THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY EMPHASIS STORIES  
VOLUME II  
Prepared Jointly  
By  
Norma Youngberg, Fern Babcock,  
The Ellen G. White Estate,  
and  
The General Conference  
Department of Education  
May, 1980


Copyright 1980 by  
The Ellen G. White Estate  
The General Conference Department of Education  
All Rights Reserved  
No part of this material may be reproduced by mimeograph, photocopy,  
or other means without written permission of the copyright holders.  
Printed in the United States  
of America  
11


PREFACE  
In 1964 the White Estate launched a program for Seventh-day Adventist  
elementary schools known as "Spirit of Prophecy Emphasis Week," Stories,  
pictures, and class aids were prepared for five days of worships or class  
sessions. The emphasis in each program was the role of Ellen White as the  
Lord spoke through her in dreams and visions. Eventually a six-year cycle  
of materials was produced on such topics as "Prophets and Visions," "The  
Human Interest Story," "A Worldwide Church," and "Ellen White and Her 
Friends."  
After several years of revising and updating, it was suggested that  
ie programs should (1) be put in more permanent form, and (2) be written  
for upper and lower grade levels. A committee composed of elementary 
teachers and supervisors met for three weeks in the summer of 1977, They  
combed through Emphasis Week materials, books, manuscripts, and other White  
Estate sources, selecting what they considered to be the best stories 
available.  
Norma Youngberg and Fern Babcock were asked to adapt and write the  
stories for two grade levels, and Edna Maye Loveless prepared teacher dis- 
cussion ideas for each story. Finally,  the White Estate and the General  
Conference Department of Education cooperated in organizing and producing  
the books.  
This book, then, is the second in a series of four books containing  
stories on two grade levels that will eventually be prepared. There will  
iii  Center for Adventist Research  
Andrews University  
Berrien Springs, Michigan


be three broad subject areas in each of the  four cycles: (1) Human  
Interest, (2) Prophets, Visions, and Insights, and (3) Your House is the  
World.  
The stories in these books are not in print in this form anywhere  
else. They are copyrighted by the White Estate and the General Conference  
Department of Education, and should not be reproduced without permission.  
We do hope that you will find that these stories, prepared ex- 
clusively for Seventh-day Adventist elementary schools, inspire you as a  
teacher as well as provide a valuable tool to build the trust and confi- 
dence of your students in the prophetic gift as witnessed in God's remnant  
church.  
Paul A. Gordon  
Ellen G. White Estate  
Washington, D,C.  
George P. Babcock 
General Conference  
Department of Education  
Washington, D.C, 
May, 1980  
iv


TABLE OF CONTENTS  
VOLUME II  
PART I, Grades 1-4  
HUMAN INTEREST STORIES 1  
Early Years: When Bossy Disappeared . . . • . 2  
Middle Years: The Great Campmeetings .... 6  
Willie's Adventures 12  
Grandpa and the Sabbath 19  
Mississippi Riverboat 24 
Mississippi River Escape 29  
Later Years: The Narrow Bridge 34  
PROPHETS, VISIONS, AND INSIGHTS 40  
God's Medical Lectures 41  
Hope for a Dying Boy 47  
The Blueberry Dream 53  
Ellen's Dream of the Narrow Way 59  
Ella Hughes, Neighbor and Friend 64  
YOUR HOUSE IS THE WORLD 71  
Latin America: Adventures with Great Controversy ...... 72  
Books That Win 77  
More Than Marvelous 81  
Africa: The Yellow Books 86  
Jungle Peril 92  
Europe: Streams of Light 98  
Far East: Shipwreck at Sea 104  
Protected in Battle , 110  
v


TABLE OF CONTENTS  
VOLUME II  
PART II, Grades 5-8 115  
HUMAN INTEREST STORIES 117  
Early Years: An Imaginary Interview with Mrs. White 118  
Middle Years: The Courtship of James and Ellen f . , 125  
Wagon Train West 131  
Delia's Favorite Case, Part I ....,.,,, 137 
Delia's Favorite Case, Part II 142  
Later Years: Ellen's Last Visit to PUC 146  
PROPHETS, VISIONS, AND INSIGHTS 150  
Reluctance, Refusal, and Obedience 151  
J. N. Loughborough 157  
Eugene's Surprise From God 163  
Stephen Smith and the Unread Testimony 168  
The Teenager's Secret 173  
Ella Hated Housework 179 
The False Visions 184  
YOUR HOUSE IS THE WORLD 190  
Australia: God's Great Farm 191  
Ellen White and the Maoris 196  
Europe: Two Men from Europe 202  
Latin America: The Book Satan Hates 208  
Southern Asia: The Unaccepted Gift . . , 212  
Burmese Encounter, Part I . , . , 218 
Burmese Encounter, Part II  225  
vi


HUMAN INTEREST STORIES  
Early Years: When Bossy Disappeared  
Middle Years: The Great Campmeetings  
Willie's Adventures  
Grandpa and the Sabbath  
Mississippi Riverboat  
Mississippi River Escape  
Later Years: The Narrow Bridge


WHEN BOSSY DISAPPEARED  
Where was that cow? Ellen Harmon peered anxiously down the rocky  
path that ran across the pretty Maine valley. Ellen liked coming after  
Bossy every evening because the old brown cow usually greeted her at the  
gate with eager moos and pushed her hard, furry head against Ellen's  
hand, demanding a scratch behind  the ears. But this evening there was  
no soft moo, no head butting her hand. Empty silence filled the valley 
and struck fear to Ellen's heart.  
The cow was her responsibility. The Harmon family was not rich,  
and the cow was very important. True, Ellen was only seven years  old,  
but every one of the eight Harmon children had special chores to do.  
It took all of them to keep the farm running  smoothly. Now something  
had happened to Bossy, Ellen was sure. Always before the cow had been  
waiting for her right here.  
With a worried sigh, Ellen opened the gate and started down the  
valley path.  
"Here, Bossy! Here, Bossy!" she called. "Come, Bossy! Good Bossy  
Where ARE you?"  
Stopping to listen, she heard only the echo of her own voice. No  
soft moo greeted her; no rustling sound. Just silence.  
Ellen hesitated. "Maybe I'd better go get someone to find her,"  
she may have thought. "It really isn't my fault she's not here. I'm  
just supposed to lead her up to the milking shed—not hunt all over the  
valley for her."


But Ellen didn't think like that. This was her assigned job, her  
sponsibility. She would find Bossy herself.  
A mountain stream curved and twisted its way along the bottom of  
the valley. Little Ellen began to worry. What if Bossy had crossed it?  
How could she follow the cow then? And how would she get Bossy back over  
the stream if she did find her there?  
"Bossy!" Ellen cried desperately. "Please, Bossy, answer mel  
Booooooosssssy!"  
Suddenly a faint "Moo" broke the silence. It was weak and far away,  
but it was definitely a cow's call. Ellen broke into a run toward the  
creek, calling as she ran.  
Behind the high grass on the creek's bank a familiar brown and white  
head rose just above the greenery. Two mournful brown eyes turned toward  
Ellen.  
"Mooooooo!" Bossy cried. "Moooool"  
"Oh, you poor thing!" Ellen exclaimed. "You're stuck in the mud  
right up to your knees! How will I ever get you out?"  
Ellen remembered hearing the neighbors talk about cows that  
got stuck in the mud and struggled to get out, only to find that the  
more they struggled, the deeper down they went. She surely didn't want  
her Bossy sucked down into that mud. How would she manage?  
The tall grass waving by the creek gave her an idea. Standing on  
the bank's edge and leaning as far toward Bossy as she dared, Ellen  
held out to her cow some freshly picked grass. Bossy snatched it eagerly,  
munching until it was all gone. Expectantly she looked up at Ellen  
and mooed for more.  
"Okay, girl," Ellen said, "here's some more, but you'll have to  
work a bit to get this batch."  
3


Holding out a fresh bunch of grass in one hand and grabbing Bossy's  
closest horn with the other, Ellen let the cow almost touch the tasty 
grass with her soft lips. All at once she snatched it back just out of  
reach. Bossy stretched her neck toward it.  
"Come get it, Bossy," she cried, jerking the cow's horn. Bossy  
lunged forward once, twice, and OUT! Her big mouth closed on the grass  
and her front feet stood on firm ground.  
"Good for you, old  girl!" Ellen threw her arms about the cow's  
neck in an impulsive hug. "Now, let's get your hind legs up here.  
Pull!" As Ellen and Bossy tugged together, the hind feet came up out 
of the mud with a noisy sucking sound.  
"We did it!" the girl cried, hugging her cow again. Then scooping  
up handfuls of creek water she washed the worst of the mud off Bossy,  
and holding another handful of the delicious grass in front of the cow's  
nose, Ellen led her up to the milking shed.  
"Where have you been, Ellen?" Mr. Harmon demanded. "It's almost  
dark. Why weren't you here when we started the milking?"  
Excitedly Ellen told him how Bossy had been stuck in the creek and  
how she'd gotten the cow out.  
"Good for you!" said her father. "I'm glad you found a way to  
solve the problem yourself. You take responsibility very  well."  
Ellen thrilled at her father's praise. She was learning that  
when she met difficulty, she could depend on God to help her use her head  
and her hands to find a solution to the problem.  
In later life, when Ellen was asked to do a hard thing, she sometimes  
remembered old Bossy and thought, "God will help me find a way to do  
this, too, if I put my mind to it." And He always did.  
4


WHEN BOSSY DISAPPEARED  
Objective: To recognize the importance of using head and hand to  
resolve difficulties.  
For Discussion:  
1. Ellen's daily job was . . .  
2. If Ellen had a job to do, she  
a. did it.  
b. needed to be coaxed to do it.  
c. sometimes neglected it.  
3. If trouble arose when Ellen had a job to do, she  
a. gave up.  
b. expected someone else to do it.  
c. thought of ways to overcome the trouble.  
4. Something that Ellen did, even though it wasn't part of her job,  
was . . .  
5. Replace Ellen's name with your own in questions 1 to 4. How will  
you complete each item now?  
6. How did Ellen's childhood job get her ready for her future job as  
a prophetess?  
5


THE GREAT CAMPMEETINGS  
"Wow, what  a crowd!" Mike bounced excitedly on the station wagon's  
back seat, ignoring the fact that he was squeezed into rather close quarters 
with the sleeping bags, lunch box, and thermos jug.  
"Sit still, Mike," Mother cautioned. "You'll have your foot in the  
lunch box if you're not careful. Wait till Daddy stops and you can run 
around outside."  
The blue wagon threaded its way slowly past a large lot of campers  
and trailers and between rows of brown tents, stopping finally before an 
empty one. Mike jumped out, threw back the tent flaps, and examined the  
camp beds.  
I  
Dropping the wagon's tailgate, Daddy started handing things to  
Mother and Mike who stacked them on the tent's beds and floor.  
"This is great," Mike decided. "Wonder how many people are here?  
It sure looks like a lot."  
"I'm sure it's the largest crowd they've ever had," Daddy answered.  
"It's the 100th anniversary of California campmeetings, and everyone who  
can come is here to celebrate the event."  
Mike believed it when he walked into the meeting hall later that  
evening. The seats were all filled and there wasn't even much standing  
room. He wondered if the old campmeetings had been like this a hundred  
years ago. He'd have to remember to ask Dad about it.  
In the bustle of meetings, hikes, and campfires, Mike forgot all  
about his question until campmeeting was over and they were headed back  
across the mountains toward home.  
6


Towering redwood trees lining the highway reminded Mike of long ago  
lings, and suddenly  he remembered his question.  
"Dad, did Adventists a hundred years ago have campmeetings as big  
as ours?"  
"Yes, Mike, they did. I remember reading something that Ellen White  
wrote in 1876. She reported that she and her family had been attending  
many different campmeetings for weeks in a row. There were more than  
20,000 people at one of them. She also noted that they had been sleeping  
in open tents everywhere they went, and yet none of the White family  
had colds."  
"I suppose they had the campmeetings in warm weather, though, didn't  
they Dad?"  
"Not always. I read about one that was held in Kansas in October." 
"Is it cold in Kansas then?" 
"Sure is. And the snow came early that year. In her book Life  
Sketches Mrs. White wrote that snow covered the ground and the air was  
piercing cold,  but nobody went home. People had expected cold weather,  
so every tent had a heating stove. That wasn't such a big campmeeting 
since only 150 people were there, but some of them had driven 200 miles  
by wagon or carriage to be there. They really expected to get a blessing  
from that campmeeting."  
"Why did they have it so late in the year?" Mike looked puzzled.  
"Was that the only time the Whites could be with them?"  
"I think you're right." Dad slowed the station wagon to a crawl  
behind a huge truck laboring uphill. "Even though the Whites  
traveled all summer long, they couldn't visit every place or see all  
^e people who wanted to hear and talk to them. In those days the  
leaders gave their full time to the members at campmeetings, from early  
7


morning till late at night. They counseled, prayed, preached—whatever  
needed to be done, all day long. Campmeeting meant hard work for the  
leaders."  
"I think that would be neatl I'd go knock on Mrs. White's tent  
and talk to her and then play with her boys."  
"That would be fun, wouldn't it," Dad agreed. "But that little  
Kansas meeting was nothing compared with the one in Ohio where 2,000  
people came and Mrs. White reported that a 'most intense interest 
prevailed1 there."  
"Did she mean that non-Adventist people showed an interest, too?"  
"That's right. They were interested in her new health message.  
But the largest campmeeting that year was held in Groveland, Massachusett  
four miles from the city of Haverhill. They really had crowds I Eighteen 
trains a day ran out of Haverhill, and every one of them stopped at the  
campground to unload passengers. Steamers on the Merrimac River ran  
back and forth twice a day between Haverhill and the campground, and  
on Sundays they ran every hour, there were so many people trying to 
get out to Groveland.  
"The week-end crowds were unbelievable. Mrs. White watched  
trains arrive that were so crowded people hung from the platforms and  
steps and the conductor had to climb right on top of the cars to find  
space enough to signal the engineer! That morning she spoke on temperanc  
The afternoon train brought fifteen more cars filled with people. Every  
seat was taken at that afternoon meeting, and so was all the standing  
room. Some were up in trees like Zacchaeus so they could see and 
hear Mrs. White better."  
Mike's eyes sparkled. "I'd like that! I'd have been in a tree for  
sure."


"Bet you would," Dad chuckled. "You'd have been safer up there  
u.nan on the ground, I'd imagine. That's where those 20,000 people  
crowded onto the campground. The leaders hadn't expected so many, of  
course, and the food ran out. Even though it was Sunday, the local  
bakeries opened up and sent out all the baked goods they had. Still  
food was short. In spite of the difficulties, many listeners gave their  
hearts to the Lord, and thirty-five were baptized in the Merrimac River 
the next afternoon."  
"Where did the Whites go after that, Dad?"  
"Up to Maine. It had rained Friday night and everyone was afraid  
Sabbath would be a wet day, too, but it cleared up. Mrs. White preached  
on the love of Jesus that day, and sixty came forward to surrender to  
Jesus. Again on Sunday the crowds came. Carriages nearly blocked the  
-nmp's entrance, A steamer came up from Augusta bringing hundreds of  
people. 3,000 were in the audience, and without a loud speaker system,  
the brethren decided to put the pulpit right in the center of the  crowd  
so everyone could hear clearly. Both Elder and Mrs. White spoke that  
day. 
"In spite of all those crowds, things were orderly and one New York  
paper reported that the police had no trouble at all with the campmeeting  
groups at the Adventist camp."  
"That was good, wasn't it," Mike remarked.  
"Yes, it was. Adventists are proud of being good citizens as well  
as good Christians."  
"Is that all you know about the old campmeetings?"  
"Well, I do remember one more. It was the 1876 Michigan campmeeting  
lied the 'Grand Triumph of the Year,' though I don't know why they


called it that when the Massachusetts one had so many more people. At anv  
rate, tents were pitched in two squares, one inside the other. In the  
center stood a huge new tent that could seat 5,000. Reporters said  
there were 10,000 there, however, and when Mrs. White called for people 
to accept Christ, 350 of the listeners came forward. Maybe that was 
the 'Grand Triumph."'  
Mike looked thoughtful. "If that was in 1876 they must have been  
having other big programs going on to celebrate America * s 100th year of  
independence, too."  
"They sure did. For months the papers from Maine to Mississippi  
were full of centennial news and campmeetings, just like the Soquel papers 
were this week."  
Through the gathering darkness the lights of Santa Clara twinkled  
below. Mike tried to imagine those great campmeetings of a hundred year  
ago with their horses and wagons and Mrs. White in person.  
"I wish I could have seen Ellen White," he said wistfully.  
Dad smiled. "That's one of the things you can look forward to when  
Jesus comes. We'll have a great big campmeeting then, and that's one  
we don't want to miss!"  
10


THE GREAT CAMPMEETINGS  
Objective: To understand the dedication of the believers and the  
power of God which made early campmeetings meaningful.  
For Discussion:  
1. Imagine what a young visitor might say to Ellen White at campmeeting  
if he visited her in her tent. What do you think she would say to  
her visitor?  
2. What new things do you suppose non-Adventist people heard about  
health when they visited the Groveland campmeeting?  
3. Why would a campmeeting speaker talk about temperance?  
4. Why would a campmeeting speaker talk about health?  
5. Why do you think many non-Adventists attended the early campmeetings  
6. What would cause a person to choose to live in a tent in the snow  
to attend campmeeting?  
7. Compare the early campmeetings to church retreats or campmeetings  
that you have attended. How are they alike? How are they different  
11


WILLIE'S ADVENTURES  
"Where are we going, Jenny?" Ellen White's little boy looked  
questioningly at their housekeeper.  
"To see your new house, Willie.  Won't that be fun?"  
"Sure. Let's go right now." Willie took hold of Jenny's hand  
although he WAS almost three now and could walk perfectly well by himself.  
But Jenny liked to hold his hand on the streets.  
He knew all about the new house. He'd heard Mother and Father discuss  
building it, and he had seen the carpenters with their hammers pounding  
nails into its wooden frame. He'd been there several times before, 
and always something new had been added. What will it be today, Willie  
wondered. The roof is already on, and the walls are plastered inside. 
What comes next?  
As they walked down the dusty road, Jenny cautioned him. "You know,  
Willie, we don't want to get our new house dirty before we even move into  
it. Try not to touch things in the house, all right? You don't want  
to leave smudgy fingerprints on the walls for Mama to see when she comes  
home, do you?"  
Willie promised to try to be careful. But Jenny had asked a very  
hard thing!  
From the outside it looked as though nothing much had changed, but  
inside things were a lot different. Willie ran from room to room,  
peeking over the new window sills and trying to imagine what it would  
be like living here. Jenny was showing two lady friends the living room  
when Willie skidded to a halt at the kitchen door. The walls! They  
12


were so pretty! Bright patterned paper covered them from floor to ceiling,  
colorful paper that just tempted Willie to stroke it.  
He inspected his hands carefully. They didn't look dirty. They  
wouldn't spoil the pretty paper. Gently he touched the bright flowers,  
tracing their vines up the wall. Growing bolder he moved along the  
wall, patting and feeling all those lovely flowers. Admiring the paper  
more closely, he leaned against the wall, patting harder.  
Suddenly there was an awful tearing sound as the paper split from  
top to bottom. Losing his balance, Willie fell headlong through the  
hole he had made, landing in the basement on a pile of rocks.  
Jenny could hear his screams, but where was he? Frantically she  
dashed from room to room without finding him. Then she spied the torn  
wallpaper which had been drawn across an open doorway, closing off a  
"'angerous area until the workmen could build stairs up to it from the  
basement. Right away she knew where Willie was.  
Glancing through the hole quickly to assure herself that he was  
still in one piece, Jenny hurried to the basement by another route and 
scooped wee Willie into her arms.  
"There, there," comforted Jenny, drying his tears. "You're not  
hurt much, are you? See? There's not even any blood! You're just  
scared. What happened?"  
Willie stared  up at the open doorway. "I don't know," he sobbed.  
"I was just loving the flowers. I patted them a little and fell through  
the wall. But my hands were clean. I looked. I'm sorry, Jenny."  
"Oh, ho," Jenny laughed. "I see. I forgive you, honey, but if you  
hadn't been patting the paper it wouldn't have torn, would it? Never  
Lnd. That paper wasn't supposed to be there to stay. There's no


damage done."  i  
Climbing out of the  basement, Jenny set the boy on firm ground and  
took hold of his hand. "I think you'd better stay right with me, don't 
you?" The boy nodded willingly.  
Later, after the Whites had moved into the house, Willie discovered  
the neighborhood well. Not having faucets and running water in their  
homes, the Whites and their neighbors drew up water in an old wooden  
bucket from the community well. Willie loved watching his father crank  
the handle that wound up the rope, bringing the cold, sweet water closer 
and closer to the top. On hot days it tasted especially delicious!  
But hauling all the water they needed to the house was hard work,  
and Father White got a better idea. If he could dig a big hole beside 
the house and run all the rain water from the roof into it, they could  
have water right at hand for washing and doing dishes. They could still ,  
bring in well water for drinking, of course.  
So Father White ordered some workmen to begin digging a deep cistern  
right beside the house. Willie thought that it was great fun to watch  
the dirt come flying out of the hole. Deeper and deeper it became until  
the men's heads disappeared below the  level of the ground.  
One day when the job was nearly done, Willie brought out his little  
rocking chair and sat down near the open cistern to watch. The hole was  
finished now, and the workmen were busy carting off the mounds of dirt  
they had thrown out of it. Willie watched and watched, rocking vigorously  
back and forth.  No one noticed that the little boy's rocker was edging  
closer to the cistern until a sudden scream filled the air. Willie, 
rocker and all, was at the bottom of the hole.  
Father, who had come over from the  office to check on the job, sped \


to the rescue. Thinking fast, Father grabbed a thick wooden beam and  
laid it across the open hole. Grasping it firmly, he swung down into  
the cistern with Willie. Minutes later they were both above  ground and  
everyone was checking Willie for broken bones. To their astonishment,  
he was unharmed, although badly frightened. Once again God's angels 
had protected little Willie, for God had a great work for him to do.  
As Willie and his brother Edson grew, they were assigned chores  
around the house and garden. In an unused spot at the back of the  
property Willie built himself a chicken pen and began keeping a small  
flock of hens. Mother and Father were often away on trips, but the boys 
still did their daily chores, minded their housekeeper Jenny, and looked  
forward to Mother's letters.  
Mrs. White took a great interest in Willie's hens, and one day he  
received a letter from her concerning them.  She had dreamed, she said,  
that she had seen Willie and the hens the night before. The chickens  
were too closely shut up in their cage. They needed more light, air,  
and exercise. If he would free them to roam a bit, they'd be healthier,  
she wrote, and if he'd give them some gravel along with their food,  
he'd find that they would lay eggs even in the cold weather.  
She went on to say,  "I saw in my dream that you let them out, and  
they seemed so happy, so contented, and they went to laying. And you  
brought in several eggs."  
She concluded by reminding Willie that he, too, needed air, sunlight,  
and exercise, and that he should remember to sleep with his windows open  
at night, breathe deeply during the day, and get out into the sunshine  
often. Willie was thrilled to know that she'd had a dream just about  
his chickens]  
15


Sometimes she wrote of fascinating things she had seen on her travels.  
Missing the boys as she did, she was constantly watching for interesting  
things to write about in her letters to them.  
"I must tell you something I saw on the train," she wrote. "A  
wealthy gentleman took a little box from his pocket and wound it up like  
a watch. At the top of the box was a glass door, and open flew the  
little door and a little bit of a bird with fine, downy feathers popped  
up. And then forth from the box came a most beautiful song such as  
canaries sing. And the little feathers would move in the little bird, 
and it would twirl its pretty little head this way and that, flap its  
little wings, move its tail and fly about and act just as pretty as  
though the noise came from its tiny little throat. After the song was  
sung, down popped the little bird into the box, and down went the cover,  
and the man  put the box into his pocket again. ... We asked the man  
what it cost. He said $200. A great price!"  
How Willie and Edson wished they'd been there to see that amazing  
toy. 
They loved the letters, but packages were even better. From one  
stop Mrs. White mailed a parcel and then sent a letter telling Willie  
about it.  
"In the last box we sent  to Battle Creek were some little trinkets  
for you and a little box of candy. You must eat it only when Jenny thinks  
it is best. Eat a very little at a time. We hope you are a good boy."  
Sweets were a real treat, and the boys made them last a long time.  
Letters and packages helped to ease their loneliness while Mother was  
gone, but the best times of all were when both she and Father were home  
and had no preaching duties that Sabbath.


