Many years ago in England, there was a boy named William Carey. His father was a weaver—but the young son was not well built for that kind of work. So, at age 14, he had to learn his trade from a cobbler, a person who mends shoes.

By age 18, William rejoiced in knowing Jesus as his Saviour and tried in many ways to tell his unbelieving boss, Mr. Nichols, about the Lord. It took a long while, but before the older man’s death, he finally accepted Jesus into his heart. This victory inspired young William to want to find more souls with whom he could share the Gospel.

Where might these souls be, wondered William. . . .

He decided to make a huge map out of brown paper and pieces of leather and hang it up in his cobbler shop. He studied about the many countries of the world, the number of people in each place, what their life was like, and what they believed. As he looked at his map, William thought about all the people around the world who did not know Jesus, and he would weep for them.

Years passed before the young cobbler could do much about his goal, but finally, at the age of 32, together with his wife and children, he traveled to India to take the gospel message to that nation. There in India, for 7 long years, the Careys worked every day to try to win souls to Jesus. It wasn’t easy as they saw no fruits from their labor, but they did not give up. . . .

Then at last, someone accepted the message! Soon after, with the help of God, thousands more followed.

How about you? You might have your own wall—or at least a notebook—where you can put a picture. What is in your favorite picture? Cars, airplanes, animals or pretty clothes, perhaps? Think of the map that William made—and how it helped him to stay focused and make his life more special. He became famous for his faithfulness as a brave missionary for Christ. He was glad because he was doing the best work in the world—winning souls for the Lord. His goal can be ours:

“Expect great things from God! Attempt great things for God!”