaries into a hopeless world. As he walked the English countryside in prayer, God brought Isaiah 54 to his remembrance: “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings….Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the Lord has called you” (Isaiah 54:2, 5-6 NKJV).
The Redeemer was not just the God of England or the God of Europe. He was the God of the whole earth, and Carey was determined to proclaim this missionary truth.
To be continued…
Tale Tuesday 123
Date: 1st April, 2025
Title: : WILLIAM CAREY (Part 3)
Source: God’s generals- The Missionaries
Author: Roberts Liardon
Previous post
Next post