Early Sabbath morning the boys would rise to care for the chickens,  
cows, and horses before morning worship. After breakfast and worship they  
cleaned up, dressed in Sabbath clothes, and walked with their parents to 
the Battle Creek Church. Sometimes Father preached, and other times  
Mother told the congregation of her latest vision. But if they had no  
assignments that day, they sat with their boys and listened to the sermon  
just like everyone else. Sabbath afternoons they read, walked in the  
woods, or hiked along the shore of Lake Goguac. Sometimes they made  
missionary visits to a sick friend. Whatever they did, it was fun  
because Mother was home.  
Willie loved his mother a great deal, and after his father died,  
he traveled with her, helping with all the things his  father used to do.  
It was Willie along with his wife and children who lived near Mrs. White  
^uring the last years of her life and took care of her until she died  
in 1915.  
17


WILLIE'S ADVENTURES  
Objective: To perceive the family of Ellen White as active, real,  
devoted, and concerned about its mission in the world.  
For Discussion:  
Imagine that you are Willie White being interviewed by a reporter.  
Answer each of the following questions for Willie.  
1. How did you feel when you fell through a doorway onto a pile of  
rocks in the basement?  
2. What kind of person was Jenny, your babysitter? (Possible answers:  
forgiving, comforting, instructive)  
3. How might life have been different for you if Jenny had not been  
forgiving and understanding of your very active curiosity?  
4. How do you explain falling without injury to the bottom of the j  
cistern?  
5. What was it like to have a mother who was a prophetess?  
6. What did you think when your mother's letter told about her dream  
of your chickens? What did you do after you read about her dream?  
7. Describe a happy Sabbath day spent with your parents.  
18


GRANDPA AND THE SABBATH  
Dumping the last of his newly dug potatoes into a basket, Grandpa  
John White straightened up and sighed heavily. For fifty-one long years  
he and Grandma Betsy had farmed this rocky Maine land. Every rock  in a  
long stone wall surrounding their farm had been dug up out of this very  
field. Grandpa could well remember chopping down the tall trees and  
clearing brush from this plot. Now the land had been farmed for so many  
years it was absolutely worn out. Crops just weren't what they used to 
be. Why, these potatoes couldn't begin to compare  with the first ones  
Grandpa had dug from this same soil.  
"I reckon the land and I are wearing out about the same time," he  
mused, picking up the basket. "Digging potatoes is a job for someone  
younger than I. Grandma's right. We ought to move."  
Wiping the dirt off his boots on the porch mat. Grandpa called  
through the open doorway, "Betsy, Betsy, come here. I've decided you're 
right. My back's giving me a fit. Farming is too hard for an old  
fellow like me. I'm ready to retire. What do you say we go visit one  
of the boys for a spell?"  
Grandma Betsy came bustling out of the kitchen, wiping flour onto  
her checkered apron.  
"Why, John! That's a fine idea. I've been telling you that at 74  
you ought to slow down a bit. Give me some of those potatoes. I'll cook  
them for lunch. Why don't we go see John Junior in Ohio?"  
John, Junior, their first son, was a Methodist minister. The Whites  
19


were proud of him and knew he would welcome them into his home. He did—  
very warmly and graciously. In fact, he urged them to sell the farm and  
make their home with him. But God had other plans for Grandpa and Grandma 
White. He wanted them to hear more of His truth. Somehow they didn't  
feel quite at ease with John.  
Samuel, another of the White's nine children, was a Baptist minister.  
He wrote his parents from New Hampshire, urging them to come and make  
their home with him. But New England winters were cold and hard, and  
the old folks wanted a change of scene.  
How about James? That son was an Adventist minister living in  
Battle Creek, Michigan, right near Battle Creek Sanitarium. Many people  
came there to get Dr. Kellogg's famous treatments. Thinking about it,  
Grandpa liked that idea best of all. If either of them got sick  or  
Grandpa needed treatments for his rheumatism, that was the best place  
in the world to get help. Besides, James' wife Ellen was so warm and  
friendly they just knew they'd be happy there. Packing their bags,  
the old couple moved to Battle Creek.  
"Grandpa's here! Grandpa's here!" shouted six-year-old Willie,  
struggling to get a big suitcase  through the door of the special bedroom  
that had been added onto Ellen White's house for such visitors.  
"Be careful, Willie." Mrs. White steadied her father-in-law.  
"Grandpa's rheumatism and the cramps in his legs make him a bit unsteady.  
Don't bump him."  
Willie found that Mother was right. Not only was Grandpa shaky,  
but his eyes and ears weren't so good, either. Willie had to really  
speak up when he talked to Grandpa. And talking to Grandpa was one  
of Willie's favorite occupations.  
20


Grandpa's whole life had been a busy one, and now he couldn't be  
-PPY j^st sitting in a porch rocker all day. He had to do something.  
Unpacking a battered case, he showed Willie some special tools he'd  
brought. They were shoemaker's tools. During his long years many pairs  
of shoes had received his attention. Now as long as he could see a bit  
and his hands could mold the leather, Grandpa was going to busy himself  
cobbling shoes. He set up a bench on the front porch where the light  
was good and where he could keep an eye on the neighborhood and began  
work. Willie and his older brother Edson frequently sat there with him  
in the days that followed, watching Grandpa cut, trim, and stitch fine  
leather into sturdy boots. Sometimes he would take some soft leather  
scraps and stitch them into little wallets or purses. You never knew  
what Grandpa might make.  
At first Grandpa would do no cobbling on Sunday. For too many  
years he had been a Sunday keeper, and it seemed he just could not give  
it up. Why, hadn't he started the very first Sunday school in the state  
of Maine? And didn't all his other children and grandchildren keep  
Sunday, following the example of their famous ancestor who had been a  
pilgrim on the Mayflower? But James and Ellen kept Saturday and had 
proved to him from the Bible that  it was right. Since he lived in their  
house now, he felt he should respect their Sabbath, so on both Saturday  
and Sunday he laid aside his cobbler's tools and rocked the day away on  
the front porch.  
Some Fridays Willie would ask, "Grandpa, won't you go with us to  
church tomorrow?"  
Grandpa would shake his head regretfully. "Willie, I'm an old man.  
^ur grandma and I are happy in our own church. We were glad when your


daddy married Ellen Harmon because she's a good girl even if she doesn't  
belong to our church. But I'm not sure we go along with her Saturday- 
Sabbath idea. You can't teach an old dog new tricks very fast, you know.  
Give your old Grandpa time to think things out."  
So on Sabbath James and Ellen  White walked to Sabbath School with  
their boys while Grandpa John and Grandma Betsy rocked on the porch,  
thinking.  
One Sunday morning a few months later, Willie ran out to talk with  
Grandpa John. He expected to find him rocking, ready to chat. To his  
astonishment, he saw him busy repairing shoes.  
"Grandpa!" he exclaimed. "Don't you remember this is Sunday? You  
don't cobble shoes on Sunday!"  
The old man smiled and turned to face his grandson. "Yes, Willie,"  
he answered, picking up his hammer, "I know that it's Sunday. But your  
grandma and I have decided that one Sabbath each week is enough, and 
from this time on we will keep the Sabbath of the fourth commandment."  
Willie dashed back into the house to tell his mother the good news.  
True to his word, the old man and his wife joined them at church the  
next Sabbath.  
Grandpa and Grandma White lived there with Ellen and James  until  
they died, faithfully attending the Battle Creek Tabernacle Church with  
their son, loving Willie and Edson, and feeling loved and cherished  
in James and Ellen White's home.  
22


GRANDPA AND THE SABBATH  
Objectives: To recognize that acceptance and love provide a setting  
propitious for deciding to do right.  
To value the relationship of  grandparents.  
For Discussion:  
1. What is special about your grandparents?  
2. What was special about Willie's grandparents?  
3. Why did the Grandparents  White choose to live with Ellen and James?  
4. Examine the fourth commandment. How did James  and Ellen White keep  
that commandment when the grandparents came to live with them?  
(Possible response: Everyone "within thy gates" rested on the  
Sabbath.)  
5. Imagine James or Ellen White talking with the grandparents. Which  
of the following statements might they have said? Which statements 
do not sound like them?  
a. You really should go to church with us on Sabbath.  
b. We are so happy to have you here!  
c. If you'd like to go to church with us, we'd be happy to have  
you come along.  
d. Don't you understand that Sunday is not  a holy day?  
e. Surely you aren't still keeping Sunday holy!  
23


MISSISSIPPI RIVERBOAT  
Early one June morning in the year 1870, sixteen-year-old Willie  
White and his parents, James and Ellen White, drove into Dubuque, Iowa,  
then headed straight for the river landing.  
"Hey," Willie exclaimed, "the boat's already here."  
"So it is." James White glanced around the dock. "Looks like  
we'll be leaving right on time for campmeeting. Why, I believe I see  
nearly a dozen other Adventists who will be going along with us. Good  
morning, Brother," he called to a nearby man. "Fine day for a river  
trip!"  
The man tipped his hat and waved, then continued helping his family  
to board the ship.  
Willie could imagine little groups of believers like this traveling  
by boat, by train, and by  carriage all over the plains country to get  
to the Minnesota campmeeting.  
"Whoo-ooh!" The boat's mournful whistle hurried the travelers on  
board. Engines began to chug and paddlewheels turned and splashed. 
Promptly at nine o'clock it pulled away from the dock and its hundred  
passengers settled themselves on deck or below in private cabins, as they  
chose. Willie and his father stayed on deck.  
"I would love to stay up on deck this beautiful day," Ellen White  
said, looking at the green banks and blue sky. "But I have so many things  
to write that I guess I'd better spend the time below."  
Willie felt sorry that Mother couldn't enjoy the scenery with them,  
24


but he knew that she needed to write down some of the things God had shown  
,r in recent visions.  
The stewardess found a cool, quiet place where Mother could work  
and furnished her with pens and paper. Dipping her pen in an inkwell,  
she began to write.  
On deck the sun shone brightly. Father led a group of boys to the  
front of the boat where they watched it plow through  the water.  
"LookI" Willie pointed. "What's that coming  down the river?"  
"It's not a boat," one boy answered. "It's too broad and long. My,  
it's low in the water."  
As it drew closer the boys could see that it was a lumber raft, piled  
high with beams and boards. Men standing on the pile held boards shaped  
into crude propellers and rudders with which they guided the clumsy craft  
downstream. James White explained.  
"Upriver in the forests men drag logs to the sawmill where they are  
cut into boards and beams. Then they rope and chain them together and 
float them downriver to the cities to sell."  
Willie eyed the strange craft. "That's a smart way to ship lumber  
cheaply," he observed. "Makes the river do the work. But it must  
take them days to get anywhere."  
As the raft neared the boat, passengers crowded against the rail  
watching it go by. Now they could see a little cookhouse that the men  
had built atop the raft. The lumbermen cupped their hands and shouted,  
"PAPERS! PAPERS! WE WANT PAPERS!"  
"Of course they would," thought Willie. They've probably been on  
that raft for several days already, and they have nothing to read."  
Suddenly one of the men dove off the raft into the river and swam  
toward the steamboat. Passengers on the boat took their newspapers,  
25


twisted them into hard rolls, and threw them toward the man in the water.  
He grabbed them and swam back to the raft. Pulling himself up onto the '  
logs, he opened the wet newspapers and spread them in the sun to dry.  
Soon the boatmen would have something to read.  
James White stroked his long beard thoughtfully. "Willie, why  
shouldn't those men have something really good to read?" he asked. 
"Why can't we give them some tracts about Jesus' coming?"  
"That's a good idea, Father. What have we got?"  
"Down in the brown bag in our cabin are some copies of the Review,  
some Youth's Instructors, and a bundle of tracts. Bring some of them up  
here, will you? And hurry!"  
Willie sprinted across the deck and took the steps two at a time.  
Coming back up with the papers, he laid them on the bench near his father.  
"Now go get some string from the cook and some pieces of coal about  
as big as my fist  from the engine room," James White continued.  
Willie hurried off wondering what in the world Father wanted with  
those things, but he got them and laid them beside the tracts and papers.  
Fascinated, he watched while his father made a neat package of two Reviews,  
an Instructor, and some tracts. These he rolled and folded around a lump  
of coal to add weight, and tied the package tightly with string. He  
laid that on the bench and wrapped another. Before long he had a neat  
pile of little packages.  
"Now, Willie," he said, "when the next lumber raft comes past us  
we'll be ready."  
"May I throw some of them?" Willie asked. 
"Of course," his father replied. "It ought to be fun."  
The two travelers watched and waited. Soon another lumber raft pokec  
26


its nose around a bend in the river. The shouting of the raftsmen could  
je heard above the paddlewheel1s noise. Would it come close enough to  
their boat so they could throw the packages? Willie's eyes gleamed with 
excitement as he tightened his grip on the package in his hand. A swift  
current swept the raft close, and Willie drew back his arm and pitched  
with all his might toward the pile of floating boards. James White threw,  
too. Both missiles landed right on the raft.  
Now other passengers crowded around to watch. They could see the  
men scrambling for tracts. The boys near Willie began throwing packets,  
too. As the raft floated out of range, Willie saw the men settling  
down to read the tracts.  
He turned toward his father. "That's a new way to do missionary  
workI" he laughed. "They'll read them all right, because they haven't  
anything else to do."  
"Right," said Father. "Now, let's get some more ready for the  
next raft."  
Several times that day the riverboat met lumber rafts, and every  
time Willie and his friends helped Elder White throw missionary missiles  
to the eager lumbermen.  
"Won't there be any more rafts?" asked one of the boys. "It's getting  
dark, but I hate to quit. I landed that last one right in the fellow's  
hands] I could be a 'pro' with a little more practice I"  
James White laughed. "It was fun, wasn't it? We've entertained  
ourselves all afternoon and had a good time, too. We'll never know what  
good comes from those tracts, but I'm sure the Lord will bless the seeds  
of truth we've sown here on the Mississippi River."  
27


MISSISSIPPI RIVERBOAT  
Objective: To appreciate the ingenuity that God has given to people  
that can further the spread of the "good news."  
For Discussion:  
1. If you could give a paper  on a religious topic to someone wanting  
to read, what subject would you want it to be about?  
2. What were the favorite subjects in the papers printed by the  
early Seventh-day Adventists?  
3. In what places today might people be interested in reading papers  
that you could provide? (Possible answers: laundromats, doctors'  
and dentists'  offices, public transportation terminals)  
4. Name a book or paper that you'd like to give to an interested  
reader.  
5. Tell the way you would like this story to end: "Perhaps one of the  
papers that Willie and his father threw to the raft fell into the  
hands of a lumberman who ..."  
6. Complete: "God didn't tell James White what to do when the lumber  
rafts came by because . . . (Possible response: God gives every  
normal person a problem-solving  mind and opportunity to choose  
solutions of his own for the problems he meets.)  
7. Imagine the visit the White family had at the end of the day. What  
news did Willie and his father have for Ellen White?  
8. Ellen White probably did not complain about her day aboard ship  
which she spent writing. What do you suppose she said  about her  
accomplishments for the day? What gratitude might she have expressed?  
28


MISSISSIPPI RIVER ESCAPE  
Willie and his father, Elder White, had enjoyed their day on the  
Mississippi riverboat. They had managed to distribute many pieces of  
truth-filled literature to the men on passing lumber rafts. They had 
checked on Mother several times and always found her busy writing below.  
Now as evening fell, the Adventists on board gathered at the front  
of the boat, enjoying the breeze. Someone began a hymn, and all joined  
in singing it. Before long they heard hands clapping and voices shouting,  
"Give us more! Sing that one again."  
Looking around they discovered several travelers who had come up on  
neck to investigate the music. Quickly the Adventists sang another hymn,  
and another.  
A feeble-looking gentleman stepped up to Elder James White and  
introduced himself as a traveling businessman.  
"Sir," he continued, "it is rumored about the ship that your wife  
is a famous public speaker. The passengers are requesting that she speak  
to them this evening in the ladies' cabin, if she would."  
Pleasant surprise crossed Elder White's face. "I'll be glad to ask  
her," he replied. "Just a moment."  
Below deck, James White found his wife still  writing. Laying his  
large hand lovingly on her slender shoulder, he spoke. "Don't you need  
a rest from writing, my dear? You've been at this all day long. The  
passengers want you to speak to them this evening. Do you think you could?  
r are you too tired?"  
29


Ellen White took  a deep breath and straightened up, rubbing her writing  
<  
hand. "Oh my, I don't know," she said. "Do you think it would be proper?  
I'm not too tired, but what would I talk about?"  
After a short discussion Elder White returned to the deck with the  
news that Mrs. White had agreed to speak to them in about an hour.  
Nearly all of the boat's one hundred passengers gathered to listen  
as the little lady with the gracious presence and clear, melodious voice  
spoke to them of God's love as it is revealed in nature. It was a most  
appropriate topic, out there on the river.  
As Willie listened to his mother's voice telling of God's loving  
care for His creatures, he felt God's presence very near. What a pleasant  
day they had had, he thought.  
After an hour the meeting broke up, and Willie followed his parents  
to their cabin for the night. Before going to bed they knelt in worship  
together, thanking God for the opportunities they had to witness that  
day, and asking that He send His angels to watch over them on the steam- 
ship as it traveled up the dark river during the night.  
The chug-chug of the engines and the splashing of the paddlewheels  
lulled Willie into a sound sleep.  
Suddenly a terrible crash wakened the White family. The boat shook  
and shuddered. Heavy grinding noises came from the paddlewheels. People  
shouted. Elder White stuck his head out the cabin door.  
"What's going on?" he called.  
Suddenly the grinding ceased and the familiar chug-chug of the engine  
blended with the splish-splash of the paddlewheels. Elder White drew  
back inside.  
"Don't know what it was," he reported, "but it seems all right now."  
30


Willie was the first one of the family on deck the next morning,  
^agerly he joined a group of passengers who were questioning the captain.  
"What happened last night?" a burly man demanded. "What was all  
that crashing and noise about?"  
"It nearly scared  my wife out of her wits," a feeble, old man  
added. "I hope you have a good explanation for giving us such a scare."  
"We almost had a very serious accident," the captain answered.  
"As we sailed upstream at our usual speed, we rounded a blind bend and  
ran right into an unlighted lumber raft. We had no time to turn, and  
neither did they." He brought his hands together with a loud clap.  
"We hit that raft square in the middle. It broke the chain, split the  
pile completely in two, and when the lumber swirled past both sides of  
our boat, it got dragged into the paddlewheels. That's what made the  
arinding noise."  
Willie hurried back to the cabin to report the news. "We hit a  
lumber raft last night," he told his parents, repeating the captain's  
story. "I think it's a miracle the chains broke and not the front end  
of our boat."  
"The angels must have been watching over us," Father agreed. "I  
really don't see how such a thing could have happened with so little real  
damage."  
Ellen White smiled. "Aren't we on our way to campmeeting?" she asked  
them. "And didn't we ask for God's protection just last night? He surely  
sent the angels to travel the river with us."  
31


MISSISSIPPI RIVER ESCAPE  
Objective: To recognize God's providence in providing opportunities  
to witness.  
For Discussion:  
1. Using the river escape story, think of an example of:  
a. Ellen White's diligence (writing all day aboard ship)  
b. Ellen White's good choice of a topic for a speech (God's love  
revealed in nature)  
c. God's opening the way for a witness (receiving an invitation to  
speak)  
d. God's protective care (preventing harm to the ship in a collision)  
e. The Whites' awareness of God's guidance (prayers of thanksgiving  
for opportunity to witness and for protection in the collision)  
2. On a scale from 1 to 10, where would you place Ellen on the folic ig  
traits?  
a. Diligence  
9 10 Very  
b.  Opportunity to witness  
None 1 2 3 4 5  6  7 8  9  10  
c.  Awareness of God's protective  care  
Never 12 3 4 5  6  7 8  9  10  
d.  Saying thank you to God  
Never 12 3 4 5  6  7 8  9  10  

diligent  
10 Often  
10 Often  
3. Where would you place yourself on the scale for each of the above traits  
4. Name a way you could  
a. Avoid being lazy; b. Witness for God; c. Notice God's  
protection; d. Thank God.  
32


Choose one of the things you named in No.4 to work on during the  
coming week. Prepare to report to your classmates the outcome.  
33


THE NARROW BRIDGE  
Four years after Willie's exciting riverboat trip on the Mississippi,  
he was still helping his parents in their work of spreading the Adventist  
message. But since he had just turned twenty, he also had his eye on  
Mary Kelsey, a talented and beautiful young girl who had been helping to  
print Adventist literature ever since her first job with the Review and 
Herald when she was thirteen. The Whites liked Mary, and although she 
was only nineteen, they agreed to Willie's marriage to her in 1876—the  
same year America was celebrating her 100th birthday.  
Both Willie and Mary had been working at the Pacific Press Publishing  
House for a year, learning all about printing. They did so well at it  
that the church leaders decided they would be just the team to go to  
Europe and start a printing press over there.  
"Oh, dear," thought Mary. "Most of the printing in Europe is in  
either German or French. Willie and I don't know either language. How  
will we manage that?"  
But before she hardly had time to worry, the young couple was ordered  
back East to Battle Creek College to learn both languages. While studying,  
Willie made himself useful in the Battle Creek Press. He was so useful,  
in fact, that the brethren changed their plans and kept him a while. A  
few years later he was sent back to the Pacific Press again.  
Europe still had no Adventist publishing house.  
In 1881 Willie received a sad message from Battle Creek. His beloved  
father, James White, had died. Willie's first thought was for his mother  
What would she do without her husband? Who would help Mrs. White get  
34


her books ready for printing? Who would keep people from overworking her  
_th speaking appointments? Willie felt he ought to be closer to his  
mother to help her.  
The problem was settled in 1885 when the General Conference decided  
to send Willie, Mary, their two-year-old Ella, and Mrs. White all to  
Europe. There they would all work in a printing house that J. N. Andrews 
had begun. Ella loved being with her grandmother on the long ocean trip,  
and she scampered around the deck under her watchful eye.  
Settled in a house in Switzerland, all of them got busy. Anxious  
to make up for lost time, they all worked too hard. Mary spent ten to  
fourteen hours a day copying, translating, and even setting type. The 
long hours and lack of rest took their toll, and Mary began to cough and 
lose weight. The doctors said she had tuberculosis, a deadly lung disease.  
By this time Ella had a new little sister, Mabel. Willie decided  
^nat he'd better send his wife and two girls back to America where the  
dry Western climate might help her lungs. He and Grandma White would  
follow later.  
Although the dry air did  seem to help a bit, and Mary took a much- 
needed rest, the disease was too far gone, and she became weaker and  
weaker. At the young age of 33 she died, leaving Willie with two very  
sad little girls.  
Mrs. White, saddened by the death of her daughter-in-law, tried to  
comfort little Ella and Mabel, but she couldn't stay with them all the 
time. Her schedule required her to be in many different places. When  
she and Willie were called to go to Australia, they realized it wasn't  
really fair to take the girls around the world, making them "rough it"  
'he way they had to—for travel in those days was much harder  than it is


today. Besides, there was only one Adventist school for them to attend, 
and it was in Battle Creek. Willie White looked around the town for some- 
one to take care of the girls. He found such a person in Mary Mortenson,  
a sweet unmarried lady, and moved her and the girls into a house not far  
from the Adventist school. Miss Mortenson was so loving and the girls  
seemed so happy with her that Willie felt safe in leaving them there for  
the two years that he planned to be in Australia.  
When Mrs. White and her son arrived in Australia, they set up house- 
keeping near Avondale College. Before long their new home was full of  
people. There were secretaries who helped with the writing, women to  
wash and sew and cook, and other helpers just to care for all the people  
Mrs. White kept bringing home—widows, orphans, and sick neighbors.  
Then Mrs. White met May Lacey, a lovely English girl whose family  
lived in Tasmania. "Hmmmmm," thought Mrs. White, "I wonder  if this girl  
might make a good wife for Willie. He's lonesome since Mary died. If  
he married her, we could bring Ella and Mabel out here with us."  
When Mrs. White asked Willie what he thought of the idea, she found  
that, strangely enough, it had occurred to him, tool They decided to  
ask May to come and help in their big, bustling house to see how she  
liked their sort of life and if she could adjust to it.  
One of May's many duties was to brush Mrs. White's hair every morning.  
As she brushed they would talk. Weeks had gone by since Willie had asked  
May to marry him, but she hesitated. It was a big decision to join the White  
family and become the mother of two little girls. She just wasn't sure.  
Sometimes as May brushed Mrs. White's hair the older woman would  
turn and search May's face with her big, gray eyes and ask, "Have you  
decided yet, dear?"  
36


"Not yet/' May would answer. "I have to be sure."  
Mrs. White, May, and Willie were all praying earnestly that May  
could know whether this was the right move or not.  
One sunny day  as May lovingly brushed Ellen's hair, she was again  
asked, "Have you decided yet, May?"  
This time May stopped brushing and blushed. "Yes, I have," she  
answered, looking shyly at the floor. "I've decided to marry Willie."  
"Oh, how wonderful!" Mrs. White exclaimed. "Run and tell him right  
now! "  
Excitement spread through  the household and a happy letter was sent  
to Miss Mortenson asking her to send Ella and Mabel out with Elder and  
Mrs. Palmer who were coming to  Australia.  
Before long they were there in the big house, too, happy to be back  
T-T->th their father and loving their new mother. Mrs. White was pleased to  
nave her grandchildren close to  her and even more delighted when a year  
later May had twin boys. Three more children came after that—Grace,  
Arthur, and Francis. These seven were Ellen White's only grandchildren.  
One day Mrs. White and May took the children and a friend for a  
buggy ride in the country. May drove the horses, but when they began  
nipping each other, she found them difficult to control.  
"Hang onto them, Mommy," yelled the children. "Hold the reins tight."  
But as they came over the top of a steep hill and began descending  
the other side, May felt the reins jerked from her hands. Now free, the 
horses began to run.  
At the foot of the hill the frightened riders could see a  river  
spanned by a very narrow bridge with no curbs or railings on either side,  
rrified, May felt the carriage zig-zagging over the bumpy road and saw  
37


the bridge rushing toward them. "Lord help us!" she cried.  
Mother White's lips were moving in prayer. Faster and faster the 1  
carriage raced until  it reached the bridge and the horses seemed  
about to plunge right over the edge. But unseen angels held them in  
the middle of the road and after crossing the bridge safely and running  
partway up the opposite slope, they stopped dead still.  
Trembling with relief, May reached down and caught the reins.  
Then the group paused for a moment to thank the Lord for saving them  
from drowning in the deep river.  
May, Willie, and the children  became so much a part of Mrs. White's  
life that when she returned to the States and settled at Elmshaven in  
California, the whole family moved there with her. For many years  
Grace, one of the grandchildren, took visitors through Ellen White's  
big house. She was likely to tell the visitors, "I learned to walk in  
this house. I climbed these stairs head-first and I crawled down them  
headfirst."  
Thus God provided for Willie, who had lost his wife, for Ella and  
Mabel, who had lost their mother, and for Ellen White, who had lost her  
husband. None of them was lonely with such  a houseful of children and  
love.  
38


