Lott Carey ran his hands over the polished wood of his new desk. He shook his head in wonder while contemplating the most recent turn-of-events in his life.
Lord, I can scarce believe where you’ve brought me, he prayed.
Surely no one but a prophet could have predicted this day for Lott, a former slave from Virginia, born about 1780.
Thank you, Father, for placing me in a God-fearing family, and for our kind master who kept us together—my grandmother, parents, and me. Thank you for their faithfulness to raise me up knowing you.
Lott rested his elbows on the desk and covered his eyes at the next memory, when his master sent him to work in a tobacco warehouse in Richmond.
He was twenty-four, joined with a group of carousing men, and began drinking heavily.
Months later, he returned to church and reestablished his faith in Christ.
Thank you, Lord, for never giving up on me, even when I turned my back on you.
Lott smiled to think how God engineered the ensuing events. First came the desire to read, and Lott signed up for night school at First Baptist Church. He also studied writing, math, the Bible, and other subjects.
Then God provided a promotion to supervisor at the tobacco warehouse, providing a better salary. Lott saved every extra penny and purchased his freedom [1].
Looking back, God, I can see how you’ve cared for me all along the way. You’ve gone before me, you’ve been with me, and have never forsaken me [2].
Next came the realization that God had given him a gift for preaching, and his church licensed him to do so. Lott ministered to a small black congregation for a time, and under his leadership, it grew to over eight hundred members. Lott began receiving invitations to preach all over Virginia.
That turned out to be a short stretch of road, didn’t it Father! You used my teacher, Mr. Crane, and others to turn my heart toward Africa, which I found exciting but also overwhelming.
The fact that my church family provided strong affirmation encouraged me that this was your plan.
For six years the idea of becoming a missionary in Africa had grown increasingly urgent in Lott’s heart. Finally, in 1821, the dream became a reality when he, his second wife, three children and two more co-workers with their families set sail for Sierra Leone.
They were the first black Americans to serve as missionaries in Africa.
West Africa
Lott shook his head. Never would I have expected my life journery to take me across the ocean!” he mused.
Not long after disembarking, the group discovered that the American Colonization Society, responsible for purchasing land for them, had not done so. The team had to work as laborers for nearly a year until support arrived from the States.
An even more grievous event that year: Lott’s wife became ill and died.
Such agonizing setbacks might have done me in, Lord, but you upheld me. Thank you for your sustaining presence.
One uplifting circumstance: God used Lott to establish a mission among the nearby Mandingo tribe.
In 1822 the neighboring state of Liberia was founded by the America Colonization Society as a place for freed slaves to resettle and govern themselves.
Lott became Liberia’s health officer and government inspector in the capital city of Monrovia, while also serving as pastor for several churches.
These have been exciting times, Lord. You’ve also helped me found the Monrovia Mission Society, to help us spread the good news of Christ all over Africa.
He suddenly chuckled. AND you made me physician of the colony!
Lott marveled how much he’d learned just through observation and experience while ministering to the sick. He’d also absorbed knowledge from scientific practitioners who visited the colony [3].
But most surprising of all, Lord, is where I currently sit, at this desk—the GOVERNOR’S desk!
Who would ever guess that an illiterate, former slave like me would be chosen provisional governor of Liberia while the elected governor returns home because of illness?
Lott surveyed the desktop with its books and papers–his domain now.
God, you’ve taken me on an extraordinary journey. As I assume these responsibilities, thank you in advance for your continued enablement to do what you require. May I serve you well, AMEN.
Little did Lott know that he’d shortly be organizing a defense force against hostile tribes, that he and seven co-workers would die in a gun powder explosion while preparing to rescue negotiators from the enemy. He was just forty-nine years old.
And yet during his short life, Lott set for us a stellar example of hard work, strong faith, and prayerful compliance with whatever God set before him to do.
His legacy lives on in the Lott Carey Global Christian Missional Community, established in 1897 and “dedicated to broadening the reach of the Christian faith across the globe” [4].
[1] He also purchased freedom for his first wife who later died, and their two children. The cost: $850. (https://landmarkevents.org/lott-carey-sails-for-africa-1821/; https://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/taylor/taylor.html).
[2] Deuteronomy 31:18 NIV
[3] https://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/taylor/taylor.html , 44.
[4] https://lottcarey.org/
Additional Sources:
http://www.imb.org, “Missionaries You Should Know: Lott Carey.”
https://www.thetravelingteam.org/articles/lott-carey
Image credits: http://www.stockcake.com; http://www.picryl.com; http://www.canva.com; http://www.flickr.com (Juan Freire); http://www.heartlight.org; http://www.canva.com.
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From the Inside Out 