— By a visionary volunteer

William Carey’s famous quote to others as he deliberated about going to India:
”Well, I will go down if you will hold the rope.” Do we remember the names of
those who vowed to hold the rope as Carey descended into the dark, almost
bottomless well of India? No, those names are lost to us, yet we remember the
name of Carey. His work in the 19th century stands as a pinnacle of mission
outreach. Many books about him grace our bookshelves. Yet – could he have
gone without the prayers and provision of those faithful people who vowed to
“hold the rope” for him? No. the story of William Carey’s mission to India
might never have been told had it not been for the saints who God called as his partners.

Just so, GRN has partners, both home base support workers and friends all over, who make field work possible. Recordists on the field, spokesmen in churches, and representatives at conferences, are the “Careys” of our GRN family. We see them, we love and admire their willingness to “go down the well,” to deliver The Story of Jesus in Every Language. But are there some who sit on the edge of the well, unable to proceed with their calling? Perhaps because they have nobody to hold the rope, nobody to support them and pray diligently for them.

Then there are those who labor quietly in home offices, unknown and unsung,
sitting long hours at computers, opening your precious mail and praying over
your prayer requests, staying late to finish financial reports and see that your
vital contributions are sent correctly … they stand alongside, guiding the ropes,
as the more-recognized Careys are sent to their work places. Home staff also
leave their states and families, give up the security of a weekly paycheck, and
look to God to move the hand of others to pray for them and provide needed
support. And all this they do quietly but with joy unspeakable in order to serve
their Savior.

How about you and I? Are we doing our part by holding the rope for our present-day Careys? I pray it may be so, for without us, they could not go. And the Careys must go — countless souls await a saving message. Lord of the harvest, we ask for laborers: those to go, but also those to “hold the rope.”