THE NARROW BRIDGE  
Objective: To recognize God's leading in the vissicitudes of life.  
For Discussion:  
1. If you could have given Mary White some advice before she went to  
Europe, what would you have said?  
2. What useful things did Mary White do for God during her 33 years? 
3. On a map of the world, locate the places where Willie White and  
his family lived. (Mountain View, California, Battle Creek,  
Switzerland, Avondale, Australia, Elmshaven, St. Helena, California)  
4. What good things could Ella and Mabel name about their lives?  
(Possible responses: Exemplary mother  
Interested grandmother  
Concerned father  
Loving stepmother  
Interesting life of travel  
A home with love in it)  
5. Imagine that you are May White's guardian angel reporting in heaven  
about the carriage ride across the narrow bridge. What observations  
would you report? What intervention would you report?  
6. Recall a time, if there is one in your memory, when you were in a  
dangerous situation and your guardian angel may have protected you.  
39


PROPHETS, VISIONS, & INSIGHTS  
God's Medical Lectures  
Hope for a Dying Boy  
Blueberry Dream 
Ellen's Dream of the Narrow Way 
Ella Hughes, Neighbor and Friend  
40


GOD'S MEDICAL LECTURES  
"Are you saving all these papers, Mother?"  
Mike frowned at the huge pile of papers and magazines in the corner  
of the garage he was helping her clean.  
"Oh, my, I can hardly bear to throw them away until I've had time  
to look through them." She picked one up and flipped through it. "See?"  
Almost every one has an article or two on medicine or the treatment of  
disease."  
"Why do you need those?" Mike questioned.  
"Well, for several years I've been making a scrapbook that shows  
fj  Ellen White knew about many of today's modern medical discoveries  
and wrote about them a hundred years ago."  
"Didn't they know much about medicine then?"  
"No, they surely didn't. Many people died of smallpox, diphtheria,  
typhoid fever, malaria, and tuberculosis—diseases  we hardly hear about  
in many countries today. Even doctors didn't know what caused them then.  
They thought yellow fever was caused by breathing night air."  
"That's silly," Mike scoffed. "Germs and viruses are what cause  
sickness. Even .1 know that I"  
"But trained doctors didn't know it a hundred years  ago, Mike.  
Patients with high fevers were not allowed to drink water. Fresh air—  
especially night air—was considered dangerous. White  bread was supposed  
to be much better for you than whole wheat, and you'd simply die if you  
In't eat plenty of meat. Some people hardly ever took a bath because  
41


they thought it wasn't healthy to expose your body to the air like that!  
Many older folks didn't bathe all winter. Doctors often prescribed tobacco  
as a remedy for chest coughs, and poisons like strychnine were ordered  
for sick children."  
"Wow! It's a wonder the doctors  didn't kill everybody," Mike  
exclaimed. "But how did Mrs. White know they were all wrong?"  
Mother sat on a wooden bench and fanned herself with her garden hat.  
Mike grinned as he perched himself on the kitchen stool he'd been standing  
on to reach the tools hanging over Dad's workbench. He'd sidetracked Mom  
into story-telling: now they'd quit work a while!  
"Well," Mother began, "in 1863 God gave Ellen White a remarkable  
vision that changed her whole way of life and a lot of other people's  
too. God showed her the value of water for bathing, for drinking, and 
for treating diseases. She was instructed how to use hot and cold packs,  
fomentations, and foot baths to produce healing. God even taught her  
the importance of fresh air and  well-ventilated rooms. He explained  
that we must have exercise if we want healthy bodies. All of this was  
new to people of her day."  
"Did he tell her about food, too? That whole wheat bread was better  
than white?"  
"Yes, indeed. He showed her that a diet of fruit, grains, nuts, and  
vegetables would nourish the body and keep it in good condition, and that  
while meat could supply the body's needs, it wasn't the best food for  
man and it often caused sickness."  
"I'll bet that surprised her." 
"It really did. She loved meat! Ellen saw right away that if she  
followed God's new instructions she and her family would have to change  
42


a great many things in their diet. But God had spoken, and Ellen knew  
she must obey. How could she give this new  health message to others  
unless she tried it herself? It wasn't going to be easy. All her life  
she had enjoyed white bread, eaten a great deal of meat, and loved spices  
and vinegar on her food. But she determined to change.  
"The next day Ellen instructed the young woman who cooked for them  
to serve only simple, unspiced foods that God had approved. How  
startled the cook was! No vinegar at ALL? She shook her head. Some- 
times Mrs. White had strange ideas. But she was the boss, and the food  
was fixed the way she'd ordered,  
"When the next mealtime arrived, Ellen was hungry—at least until  
she got to the table and saw there was no meat or white bread. Suddenly  
she didn't want to eat at all, and she left the table.  
"When the next meal came, she was very hungry, but after looking  
over the simple foods before her, she again excused herself without  
eating. When the third mealtime came, she was famished, but she just  
knew she would gag on those plain foods. Hungry as she was, she only  
wanted meat and white bread. Then she herself tells us what she did.  
"'I placed my arms across my  stomach and said to it, "I will eat  
only simple food or I will not eat at all. You may wait until you can  
eat bread."1"  
Mike laughed as he pictured Mrs. White speaking crossly to her own  
stomach. "She really was determined, wasn't she! When God told her  
to do something, she did it."  
Mother nodded and laid down her hat. "Yes, she did, but she  
didn't find it easy. She learned to eat only whole-grain bread, and  
he finally got to the place where she really enjoyed simple, healthful


foods that God had shown her would keep her body in good condition. She  
was much healthier toward the end of her life than before she changed  
her diet."  
"Where did vegeburgers and meat substitutes come in?" Mike asked.  
"Did God give her the recipes for those, too?"  
"No, but God told her that Madison School in America and Avondale  
College in Australia should start health food factories, and He promised  
to give his people special wisdom to know how to prepare health foods.  
He did, and that's where we got them."  
Mike looked thoughtful. "Isn't that kind of like when Moses built  
the tabernacle, Mom? The Bible said God told him what to do and gave  
certain men special skills to make what was needed."  
"Good thinking, Mike. The Bible said those people were 'wise-hearted'  
and 'willing-hearted,' and the workers at Madison and Avondale were, too. 
So God gave them skill and understanding to develop tasty meat substitutes.  
And now I think you've side-tracked me long enough." Mother rose. "This  
garage has to be done before your daddy gets here or he'll rescue every-
thing I'm trying to throw away. How about cleaning off that tool shelf  
now? "  
Mike laughed. Mom had seen right through his plot, but the story  
had been interesting, anyway.  
"Let's not throw the magazines away, Mom," he said. "I'll help  
you hunt for the articles after we get the garage cleaned. It's kind of  
like detective work, finding things that are supposed to be new but we  
knew about them all the time. We are lucky to have the health message."  
"We really are," Mother agreed, pushing aside the lawn mower that  
blocked the way to the shelves she wanted to straighten. "In a recent V  
44


survey of Adventists in the United States, they proved to be healthier than  
most other Americans. God's rules sometimes seem strange to us, but He made  
us and He knows what makes us run best. We follow the manufacturer's directions 
on what to put in this lawn mower, but we often ignore our Creator's directions  
on what to put in our  bodies."  
Mike had an idea. "Say, Mom, could I take your scrapbook to science  
class? I'll bet the kids would like to see it."  
"Sure. I'll find it for you." Mother looked pleased. "It will be  
well worth the time  I've spent on it if the students in your class learn  
to appreciate our health message through my old scrapbook."  
45


GOD'S MEDICAL LECTURES  
Obj ective: To perceive God's concern for the health of people  
demonstrated in His specific health instructions to Ellen White.  
For Discussion:  
1. How does the use of water promote health?  
Possible responses:  
Drinking water assists nature to resist disease (MH 237)  
Bathing fortifies against cold, improves circulation,  
invigorates mind, soothes nerves, gives health to organs—  
bowels, stomach, liver—promotes digestion (MH 276)  
2. How does fresh air promote health?  
Possible responses:  
Lack of ventilation promotes drowsiness, dullness, and  
aids spread of disease.  
Deep breathing purifies the blood, soothes nerves, stimulates  
appetite, aids digestion and sound sleep, improves skin (MH 272-4)  
3. How does exercise promote health?  
Possible response: Increases bodily strength and vigor, quickens  
and equalizes circulation of blood, activates skin to expel  
impurities (MH 238)  
4. Ellen White actually learned to like the foods that were good for  
her. Name some foods that you need to learn to like because they  
are good for you.  
5. What helped Ellen White learn to eat "unliked" foods?  
6. If God cares so much about our health that He gave Ellen White a  
vision about it, why do you think people violate these rather  
easy-to-follow instructions?  
46


HOPE FOR A DYING BOY  
Is Bertie going to die? Mother didn't ask the question out loud,  
but a hundred times a day she asked it silently as she viewed her son's  
tiny form in the big bed.  
Fyetta Rhoads' son had been ill with rheumatoid arthritis for a  
long time. Every finger joint was swollen and painful, every toe joint  
was twice its normal size. It hurt to bend his arms and legs, and  
the fever nearly burned him up. Bertie hurt so badly that his mother  
could hardly bear to watch him. Night and day she brought him cold  
drinks and put cool washcloths on his hot head. Nothing seemed to help,  
^very day he grew a little weaker. Now he would not eat.  
Three times a day his mother would come with a bowlful of cornmeal  
mush and pork—the same food that the family ate for nearly every meal  
because it cost so little and filled up hungry stomachs. But Bertie  
wouldn't touch it. Sometimes in his dreams he thought of cold, sweet  
apples and bit deep into them. But they weren't there when he woke up.  
Once several years ago he had eaten an orange at Christmas, and now in 
his sleep he saw big, juicy oranges rolling toward him. But he KNEW that  
was a dream, for oranges cost so much that no family he knew in all of  
State Center, Iowa, had enough money to afford such a precious fruit  
for their children. Cornmeal mush looked simply awful when you were sick.  
One evening as he tossed restlessly with pain and fever he overheard  
his parents talking together. He wasn't supposed to hear, but he couldn't  
2lp it. In a low, discouraged tone Father was saying, "I suppose the  
47


boy is going to die. He can't last more than a few days like this."  
Mother's sobs came through loud and clear. "Do you really think  
he'll die?" Her question was finally out. "I've done everything I 
know to help him. What will we do without our Bertie? Oh, I can't bear  
it I"  
From the muffled patting sounds that came next, Bertie guessed that  
his Father was trying to comfort Mother. "There, there. Don't take on  
so. He's miserable the way he is." Father cleared his throat and spoke  
gruffly. "I think I'll get busy making a coffin. No need to be rushed  
around at the last."  
Bertie's spirits sank lower than ever before in his life. He was  
going to die. Father had said so. He remembered the stories Mother had 
told him of Jesus and His beautiful home in heaven. Maybe it would be  
better to die and just wait for Jesus to come and heal him. This world  
didn't seem like a good place any more. Sobbing quietly, Bertie drifted  
into a fevered sleep.  
The next day as Mother bent over her boy, fluffing his pillows to  
make him as comfortable as she could, a noise in the yard startled her.  
Running to the window she cried, "Why Bertie! A carriage has just 
driven into our yard and a lady is getting out. I do believe it's Sister  
White!" Yanking off her apron, she tossed it into a closet and ran to 
welcome her guest.  
In a few moments Bertie heard voices outside the door and Mother  
entered with a smiling little lady. She seemed short beside Mother.  
Her dark hair was combed back from her face and twisted into a bun at  
the back of her head. She wore a blue dress with sparkling white collar 
and cuffs. So this was Sister White! Bertie had heard Mother speak of


her—the lady that God talked to, the lady who had visions and saw angels,  
nd had even seen Jesus. Bertie had some things he wanted to ask her,  
but he felt shy.  
Now she came toward his bed, both hands outstretched in greeting.  
"Oh, you poor boy!" she exclaimed, laying her soft cool hands on his  
head. "Jesus loves you and is going to make you well  and strong."  
While Bertie tried to figure out if she really meant that remark,  
she spoke to Mother.  
"Come, Fyetta, sit here by Bertie and let's talk."  
The talk took Bertie's mind away from his aching joints, and he  
felt better than he had in ages. Mrs. White spoke about Jesus and His  
coming, and all the new believers who were "coming into the truth."  
Bertie knew that meant  those who believed their Bibles and were waiting  
for Jesus to come back. They also kept the Sabbath day holy. Mother  
nad "come into the truth" a very short time ago and had just recently  
started keeping Sabbath.  
"Fyetta, what do you feed Bertie?" Mrs. White's sudden question  
seemed off the subject.  
Mother looked embarrassed. "Well, we usually have cornmeal mush  
for breakfast with pork grease or bacon and a little milk. Sometimes we  
have pancakes with store-bought jelly."  
"I see," Mrs. White said, looking thoughtful. "And what do you  
have for dinner?"  
Bertie's mother began to look puzzled. "We have meat, of course,  
mostly pork. And we have fried potatoes and white bread or hot biscuits.  
Sometimes we have turnips, and sometimes cornbread."  
"I suppose you have those things for supper, too?" The visitor  
49


reached over and took Bertie's hot little hand and held it in her cool  
ones. It felt good.  
Mother blushed. "Yes, I guess so. Those are the cheapest things,  
you know, and they do fill everyone up."  
Laying Bertie's hand gently back on the bed, Sister White put her  
arm around Mother.  
"Fyetta," she declared, "I'm going to tell you what God has shown me  
about the food you should give your children to keep them healthy."  
Mother listened intently as the lively little lady told her what to  
feed the family every single meal of the day. It sounded good to Bertie.  
She informed Mother that beans and lentils were excellent for growing  
boys, and that carrots, squash, and all garden vegetables were cheap as  
well as nutritious. She explained how important it was to get plums,  
pears, peaches, and melons whenever they were in season, and that wild  
berries were better body builders than hot biscuits, and baked potatoes  
were easier to digest than fried ones. Mother sat there drinking in all  
the facts, certain that it was important news from God.  
"Have you ever used fomentations on Bertie, Fyetta?" Mrs. White  
continued.  
"Dear me! What are they?" Mother asked. "Do you cook them?"  
Mrs. White threw back her head and laughed heartily. "Well, you  
might say so," she chuckled. "They're a kind of water treatment with  
hot woolen cloths." She went on to explain how a treatment with hot, 
wet blankets could relieve Bertie's joint pain, and compresses of cold, 
wet flannel could reduce the fever and swelling. Mother promised to  
try it right away.  
"Now, how about letting me help you fix supper?" Mrs. White suggeste  
and headed  for the kitchen with Mother.  
50


TOEN G. WHITE RESEARCH CENTER  
Andrews University  
Berrien Springs, Mick 49104  
Together they put some healthful foods on the table. For the first  
„ime in weeks food looked good to Bertie. But what really sparked his  
appetite was when Mrs. White went out to her carriage and brought in a  
basket of fresh fruit, peeling some right then and there for him to eat. 
How cool and juicy that apple wasl Bertie peered into the basket to see  
if his dream orange was there, too. It wasn't so he guessed that Mrs.  
White must not be rich, either. But there were green grapes, and they  
were almost as good as oranges.  
After eating supper with the family and praying for Bertie, Mrs.  
White read aloud two promises from the Bible and left in her carriage.  
The next day Bertie began to eat. The hot and cold treatments  
relieved his pain, and Father forgot all about building a coffin.  
Bertie gained slowly but steadily until he grew into a strong young  
^ellow who could run for miles without tiring.  
He became a teacher and taught school for 50 years. Following  
God's special diet, he lived to be 96, long outlasting some of those 
who many years before had thought he was a dying boy.  
51


HOPE FOR A DYING BOY  
Objective: To understand the value of personal informed ministry and  
concern for another person.  
For Discussion: 
1. What unhealthful foods were part of Bertie Rhoads' diet?  
2. What healthful food did Ellen suggest  Bertie should be eating?  
3. Based on our last story, what benefit did Bertie's body receive  
from hot fomentations (water treatments)? (Possible response:  
stimulation of circulation)  
4. Think of the way Bertie's mother might finish this sentence:  
If Ellen White hadn't visited us when she did , . . .  
5. How might one of Bertie's students finish this sentence:  
If Ellen White hadn't visited Mr. Rhoads' home, I . . .  
6. Complete: The visions that Ellen White had about health have  
helped . . .  
52


THE BLUEBERRY DREAM  
Mike stood across from his mother at the kitchen table, a big pan  
of blueberries between them. They were canning, and Mike filled jars as 
quickly as he could. He didn't mind helping Mother can, but he had a  
ball game to get to in just an  hour.  
"You know," Mother remarked, "Ellen White had a dream about blue- 
berries, and every time I see them I think of it."  
"You're kidding] You mean a vision? Why would God give her a  
vision about blueberries, of all things?"  
Mother reached for another jar. "Keep working and I'll tell you  
bout it." She poured syrup into the jar. "In her dream she went out  
with some blueberry pickers. The group had a wagon full of food and  
picnic supplies, and it headed into a berry patch and stopped among the 
bushes. Young people leaped off the wagon and ran across the fields to  
hunt berries. They didn't seem to notice the ones close to the wagon 
at all. They were looking too far away."  
Mike looked wise. "Did those berries stand  for people Ellen White  
wanted to save? Like we say 'harvesting souls' sometimes?"  
"Yes, the berries were souls, and the nearby city must have been  
the one where she was living. At any rate, Ellen began picking and she  
found many green berries. Only one or two were ripe in each cluster, so  
she picked them carefully. Some of the nicest ripe berries were on the  
ground, half eaten with worms. She wished they'd come sooner and gotten  
ose in time."  
53


"I suppose that means that there's  a time that's just right to win  
somebody, huh?" Mike guessed. "Maybe some of the berries ripen every day  
and if nobody comes to get them they get spoiled by Satan. That means  
someone would have to be right there watching for them to be ready."  
"You understand her dream very well," Mother said. "Anyway, about  
that time two or three teenagers came past Ellen White, laughing and  
talking together. They stopped to complain to her that there weren't  
any good berries in this patch. Peering into her half-full pan, they  
seemed surprised. 'Try the bushes right around here,1 she urged them.  
'There are quite a few here if you look carefully in the middle of the  
clumps.'  
"The young folks looked, and sure enough, there were some berries.  
They picked for a few minutes until someone got a new idea. 'Hey, this  
is Mrs. White's territory; we shouldn't take all her berries. Let's  
go somewhere else to pick.'  
"'You can pick right here,' she assured them. 'This is God's  
territory, not  mine.' But they wouldn't listen and went away.  
"Alone again, she worked on until she heard laughing near the wagon.  
'What are you doing?' she called out.  
"The young folks answered back, 'We couldn't find any berries, so  
we're going to eat lunch and take a rest now. After that we'll look some  
more.'  
"Ellen became annoyed. 'But you've brought in nothing at all yet,  
and you're eating up what food we do have on the wagon. I can't stop now.  
There's too much fruit to pick. You can't find it because you didn't  
look closely. There's not a lot, but what's  here is delicious.'  
"Now Ellen's pail brimmed full with berries, and she walked over to  
54


^e wagon. Others crowded around to exclaim over her beautiful fruit.  
"•Oh!1 they said, 'these are high bush berries. We didn't expect to  
find anything on the HIGH bushes. We hunted in the low bushes and found  
only a few.'  
"Ellen handed them her bucket and asked them to empty it and care for  
the berries. They looked startled. No one was prepared to take care of 
the fruit. There were no containers on the wagon, except the boxes full  
of picnic supplies.  
"'Didn't you come to gather fruit?' Ellen asked. 'Why aren't you  
ready to take care of it?'  
"Swinging her legs as she sat on the wagon, one girl answered. 'We  
didn't really expect to find any berries where there are so many houses  
and so much going on, but you wanted to come berry-picking so badly we  
::ided to come with you. We thought we'd have a picnic and enjoy the  
fun even if we didn't find any fruit.'  
"Ellen shook her head in dismay. 'I cannot understand this kind of  
work,' she declared. 'I shall go to the bushes again. The day's  nearly  
over, and it will soon be dark. We can't gather fruit then.'  
"Ashamed, some of the young people went with her. Others stayed in  
the wagon and ate.  
"Instead of each taking a bush, they all clustered in one spot,  
gossiping together. Some of them stopped to watch a fellow racing one of 
the girls back to the wagon. They arrived breathless and exhausted, and 
threw themselves down to rest. Their friends joined them on the grass.  
"So the day passed with very little picking done. Ellen finally  
picked up her bucket, stopped work, and remarked, 'You call this an  
successful expedition. If this is the way you work, I'm not surprised.  
55


There are berries here. I found them. Some of you spent good time hunti—  
all over those low bushes, finding nothing. You didn't even look in  the  
high ones, because you didn't expect to find anything there. You can see 
that I got a whole pailful by searching carefully, and in a little while  
there are other berries that will be ripe and we can go over the bushes  
again. This is how I was taught to pick berries, getting the ones close  
by instead of running uselessly all over for better territory.'"  
Mike's hands were still as he listened.  
"Hey," laughed Mother, "Get busy] You're like a side-tracked berry  
picker. We'll never get done that way."  
Mike laughed, too. "Guess you're right, but that was interesting.  
What were the high and low berry bushes?"  
"I think the high bush berries represented educated, wealthy people  
who live in the finer sections of the city."  
"You mean the pickers didn't expect to find souls for Jesus among  
the rich folks?"  
"That's right." Mother set the canning kettle over the flame.  
"They passed up the rich and educated, and God was reproving them for it."  
"Then the low bush berries  were poor, uneducated people."  
"Yes, but that doesn't mean that God loves the poor less than the  
wealthy. He just pointed out that a good harvest is waiting among the  
rich, and we mustn't neglect them."  
"What were green berries, Mom? People not ready to accept Jesus?"  
"Maybe. Maybe they include some who were too young right then. I  
think the dream's greatest lesson has to do with the pickers, though. They  
were God's workers, called to his berry patch, but they were just fooling  
away their time."  
56


Mike nodded. "They sure were. Do you think this parable was meant  
r us today?"  
Mother handed Mike three more clean jars. "Yes, Mike, I think it  
applies as long as the harvest isn't all in. We need to be better pickers,  
don't we. I'm sure you'll remember the dream now every time you see  
blueberries, too. Fill up those last two jars and you can run to your  
ball game."  
Mischief gleamed in the boy's eyes as he popped two fat berries into  
his mouth.  
"Thanks, Mom. Maybe I'll see if any 'berries' need picking on my  
ball team."  
(Source: Gospel Workers, pp. 136-139)  
57


THE BLUEBERRY DREAM  
Objective: To distill the meaning of a dream that was a parable.  
For Discussion:  
1. What are the characteristics of a good berry picker?  
2. If you were the only berry-picking berry picker on an expedition  
to pick berries, how would you feel?  
3. Name someone who you think is a good "berry picker" (soul winner).  
4. What can you do to help soul winners in their work?  
5. What do you think is a good way  to reach people represented by  
berries on the high bushes?  
6. What is a good way to reach people represented by low bush berries?  
7. What made the difference between successful and unsuccessful  
pickers?  
8. What makes the difference between successful and unsuccessful  
soul winners?  
58


ELLEN'S DREAM OF THE NARROW WAY  
Mike and his mother had spent all Sunday afternoon raking leaves.  
Now they had two great piles of dead leaves, and they sat down for a few  
minutes to rest.  
"Mother, tell me a story about Ellen White's dreams. I know that  
she had both visions and dreams. I want to hear about a dream."  
Mother took off her  sun hat and thought for a minute. "Why don't  
I tell you the story of the cords and a white wall?"  
Mike moved closer to hear the story.  
"It was in  1868, over a hundred years ago, that God gave Ellen White  
his dream. She was living at Battle Creek. She dreamed of traveling  
with a large company of people. Some of them started on a journey in 
wagons, loaded with all their belongings. As they journeyed the road  
went upward. On one side was a deep precipice. On the other side was a  
high, smooth, white wall."  
"The journey meant a journey toward heaven, didn't it?" 
"Yes, it surely did, and the road grew narrower and narrower. Then  
the people decided that they couldn't use the wagons, so they unhitched 
the horses from the wagons, took some of the luggage and tied it on the  
horses, and journeyed forward on horseback.  
"The path still continued to grow more and more narrow. The travelers  
had to press so close to the wall that their luggage brushed against it 
and caused them to sway toward the edge. They were afraid that they would  
til and be dashed to pieces on the rocks, so they cut the luggage from  
59


the horses and let it fall over the cliff. They continued on horseback,  
greatly fearing that the road would become so narrow that they would  
lose their balance. At such times a hand seemed to grab the bridle and  
lead the horses along the dangerous path. At last they left the horses  
behind. They dare not go any way except on foot, each one following  
another and walking in their footsteps. At this moment small cords were 
let down from the top of the pure white wall. They grasped them eagerly  
to keep their balance. The cords moved as they moved. The path finally  
became so narrow that they decided to take off their shoes. In a few  
moments they also removed their stockings. Even then they found it  
difficult to stay on the very narrow and dangerous path."  
"Were all of them still on the path?"  
"No, Dennis, the ones who were not used to suffering and hardship  
had dropped out by now. But those who had accustomed themselves to  
hardship seemed more and more determined to continue on to the end.  
"Now they pressed closer to the white wall, yet could not  get a  
firm footing on the path, for it had become too narrow. They hung their  
whole weight upon the cords, saying, 'We have hold from above. We have 
hold from above.' The words were passed along from one to another among  
the company on the narrow path.  
"Then the travelers heard sounds coming up from the valley below,  
sounds of bad talk, curses, low dirty songs. They heard war songs and  
dance songs, instrumental music, and loud laughter, mingled with cries  
of anguish and bitter wailing.  All the travelers leaning against the  
white wall and hanging to  the cords felt more anxious than ever to keep  
on the narrow, difficult pathway. The cords increased in size and were  
bigger and stronger than when they first saw them.  
60


