10.3.2010 MAY YOU LIVE FOREVER!

reported..nearly 40% of india's 1 billion people live on less than $1.25 a day...india just spent an estimated $6 billion to prepare for the commonwealth games.

william carey said, and lived, 'attempt great things for God; expect great things from God.

toward the end of his life alexander duff, who would in a sense be carey's successor in india, when frist meeting carey had a time to talk with him the two had reviewed carey's long and famed missionary life. duff's praise of carey's work went on until finally the dying man whispered, 'pray'. duff prayed and arose to say his last goodbye. as he passed from the room he thot he heard a feeble voice pronouncing his name. he turned to find the aged missionary calling him again to his side. ..in a solemn, gracious, barely audible voice carey said, ' mr. duff, you have been speaking about dr. carey, dr carey. when i am gone say nothing about dr. carey - speak about dr. carey's savior.'

another recounted, he was seated near his desk in the study, dressed in his usual neat attire. his eyes were closed..his appearance, as he sat there, with his few white locks and his placid, colorless face, filled me with a kind of awe, for he seemed as one listening to his master's summons, and ready to go. i sat there for about half an hour without a word, for i feared to break that silence, and to call back to earth the spirit that seemed almost in heaven. at last, however, i spoke, and well do i remember the ..words that passed..'dear friend..i said..you seem to be standing on the very border of eternity. do not think it wrong then that i ask your thots and feelings'.
the question aroused carey. slowly he opened his eyes and then with a feeble though earnest voice he answered, 'i know in whom i have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which i have committed unto Him against that day. but when i think i am about to appear in God's holy presence, and i remember all my sins, i tremble'.

in his last will and testament he said, 'i direct that before every other thing all my lawful debts be paid, that my funeral be as plain as possible, that i may be buried by the side of my second wife, charlotte emilia carey, and that the following inscription, and nothing more, may be cut on the stone which commemorates her, either above or below as there may be room:
william carey
born august 17, 1761: died -
a wretched, poor and helpless worm,
on Thy kind arms i fall.

mission thots from one of carey's letters...'i must now just tell you my thots about the mission. brother fountain is safely arrived and gives us pleasure but our affairs as a mission are in a delicate situation..the experiences obtained here i look upon as the very thing which will tend to support the mission...'

(my note)carey's mission was, i believe, almost totally self supporting from the time of his arrival. carey and his fellow missionaries go income from carey's professorship, in the area of linguistics, at a local college along with a bit of translation work he undertook for the government. he also translated parts of the bible, and in some cases the whole bible into 40 different languages of the east. the press that they had set up at the mission station printed almost continuously, another source of income. they also established a boy's and (first) girls school at the station which soon multiplied into many schools in the surrounding region. most of the european population sent their children to these schools. they were however looked at and most widely used to prepare a reading population who could then read and communicate the truths of the bible to those around them. they were a third source of income. with this income, after a very minute portion was used to provide the missionaries' needs, was used to disseminate the bible and to support native ministry involved in evangelizing and establishing churches throughout india and other countries in this area.

...'i now know all the methods of agriculture that are used here. i know the tricks of the natives, and the nature of the lowest rate of house-experiments on those heads which could not have been made without ruin had i not had those resources and i will now propose to you what i would recommend to the society - you will find it similar to what the moravians do. 7 or 8 families can be maintained for nearly the same expenses as 1, if this method is pursued. i then earnestly entreat the society to set their faces this way and send out more missionaries. we ought to be 7 or 8 families together - and it is absolutely necessary for the wives of missionaries to be as hearty in the work as their husbands. our families should be considered as nurseries for the mission and among us should be a person capable of teaching school, so as to educate our children.

i recommend all living together in a number of little straw houses forming a line or a square and of having nothing of our own but all the general stock. one or two should be elected stewards to provide over all the management which should with respect to eating, drinking , working, worship, learning, preaching excursions yet be reduced to fixed rules. should the above mentioned natives join us all should be considered equal and come under the same regulations. (part of the vision was to provide a ready-made christian community for indians who were totally rejected by the surrounding society because of their faith in Christ)