William Carey was one of the pioneers of the modern missionary movement as he left his native England and went to India.  In due process Carey established himself and began to translate the Bible into the language of the people he worked with.  Before the days of linguists and computers, it was a long slow process.  Eventually a printer joined him, and, after years of effort, Bibles were printed and the process of distribution was begun.  One day, however, Carey returned from a time of ministry elsewhere to find that a disastrous fire had broken out and had completely destroyed the building housing his offices and press, but far more damaging, his manuscripts, grammars and dictionaries had all gone up in flames as well.  Nothing short of death could have struck such a blow.