"Ellen looked at the wall and saw that it was stained with blood  
which made her feel sad, but the sad feeling lasted for only a moment.  
She realized that it was a good thing, because those coming after would  
see that others had endured suffering and pain but still kept on.  
"At last the people came to a large dropoff where the path ended.  
There was no place to put their feet. Their whole trust must now be  
upon the cords which had increased in size until they were huge cables.  
Some of the travelers inquired in fearful whispers, 'To what is the  
cord attached?'"  
"Was James White in the dream, Mother?"  
"Yes, in the dream James White journeyed just ahead of Ellen. Large  
drops of sweat fell from his forehead. The veins in his neck and temples  
were enlarged to double their usual size. Agonizing groans came from his  
Ips. Ellen herself felt sweat dripping from her face, and such anguish  
as she had never felt before twisted her body. A fearful struggle was  
before them."  
"Could they see across?" Mike asked anxiously. "What was on the  
other side?"  
"Ellen White looked across to the other side and saw a beautiful  
field of green grass about six inches high. She could not see the sun,  
but bright, soft beams of light like fine gold and silver rested upon  
the field. It appeared more beautiful and glorious than anything she  
had ever seen upon earth. But would they succeed in reaching it?  
Should the cords break, they must perish.  
"Again in whispers of agony the words were repeated, 'What holds  
the cords?' Then someone exclaimed, 'Our only hope is to trust wholly  
i the Lord. The cord has held us safely all the difficult way. It  
61


will not fail us now.'  
"Still waiting and frightened they heard the words, 'God holds the  
cords. We need not fear.1 James White then swung himself over the fear-
ful place into the beautiful field beyond. Ellen immediately followed,  
and oh, what a sense of relief and gratitude to God they felt! They 
heard voices raised in triumphant praise to God. They felt happy,  
perfectly happy."  
Dennis drew a deep breath. "What a wonderful dream! Does it  
describe our pathway to heaven?"  
"Yes, I'm sure that's why God gave it to Ellen White to encourage  
her. "  
"What is the cord? Is it faith?" 
"Yes, I'm sure the  cord is faith."  
"Why was the white wall bloodstained?" 
"I suppose it was to show Ellen that her journey ahead would be  
difficult, and she would have many things to suffer."  
"I suppose Ellen and James remembered this dream and thought of it  
often in later years when they had hard times. I'm sure it encouraged  
Ellen when James died and she had to go on alone."  
"Yes, I'm sure that is true, but it is for us, too. We also are  
traveling to the beautiful country, and if we hold fast to the cords of  
faith they will carry us  safely to God's country."  
62


ELLEN'S DREAM OF THE NARROW WAY  
Obj ectives: To recognize the specific ways God uses to prepare His  
people to be with  Him.  
To apply the dream of the narrow way to a personal need to  
prepare to meet God.  
For Discussion:  
1. The travelers gave up luggage, carriage, horse, shoes, and stockings  
on their trip. What does a Christian "give up"  to take a journey  
toward heaven?  
2. Cords let down from the top steadied the travelers. What people/  
events/information steady you?  
3. Why would anyone continue to walk on such a rigorous, difficult  
trip?  
4. What is the meaning of the cords becoming bigger, as the story of  
the dream suggests?  
5. What does the story of the narrow way  tell you about God?  
63


ELLA HUGHES, NEIGHBOR AND FRIEND  
"Sure is a long way from Missouri to New York," thought seven-year- 
old Ella Evans as she rubbed her aching legs that dangled over the train  
seat's edge. She and her parents were on their way to visit relatives  
on the East Coast, and while the trip was fun at first, it  soon became  
tiresome. Mr. Evans must have thought so, too, for he decided  to stop  
at Battle Creek for the weekend while everyone rested up.  
Entering Battle Creek station, Mr. Evans wondered where they would  
stay. He didn't wonder long, however, for there on the platform was  
Elder James White, picking up some supplies for the Battle Creek Press.  
"Brother White!" Mr. Evans called. "Oh Brother White!"  
"Well, if it isn't the Evanses from Missouri!" Elder White exclaimed,  
hurrying to help them off the train. "What brings you to Battle Creek?  
Do you need a place to stay? We'd love to have you with us."  
Before Ella knew what was happening, Elder White had them, luggage  
and all, in his wagon, headed for home.  
"Look who's here, Mother," he called to his wife, Ellen, as they  
arrived at the house. "The Evans family. They're going to spend the  
weekend with us."  
Mrs. White wasn't exactly expecting company, but then, she wasn't  
unprepared either. The Whites' home was noted for hospitality, and so  
many people came and went that there was hardly a day without guests.  
Ella hid shyly behind her mother's skirt until Mrs. White spied her  
and pulled her out.  
64


"Look how big Ella is," Mrs. White marveled. "Put your things  down  
md let Willie show you his baby chicks." Bustling around, she made the  
travelers welcome.  
This wasn't the first time Ella had seen the Whites. A few years  
before in Missouri her parents had become Adventists. Shortly afterward  
the Whites had come to Hamilton, Missouri, to give lectures on health  
reform. So many came that the church was over full, and the deacons had  
to seat all the children on the platform's edge with their legs dangling.  
It was almost as bad as those train seats! The next night they moved  
to a larger hall where everyone had a seat, for which Ella had been  
most thankful.  
During those meetings Elder and Mrs. White had stayed with the  
Evans family. In her spare time Mrs. White kept busy trying to write 
down messages that the Lord had given her.  
"Do you suppose you could help me write these out, Mrs. Evans?" she  
asked one day. "You have a nice, clear handwriting. My hand gets so  
tired that my writing isn't very good sometimes."  
Since there were no typewriters in those days, Sister White often  
asked friends who could write neatly to help her get those messages copied.  
Ella's mother had agreed, feeling it a real privilege to write out God's  
messages to His church. Although it gave her less time with Mother, Ella,  
too, had seemed to sense the importance of the work, and she had played  
quietly, leaving the women alone to write.  
That had all happened several years ago, and now Ella was here in  
the Whites' home, glad to be running out to Willie's henhouse instead of  
dangling her legs from that hard train seat.  
The whole Evans family enjoyed that Sabbath in Battle Creek, going  
65


with the Whites to church at the big Dime Tabernacle, and walking by  
Lake Goguac in the afternoon.  
"It went too quickly," thought Ella on Sunday as she and her parents  
boarded the train to New York. "I wonder if I'll ever see Mrs. White  
again. Probably not. Missouri's a long way from Michigan."  
But Ella didn't know how much Mrs. White traveled. Five years later  
when twelve-year-old Ella and her  family drove onto the Missouri camp- 
ground in their big covered wagon, who should be first to greet them but  
Mrs. White1  
"Oh, I'm so glad you've come," Sister White exclaimed, hugging  
Ella's mother. "Do you suppose you could help me write down more  
messages?"  
So Mrs. Evans got out her pen and between meetings kept busy copying  
Sister White's messages in a nice, neat hand.  
Mrs. White spoke at several of the meetings, of course. Ella loved  
to listen to her. Her sweet smile and clear, gray eyes seemed to convince 
the listeners of her sincerity. When Mrs. White spoke about the  
Beautitudes of Matthew 5, Ella decided that she wanted to be baptized  
and become one of the "blessed" ones in those texts. Before she went  
home, a service was arranged and Ella, along with some others at camp- 
meeting, was baptized.  
"I'm going to be a teacher," declared Ella several years later as  
she packed her trunk for Battle Creek College. The train ride wasn't  
so bad this  time, for Ella had grown into a young lady and her feet rested  
firmly on the train floor now.  
After her college course, Ella became a teacher. Her hard work and  
sweet spirit attracted the Bible teacher at the school where she taught,  
66


and before long she was married to Professor C. G. Hughes.  
Ella and her husband taught for many years together until one day in  
1897 when they were asked to go as teachers to the Avondale School in  
Australia. When she learned that they would be living near Mrs. White  
out there, Ella could hardly believe it. Missouri, Michigan, and now  
Australia] Who would ever guess she and Sister White would meet in so  
many places]  
Willie, of course, was a grown man by this time, and Mrs. White was  
a 70-year-old grandmother. She welcomed them to her simply furnished  
living room, apologizing for the ragged sleeves of her black dress.  
"Excuse my rags," she laughed. "Sara is too busy taking care of  
other people to look after me."  
Looking around, Ella saw that Sara McEnterfer, Mrs. White's nurse  
-nd companion, was indeed busy. On a cot in the dining room lay a sick  
neighbor boy she was nursing back to health. Caring for him took first  
place right now. Patching clothes could wait.  
Ella found that her old friend kept busy. In her horse-drawn surrey,  
Mrs. White visited farmers around the school, making friends with their  
wives and children and telling them of Jesus. Sometimes she would stop 
her carriage and read over manuscripts right by the side of the road, 
enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.  
The Hughes accompanied her at times, and one day as they drove  
through a grove of trees, Mrs. White remarked, "You know, Ella, there  
is healing in the eucalyptus leaves."  
She went on to explain that the strong-smelling leaves were healing,  
that their oil soothed coughs and chest pains, and that charcoal from  
rned eucalyptus wood could draw out infection. It was marvelous how  
God had shown Sister White so many natural ways of healing sickness.  
67


In the afternoon Ella would sometimes see Mrs. White in the yard,  
cutting dandelion leaves for the next day's dinner. As she gathered the  
greens she sang:  
"We shall not always labor, we shall not always cry,  
The precious boon of eternal life, There is resting by and by."  
Ella knew that Mrs. White needed rest. Her lamp was often burning  
long after midnight as  she wrote letters and messages from God.  
One day Ella saw Sara hanging out the wash. She had never seen such  
patched clothes] Some of them had patches on the patches!  
"Whose clothes are these?" Ella asked. 
"Mother White's," Sara replied. 
"Why are they in this condition?" Ella persisted. 
"Well, Mother gives all her new clothes away and patches the old ones  
for herself. She says the needy might not know how to patch if she gave  
them the old ones."  
Ella walked off shaking her head in amazement at such unselfishness.  
Mr. and Mrs. Hughes believed firmly that Mrs. White was God's  
messenger. They were even more convinced when a new school building began  
to go up and Ellen White stopped  by to tell the builder he'd better  
strengthen it. The contractor smiled.  
"It's plenty strong enough, lady," he told her. "Don't you worry  
about it." And back he went to  his work, paying no attention to the  
little old lady.  
A short time later when the whole building had to  be strengthened  
with iron rods to keep it from collapsing, Ella remembered Mrs. White's 
warning. She wondered if the contractor did, too!  
When Mrs. White finally moved back to America, taking with her  
68


Willie and his family, the Hughes were sad to see them go. They had been  
good friends for many years. After saying good-bye and starting back home  
in the carriage, Ella turned to her husband. "Well, what do you think of  
Sister White now that we have lived beside her for several years?"  
Professor Hughes slowed the trotting horses to a walk, and turning  
to his wife, replied, "I think that she lives as a woman should who has  
seen the inside of heaven." Even her neighbors could see the heavenly  
influence of her life.  
69


ELLA HUGHES, NEIGHBOR AND FRIEND  
Objective: To discover the variety of duties performed by God's  
prophetess and her impact on the lives around her.  
For Discussion:  
1. On a map locate Missouri, Michigan, and Australia.  
2. Explain the expression, "a woman who has seen the inside of  
heaven.:  
3. Cite an incident from the story to show Ellen White's  
a. hospitality  
b. sensitivity to shy children  
c. recognition of another's talents  
d. generosity  
e. appreciation of the out of doors  
f. knowledge of natural remedies  
70


YOUR HOUSE IS THE WORLD  
Latin America: Adventures with Great Controversy  
Books That Win  
More Than Marvelous  
Africa: Yellow Books  
Jungle Peril  
Europe: Streams of Light  
Far East: Shipwreck at Sea  
Protected in Battle  
71


ADVENTURES WITH  GREAT CONTROVERSY  
Humberto Ibenez was a famous sports star. As goalkeeper for the  
best soccer team in Chile, he commanded a great deal of respect. Besides  
that, he was related to the former president of the country. Humberto  
enjoyed talking about politics and sports, but no one could talk to him  
about religion. Scornfully he would turn away whenever the subject was  
mentioned.  
Waiting for a game to begin one day, he noticed a book lying on a  
nearby bench. The Great Controversy, the title read. A controversy is 
a fight, a contest. Maybe this was about sports. Interested, he picked  
it up and began reading. He could hardly lay it down. For days and  
weeks he read. When he finally finished it, sandwiching it in between  
games and late into the night, his heart was transformed.  
Telling about his experience, Humberto said, "God worked a miracle  
in me and gave me a new personality. Because of this I feel gratitude  
to Him and a great love for that book. I decided to become a colporteur 
and sell it. I couldn't think of anything that would give me so much  
joy and satisfaction as selling that book. First of all I took it to my  
old soccer companions, and in one week I sold forty copies."  
Not long after that the publisher brought out a beautiful new edition  
of Great Controversy, complete with attractive pictures. Taking the new 
book, he called on a medium, a woman who talked to spirits. Turning to  
the beautiful pictures he had just begun his sales talk when she  
interrupted. "I want it," she said. "Give it to me."  
72


"She was sold on this before I ever got here," thought Humberto,  
_aking her money. He turned to leave, but she stopped him.  
"I have something to tell you," she admitted. "Five years ago I  
dreamed about this book. In my dream I saw two of the illustrations:  
this one, and this one." She pointed.  
Humberto was speechless with astonishment. "But that was long  
before they put this book together," he protested. "Nobody knew what  
pictures they planned to use in it. You must have had a dream from God."  
"Oh, I'm sure it was," the lady agreed. "That's why I bought the  
book as soon as I saw it. God sent it to me. Now excuse me; I must  
read it."  
Humberto hurried to the mission office to tell his strange exper- 
ience. The workers marveled and decided, "This woman must have Bible  
-tudies right away. She has been chosen by God to receive that book  
and the Adventist message."  
Later that week they arranged Bible studies, and before long she  
had given up her work with spirits and become a member of the Seventh-day  
Adventist Church.  
\  
On the other side of South America, in Brazil, two strangers  
approached Pastor Pimentel at the close of his preaching service. "We 
live in a town about three hundred kilometers from here," one man said.  
"We want you to visit us—and here's the reason.  
"One day when I went to the grocery shop I saw a beautiful book  
lying on the shelf. I picked it up 'How much is this book?' I asked.  
"'It's not for sale,' the shopkeeper answered a bit gruffly.  
"'But this is a store,' I persisted, 'and it was on the shelf. Come  
i. How much is it?'  
73


"'I told you, it's not for sale.' The owner spoke sharply and  
retired to the rear of the shop.  
"I leafed through the book, wanting it now more than ever. Risking  
his anger, I followed him back behind the counter.  
"'If you won't let me buy it, will you at least lend it to me to  
read?' I begged.  
"The man wheeled on me suddenly. 'Do you want any groceries?' he  
shouted. 'If you do, why don't you get them and go? Put the book back  
on the shelfI'  
"By this time I was desperate. Something told me this was the most  
valuable book I would ever hold. I had to have itI  
"Softening my voice I pled, 'Please, Mr. Rodriguez. I'll wrap it  
in paper and keep it clean. I won't let anyone touch it. It will come  
back just as new as it is now. You know me—I've been  shopping here a  
long time. The book will be safe with me. I have to read it!'  
"'All right,' he exploded. 'Take the book. But you'd better bring  
it back in first class shape or you don't get any more groceries on 
credit at MY shop]' And he stormed into the back room.  
"Quickly I wrapped the book in my handkerchief and hurried home.  
The book was called The Great Controversy. As I read it, I felt God's  
spirit with me. When I finished it, I began keeping the seventh-day  
Sabbath. My neighbors asked questions, and I read some to them, and now  
we all keep Sabbath.  
"I had to give the book back, of course, but we hear that your  
church printed it. Could you tell us where we could buy a copy? And  
can you come to our town and explain it to us?"  
Pastor Pimentel  was delighted to accept their invitation. On the  
74


way back they stopped at the store where the now famous book had been  
found. It was in the  window. Thinking to encourage the shopkeeper to  
read the book himself, Pastor Pimentel remarked, "Sir, you have a great 
treasure in that book in the window. Have you read it?"  
"No, I haven't," the shopkeeper answered shortly.  
"Since it doesn't interest you, would you sell it?" 
"No, I will NOT sell it." He turned away and began arranging tins  
on a shelf.  
The pastor had just one more question. "May I ask how you happened  
to get such an important book?"  
The owner sighed in exasperation. "A man passed by and traded it  
for a bottle of liquor. Now GOOD DAYI"  
The men walked out of the shop, shaking their heads. How  tragic  
o exchange that inspired book for a bottle of liquor! How the pastor  
prayed that the man would change his mind and read it!  
In the village he found several families anxious to know how to  
follow the Lord better. Bible studies led to the baptism of fifteen  
villagers, all led to the truth by a single copy of Ellen White's Great 
Controversy in a Brazilian grocery store.  
75


ADVENTURES WITH GREAT CONTROVERSY  
Obj ectives: To perceive the providence of God that puts someone who  
is seeking to know Him in touch with people who can provide instruction.  
To understand the far-reaching effects of printing messages from God. 
For Discussion:  
1. On a map of South America locate Chile and Brazil.  
2. Examine a copy of The Great Controversy. To what controversy  
does the title refer? (See the full title on the title page.)  
3. How might reading about the controversy awaken a person's interest  
in following God?  
4. When the medium of Chile read the book, what do you think she  
decided to change about her life? Why?  
5. Look at the contents of The Great Controversy. What chapter  
probably influenced the man of Brazil to keep the seventh-day  
Sabbath?  
6. Fifteen people of a Brazilian village were baptized after one of  
them read a book left in a grocery store. Imagine the time when  
these people meet the author of that book in heaven. What will  
they say?  
76


BOOKS THAT WIN  
Ellen White wrote down the messages God sent to her so that even  
after she was gone, the words would not be lost. Many have been blessed  
by her books, not only in America, but in countries around the world.  
Today's stories come from Latin America.  
Two men walked down a street in El Salvador, one an Adventist  
layman, the other a wealthy Catholic. After discussing the weather they  
began to talk of the fighting that was going on in a nearby country.  
Many were losing their lives over  the question of who would run the  
government. The Adventist, Mr. Beltramin, shook his head sadly.  
"It's too bad that people have to kill each other over things like  
that," he remarked, "but to me as an Adventist, it is just one more sign  
that Jesus is soon going to come back to earth and stop war forever."  
"Don't talk to me about your religion," Mr. Gomez responded angrily.  
"I'm a faithful Catholic and have nothing to do with Protestant religions.  
Besides, I have a very good book that explains true religion, and I read  
it to my family every day."  
"Really?" asked Mr. Beltramin. "What is the name of your book?" 
"It is called Steps  to Christ and was written by Mrs. Ellen White.  
Brother Beltramin's eyes widened and then twinkled. "Believe it  
or not, Brother, but that book is published by my church."  
The businessman stopped still in  his tracks. "No," he exploded.  
"That book couldn't possibly be a Protestant book." But as he looked  
^nto his companion's eyes, he knew it was the truth. Embarrassed  that  
77


he had been defending a Protestant book, Mr. Gomez was still honest.  
"Well, if that book is what Adventists believe, then I guess you do have  
a good religion."  
That night Mr. Gomez told his wife what had happened, and for some  
reason they were both disturbed about it. What did that Adventist church  
believe anyway?  
"Isn't Mrs. Sanchez down the street one of their members?" Mrs. Gomez  
asked. "Why don't we ask her?"  
In response to their questions, Mrs. Sanchez read them Bible texts  
on Christ's second coming and invited them to church. They came, a bit  
shyly at first, and then with more boldness as they studied the Bible  
for themselves, noticing how it said many of the same things they'd  
believed in Steps to Christ. Convinced that this was the truth, Mr. and  
Mrs. Gomez, along with ten members of their family, joined the Adventist  
church in El Salvador. A chance street meeting brought truth to an  
honest heart.  
Another street meeting took place in Brazil. A well-dressed man  
stepped up to an Adventist colporteur waiting to cross a busy intersection.  
"Aren't you the man who has religious books?" he asked. "I think  
I've seen you selling them in my apartment house."  
"Yes, sir, that's my job," the literature evangelist answered. "I  
sell this book, Christ our Saviour written by Ellen White. It's very  
popular and has already sold 850,000 copies here in Brazil alone."  
"That's it," said the stranger. "I want a copy right now." 
"Sure thing," the Adventist said, taking the man's money and handing  
him a book. "May the Lord bless you as you read it."  
Book in hand, the man walked down the street. Not  waiting to get  
78


home, he opened it right then, reading as he walked. Somehow his eyes  
-i.it on the only chapter  that spoke of the Sabbath. How fascinating!  
"Oh, excuse me," he exclaimed, narrowly missing a whole line of  
people at the bus stop.  
The Holy Spirit walked with him down the busy Brazilian street, and  
before he ever reached home he had decided to keep God's holy Sabbath 
day. 
Ellen White's books win souls to Jesus—not because they were  
written by Ellen, but because they were inspired by God.  
79


BOOKS THAT WIN  
Objective: To recognize the power of the printed word.  
For Discussion:  
1. On a New World map locate El Salvador and Brazil.  
2. Mr. Gomez asked the question, What does the Adventist church teach?  
How would you answer that question?  
3. Examine Steps to Christ. What information does it provide about  
what Seventh-day Adventists believe?  
4. What special SDA teaching not  taught in Steps to Christ did  
Mrs. Sanchez introduce to Mr. Gomez?  
5. Christ Our Saviour is a book that includes parts of The Desire of  
Ages story. It was prepared and printed in 1896 while Ellen White  
was writing The Desire of Ages. It has more short words and sen- 
tences to make for easy reading. Today it is published under the  
title, The Story of Jesus. L-ok at the book to find out what the  
man on the Brazilian street first read about the Sabbath. Then  
role play his arrival home and announcement of what he has learned.  
6. What makes learning about the Sabbath "good news"?  
7. What makes learning about Jesus' second coming "good news"?  
80


MORE THAN MARVELOUS  
"Boy, are you ever lucky!" Mario looked admiringly at his friend,  
Cesar. "You just turned twenty, and they've made you an inspector in 
the insurance company already. I don't think they've ever had an inspec- 
tor that young."  
Cesar looked embarrassed. "I didn't plan on getting the job," he  
protested. "I've only been with the company a couple of years, and I  
started out as a salesman. But when I went in to  talk to the boss about  
some of the fakey insurance claims we've been paying lately, he said,  
1 Well, Cesar, why don't YOU go out and inspect them.' I did, and learned  
that some fires were obviously set by the customers themselves  just to  
collect money. The boss was so pleased, he gave me the job permanently.  
It's not that I'm all that good. As you said, I'm lucky."  
"You really are," Mario agreed. "I heard that the manager's cousin  
wanted the job, but he gave it to you instead.  He must really think a  
lot of you."  
Cesar Augusto lived in Brazil. Anyone looking at him, his fine job,  
and his many friends would think he was a happy, fortunate young man.  
But Cesar didn't feel as happy as he looked. In spite of success, money,  
and his many friends, he felt unsatisfied inside. There ought to be 
something more to life than just this, he felt. After he had tried first one  
thing and then another, a desperate emptiness drove him to his knees.  
For the first time in his life he prayed, asking God to make him happy  
id contented and to fill that empty spot in his heart.  
81


Scarcely a week passed after his prayer when colporteur Ruth Carlos  
came by selling The Great Controversy. Interested, he ordered a copy to  
be delivered the next week.  
Satan knew the troubled state of Cesar's mind, and he sent some  
Spiritists to visit him. They recommended that he read some Spiritist  
books and hinted that The Great Controversy was a useless purchase and  
a waste of money. Convinced, Cesar decided to take a business trip on  
the day the book would be delivered. That way he wouldn't have to buy  
it after all.  
The night before the delivery, Ruth Carlos had a dream. A man  
appeared, standing by her bedside, an earnest look on his face. "Don't  
fail to deliver the book to Cesar Augusto," the man told her. "Don't  
fail to deliver that book!" Ruth was startled to have  the dream repeated  
again before morning. She rose, determined to deliver that book. But 
he'd been so happy to order it, she was puzzled by the command.  
The next morning Cesar headed for the bus station to carry out his  
plan of escape, only to meet Ruth Carlos on the road. God's urgent  
message had gotten her out of bed earlier than usual that morning, and  
since he had met her, Cesar could find no way to avoid taking the book.  
There was no reason now for leaving town. So Cesar returned home  
and opened the book.  My, it was interesting! He read all that day and  
until two o'clock the next morning. Four days later he had finished it.  
As he read the words, two hymns kept running through his mind. "Don't  
delay! Don't delay!" one hymn  said. "Tomorrow May Be Too Late!" the  
other insisted.  
Cesar realized that God had answered his prayer. His heart felt  
more contented than it ever had. Here was truth. Now he must make  
82


a decision. With little hesitation, he decided to resign his job with  
he insurance company and keep the seventh-day Sabbath. He would begin  
telling others about the great truths God had revealed to him in the book,  
Great Controversy. So far, he knew nothing of Seventh-day Adventists or  
their churches in Brazil.  
The next week as Cesar waited in a restaurant for his breakfast, he  
saw a display of products from an Adventist college food factory. Inter- 
ested, he wrote down the address and sent them a letter asking what courses  
they taught at the college and if it was necessary to attend classes on  
Saturday.  
While waiting for their reply, he traveled to Santos Dumont to get  
some final documents from his company. The agent there, an evangelist  
for a nearby religious group, invited him to a meeting that night. He  
agreed and found himself in a prayer group.  
After the meeting he heard the agent call out to some men. "You  
are in the wrong, fellows. You don't keep God's holy day."  
Two of the men spoke up. "Oh, yes we do," they protested. "We keep  
the true Sabbath."  
Cesar spoke to them and found out that they were an Adventist col- 
porteur and evangelist who had attended the meeting because they felt  
impressed to do so, but couldn't figure out why. Cesar walked out with  
them, and he continued asking questions about this Sabbath business.  
They told him about the Seventh-day Adventist Church and an Adventist  
college in Brazil.  
Excited, he inquired, "Is that the one that makes Superbom foods?  
I've already written them about taking classes there."  
Surprised, the men offered to help him get admitted to the school.  
83


College meant school bills, however, and Cesar took off for Balo  
Horisonte to sell a piece of land he owned there. He already had his  
ticket for the trip to college, but his entrance fees depended on the  
sale of this property. All day long he waited and waited for buyers,  
but no one showed up. Finally, late in the afternoon, an interested  
fellow appeared, and at six o'clock that night, he paid Cesar in cash  
for the entire lot. Now he was ready to catch the bus for college.  
As he entered his first class, Cesar realized with a shock that it  
had been only four short weeks since he had tried to avoid Ruth Carlos  
on the road to the bus station. In four weeks God had changed him in  
ways he'd never dreamed of. Best of all, his empty life was now filled 
with purpose and excitement.  
During the next four vacations Cesar Augusto went with student  
literature evangelists and sold more  than 500 copies of the book that  
had made such a difference in his own life. He is now a successful  
pastor in Brazil.  
Ellen White never visited South America, but God reached out  
through her books and made Cesar Augusto a joyful messenger for him.  
84


MORE THAN MARVELOUS  
Objective: To perceive the providence of God working through many  
agents to enlighten people who want to know His will.  
For Discussion;  
1. Locate Brazil on a map.  
2. Why do you think Satan and his spirit agents would try to keep  
Cesar from reading The Great Controversy? (Possible response:  
This book exposes Satan and his evil intents.)  
3. Recall the various providences of God that led Cesar to become a  
worker for Him. (Possible responses: God gave Ellen White  
visions which prepared her to write The Great Controversy. In  
answer to Cesar's first prayer, God sent Ruth Carlos to take an 
order for the book. God sent Ruth Carlos a dream to indicate the 
urgency of delivering the book. God directed the early morning  
meeting of Ruth and Cesar. God must have influenced Cesar and  
two Seventh-day Adventists to meet at a religious meeting which  
none had attended before.)  
4. What evidence do you have that colporteurs are special workers  
for God?  
5. What do you think is the nicest part of a colporteur's work? 
6. What do you think is the nicest part of a writer's work?  
7. What do you think is the nicest part of a prophet's work?  
85


THE YELLOW BOOKS  
Karla Davidian slammed the car door and hurried toward the customs  
house. For two years the missionaries in central Africa had been waiting  
for a special shipment of Ellen White's books, and just yesterday they  
had finally received a notice saying that the books had arrived. Now  
Karla entered the warehouse where packages from overseas were received. 
She looked around for someone in charge and stopped to stare in dismay  
at the mess before her. Cartons littered the floor, not in neat stacks,  
but tumbled helter-skelter here and there. Some of the boxes were  
split, spilling out hundreds of yellow books. It looked as if the  
packages had been knocked down, thrown  around, and stomped on. They wer  
the mission's books, all right, but what a condition they were in!  
An angry official strode toward her, his face one big scowl.  
"Are you from the mission?" he demanded roughly.  
"Yes, I am," Karla answered. "We just got your notice that our  
books had arrived. What's the problem?"  
"See for yourself," snapped the man, waving a hand toward the  
boxes. "We've had these things in our way for weeks and you haven't  
done a thing about them."  
"For WEEKS?" Karla looked startled. "We only got the notice today.  
We've been wondering where they were, because they were ordered two years  
ago. Why weren't we notified sooner? It looks to me like many are badly  
damaged now. Couldn't you have given us a ring on the phone earlier?"  
"Listen, Madam," he answered crossly, "we don't have time to call  
86


everyone personally when his shipment comes in. We send a notice in the  
ail, and if it gets lost, that's not our fault. You ought to check with  
us once in a while if you're expecting a  shipment. They've been here so  
long now you owe us quite a storage bill."  
Karla gasped and swallowed hard. "What nervei" she thought. "I'll  
bet some clerk didn't even send the first notice. But if I argue with 
him, he may not let me take the books at all."  
In her most pleasant voice, Karla apologized.  
"I'm sorry the notice got lost," she said, "but we came as soon  
as we knew about it. Since we didn't get the first notice due to postal  
error, and since the post office is a government department just like  
this customs office, maybe you can forget about the storage bill, and  
we'll forget about filing a complaint with the Postmaster General about  
t-he damage done to the books while they were here in the warehouse."  
Now it was the officer's turn to be nervous. He certainly didn't  
want any problems with the Postmaster General.  
Karla picked up one of the torn books.  "Kuya Kudi Yesu," she read.  
Yes, it was Steps to Christ in Tshiluba language, all right. The Kasai  
people had been waiting for these for years, and she'd better start cart- 
ing them away. But they certainly weren't all going to fit in that  
little foreign car of hersl  
Backing her car up to the warehouse door, Karla loaded it with all  
the split cartons and loose books  she could stack into its tiny  interior.  
Then she squeezed herself into the little space left and drove back to  
the mission station.  
She pulled up in front of the Nelsons' house and hurried to the door,  
"elen," she called through the screen, "do you have room for some books  
over here?"  
87


"Sure, bring them in," Helen came out of the kitchen and looked past  
Karla to the bulging car. "Oh my! You've got a lot of them! Never mind. 
Bring them in."  
"Thousands," admitted Karla. "And this isn't all, either."  
When the books had been carried in and stacked against the wall,  
Karla sent the mission truck back to the warehouse for the rest of the  
shipment, and she and Helen sorted out the damaged ones, placing them  
on the dining room table. When the task was finally done, the two women  
sank exhausted into nearby chairs. Books were heavy! And the African  
heat didn't make the job any easier.  
Just then Henry, Helen's husband, arrived home. "What's this?"  
he asked, staring at the mountain of books.  
"Look who's home now that all the hard work is done," Helen teased.  
"It's the new books, dear. Steps to Christ in Tshiluba. But look what  
a mess they made of them down at the customs house. We'll never be able  
to sell these torn books at the mission's bookstore.  
Henry stepped forward to look at the damaged books. As he did, the  
women could see that the foreman, Mukendi, was behind him. Both men had 
been working on a mission building they were constructing nearby.  
Mukendi's eyes lit on the stack of yellow books. The titles were in  
his own language!  Here were books he could read!  
"For me?" he asked, grabbing a book.  
"Yes," Henry answered. "For you and your people."  
Mukendi studied the cover. He recognized the typical Zaire landscape,  
but he'd never seen such a long stone stairway. It ran clear down the  
center of the cover. Jesus stood at the top of the steps with his hands  
outstretched. An African man stood at the bottom, one foot on the first  
88


step. Mukendi looked up.  
"My own book," he said softly. "Jesus is coming down the steps to  
me. I must go." Holding the book tightly, he hurried out.  
"Now where do you suppose he went in such a hurry?" Karla wondered.  
"I can guess," Henry grinned. "He's going to show it to all the  
other workmen, and I'll bet we have 45 more customers within the hour."  
Henry was almost right. One of the workmen couldn't read, but the  
other forty-four came asking for Steps to Christ in their language.  
Most of them were quite poor and had never owned a book before. What  
comforting words this first book spoke to them.  
During the next few days the Nelsons packed up all the undamaged  
books and sent them off to the bookstore to be sold. But the damaged  
ones remained on their table.  
The Nelsons weren't young people. They had retired long ago but  
had volunteered to come out to Africa and help build some new mission  
houses, even though Henry was 80 years oldI Now during the day while  
Henry worked with the men, Helen busied herself wiping off the damaged 
books. She smoothed wrinkled pages and rubbed an eraser over heel  
marks on the covers. These books couldn't be sold, of course, but  
Helen had an idea that other villagers like the workmen would enjoy them.  
Helen was right. A few days after the laborers had gone home with  
their books, some of their neighbors came to Helen asking for copies of 
their own. One man wanted eight books for different families. Another 
asked for 20 books for the chief's house. That sounded  like a lot until  
Helen realized that his household was made up of several dozen wives, each  
with her own children. Christian workers from non-Adventist churches  
one asking for books to give to their Sunday School class members. The  
89


pile on the table began to shrink, and Ellen White's precious message  
of God's love was being read by sunlight and candlelight in small Zaire  
villages.  
Years ago those books had been ordered to sell to wealthy people  
who could afford them. No one had expected them to end up in the villages.  
But what at first had seemed a total loss, became instead a great blessing.  
Do you suppose God had a plan when he allowed those special books to  
be just slightly damaged?  
90


THE YELLOW BOOKS  
Objective: To recognize the universal appeal of the gospel and God's  
concern for people of all classes.  
For Discussion:  
1. Compare your opportunities to learn about God with  those of the  
Kasai people of Africa.  
2. God will go to great lengths  to save people. To what great lengths  
did He go to assure the spread of good news about Him to the con-
struction workers at the mission?  
3. Under what circumstances do you suppose the books would have been  
delivered on time and undamaged? (Possible response: In a place  
where there was an active and effective ministry to the poor people,  
this delay might not have been efficacious.)  
4. How did missionaries Helen Nelson and Karla Davidian become  
important links in God's chain of bearing good news?  
5. What part did translators play  in bearing good news to the Kasai  
people?  
6. How do teachers who help people learn to read in their own language  
aid the spread of the good news about Jesus?  
91


JUNGLE PERIL  
Red clouds of dust swirled behind the blue Ford as it bounced along  
the unpaved African road toward Nigeria. Covered with a layer of the fine, 
red dust, the car's three passengers looked a bit like clowns with their  
eyes white circles in the masks. Pastor and Mrs. Gibson shared the front  
seat while eight-year-old Bonnie occupied a very small spot in the back.  
The rest of the back seat was piled to the ceiling with boxes of books  
and the very necessary lunch box. Without drive-in eating places along  
the way, travelers had to carry food with them or go without!  
They were traveling the main road from Ghana to Nigeria, and it ran  
along the coastline through the two little French territories of Togo and  
Dahomey. It was easy to tell when you came to a border. Uniformed police- 
men stopped you at the barricade, checking your passport and searching the  
car for smuggled goods. With all the border stops, it would take all day  
to get to Nigeria, even if you'd started before dawn as the Gibsons had.  
After crossing the Togo border, Dr. Gibson began driving on the  
opposite side of the road.  In English territory everyone drove on the  
left. In French territory everyone drove on the right. The only problem  
was in remembering which country you were in!  
Bonnie sat on the edge of her seat, peering at the trucks ahead.  
All the trucks had signs across the back, and some were very amusing.  
"Never trust a woman," Bonnie read as the family laughed.  
"They must have gotten that saying from the American army boys,"  
Daddy joked. "What does that one say, honey?"  
92


Bonnie whirled around to read the back of the truck that had just  
passed them. "Have faith in me," she read. "If that truck is like most 
of these, you need faith!" she quipped. The family smiled, remembering  
how many trucks they had passed by the side of the road, waiting for  
repairs or just having a three-hour tea break!  
Suddenly Mother cried out. "Jesse! That truck's in our lane!"  
Sure enough, one of the big trucks was headed right toward them on THEIR  
side of the road. Pastor Gibson wrenched the wheel, skidding into the  
ditch at the side of the road. The truck driver, realizing his mistake, 
swung back into the other lane in time to miss the truck behind Gibsons.  
"Whew! That was too close for comfort!" Pastor Gibson began easing  
the car back onto the road. "Everybody okay?"  
"I will be when I get this box of books off of me," Bonnie teased.  
"You don't drive very well, Daddy."  
"This road is awful," Mother complained. "People forget which side to  
drive on and they have MORE accidents! Drive more slowly, dear."  
Between the dust and heat, and the narrow escape, everyone felt the  
need of a cool drink. Pastor Gibson  pulled off the road, crawled out  
from under the wheel, and pulled a big thermos jug from among the back  
seat boxes. He filled two glasses, one for himself and one for Bonnie.  
Then he handed Mother a smaller thermos all her own.  
"Here's your charcoal water, dear," he told her.  
She poured the grey drink into her cup and smiled. "It looks awful,  
but it is certainly helping my upset stomach," she remarked.  
"Where did you learn about using charcoal, Mama?" Bonnie wanted to know  
"Did Grandma use it, too?"  
"Yes, she did. She read about the many uses of charcoal in Ellen White


books years ago. Mrs. White wrote that she used it with good effect for  
stomach troubles, insect bites, and in wet poultice packs on infected  
hands and eyes. She pointed out that the Lord had given us many natural  
remedies that weren't harmful as drugs sometimes are, and that it was our 
duty to find out these remedies and use them. Charcoal soaks up poisons 
and takes them out of the body. It really  helps."  
"It sure helped me in the village the other day," Daddy commented.  
"They brought me a tiny baby with stomach trouble, and I didn't know what  
on earth to use for such a small thing. Then I remembered charcoal and  
had the mother boil some water, cool it, and mix it with the charcoal to  
give her baby. He was much better by just the next morning." Daddy 
drained his glass and jammed the thermos back into its spot. "Let's go,"  
he said. "Can you squeeze back into your spot, Bonnie?"  
Mother, stretching her legs beside the car was peering into the jungle  
in hope of seeing a new kind of bird. Bonnie eyed the plants, checking to  
see if there were any wild flowers she could add to her Pathfinder col- 
lection. Suddenly she spotted one.  
"I'm coming, Daddy," she called. "Just let me pick this flower for  
my collection."  
Bonnie leaped the shallow ditch and scrambled up to the jungle's edge.  
As she reached for the yellow flower, she let out a scream. "MAMA! Some- 
thing bit me.' Oh, my leg!"  
In an instant Mother was across the ditch, inspecting Bonnie's ankle  
and looking carefully in the surrounding grass. She saw nothing but a big  
spider web.  
"Oh, Bonnie.' I'm sorry. Looks like a spider bit you, but I don't see  
him. Let's get some disinfectant on that right away."


Back in the car, Bonnie rubbed her ankle as they bounced along the  
road again. It hurt worse than a bee sting. It hurt worse than a wasp 
sting. Maybe it was just her imagination, but it seemed to hurt all the  
way up to her knee. She wanted to curl up and sleep a while, but the  
throbbing kept her awake.  
"How's the bite, honey?" Mother asked, peering over the back seat  
fifteen minutes later. "Better now?"  
"No, it feels worse. My whole leg aches," Bonnie whimpered.  
Alarmed, Mother leaned back for a better look. "Why, Jesse!" she  
exclaimed. "There are red streaks going clear up to her knee. Whatever  
bit her was poisonous. What should we do?"  
Daddy stopped at once and took a look himself. It was bad all right.  
The closest medical help was in Nigeria—and that was three hours away.  
If the poison had spread this fast in fifteen minutes, what  might happen in  
three hours? Bonnie didn't look a bit well, and she said now that it hurt  
clear up in her hip.  
Mother bent over the first-aid box, frantically pushing aside creams  
and disinfectants. "There's not a thing here that will help," she moaned.  
"I wonder if we should cut it like a snake bite and try to squeeze out the  
poison, although it looks as if it's spreading through her leg already.  
Oh dear! What did the pioneers use before they had modern medicine?"  
"Herbs, charcoal, and hot and cold treatments," Daddy answered. "That  
doesn't help us much out here, though."  
"Mama's got charcoal," Bonnie reminded him.  
Mother stopped searching at once. "You're right!" she exclaimed.  
"Mrs. White's charcoal remedy. She SAID it was good for insect stings,  
land me my thermos, Jesse."  
95


Carefully Mother poured off the grey water, eyeing the black charcoal  
powder at the bottom of the thermos. With a spoon she dug it out and  
plastered it on Bonnie's leg, pinning a clean handkerchief around it to  
hold it in place.  
"Now we've done all we can do," she said. "Jesse, pray for us that  
God will help His remedy to work."  
For the next three hours Bonnie sat in front between her parents.  
Mother checked the bandage constantly, keeping the charcoal damp and in  
place. She also kept an eye on those angry red streaks which seemed to  
start fading after the first hour.  
By the time they reached Nigeria, the streaks were nearly gone, and  
Bonnie wasn't complaining about pain so much. Daddy drove straight to  
the hospital. The doctor listened to their  story, examined Bonnie's leg,  
and looked very serious.  
"You're right," he said. "Whatever bit her was very poisonous, and as  
young as she is, that bite could have killed her. You probably saved her  
life with that charcoal dressing. How in the world did you think of that?"  
Mother smiled and hugged Bonnie close to her side. "I read about it  
in one of Ellen White's books," she answered. "She said charcoal was one  
of God's natural remedies for poison bites, and I'm convinced now that  
she was right."  
96


JUNGLE PERIL  
Objective: To recognize God's loving care in providing remedies  
for the effects of sin.  
For Discussion:  
1. Finish these sentences as Mrs. Gibson might:  
a. I'm glad I had an upset stomach because . . .  
b. I'm glad God gave Ellen White information about natural  
remedies because . . .  
c. Bonnie's poisonous bite gave me opportunity to witness to . . .  
2. What other natural remedies did  Ellen White recommend?  
See "The Use of Remedies," The Ministry of Healing, pp. 234-240.  
(Fasting, fruit diet, moderate eating, rest, visit to the country,  
pure water, bathing, water treatments, exercise)  
97


STREAMS OF LIGHT  
"Don't drop that box!" Willie White cautioned a burly dockhand.  
"Be careful with those suitcases. There are breakables in one."  
Watching her luggage coming off the big ship, Sister White thought  
what a nice change her ocean trip to Europe had been. With her son 
Willie, his wife Mary, and best of all their nearly three-year-old  
daughter, Ella, it  had been a time for family togetherness. Of course  
Sister White had spent many hours writing, as usual, but there was still  
time to sit on deck enjoying the ocean and keeping a sharp eye on Baby  
Ella as she played around the deck chairs.  
Now they were safely in  Europe, headed for a place where the three  
of them could help to'strengthen the Adventist publishing work.  
When they reached Basel, Switzerland, the workers greeting them  
could hardly wait for the Whites to put down their bags so they could  
show them the new press building. As they came within sight of it,  
Ellen exclaimed, "I've seen this building before. Yes, I've been here  
before."  
The Europeans were startled. They knew that this was her first  
visit to Europe. How had she "seen" it before?  
Inside the building their guide  opened a door. "This  is our little  
chapel," he explained proudly. "We hope to hold some public meetings  
in here, too."  
Mrs. White didn't look surprised. But she looked thoughtful. "Yes,  
she said, "this is a good meeting hall. I feel that I have seen this


place before, too."  
Behind her back the workers exchanged  alarmed glances. Was she  
making this up to impress them? They had heard of Mrs. White and her  
visions. They had been waiting to see for themselves what she was like  
and to decide what they thought of the "American Prophet" as they some-
times called her, much to her distress.  
In the press room Ellen White carefully examined one of the presses.  
"I've seen this press before," she stated. "This whole room looks very  
familiar to me."  
Two young pressmen stepped up to meet Mrs. White. Shaking hands  
with first one and then the other, she turned to look at the room again.  
"Where is the other one?" she inquired.  
The manager looked puzzled. "What other one?" he asked. Did she  
mean another press? A different book on it? What was she talking about?  
"The other man," Ellen replied. "There is an older man who works  
here, and I have a message for him."  
The manager was stunned. "I do have another man," he admitted, "but  
he's in town on business right now. You'll meet him tomorrow, probably."  
The next day Ellen met the third man and privately gave him a  
message from God that she had received ten years earlier in her vision  
of the Swiss press. He, for one, had to believe that the Lord was  
guiding Ellen.  
Later in the year when Ellen went to Oslo, Norway, she had the same  
strange feeling. All  the buildings and presses were familiar to her.  
She'd already seen them in vision, too!  
Six years later in Australia she recognized their printing facilities,  
->o. She even knew of some private troubles among the workers in Australia  
99


and suggested solutions to those problems. How had she known? A vision,  
she told them.  
Why had God shown Ellen all these publishing houses long before her  
visits to them? It was all part of God's plan to get the early Adventist  
church into the printing business.  
Years before her trip to Europe,  God had given Ellen a very important  
message. Jesus was coming again, and people everywhere needed to prepare  
their hearts and their bodies to be ready for his arrival. How could  
she tell everyone about it? She could only hold so many meetings a day,  
and people would only come so many times. There wasn't any radio or  
television station where she could broadcast the  message and reach  
many people. But there was printing. Books and papers could be spread  
like "leaves of autumn" all over the world.  They could repeat the same  
message over and over, to different people.  
An angel had appeared to Ellen White, telling her that James, her  
husband, should write messages, sermons, and Bible studies. Put them  
in a little magazine which would start very small at first, and then grow  
in size until it spread like streams of light around the whole world.  
At the time the Adventist work was just beginning, the Whites had  
no money to print such a paper. They hardly had enough for food. But  
they had been ordered to print. Rather discouraged, James set out to mow  
some hay. Maybe that would bring in enough money to print something, at  
least.  
"I'll be back tonight, Ellen," he called, heading for the door.  
"Have a good supper ready. After all that mowing, I'll be starved!"  
No sooner had James left than Ellen fainted and fell on the floor.  
Friends revived her and then were startled to see that she was going into  
100


vision. Eyes open, talking sometimes, Ellen listened to a message from  
iOd.  
A short time later when it was finished, she became aware of the  
familiar household furniture and knew where she was. Suddenly she  
remembered the message.  
"Run and catch James," she ordered. "I saw that if he spends time  
mowing fields instead of getting that paper started as God has ordered,  
he'll be struck with sickness. Catch him, quick!"  
Out the door and down the road sped a man, trying to catch up with  
James whose long legs had already carried him nearly to the hay field.  
He turned around and returned home, obedient to God's call,and began to  
write. He had no idea where the money for printing would come from,  
but evidently he wasn't supposed to earn it.  
In nearby Middletown, Connecticut, he found a printer who would  
-rust him to pay for the printing later. Together they got out  a  
small eight-page paper called The Present Truth. By the time the  
fourth copy had been mailed out to believers across America, gifts had  
begun to come in the mail, and James was able to pay the printer.  
Of course Satan did his best to stop the  work. Ellen's baby nearly  
died, but God healed him. James himself thought his end had come when  
he caught the dread cholera. But God intervened. They ran out of money.  
Still James printed. The Present Truth later became the Review and  
Herald and is now the Adventist Review , a lively church paper that  
is sent weekly to thousands of homes.  
That was all very well for adults, but didn't James care about what  
children read? He certainly did. With careful planning he figured he  
'"vuld print another magazine for young people—The Youth's Instructor—  
101  
Center for Adventist Research  
Andrews University  
Berrien Springs, Michigan


for only three cents an issue. He urged Adventist youngsters to save  
their pennies and pay for their own magazines, but if they couldn't, he'd  
send them free, anyway. As the church grew, so did our papers, and today  
we have Our Little Friend, Primary Treasure, Guide, and Insight—all  
specially written for the youth of the church. Do you see how this one  
stream of light split into many?  
In Ellen's dream about publishing work, an angel told her it would  
be like that—streams of light that would go clear around the world. In  
a later dream she saw a dark, dark world. All at once a tiny light  
appeared, and it seemed to light another, which sparked another, until 
the whole world was lightened. In later years as she saw how one publish- 
ing house sparked another in a different country, and one magazine became  
two or three, she rejoiced that the dream was coming true. None of the  
foreign publishing houses she saw in her dreams had even been planned  
when she envisioned them. But God had planned them, and when she saw  
them in reality, they were exactly as she had been shown they would be.  
Today Adventists have over 3 million baptized believers around the  
world and fifty publishing houses. Every year they send out thousands 
of books in all directions, each one a tiny light. Ellen's dream is  
still coming true.  
102


STREAMS OF LIGHT  
Obj ective: To recognize the far-reaching results of putting the  
"good news" into print.  
For Discussion and Classroom Activity:  
1. On a map of Europe locate Basal, Switzerland, and Oslo, Norway. 
2. Using a SPA Yearbook and a large map of the world, try to find  
the location of the church's 50 publishing houses. For a bulletin  
board display, prepare "streams of light" (using yellow yarn or  
thread) to emanate from these locations on the map.  
3. If  someone asked an early Seventh-day Adventist, "How can a little  
church like yours hope to prepare the world for Jesus' coming?"  
what might the believer say? (Possible responses: We are relying  
on God's great power. We expect everyone who hears to tell some- 
one else. We can multiply our effectiveness greatly by putting  
the message on paper and sending it around the world.)  
4. How might the papers prepared especially for the younger members  
of the church serve to strengthen the church?  
5. Name your favorite church paper.  
6. What paper published by the church today would be appropriate to  
give to someone not acquainted with Seventh-day Adventist teachings?  
(Possible responses: Message, Signs, These Times.)  
103


SHIPWRECK AT SEA  
"We're about out of territory here/' Maria remarked. "Where are  
we going next to sell our books?"  
Six pairs of eyes turned toward Maria. They belonged to six young  
ladies who had been selling Ellen White's books in Western Mindanao,  
Philippines. The girls liked working together, sharing living expenses,  
and taking turns at cooking chores. The seven of them had already  
visited most of the homes on the end of the island that had been assigned  
to them. Where should they go next?  
"Why don't we sail down to Panganuran," Joy suggested. "No one has  
been down there yet, and I feel a real burden for the people on all thes  
small islands around us."  
The girls looked thoughtful. "It's a long way down to Panganuran,  
Juanita said. "We'd have to take a boat. I get seasick."  
The girls laughed. That-WAS a problem. Juanita wasn't the only one  
whose stomach got upset when she was in small boats on choppy water.  
Maria brushed her silky black hair out of her eyes. "You're not  
the only one who gets seasick, Juanita. But Jesus put up with more than  
seasickness for us. I guess we can stand a day of it for  Him."  
"How will the people on Panganuran ever learn about His love unless  
we take the books down there?" Rhodora argued. "I say let's go next week  
and plan to stay at least a month on that island."  
And so the girls laid plans to take Ellen's books to Panganuran, a  
small out-of-the-way settlement reached only by sea. Satan was not  
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pleased. He never likes to see God's message spreading.  
The sun shone warmly and the sea was calm the afternoon the seven  
girls asked God to protect them and set out for their new territory. The  
boat sailed so smoothly that even Juanita's stomach felt fairly good,  
and the girls sang as the boat made its way toward their destination.  
Before long they could see the shores of the Pilas Islands. That would 
be the last land they would see for several hours. Ahead of them was 
open sea.  
Conditions seemed perfect, but now that they were out on the sea  
all alone, little fears began creeping into the mind of Rose Hunas. As  
leader of the group she felt responsible for their safety. She knew  
that the weather wasn't always predictable this time of year and that  
sudden storms often struck those offshore islands. She shuddered, looking  
^ver the side at the dark water. There were more sharks under its calm  
surface than she cared to think about. Still, they were doing God's  
work, and hadn't he promised to protect them? Rose settled back on her  
seat and joined the song the other girls were singing. Every now and  
then, however, she would check to be sure that the precious boxes con- 
taining Ellen White's books weren't getting damp in the bottom of the boat.  
All at once Juanita turned pale. "Ohhhh," she groaned. "I feel  
awfulI" Two of the others swallowed hard and said nothing, but they 
looked strange, too. It did seem that the water was getting rougher.  
Suddenly, without warning, a tropical storm swooped down upon them.  
With the very first gust of wind, the tiny boat rose from the water and  
flipped over. It had happened so fast that the girls hardly knew what  
hit them. One minute they were in the boat and singing, and the next  
".nute they were fighting the waves.  
"Maria! Where are you? "Pat! Come this way!"  
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Frantically the girls clung to the upturned boat and pulled each  
other close to it. Ellen White's books were somewhere at the bottom of  
the Sulu Sea by now. Were the girls destined to join them?  
Rough water tugged at their bodies, pulling them away from the safety  
of the boat. Each girl clung for dear life to the ship's sides. When 
would they be rescued? Or would they be rescued? How long could they  
hang on like this? And what about those sharks? At the last thought,  
some of the girls began to cry.  
"This will never do," Rose thought. "Girls," she called, "we're  
all alive so far, and you remember that we asked God to  protect us  
before we started out on this trip. We're here on His business, you  
know. Where's our faith? Stop that crying and pray!"  
Obediently the girls began turning their thoughts to God. Prayers  
rose from each one clinging to the boat's slick bottom. One hour passed.  
Two hours. Three hours. How much longer could their arms hold out? 
No sharks yet, thank God. Four hours. Pat let go to rest her arms for  
just a minute, when a sudden swell washed her away from the group.  
"Pat!" What are you doing? Come back!" Joy's voice was sharp. 
"I'm too tired to hang on any longer," Pat called, wearily. "I quit."  
"Oh, no you don't," Joy replied, and turning loose, she struck out  
after Pat.  
"Leave me alone, Joy," Pat sobbed. "I'm not so strong as the rest  
of you. I can't hold on any more, I tell you."  
Joy didn't waste energy arguing. Firmly she wrapped one arm around  
Pat and dragged her back to the boat. Other hands reached  out and  
grabbed them as they came close.  
"Don't you do that again," Rose scolded. "God's going to save us.  
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71LL of us—and don't you forget it!"  
"Listen, girls." It was Rhodora speaking. Clinging to the boat  
with one hand, she was struggling to get something out of her T-shirt.  
"I have my little Bible here. I tucked it inside my shirt so it wouldn't  
get wet. It's a mess now, though. If two of you can hang onto me, maybe  
I can use both hands and get it open. We all need something to think  
about."  
Eagerly the girls watched Rhodora pull out the water-soaked book.  
Several hands hung onto her clothing and kept her afloat as she began to  
read. It wasn't easy turning those sopping pages without tearing them.  
"I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress. My God,  
in Him will I trust . . . Surely He shall deliver thee . . . Thou shalt  
not be afraid ... He shall give his angels charge over  thee." Rhodora's  
-.rong young voice rang out with the reassuring words of the 91st Psalm.  
With the words came renewed courage. The girls needed it.  
Night was falling rapidly, and no help was in sight. In the dark  
the girls hung onto the boat and each other, singing, praying, dreaming  
of home and wondering if they'd ever see it again. It had been 9 hours  
since their last meal. Merlyn was so hungry she began chewing on a  
piece of the cardboard box that had once contained Ellen White's precious 
books. It didn't help much.  
As dawn began to break, hopes rose again. The girls had been in  
the water so long now. Surely God wouldn't save them this long unless  
He intended to rescue them.  
Suddenly through early morning mist they sighted a small ship in  
the distance. "Over here! HELP!" Rose shouted, excitedly. The girls  
>ined their voices with hers. "HELP! HERE! HELP!"  
"They're not answering us," Maria said in despair. "Let's all shout  
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together. "One, two three—HELPI" With all the strength they could muster,  
the girls screamed in chorus. It seemed impossible that no one could hear 
them, but the ship steamed out of sight without stopping.  
Sobs followed the ship as it disappeared.  
"Why didn't they stop?" Joy wept. "We're all going to die out here.  
No one is ever coming."  
Rose looked worried. This kind of talk would discourage everyone.  
"Let's sing again," she suggested. "Sing 'Never Give Up.' That's a good  
one for us right now." So the girls sang—weakly at first, and then more  
strongly as the song brought reassurance.  
Sixteen hours after the boat had overturned, a military rescue team  
led by Lieutenant Fred Sampiono found the exhausted girls. Quickly they  
dragged them into the rescue launch and sped to the hospital at Panganuran.  
All seven girls were alive and conscious. When the men learned how long  
the girls had been in the water, they could hardly believe it.  
"It is miraculous! Your God saved you," declared medic Felix  
Gonzales.  
And that's what everyone thought. Satan's plan to stop God's message  
from entering Panganuran was completely ruined.  
How well it was ruined no one realized until all the island people  
began asking, "What was it that the girls were trying to bring here?  
What was so important?" Everyone wanted to buy one of those Ellen White 
books—from a new shipment, of course, sent in from Mindanao. The girls  
were thrilled. It was exciting to see how God had used even this  terrible  
experience to draw attention to the message he was sending the island  
people through seven dedicated young ladies.  
108


SHIPWRECK AT SEA  
Obj ective: To understand the unlimited power of God to overcome  
handicaps in the spread of the gospel.  
For Discussion:  
1. On a map of the Far East, locate the Philippine Islands.  
2. At what times in the story did Satan seem to triumph? 
3. Describe what seemed to bring renewed courage to the shipwrecked  
girls.  
4. What Bible verses do you know which could give you courage when  
you face trouble?  
5. What song do you know that you could sing to bolster your courage  
in a difficult situation?  
6. How did God turn a near-disaster into a highly successful selling  
experience for the seven girls from Mindanao?  
109


PROTECTED IN BATTLE  
Yoneo Ikeda hated Americans. His country, Japan, was at  war with  
America, and he could hardly wait to get into battle. His army unit 
headed for the Philippine Islands, territory protected by America. Here  
he would have his first chance to show how much he hated  those foreigners.  
The very first fight was fierce and long. Many of his buddies died on  
the beaches, but not Ikeda. Dodging bullets, scurrying out of range of  
machine-gun fire, Ideda fought on. Bullets killed his friends, but not 
him. He began to wonder why.  
Dashing across one battlefield, he paused to check his location.  
Suddenly the Japanese beside him fell dead. Ikeda ran on. When his  
company advanced into the jungle, they became lost and wandered for hours  
among the trees. They did not know that if they had taken the correct  
route, they would have all died in the ambush waiting for them there.  
When they finally emerged from the jungle, they found themselves in the  
midst of a hard beach battle again. Ikeda was close  to the shelter of  
the trees, so while others were killed, the trees hid him.  
One night as he patrolled on guard duty at the edge of the Japanese  
camp, he felt especially uneasy. It was scary not knowing what might lurk  
in the nearby jungle, but someone had to watch for the enemy and warn the 
company if they came. Ikeda marched back and forth, back and forth, his  
rifle constantly ready to shoot an American. When a buddy came to relieve  
him, he was glad to get some rest. Guard duty was hard on your nerves!  
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No sooner had he stretched  out on his cot when the alarm sounded,  
emy attack! In seconds he was on his feet, firing into the jungle. Many  
died that night, including the fellow who had replaced him on guard duty.  
But Ikeda was alive.  
When the war finally ended, Ikeda hated Americans more than ever.  
His beloved Japan had surrendered. America had won. Bitterly he returned  
to his former work with the Japan railway.  
Months of living in the jungle during the war had affected Ikeda's  
health, and before long the doctors told him that he had the dreaded  
tuberculosis in his lungs. How angry he was! It was all the Americans'  
fault! If he hadn't been fighting them in the jungles, he wouldn't have  
gotten sick. The more he thought about it, the madder he became until in  
fury he joined a Communist group to better continue his campaign of  hatred  
against Americans.  
While his body weakened, his mind  also became confused. There seemed  
nothing to live for. Maybe he could do what the Americans hadn't been able  
to do—kill himself. Boarding a train, he headed for a high mountain,  
intending to jump from its cliff and end his hate-filled life.  
Fortunately, an old uncle had suspected his plan. He trailed Ikeda  
and persuaded him to return home with him. There under his uncle's loving  
care, Ikeda began to feel better again. He even got interested in reading,  
and when he saw the Signs of the Times magazine at a  friend's house, he  
read it through. Impressed by what he had read, he sent for his own sub-
scription. It came—along with Colporteur Michiya Yuda who enrolled him in  
the Voice of Prophecy Bible Course.  
Ikeda's life began to change. Hatred gave way to love—such love as  
he had never imagined—Jesus. Now he could see God's hand in his life,  
protecting him, leading him to a happier life. He wanted to tell others  
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about his discovery, and with Michiya's help, Ikeda began selling the  
Signs magazine and some of Ellen White's books. Happy in his new work,  
his health improved and he felt well again. When Michiya introduced him  
to a pretty Japanese girl,  Ikeda felt his life was complete.  
After the two young people were married, Ikeda continued to sell Mrs.  
White's "American" books. He smiled as he thought of how much he had  
hated anything American. How different he felt now!  
When a baby girl was born to the Ikedas, they were thrilled. However,  
she soon became sick and died, and Ikeda felt again the  old despair in his  
heart. But now he knew where comfort and strength lay, and he and his  
wife turned to God to help them endure their loss. To get out of the house,  
Mrs. Ikeda joined her husband in his book-selling, and together they work  
to win others for Jesus. One young couple who learned about Jesus from  
the Ikedas, have joined them in the colporteur work.  
Ikeda finally met several "real" Americans at a rally for literature  
evangelists. He spoke to them with tears running down his face as he 
confessed, "Brethren, in 1943 I was killing Americans as fast as I could.  
Today I love you more than my own relatives. My only desire is to win  
others for the Master, to be faithful unto the end, and when Jesus comes,  
to be reunited with my little daughter and those whom we have helped to  
win."  
Only eternity will reveal the full extent of the Ikedas' work and  
of the influence of Ellen White's books in Japan.  
112


PROTECTED IN BATTLE  
Objectives: To understand the surprising transformation than an  
encounter with God can work.  
To recognize the health of mind that comes with surrender to Christ.  
For Discussion:  
1. If someone had told you the story of Ikeda at the time he joined  
a Communist group, what would you have predicted for his future?  
(A life of hatred and bitter denunciation of Americans.)  
2. Think of words to describe Ikeda before and  after he met Christ.  
(Before: bitter, hateful, suicidal, confused, furious;  
After: happy, loving, sharing, healthy, resilient)  
3. Think of the people involved in preparing Ellen White's books  
for the people of Japan. What skills would they have?  
(translators, proofreaders, editors, publishers, packagers, colporteurs)  
4. Here is a list of books by Ellen White printed in Japanese. Which  
book do you think would be a good one for colporteurs to sell in  
Japan to people unacquainted with Christianity?  
Patriarchs and Prophets  Counsels on Sabbath School Work  
Christ's Object Lessons  Messages to Young People  
The Desire of Ages  The Adventist Home  
Steps to Christ  Colporteur Ministry  
Impending Conflict  Education  
Mount of Blessing  The Great Controversy  
Christian Service  
113


H - *  
.  
1 ...  
••.!.;:;: ; ; • / '•"- ! ' A'-',- V: •


THE SPIRIT  OF  PROPHECY  EMPHASIS  STORIES  
Volume II, Part II  
Grades 5-8



HUMAN INTEREST STORIES  
Early Years: An Imaginary Interview with  
Mrs. White  
Middle Years: The Courtship of James & Ellen  
Wagon Train West  
Delia's Favorite  Case, Parts I & II  
Later Years: Ellen's Last Visit to PUC


AN IMAGINARY INTERVIEW WITH MRS. WHITE  
TONY 
Good morning, Mrs. White. I've come to ask you some questions for  
an article I hope to put in our school paper. We thought that people  
would like to know firsthand what your childhood was like. Do you have  
time to talk to me now?  
MRS. WHITE  
Of course, Tony. You know I love to talk to young people. What do  
you want to know about my childhood? I was born up in Maine, and I was a  
twin. Is that the sort of thing you want?  
TONY 
Yes, human interest stuff. You were a twin? Did you have other  
brothers and sisters, too?  
MRS. WHITE  
Yes, there were eight of us in the Harmon family, and Elizabeth and  
I were the youngest.  
TONY 
Was your father a farmer?  
MRS. WHITE  
No, he was a hatmaker, and a good one, too. It was really a fine  
business to be in with such a large family, because as we grew up each of  
us worked in the hat shop and helped the family finances. I made the crowns 
of hats—the top, flat part. It was the easiest, and I could do that lyi 
on the sofa. Father paid me 25c a day, not bad when you consider that many  
118


other children worked just as hard at home for nothing. I think it was  
,ood that he paid us. It taught us the value of money.  
TONY 
I doubt that you got rich, though!  What did you do with your money?  
MRS. WHITE  
Well, I had several things in mind at first, but one day I heard a  
lady in church telling  of all the young people here in America that didn't  
know about Jesus, and she wondered how they'd all be warned before He came  
in 1843. I had heard of Jesus ever since I was small, because my family  
were good Methodists. But evidently some young people didn't know about  
Him, and the more  I thought of it the more worried I became. I talked it  
over with Elizabeth and our older sister, Sarah, and we three decided to 
start saving our work quarters and do something about the situation.  
TONY 
What on earth could you do with that little bit of money?  
MRS. WHITE  
Quarters make dollars, you know. I saved and saved and finally dis- 
covered I had $10. Was I excited! But I kept still and put away more.  
When I got to $30,  I couldn't keep it any longer, and taking my money, I  
went to Father and asked him to buy some booklets and tracts to give out  
to the young people who didn't know about Jesus and His coming.  
He was astonished, for that represented 120 days of work. But if he  
thought of trying to stop me, he didn't say anything. He, too, thought  
Jesus was coming any day now, and he was proud that we girls  were thinking  
of others. So he did as I asked.  
TONY 
You said you made hats  while lying on the couch. Were you sick or  
something?  
119


MRS. WHITE  
Yes, it's hard to remember when I had good health. I guess Elizabeth  
and I were fairly healthy little girls, but when we were 9, a teenager  
stopped us on the way home from school and tried to start a fight. We began  
to run as she chased us, and I looked back to see how close she was. Just  
as I did, she threw a stone right in my face. I fell unconscious to the  
ground.  
When I came to, I was in a nearby store. A kind man offered to drive  
us home in his buggy, but I thought I'd be all right and refused. When I  
tried to walk, though, I wished I hadn't. Elizabeth and a classmate 
carried me home, finally. I just couldn't make it.  
I don't remember the next three weeks. Mother said I was unconscious  
most of the time. One kind neighbor offered to buy a burial robe for me,  
but Mother wouldn't let her. Somehow she was  sure I'd pull through.  
TONY 
That must have been some injury. What damage did it do?  
MRS. WHITE  
Well, it broke my nose, for one thing, and maybe I had a concussion,  
too. I don't know. I do know that as soon as I began to be aware of  
people again, I was puzzled by the way they looked at me and the muffled  
exclamations they made when they saw my face. Mother must have kept a mirror  
from me as long as she could, but the day I got it, I understood people's 
reactions. I could hardly stand to look at myself! My reflection was 
ugly—like no one I'd ever seen. One doctor suggested running a silver wire  
under the skin to replace the shattered bone and give my nose some shape, 
but since no one was sure I'd live, nothing was done about that.  
The neighbors all told Mother she ought to sue that girl's parents, t  
120


Mother didn't think that would help my looks any, and it would only make  
enemies. Father was away on a trip when the accident happened, and when he  
returned, he looked all around and asked where I was. When Mother pointed  
me out, I thought it would break my heart, for Father didn't know me at all.  
I felt that I couldn't stand to live looking like that. I wanted to die—  
but I was afraid to. I knew I wasn't ready to meet Jesus. So I began to  
pray that my sins would be forgiven and I could die.  
TONY 
When you recovered  enough to go back to school, how did your, classmates  
treat you?  
MRS. WHITE  
Well, I learned quickly that it makes a difference how you look.' Some  
of my friends stuck by me, but many made fun of me. There were days when I  
bought I couldn't stand another insult.  
The teacher assigned the stone-thrower to help me catch up in my  
schoolwork since she was ahead  of me in school. She seemed genuinely sorry  
about my injury and tried her best to get me through those subjects. But  
when I'd look at a page, everything would blur. I'd try to concentrate so  
hard that perspiration dripped off my forehead. I was too weak to stay in  
school.  
When I was 12 the teachers advised my parents to take me out of school  
altogether, so they did. My, it was hard watching Elizabeth and the others 
race out the door every morning while I had to sit there making hats and  
knitting stockings! 
TONY 
I'll bet that was rough. By that time I suppose you'd stopped praying  
out dying, hadn't  you?  
121


MRS. WHITE  
Yes, I had. It seemed evident that I was going to live, even if I  
didn't want to at times. But I was still concerned with the Second Coming  
of Jesus. It was all the talk, you know. William Miller and his charts  
proved Jesus was coming in 1843. After some stirring sermons at campmeeting  
the year I became 13, I decided to be baptized.  
Most people were baptized by sprinkling, you know, but it didn't seem  
to me that that was the Bible way. I talked it over with other young people  
in the youth tent, and we all agreed that going clear under the water as  
Jesus had was the only real way to be baptized. Our minister finally agreed  
to immerse us, and 12 of us young people were baptized in the ocean one  
windy day. I'm sure Mother was afraid the chill would hurt me, but it didn't.  
I only felt a great relief as guilt rolled off my heart.  
Shortly after that I tried to go back to school at a private girls'  
seminary, but I just couldn't take it. It was either education or my health, 
and I returned home very discouraged.  
TONY 
Talking about being discouraged, how did you feel when that 1843 date  
passed and Jesus didn't come? Were you just disappointed, or did you feel 
you'd been tricked?  
MRS. WHITE  
Oh no, Tony, I didn't think we had been tricked. We all felt something  
was wrong with the figures, but that Jesus was still coming very soon. I  
was discouraged, of course, and those who made fun of us helped that  
discouragement. 
TONY 
Well, He's still "coming very soon," Mrs. White. And that was year'  
ago that YOU thought so. What advice do you have for us youth today?  
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MRS. WHITE  
Tony, we should have been in heaven long ago if only we'd let Him get  
us ready for His coming. Would YOU be glad to see Jesus tonight?  
TONY 
Wellll—maybe not tonight, but later, when I'm ready.  
MRS. WHITE  
That's what I mean. Let Jesus get you ready for heaven. Then help  
others to be ready. I've seen heaven, Tony, and I wish I could tell you  
how wonderful it is and how much love Jesus has for you. He wants every 
one of you young people there with Him. Tell today's youth He's waiting  
for them. Let's not delay His coming any longer.'  
123


AN IMAGINARY INTERVIEW WITH MRS. WHITE  
Objective: To learn that poverty, illness, and lack of education  
need not affect the quality of one's service to God.  
For Discussion:  
1. What clues in Ellen's early life suggested that she would become  
useful in God's work?  
2. What major handicaps did Ellen have?  
(Poverty, illness, marred face, lack of education)  
3. Why is the manner of baptism important?  
4. Over 65 years after Ellen's death, Jesus still has not come.  
How would you explain to Ellen the reason for His delay?  
5. How could you hasten Jesus' coming?  
124


THE COURTSHIP OF JAMES AND ELLEN  
The first time James and Ellen met neither one was much impressed.  
She hardly noticed him, and he thought of her only as the 16-year-old  
girl who gave an interesting testimony at the Portland, Maine Adventist  
meeting. Maybe he noticed that her smashed nose made her less than  
pretty, and her 80 pounds didn't appear too sturdy on the 5'2" frame. 
But then, he hadn't been that sturdy himself when he was younger.  
James White was one of nine children on a Maine farm. As a toddler  
he caught a fever which threw him into convulsions and left him with  
ssed eyes and a frail body. At 7 when he tried to attend school, he  
discovered that all the letters blurred together and his general nervousness  
made study impossible. Giving up school, he began to help his father on  
the farm full-time.  
The exercise and fresh air proved soothing to the nervous youngster,  
and by the time he reached his late teens he was a strapping six-footer who 
could pitch a wagon of hay in record time. Best of all, his eyes suddenly  
uncrossed and began to focus on print. Excitedly he enrolled in St. Albans  
Academy, five miles from home. A suit, $3 for tuition, and a week's supply  
of bread were all he needed. With determination he began on a  primary  
level, trying to fit his long legs under tiny desks. Students laughed, of  
course, but James didn't care. The letters were making sense. He could read.'  
The boy worked so hard that at the end of the twelve-week session of  
. ool (during which he hiked home every Saturday to renew his weekly bread  
125


supply), the headmaster granted him a certificate stating that he was 
qualified to teach elementary school. The next winter he did just that.  
Determined to get more education, he enrolled in other 12-week sessions  
as they became available, gaining a total of 29 weeks of schooling on a  
higher level. He didn't know it then, but that would be all the formal  
education he'd ever get.  
So James understood Ellen's health problems. He'd had enough of his  
own. What interested him about the girl was the startling conviction with  
which she presented her message.  
James belonged to the Christian Church and Ellen was in the process  of  
leaving the Methodists who rejected her belief in Christ's soon coming.  
But caught up in William Miller's prediction of the Second Advent, both 
James and Ellen became part of the multi-denominational group called  
"Adventists."  
When James became convinced of the nearness of Christ's coming, he  
reluctantly dropped out of school and began to preach, figuring that if  
William Miller was right, warning the lost was more important than sitting  
in classes. He began first with his former school students and their 
families, and as he gained confidence, he began traveling across Maine,  
speaking wherever he could. In just four months his sincerity won a  
thousand believers to the Advent message.  
Elder Miller's first calculations led him to believe that Christ  
would return during the Jewish year of 1843, a date which ran through the  
first three months of 1844, according to our western calendar. When He  
did not appear then, recalculations set the time for October 22, 1844—a far  
more specific and publicized date. The disappointment the Adventists felt  
when He did not come that day can hardly be imagined, and when young Ell- 
White had a vision that seemed to explain it a few weeks later, James was  
126


inclined to listen to her. Any explanation was worth considering!  
Her vision showed God's people still walking toward the kingdom with  
the message of Christ's soon coming as a great light that shone from behind  
to help them find the way. Reluctant to  tell her dream, her natural shyness  
and poor health seemed good enough reasons not to. Besides, she was only  
17 and a girl, at that. How could she be expected to travel around New  
England to tell the Adventists that they were still on the right track?  
James solved the problem. Friends invited Ellen to ride with them to  
Orrington, Maine, to return to  James White a borrowed sleigh. After James  
met Ellen again and listened to her new testimony on the Second Coming, he  
became convinced that she should tell others about it. But how? Earnest 
and big-hearted, he suggested that he take Ellen and her friend,  Miss  
Jordan, around to some of the churches to deliver the message. He'd drive  
his own sleigh and see that no harm came to the young ladies. They  
agreed gladly, for James was older than they and had the reputation of  
being an honest and godly man.  
After several weeks of traveling around together, a letter from Ellen's  
mother caught up with them.  
"Come home, Ellen, my daughter," it read. "False reports are being  
circulated about you. You should not be traveling all over the countryside  
like this. It is not fitting and proper for one of your age."  
Gossip, entirely unfounded, brought Ellen's tour to a halt. They had  
never traveled alone, had stayed with church members, and James WAS an ordained 
preacher 24 years old! Nevertheless, Ellen obediently returned to Portland.  
During the next year they traveled together again, doubly careful to  
avoid situations that might spark gossip.  Marriage was out of the question,  
course, as Jesus was expected so soon that to marry and plan to settle  
127


down seemed a denial of one's faith in His soon coming. Still, someone had  
to take care of the young lady, for opposition to her message sometimes  
provoked violence. She needed a man around.  
One day after James and two friends had rowed Ellen and her friends 20  
miles downriver to catch a boat back to Portland, they found a crowd  
waiting for them on the dock back at Orrington. The rowdies intended to  
catch the young dreamer and throw her out of town. Now she had escaped  
them. Frustrated, they fell on James and his friends,  beating them  
unmercifully, and depositing them in the jail for the night. As James  
rubbed his horse-whipped shoulders he shuddered to think what they might  
have done to Ellen. She just must not  travel alone.  
When Ellen was 18 gossip and rumors threatened to stop her preaching  
again. James got so agitated that he began to consider the only way to  
stop the rumors—marry the girl and travel wherever necessary without 
scandal. But that would mean giving up his cherished idea that marriage  
would be a denial of faith in Christ's soon return. Could he do that?  
He had just last year written a scathing rebuke to another couple who  
wished to marry.  
When it came right down to it, he didn't want to leave Ellen. Her  
honesty, good humor, earnest Christian life, and kindly concern for others  
made her fun to be around. And there was no Biblical ban on marriage  
before Christ's coming. James began to weaken.  
One day he came out with it. "Ellen," he said, "something has got to  
be done about this situation. Either we must get married, or you'll have  
to go alone. I can't tolerate these rumors."  
Startled, Ellen suggested that they earnestly pray about the matter  
and decide the next time they met. At the next meeting they agreed to  
announce their engagement in Portland and be married shortly.  
128


By this time Ellen was entirely out of the Methodist Church, and lacking  
church of their own, James White and Ellen Harmon sought out the Portland  
Justice of the Peace and were married on August 30, 1846. She was 18 and  
he had just turned 25.  
Was it a love marriage? The next 35 years would prove that beyond doubt.  
"She has been my crown of rejoicing," James wrote later, and Ellen  
declared, "I feel he is the best man  that ever trod shoe leather." Surely  
their marriage was on of those "made in heaven."  
(Adapted from James White, by Virgil Robinson, pp. 1-39, and "The Courtship  
of Ellen Harmon" by Ron Graybill, Insight, January 23, 19 73.)  
129


THE COURTSHIP OF JAMES AND ELLEN  
Objective: To understand the circumstances surrounding the courtship  
of James and Ellen White.  
For Discussion:  
1. Which of the following seemed important to James and Ellen as  
they considered marriage?  
a. Physical appearance  
b. Common goal  
c. Money 
d. Second coming of Christ 
e. Love  
2. What qualities in James made him a good husband?  
(Protectiveness, drive, concern for God's work, big-heartedness)  
3. What qualities in Ellen made her a good wife?  
(Honesty, good humor, Christian life, concern for others)  
4. What qualities in Ellen and James made them good workers for God?  
130


WAGON TRAIN WEST  
Travel wasn't easy in the 1870's, but Ellen and James White certainly  
managed to cover territory! Their diaries show them traveling from place  
to place with wearying speed—Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Michigan,  
California. By then they were both exhausted and determined  to retreat to  
a mountain cottage in Colorado and rest. But God had other plans. He  
called them back to Battle Creek, Michigan, again. After finishing the  
business there,  James found himself simply too run down to go further, so  
Ellen kept appointments alone for a while until she, too, finally checked 
^ato the Battle Creek Sanitarium for rest. Feeling guilty that they  
were not out doing God's work, the Whites decided to accept a call to a  
Massachusetts campmeeting in spite of their ill health, and to rely on  
God to provide strength for the task.  
There were times when they both felt unable to stand and speak at  
another meeting, but God marvelously provided strength at the moment of need,  
and the many who responded to their campmeeting sermons made it well worth  
the effort it took for them to be there.  
After a short break at South Lancaster to catch up on sleep, the Whites  
went to Vermont and then to New York  for more campmeetings before returning  
to their home in Battle Creek.  
Once there, they began to lay plans for a trip to California to check  
the work and to  visit their children there. On the West Coast, Ellen  
left James to rest while she visited and preached in the new state of Oregon.  
131


James finally did retreat to the Colorado mountains and Ellen caught up  
with him at the end of the summer. The Whites' children urged them to  
stay in the mountains and rest, but Ellen felt compelled to hurry  
back to the fall New England  campmeetings again. Leaving James in poor  
health, not knowing if he'd be alive when she saw him again, proved a 
hard thing to do, but Ellen packed and left for Boston.  
After a rigorous round of campmeetings in the East, Ellen hurried  
west to meet James at a Kansas campmeeting. From there they went to  
Texas for more services.  
It was while they were in Texas that pioneer fever hit James White.  
Wagon trains left for the West every week, and something in the air made  
him want to go, too. There were several good arguments for making the  
trip. Many of the poorer Adventist families wanted to migrate west, but  
they couldn't afford the train fares. The Whites were seasoned travelers  
Couldn't James White  lead them to Colorado? Besides that, the Whites needed  
$2,000 to pay their pledge on the Battle Creek Dime Tabernacle Building  
Fund. Mules bought in Texas for $80 sold in Colorado for $200. It looked  
like a good way to make money.  
The plan made sense to everyone except Ellen. The Lord had so much  
for them to do, and she didn't see that weeks in a wagon train would be 
furthering that work. However, the  trip might be a good break for James,  
and since the Lord hadn't given her any command against going, she 
reluctantly began to pack.  
James came home from the Denison livestock market with four strong  
mules and two wagons. He also had two smaller mules to pull the two-seated  
spring carriage he owned. All these could be sold at  a profit in Colorado.  
The group began collecting other items for resale—buffalo hides, wildca  
skins, and pecans.  
132


"Don't forget the stoves," Ellen reminded him. "We ought to have at  
least two good ones, maybe three. Shouldn't we have several tents, too?"  
An excited group of travelers gathered outside of Denison, Texas, that  
April morning. Eight wagons, the Whites' spring carriage, and thirty-one  
men, women, and children made up the wagon train. They camped along the  
Red River, waiting for it to drop so that the ferry could take them across.  
While they waited, Ellen and James hiked in the woods and picked wild  
strawberries. It was like a lull before the storm.  
Finally, weary of waiting for the river to  drop, the company rode 45  
miles up river to another crossing where the ferry could operate. One by  
one the wagons were poled across the raging stream on a flat boat. Near  
the landing on the other side ferry men warned them, "There's quicksand  
on this side. When we stop, drive off quickly and don't stop or you'll  
sink." Everyone obeyed and they all reached Oklahoma safely. To celebrate  
they spread a large oilcloth on the ground and held an impromptu picnic.  
Since the weather was warm and they weren't too well-organized yet, the  
Whites pitched a tent for sleeping that first night. There was no time to  
stake it down properly or to dig a trench around it, for darkness was falling 
fast. Laying blankets on the ground, they went to sleep, only to waken 
to a deluge of heavy rain. Water stood inches deep in the tent already.  
From the wagon they dragged a bedstead into the tent and piled all the soggy  
bedding on top of it. Ellen White, her helper Marian Davis, and Adelia  
and Ettie, two little girls who were traveling with the group,  all slept  
crosswise on the bed for the rest of the night. James White and Dr. Hardin  
stretched out in the wagon, and Mr. Corliss curled up uncomfortably in the  
carriage. It was a horrible night.  
For the next two days they drove steadily, trying to reach the Johnson  
Ranch before sundown Friday. They made it and were glad to buy the ranch's  
133


butter, milk, and eggs to supplement their food supply. While Marian cooked  
for the ten of them, Ellen washed out 13 towels still muddy from the rain- 
storm.  
Sabbath was beautiful. The lovely woods, the flower-carpeted meadows,  
and warm sun all  seemed to celebrate God's holy day, and the campers dried  
out and revived in  the warmth. Everyone gathered to hear Ellen White speak  
to them for about an hour.  
Ellen rose early Sunday morning to pick a quart of strawberries for  
breakfast and to gather a large bundle of wild greens. James went off to  
buy water buckets and cornmeal—two items they had overlooked. Ellen  
wrote, "Father rides horseback a considerable part of the time. He is  
enjoying his journey much. We are in sight of a meeting house. We shall  
ride out, camp, and meet with the people.  We will work our way along,  
preaching as we go."  
In the meeting house that evening were many listeners including a number  
of Indians. People urged them to stay and conduct more meetings, but James  
said, "We must press on and cross Canadian River before it is swollen with  
heavy rain."  
The journey through Indian Territory was not without danger.  At night  
they drew their wagons into a circle and staked the horses and mules inside  
it. Men in groups of two guarded in two-hour shifts throughout the  
night.  
They weren't so much afraid of Indians as of dishonest white men who  
hired the Indians to stampede the horses. When the  horses ran, the white  
men caught and stole them and left the wagon trains stranded.  
Rattlesnakes and poisonous insects were a problem, too. Tarantula  
spiders were common, and Dr.  Hardin caught and bottled the largest, hairie  
ones he could find. Ellen thought they looked "immense and frightful"!  
134


At last the procession rolled out of Indian territory and into Kansas,  
,ollowing the twisting Neosha River. Everyone was getting tired of the camp  
life. Because ten people were dependent upon the Whites for food, many  
provisions were required. Many times they spent half the night cooking, and  
sometimes Marian stayed up the whole night fixing food. Without packaged  
or canned goods, cooking was a long,  drawn-out  affair.  
So they pushed on across the wide Kansas prairies. While the horses  
and mules fed on the lush grass, the women washed, cooked, and managed the  
housekeeping. On May 20, nearly five weeks after they had left Texas, the  
tired travelers approached an Adventist farm where the Kansas campmeeting  
was. scheduled—only to discover that it had been move to Emporia, some miles  
away. They also learned that some campers had been waiting a week for their  
arrival, and they'd  best hurry. Leaving the wagons to come at a slower  
pace, Ellen and James boarded a train headed to Emporia in just 45 minutes.  
Ellen sank back into a comfortable seat with tremendous relief. The trip  
may have helped James, for his health seemed better than usual. But it  
hadn't helped her one bit. She wrote, "I feel as though I was about one  
hundred years old. . . This journey has nearly killed me." Between sickness  
and hard work, Ellen had lost 12 pounds during the trip.  
Eagerly the Whites reached the campground and found the tent pitched  
for them. Ellen was at ease again, back doing what she felt the Lord had  
for her to do.  
And what of the wagon train? It straggled into camp two days later,  
remained for campmeeting, and then continued on to Colorado without James.  
The caravan was organized now, and could make it the rest of the way alone. 
That was fortunate, for the Whites had to turn east to Missouri. What for?  
"Tiy, to another campmeeting, of course!


WAGON TRAIN WEST  
Objective: To discover the life style of a wagon train company, its  
benefits and hardships.  
Locate on a map of the United States the places Ellen White visited  
according to this story: Massachusetts  
Vermont  
New York  
Battle Creek 
California  
Oregon  
Colorado  
New England 
Kansas  
Texas 
Oklahoma  
Kansas (Neosha River, Emporia)  
Colorado  
Missouri  
For Discussion:  
1. What seemed to be the reason for the Whites' desire to make money  
selling mules in Colorado?  
2. What were the major hardships of the women in the wagon train?  
3. What were the major hardships of the men in the wagon train? 
4. What were the benefits from the wagon train trip?  
136


DELIA'S FAVORITE CASE  
PART I  
Ellen White finally returned from Australia after spending nine years  
in the country "down under." While there she had written several books and  
founded Avondale College and Sanitarium. Back in the States, she wondered  
where to settle. California appealed to her, and a lovely estate near St.  
Helena caught her attention. The seven rooms of its old homestead offered  
space for her always expanding household, and a little separate cottage  
promised to make a good guest house. It was ideal, and she called it  
Elmshaven.  
No sooner was she settled there than she received a call to attend  
the 1901 General Conference at Battle Creek. She felt that she should go,  
and when Dr. John Harvey Kellogg invited her to come to his house where  
she would not only be an honored guest, but could also receive some hydro- 
therapy and massage treatments for her tired body, she accepted at once.  
At the Battle Creek Sanitarium the nursing supervisor sent for one of  
her best nurses, Delia Walker.  
"Miss Walker," she said, laying a kindly hand on Delia's shoulder,  
"you have had the most trying and difficult case in this hospital for the last  
eight weeks. You've never complained, and have done your work faithfully.  
Now I want to assign you to a different kind of case, one I think you'll like."  
Delia looked at her supervisor with glad surprise. That last case had  
been awful!  
"Who is it?" she asked eagerly.  
137


"I want you to go to Doctor Kellogg's mansion on Manchester Street and  
take care of Sister White."  
The nurse looked startled.  
"Is she very sick?" she asked.  
"Well, she's just back from Australia, you know. -Her health has never  
been good, and Dr. Kellogg thinks that some good massage and water treatments  
will make her feel much better. She will stay at his house during the  
General Conference meetings. She's already arrived, I hear."  
The next morning Delia left her room in the nurses' dormitory and  
walked toward the large Kellogg home. Dr. Kellogg needed all the space he  
could get because he had adopted so many orphan children. She had been 
told that he divided them into families of seven and put a nurse "mother"  
in charge of each family. They all enjoyed Dr. Kellogg's love and attention,  
and they each worked in their gardens every morning before breakfast. T*  
they ate and played together. It was the next best thing to a real home.  
As she came near the mansion's grounds, Delia could see some of the  
children's pets. They had ponies, deer, monkeys, and even a bear. But this  
morning Delia didn't see the bear.  
Calling over one of the bigger boys, she asked, "Where  is your bear,  
Donny? I don't see him anywhere."  
Donny looked at her sadly. "One of the Sanitarium patients  fed our  
bear some raw meat." The nurse looked puzzled. "What's wrong with that? 
What did he usually eat?"  
"Oh, he was a vegetarian bear. He'd never tasted meat."  
Delia smiled. "What happened after he had the raw meat?" she persisted.  
"Well, he got so mean and fierce that Daddy had him taken away."  
"Oh, that's too  bad," she sympathized, putting her arm around the s  
eyed boy. "I'm so sorry. Maybe you can get another bear."  
138


By this time a number of children had surrounded her, all trying to  
11 her at once how much they missed their pet bear. As she talked with  
them, she discovered they already knew about Sister White, the little  
lady who had come to visit Dr. Kellogg. She had taken time to talk to the 
children already, and they loved her.  
Delia hurried on into the house and a lady led her to the guest room  
where Mrs. White lay on the bed, reading.  
"This is your nurse, Delia Walker," the lady informed her.  
The frail little lady rose from her bed and welcomed Delia with a warm  
hug. "I'm so glad you've come to help me," she said, and Delia felt at home  
at once. She knew she was going to like this case.  
Every day during the General Conference session Delia gave Sister  
White the hydrotherapy and massage treatments that Dr. Kellogg ordered.  
While Delia worked, Mrs. White talked and asked questions until they became  
v^ry well acquainted. Sometimes Mrs. White would recall her childhood when  
she and her twin sister Elizabeth used to play in the woods near their home.  
Elizabeth was a fat, chubby child and  couldn't keep up with Ellen, so often  
Ellen would hear a little voice  behind her saying, "Ellen, help over log!"  
Then Ellen would go back and drag her twin over the fallen log. When Mrs.  
White told this she laughed and said, "So, Delia, I have been 'helping over  
logs' ever since!"  
One day as Delia remarked about how well Dr. Kellogg's children obeyed  
their nurses and how much they seemed to love one another, Mrs. White told  
her of one of the children she had kept.  
"This little girl, Mae Wallace, was really my own niece, and her  mother  
had always found her hard to manage. One day when Mae and her mother were  
ting dinner with us, Mae began to act as she usually did in the presence  
of her mother. She ran and hid under the bed. I followed her into the  
139


bedroom and said, 'Mae, come right out.' She crawled out and stood up.  
'Why did you run and hide under the bed?' I asked.  
'"I didn't have any knife,' the child whined. 
'"Well, you should ask for  a knife. You should not run and hide like  
this because something doesn't please you. Now go right back to the table  
and eat your dinner.'  
"May obeyed, and her mother turned to me in astonishment. 'Ellen,  
how do you do it?' she asked.  
"Then I told her one of the secrets of my success with children. 'Be  
sure you have the child's attention. Speak earnestly in a quiet voice,  
just once. When they know that you mean  it and that you love them, they  
will obey.'"  
Delia was impressed  with this advice and wrote it down when she got home  
that night. This was certainly the most interesting case she had ever haH- 
140


DELIA'S FAVORITE CASE  
PART I  
Objective: To learn Ellen White's wisdom in relating to other people.  
For Discussion:  
1. Which of these words probably describe Delia's feelings and  
impressions when she was taking care of Ellen White?  
a. scared  
b. interested  
c. at ease  
d. enlightened 
e. uncomfortable 
f. appreciated  
2. What is Ellen White's "secret of success" with children?  
(Be sure you have the child's attention.  
Speak earnestly in a quiet voice, just once.  
Let the child know you mean what you say.  
Let the child know you love him.)  
3. Think of a rule that you think Ellen White followed for getting  
along with people.  
(a. Show your interest in other people,  
b. Treat others with love and sympathy.)  
141


DELIA'S FAVORITE CASE  
PART II  
Delia Walker, the young Battle Creek nurse, had many conversations  
with Ellen White as she administered the treatments Dr. Kellogg had ordered  
for the elderly lady. She was especially impressed with how kind she was  
and how personally interested in Delia's future she seemed to be. In the  
evening, after the day's work was done, young Raymond Lovell used to come  
after Delia and walk her back to the nurses' dormitory. One day Delia  
asked Sister White what she thought about their friendship.  
"Is Raymond Lovell a sincere, earnest Seventh-day Adventist?" the o.1J,r  
lady asked, looking right into the young nurse's eyes.  
"Yes, I'm sure he is," Delia replied.  
"Are you congenial? Do you like the same things?" 
"Oh yes! We have a lot in common." 
"Are you happy in his presence? Do you miss him a lot when he is away?"  
Delia blushed and looked at the carpet. This was getting a bit  
personal! "Yes," she said.  
"Does he have the means to make a comfortable home for you?" the gray- 
haired lady persisted. "Is he earning a livelihood?"  
"Yes, I think he will provide a good home for us."  
Sister White leaned back and smiled. "Well, you two seem to be well  
matched. You are both twenty-five, and you have almost completed your nurse's  
training. You are both in good health and have had experience in variou  
142


types of work. X see no reason why you would not work well together for God."  
Delia was thrilled that Sister White approved of her friendship with  
Raymond. She planned to tell him that night as he walked her home. This  
day would mark a step forward in their life together.  
Sometimes Delia and her patient talked about Dr. Kellogg and the great  
work he was doing as a physician and a surgeon, and of his tender care for  
all the orphans that he brought into his home. He had a very keen  mind,  
the ladies agreed, and that reminded Mrs. White of the time that Dr. Kellogg  
met a man who declared himself an infidel. "There is no personal God,"  
he told the doctor in an emphatic voice.  
"Oh yes, there is a real, personal God," Dr. Kellogg retorted.  
"How do you know?" the infidel shot the question at him.  
"Because I am personally acquainted with Him," Dr. Kellogg replied  
^--iumphantly, and the unbeliever had no more to say.  
In discussing the work of Dr. Kellogg and the Battle Creek Sanitarium,  
the nurse and her patient talked about health habits. One day Sister White  
told her about a picnic that she and her husband had under a roadside tree.  
With so much traveling to do, they always carried a lunch  basket, and as  
Mrs. White opened it, she noticed some cattle feeding in a nearby meadow.  
One cow rose up and stretched her neck and then began to bellow at the  
unwelcome intruders. Mrs. White watched in fascination as the cow used all  
her abdominal muscles to let out a truly astonishing sound.  
"You know, Delia," she concluded, "we would have much better health if  
we used our abdominal muscles in breathing and speaking."  
In so small a thing as her observation of a bellowing cow, Ellen learned  
valuable lessons. Her sensitive perception of the teachings of God in nature  
azed Delia.  
143


The young nurse also observed the clothes her patient wore. She always  
dressed in plain, neat, becoming , well-made dresses of excellent materia  
Her clothes were comfortable, durable, and yet in keeping with the mode of  
her day without being extreme in fashion. She liked to wear white collars  
and cuffs that always surprised onlookers with their whiteness. Her hair  
was kept well brushed and she arranged it in a simple coil or braid which  
seemed to enhance her appearance. When she stood before an audience, nothing  
about her ever detracted from what she was saying. Her looks were in keeping  
with the simple message of hope and truth that she presented. Delia went  
to the General Conference meetings many times to hear Sister White address  
the group.  
It was amazing how this little old lady could command respect from the  
General Conference brethren.  At this 1901 session the burden of her message  
was the reorganization of the work of church administration. She urged the  
committee to allow the South to become a separate conference, and  
suggested that unions could be appointed to administer conferences, thus  
freeing the General Conference brethren to take care  of the world-wide work.  
One day Mrs. White told Delia, "Whenever you speak of my work for the  
Lord, do not say 'Sister White says this or that,' but rather say, 'God has  
told us' or 'the Lord has said.' I am only a channel for his  messages."  
It was on the 30th day of December that same year, 1901, that Delia  
married Raymond Lovell. This story was made available by Dorothy Lovell  
Charland from her mother's records written long ago in Battle Creek, where  
Ellen White was Delia's favorite case.  
144


DELIA'S FAVORITE CASE  
PART II  
Objective: To become acquainted with the principles of life that  
Ellen White lived by.  
For Discussion:  
1. What did Ellen White think was important to ask to determine  
if a man was eligible for marriage?  
(Can he earn his own living? Does he have good health?)  
2. What is a good answer to someone who says, "There is no God"?  
3. What rule did Mrs. White seem to follow in  choosing clothing?  
(Clothing should be neat, becoming, of excellent material,  
comfortable, durable, contemporary in style, undistracting.)  
4. Instead of saying "Ellen White says ..." when we quote from  
her works, we should say . .  .  
5. Practice breathing as Ellen White recommended. Try to discover  
the physiological reasons for abdominal breathing.  
145


ELLEN'S LAST VISIT TO PUC  
God gave Ellen White a clear, melodious voice with unusual carrying  
power. One of her helpers, Alma McKibben, has said, "I never heard any- 
one say that he could not hear and understand what she said."  
At some of the campmeetings and public crusades that were held in  
open groves or meadows people a mile away stated that they heard Mrs. White's  
voice clearly and plainly. In most of her sermons she asked this question:  
Soon all of us will be gone; then who will carry on?" And she always  
answered her own question, "The children and you young people of today will 
carry on."  
The last fifteen years of her life she spent at Elmshaven, not far from  
Pacific Union College. She often visited the college and took a deep interest  
in the students and everything that went on at the institution. She also had  
a motherly interest in the St. Helena Sanitarium, located between Elmshaven  
and the college.  
As the years went by and her life drew on toward its close, she went  
less often to visit these institutions, but her prayers and her affections  
followed them. And the young people there knew it. In the autumn of 1913  
she paid her last visit to the college. Alma McKibben tells us of this  
historic occasion. She had become  very feeble and they brought her up from  
Elmshaven the night before so that she could rest overnight at the college  
because she was not strong enough to ride  up the hill and then speak to the  
students.  
At chapel time they brought her over from the dormitory where she had  
146


slept, lifted her up the steps into the little old chapel, and helped her  
:o the desk. She stood there, holding onto the desk while her son, Willie,  
stood beside her with his arm around her to support her.  
Ellen White spoke only about eight or ten minutes, and this is the  
substance of what she said:  
"Dear young people, I am so glad that God has permitted me  
to speak to you one more time. I was young like you when God called  
me to His work. I put my armour on and I have never taken it off."  
Then she paused for a moment.  
"My work is almost finished. My secretaries are very busy these  
days gathering the material and putting together the manuscripts for  
another book. I want to finish the series. (The book was Prophets 
and Kings, the last book of the Conflict Series.) I help them as  
much as I can, but my strength is  not what it once was. But so long  
as I live I shall never take my armour off."  
Then they carried the aged messenger of God out of the chapel and put  
her in a chair on the porch, an open porch. The students could see her  
hrough the glass door while they sat in the chapel. The hush that rested  
upon them was so absolute that it seemed still as death. No one heard the 
slightest sound in that room, and Ellen White seemed to forget where she  
was and began to sing,  
"Jesus is coming again.  
Jesus is coming again.  
I have waited long.  
Jesus is coming again."  
She was remembering one of the old Advent hymns that she and James, her  
husband, had sung together so many years ago. And the students sat listen- 
ing. Tears ran down their faces, for they all felt that they had seen and  
heard her for the last time.  
Finally, President Irwin dismissed them to their classes. No one who  
attended that solemn chapel period ever forgot.  
During the year of 1914 she continued to grow weaker, but still the  
faithful helpers carried her every day to her writing chair in the big  
147


upstairs room at Elmshaven. The people of the community so greatly respected  
Ellen White, that they often came to the house, hoping that they might  
catch a glimpse of her in her wheelchair on the balcony, for the nurse put  
her there in the sun every day. And at night the neighbors saw the light  
gleaming from the windows of her writing room at the end of the left wing  
at Elmshaven. Reports circulated that light, supernatural light from heaven,  
rested on that end of the building.  
Early in the new year of 1915 Ellen  tripped and fell in the doorway  
of her writing room, breaking her hip. Months of pain and suffering followed,  
but through it all patience and sweetness were her responses to this last  
trial. Even in that sad and painful time God gave her visions. What He 
told His faithful servant in  those night sessions is not fully known to us,  
but His presence must have cheered and comforted her beyond measure. When  
she closed her eyes in death on Sabbath, July 16, 1915, the nurse walked over 
to the clock on the fireplace mantel and stopped it forever. It still  
stands at the exact moment when she drew her last breath.  
So her earthly life ended, but the influence of her writings, the example  
of her holy life, the fruit of her activities  in behalf of the church and  
the world have grown and expanded until they fill the world. Hundreds of 
thousands of her books are distributed throughout the earth. Schools,  
publishing houses, and health institutions ministering to multiplied thousands 
are upholding the holy prinicples which she received from God.  
148


ELLEN'S LAST VISIT TO  PUC  
Objective: To recognize the dedication that kept Ellen White at  
her tasks for God's people even when she was plagued  with infirmities.  
For Discussion:  
1. Which of the words on the right best describe Ellen White's  
attitude in each of the situations  named on the left?  
a. Viewing the young people  self-protective  
of the church  alarmed  
b. Facing tasks with weari- depressed  
ness and ill health  hopeful  
c. Speaking for the final  busy  
time at PUC  interested  
d. Enduring pain  complaining  
concerned  
trusting  
indifferent  
2. Which of the words on the right above seem to be out of  
place in describing Ellen White in any situation?  
3. Which words on the right above best describe you  
a. in pain  
b. when tired  
c. when viewing other people in the church  
149


PROPHETS, VISIONS, & INSIGHTS  
Reluctance, Refusal, & Obedience  
J. N. Loughborough  
Eugene's Surprise From God  
Stephen Smith & The Unread Testimony  
The Teenager's Secret  
Ella Hated  Housework  
The False Visions  
150


RELUCTANCE, REFUSAL, AND OBEDIENCE  
Through the ages, God has spoken to His people through messengers or  
prophets. When God sends a message, does the receiver have to deliver it?  
What if he refuses? What happens to a messenger who says "No" to God?  
During the 1840's William Miller's doctrine of Christ's soon coming  
swept New England. People of many different faiths joined the "Millerite  
Movement," expecting Jesus to come in October, 1844. One of these was  
William Foy, a light-skinned Negro preacher for the Freewill Baptists.  
Although young, he was known for his excellent sermons, and for the  
ability to speak easily and persuasively. Many of his listeners thought  
ie was on the way to becoming a really great preacher.  
When Foy first heard Miller's ideas, he didn't believe them at all.  
Jesus had been "coming" for centuries. Why should it suddenly be only  
two years away?  
In January  of 1842, as Foy attended a Boston prayer meeting, the Lord gave  
him a vision. For two and a half hours he seemed entranced. Some thought  
the boy was in a fit and called a physician. The doctor could find no  
appearance of life in Foy, except for a heart-beat. He wasn't  
breathing at all. The congregation sat frightened, then awed.  
In his vision Foy saw the reward of the faithful and the punishment  
of the wicked. Coming out of vision, he felt strongly that he ought to  
tell it to others, but he hesitated. After all, he was still young.  
Claiming visions might ruin his career entirely. Furthermore, Foy was 
v?ell aware of prejudice against Negroes  even in the North. What if  
151


people made fun of his race? Besides, no one in the vision had told him  
that he HAD to tell it to others. Picking up his overcoat,  he hurried out  
of the meeting, determined to forget the incident.  
The dream, however, refused to be forgotten. Every morning he remembered  
it. During the day it haunted him. At night he tossed restlessly. Something 
seemed to be urging him, "Tell the dream, William, tell the dream." Finally  
after days of inner turmoil, William Foy reluctantly sat down and hastily  
wrote a very poor outline of his strange dream. He took it to a printer,  
had copies made to pass around, and hoped he could now forget the whole thing. 
When people read the vision in print, who would guess that the author was black?  
At least he wouldn't discredit his race this way.  
In February, three weeks later, the Lord gave him another vision. He saw  
crowds of the living and hundreds raised from the dead all receiving their 
rewards. This time a voice told him to tell his fellow men about what he 
seen and urge them to repent and prepare for the judgment of God.  
"Why should I be given these messages?" he argued. "It's a real  
hardship to me to have to relate them."  
Nevertheless, when the pastor of a Boston church asked him two days  
later to tell the congregation his dream, William Foy reluctantly agreed.  
As he began speaking, his fear left him and he spoke with his usual eloquence,  
causing many to search their hearts that night.  
For the next three months he traveled from church to church telling  
about his dream, describing the heavenly world,  the beautiful New Jerusalem,  
and the tender love of God. Tears, prayers, and revival resulted from his  
testimonies.  
But Foy had a family to support, and tears won't pay for bread at the  
grocery store. Lacking money, he left the ministry and took a job that  
152


would pay in cash instead of tears. For three miserable months he worked,  
ill the time feeling restless and unhappy inside. At last he could stand  
it no longer, and leaving his job, he went back to the ministry.  
At a meeting in Portland, Maine, young Ellen Harmon heard William  
Foy tell of his dream, and she was thrilled. Foy continued to preach until  
he received the next vision. This time he couldn't understand it. It had  
to do with three platforms, and since he didn't understand what was meant  
in the dream, he didn't tell it to anyone. His first dream had been easy 
to preach because he believed that Jesus was coming and that rewards would  
be given out to those who were faithful. This second dream in the early  
fall of 1844, was baffling, and he stopped his  preaching completely.  
But God still had a message He wanted to give  to men. A few weeks  
remained before the October 22 deadline, and God selected another young man  
with a pleasing appearance, good education, and real speaking ability. His  
name was Hazen Foss. In vision Foss saw the Adventists traveling to the city  
of God and was instructed to warn them of certain things. He was also shown  
the troubles that would come to him as a prophet and urged to be strong in  
meeting them. Frightened, he refused to relate the vision.  
When Jesus didn't come in October, Foss was bitterly discouraged. He  
felt deceived. In a second vision he was warned that if he did not accept  
the responsibility for delivering God's messages, the task would be taken  
from him and given to "the weakest of the weak." Still he hesitated. Already  
the Adventist leaders had soundly denounced several others who claimed to  
have had visions. He didn't want to be classed with those fanatics.  
The vision bothered him so much that at one point he did call together  
a group to listen to him recount it, but at the last moment he backed out of  
he appointment. Shortly after this, a strange feeling came over him and a  
153


voice seemed to say, "You have grieved away the Spirit of the Lord." The  
sense of desolation and loss that swept over him were terrible, and he at  
once declared that he would tell the vision.  
Gathering a congregation, he stood before them to speak. Suddenly his  
face whitened. His mouth opened, but no words came out. The audience became  
distressed. What was the matter with the young fellow?  
In agony he stood there, trying to relate the vision, a cold sweat  
beading his forehead. Twisting his hands, he cried out, "It is gone from  
me. I can say nothing. The Spirit of the Lord has left me.'" His hopeless  
despair made many at that meeting report that it was "the most terrible  
meeting they were ever in."  
In December, a few weeks after the terrible disappointment over Christ's  
failure to return, Ellen Harmon received a vision. This 17-year-old girl  
had no gift of eloquence. She was no healthy, educated young man.  
Uneducated, sickly, shy, and female, surely she was not to be God's messenger.  
But Ellen had one asset that fitted her for the job. She obeyed. She related 
dreams that at times she could not understand. She delivered messages she  
could not fully explain. Willing to be used, she proved to be a reliable  
messenger. She began traveling, relating this vision and others that came  
after it.  
In early 1845, William Foy, the young Negro, heard Ellen White relate  
one of her visions. He came up to her after the meeting and told her of  
his own experience.  
"One of the visions you related," he said, "in essence was identical to  
one I received. And while I relayed some of the messages, my heart wasn't  
in it. I didn't want to be ridiculed."  
Ellen felt sorry for Preacher Foy. Evidently she believed that his  
visions had been genuine. Later that year Foy became sick and died.  
154


Disappointed in the Second Coming, reluctant to accept the post as God's  
ssenger, he missed the greatest opportunity of his life and died without  
knowing the blessing that he and his race could have received had he not  
been reluctant to deliver God's messages.  
Although Ellen White had never met Hazen Foss, the second messenger God  
called, she spoke to a group in  his hometown of Poland, Maine, telling them  
of her first vision two months after it had been given to her. Friends  
invited Hazen Foss to attend the meeting, but he refused. Still, curiosity  
got the better of him, and he came a bit  late and stood outside the door,  
listening to the teenager tell her  vision. The following day he called on  
Ellen and told her of his experience.  
"Ellen . . . the Lord gave me a message to bear to His people. And I  
refused after being told the consequences. I was proud. I was unreconciled 
to the disappointment. I murmured against God and wished myself dead. Then  
felt a strange feeling come over me. I shall be henceforth as one dead to  
spiritual things. I heard you talk last night. I believe the visions are  
taken from me and given to you. Do not refuse to obey God, for it will be  
at the peril of your soul.  I am a lost man." (EGW Letter 37, 1890)  
So it seems that God tried three times to locate a messenger. The  
first was reluctant and only half-way followed instructions. The second  
refused completely. The third obeyed.  
God calls you to be a messenger, too. You may not have visions, but  
you have the Bible and Ellen's visions. His message is simple: "I love you.  
I want to save you. Will you be saved?" What will you do with His message?  
Will you answer with reluctance, refusal, or obedience? God won't force you  
to deliver it. The choice is completely yours.  
reference: SPA Encyclopedia, pp. 473-475)  
155


RELUCTANCE, REFUSAL, AND OBEDIENCE  
Objective: To recognize God's commitment to communicating with people,  
yet His willingness to grant everyone freedom to respond or  reject.  
For Discussion:  
1. What advantage did William Foy have over Ellen White?  
(Pleasing appearance, education, speaking ability)  
2. What made Ellen White "the weakest of the weak"?  
(Limited education, poor health, being female  at a time when  
careers were not ordinarily pursued by women—particularly ones  
which required public speaking in the church)  
3. What is saddest to you about the stories of William Foy and Hazen  
Foss?  
4. Which of these questions would you prefer to ask God?  
a. Were there others who received a vision, too, who never admitted  
it to anyone?  
b. What direct advice do You have for me about following You today?  
5. What opportunities do you have to respond to God's guidance  
a. in school?  
b. at home?  
c. at church?  
156


J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH  
John Loughborough (Luff-boro) was only eleven in 1843, the year he  
heard the exciting news that Jesus was coming in only a few months.  
Thrilled, he began to pray that he'd be ready. At night he dreamed of  
Jesus' coming and of the earth melting, and it all seemed so real!  
When Jesus did not come in 1844, some Adventists decided that the  
whole second coming message was false. Not John, however. He knew that  
Jesus would come, but the time would be later. He determined to be bap- 
tized while he waited. He was sure it should be done by immersion as  
;scribed in the Bible, but he'd never seen such a baptism. He had  
it done that way anyhow and felt a real blessing for having followed the  
Bible way.  
His love for the Lord led him to speak out about the second coming,  
and before his seventeenth birthday he became a preacher for the First-day  
Adventists, pastoring several companies. He was afraid when he stood to  
give his first sermon, but within minutes he felt at ease and had a  
"heavenly time" preaching, he said later.  
One day in 1852 a friend stopped him with startling news.  
"Two of your First-day Adventist groups have started keeping the seventh- 
day Sabbath, John. You'd better go to the meetings that seventh-day fellow  
Andrews is holding and see what it's all about. You must rescue your  
congregations from this error."  
Alarmed, he went to hear Elder J. N. Andrews the next Sabbath, taking  
157


seven of his congregation with him. He had been told that these people 
screamed, yelled, and made a great demonstration in their meetings, but  
he found the service peaceful, quiet, and filled with a sense of God's  
spirit.  
Elder Andrews' lectures on the Ten Commandments answered every argu- 
ment that John had expected to use to prove that the Sabbath had been done  
away with at the cross. After the meeting a friend asked, "Well, now you'll  
have to keep the Sabbath, won't you?"  
Without flinching John replied, "Yes, unless I hear something stronger  
than I have learned today, I shall HAVE to keep the Sabbath." And he began  
keeping it.  
When James and Ellen White got back in town, they held a service which  
Loughborough attended to meet the well-known couple. The house was large,  
some rooms being used for meetings while others held a printing office.  
In one bedroom a young printer, Oswald Stowell. lay deathly ill. Doctors  
had pronounced his case hopeless. The young man had asked for special prayer.  
After church the Whites invited John to go in the sickroom to pray with  
them. The rest of the congregation would remain  praying in the chapel.  
Elder White read God's Bible instruction for healing, and following it,  
anointed Oswald with oil and prayed for his recovery. Suddenly the room  
seemed filled with God's spirit. Oswald sat up. "The pain is gone," he  
declared. "I am healed." Two days later he was back at his press.  
As Ellen knelt by the bed, God's power fell on her, too.  
"Ellen is in vision," her husband announced softly. Those who had been  
praying in the adjoining room crept in to watch the sight. Her open,  
unblinking eyes seemed focused on a far-away scene. She gazed upward, some- 
times from side to side, pointing at what she was being shown. Although  
breathless, she did not become pale, and she spoke single words or whole  
158


sentences, at times.  
Astonishment covered John's face. He'd never seen anything like it.  
Visions? In modern times? For half an hour he watched, fascinated. Then  
Ellen drew three deep breaths and stood up. Now what, John wondered.  
As though she read his mind, Mrs. White turned to the young preacher.  
She described how Sunday-keeping ministers had tried to prevent him from  
accepting the Sabbath. She spoke of thoughts which he had expressed to no  
one. Amazed, he declared, "Surely there is a greater than human power 
connected with this vision."  
John and his wife decided that Ellen's visions and her work and the  
Sabbath were all from God. John was eager to preach, but he had to earn a  
living, and preachers got no set wages. When he accepted the Sabbath he had  
$35. Now he had only 3 cents. His attempts to sell window locks to sup- 
plement his budget had failed.  
That Sabbath in church Ellen White sensed his discouragement. During  
prayer God gave her another vision. Afterwards she told him, "You are  
resisting the conviction of duty. God wants you to give yourself wholly to  
the teaching of the message."  
Back home he prayed about it. What would he live on? His First-day  
members wouldn't support a seventh-day preacher. Finally he prayed, "I will  
obey, and Thou, Lord, wilt open a way." Within the hour a stranger came by  
with an order for window locks, an order that profited him $26. The Lord 
was opening the way.  
The next Sabbath Ellen had another vision for him. "You are correct  
in your decision to give yourself to the ministry," she told him. "Now go  
and tarry no longer."  
Go where? With what? John was undecided. 
James White settled it. "Brother Edson, take the horse, Charley, and  
159


take Brother Loughborough with you on your six-week circuit in southwestern  
New York and Pennsylvania. Get him started preaching." So John began his  
life's work with direct guidance from Ellen White's visions.  
Because of his long association with the Whites, John Loughborough saw  
Ellen in vision forty times altogether. On one occasion in 1861 he and the  
Whites traveled the thirty miles from Battle Creek to attend the dedication  
of the Parkville, Michigan, church. At the close of the service Sister White  
spoke for a few minutes and then was taken off in vision. As usual, those  
watching lapsed into reverent silence.  
Elder White stood up. "Mrs. White is now in vision," he explained.  
"She is not breathing. If anyone would like to verify that fact, feel free 
to examine her."  
The audience stirred and people turned to look at Dr. Brown. He was a  
spiritualist doctor who had bragged that if he were ever to see Ellen Whit"  
in vision, he could bring her out of it in a minute.  
"Now's your chance," his friends whispered. "Bring her out of it!"  
Dr. Brown strode forward to examine Mrs. White. Suddenly he turned pale  
and began to tremble.  
"What's wrong, Doctor?" asked James White.  
"She does not breathe!" he exclaimed, and turning hurried toward the  
door.  
At the entrance someone stopped him. "Go back and get her out of  
vision. You said you could do it. Now DO it!"  
The doctor seized the door handle but was not permitted to open it.  
"Doctor," the man persisted, "what IS it?"  
"God only knows!" the doctor gasped. "Let me out of this house!"  
With that, he fled. Elder Loughborough never forgot how God's spirit won  
the battle that day and drove out the spirits of Satan.  
160


In 1868 Elders Loughborough and Bordeau volunteered to introduce the  
jws of Jesus' second coming to the people in California. Before long there  
was a strong group of believers in the Far West. Five years later the Whites  
traveled to California on the newly opened Transcontinental  Railway to attend  
that state's  first campmeeting. After it they spent the winter in the  
Loughboroughs' home at Santa Rosa.  
In 1878 the Loughboroughs sailed for England to preach about Jesus'  
coming there. Elder Loughborough's book, The Great Second Advent Movement,  
convinced many to believe that Jesus was coming again. In another book,  
Rise and Progress of Seventh-day Adventists, he told many details of the way  
God led His people in the early days of the church. His book plainly shows  
that he remained firmly convinced that Ellen's visions were from God.  
When he died at the age of 92, Elder Loughborough had spent 56 years  
^reaching and writing the Advent Message. Because of his love for God's  
word, he had read the Bible through more than 70 times. In 1892 Ellen White  
wrote of him, "Elder Loughborough has stood faithful amid storm and trial.  
Not long hence he will receive his reward."  
(Adapted from Emphasis Week material for '69-70, pp. 22-30; Parkville  
incident described in Great Second Advent Movement, 210, 211; Quotation  
on Loughborough Letter 47, 1902, pp. 3-5.)  
161


J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH  
Objective: To discover the way God woos and wins powerful allies for  
His cause.  
On a map locate the places where Elder Loughborough preached: New York,  
Pennsylvania, California, and England.  
For Discussion:  
What answers do you think John Loughborough would give to each of  
these questions?  
1. Why were you scared when you started preaching at the age of 17?  
2. What helped you get over being scared?  
(The conviction that I had something very important to say  for God.)  
3. Why did you decide to keep the Sabbath?  
(I perceived that it was God's will.)  
4. Why did you preach in Pennsylvania? (Because Jesus is coming again,  
and I wanted to let people know. Because God sent Ellen White a  
vision directing me to preach in Pennsylvania and New York.)  
5. What prevented Dr. Brown from getting Ellen White out of vision?  
(The Spirit of God.)  
6. Ellen White wrote about your faithfulness through "storm and trial."  
What were the trials in your life?  
(Uncertain income; unpopular message to preach; opening new work)  
162


EUGENE'S SURPRISE FROM GOD  
Eugene pitched a forkful of hay onto the wagon, his mind far from  
his chores. Mr. and Mrs. White and J. N. Andrews were coming to town to  
hold some meetings. Eugene just couldn't decide how he felt about Mrs.  
White. Sure, he believed that she was a good Christian, but did she  
really get messages from heaven? People did in Bible times, of course,  
but that was in Bible times. This was now. Washington, New Hampshire,  
1867.  
Bible prophets knew things other people didn't know. They were  
.ware of secret sins no one knew about, and they sometimes pointed out  
those sins. Could Ellen White do that, too? If so, his dad better watch  
out. 
For years William Farnsworth had tried to keep hidden a special sin  
in his life. His wife and children knew, but none of the other Adventist  
believers even suspected it. For five years he had been struggling with the  
tobacco habit. He had tried to quit. Daily he prayed for power to leave it  
alone, and sometimes for weeks at a time he managed to do without. Then a  
sudden craving would come upon him and he would sneak out to the woodlot  
where he had hidden a plug of tobacco in a hollow tree. Breaking off a  
chunk, he would cram it eagerly into his mouth and chew vigorously. Chewing 
tobacco makes you spit a lot, and that was part of the problem. Wherever  
he would spit in the white snow, ugly brown blobs appeared accusingly. The  
ooys, working with their father, had seen the brown spots. They knew what  
163


tobacco spots looked like. And they knew where they came from. Sometimes  
Father tried to kick fresh snow over the stains, but it was only too obvic  
what he'd done. The boys didn't say anything, but they thought a lot—  
especially 19-year-old Eugene.  
Father was a respected member of the Washington Adventist Church. The  
Farnsworth family all attended there, but Eugene dreaded it at times. It  
was a small church and everyone knew everybody else's business. If a fellow  
stepped out of line, he was sure to hear about it—either privately or pub- 
licly—quickly! With the members all watching for mistakes and correct- 
ing each other, the little church wasn't the most pleasant place to be.  
Brother Ball had been writing articles against the visions of Mrs.  
White, and Eugene wondered what she'd say about that. Maybe she'd straighten 
him out, too. Maybe she would get after the church leaders, because most  
of them didn't even bother to come to Sabbath School any more. But  then,  
he reasoned, a person wouldn't have to be a prophet to know about these  
things—the whole town knew! Even if she did reprimand them, it wouldn't  
prove that she had the gift of prophecy. She would have to comment on some  
hidden fault, something that nobody knew about, to prove anything.  
One icy December Friday a horse-drawn sleigh stopped at their door.  
Several people got out—Eugene's Uncle Cyrus and Mr. And Mrs. White. Stamp- 
ing off the snow outside, they hurried in to the warm welcome at the  
Farnsworth home.  
Sabbath morning the little Washington church was packed. Adventists  
who hadn't been there for months came to hear Mrs. White. Eugene wondered  
if Mrs. White and the other visitors knew of the quarreling and criticizing 
that had divided his church. Most of all, he wondered if that kind little  
lady could really be a prophet of the Lord.  
164


James White preached first. Then he closed  the service, and everyone  
unpacked lunches and ate. Eugene was starved and was happy to discover  that  
Mother had packed extra food in their  basket. Since they couldn't very well  
picnic in the snow, lunch was eaten in the church, and soon the congregation  
put away boxes and bags and settled down eagerly to hear Sister White speak.  
Eugene sat on the very front seat to keep a better eye on her. He  
could see from the look on her face that she was eager to speak to them.  
But before she preached her sermon, she said she had to reprove them a bit.  
She told Mr. Ball that he must stop making light of the visions, and she  
reproved others for doing various things well known to them all.  
"I wish she would tackle Dad about his tobacco," Eugene thought. "No  
one knows about that but us kids. If she did, I'd know for SURE she is  
a prophet."  
Suddenly turning on William Farnsworth, Mrs. White said,  "'I see that  
this brother is a slave to tobacco, but the worst of it is that he tries 
to deceive his brethren into thinking he has stopped using it."  
Everyone gasped. Eugene could hardly believe his ears. Ellen White  
KNEW. Who could have told her? Nobody in the town, because nobody knew. 
The Lord must have told her. There was no other way she could have found 
out. 
That day a reformation took place right there in Washington, New  
Hampshire. Sins were openly confessed and repented. Criticism stopped. 
The teenagers were so impressed that many took a stand for Jesus at once.  
A spirit of love and unity returned to bless the little church. To climax  
the revival, William Farnsworth got the final victory over tobacco, and  
Eugene and eleven other young people chopped a huge hole through two feet  
r ice in Millan Lake so that they could be baptized right then.  
165


Eugene became a strong worker for the Lord and never forgot the way  
he became convinced that God had really chosen Ellen White as His special  
messenger.  
166


EUGENE'S SURPRISE FROM GOD  
Obj ective: To understand the great reformation that can come when  
people respond to the reproofs of God.  
For Discussion:  
Complete: 
1. The story of "Eugene's Surprise from God" suggests that one of  
a prophet's jobs is . . .  
(Reproving sinners; visiting God's people; preaching)  
2. The result of responding to reproof can bring  
to God's people.  
(Unity; restoration; salvation)  
3. Sometimes people respond to reproof  by . . .  
(Rejecting  it; changing; claiming to be innocent; pouting)  
4. The last time I was reproved, I responded by . . .  
5. Baptism is a symbol of response to reproof because .  . .  
(By going under  the water, one signifies dying to sin.)  
167


STEPHEN SMITH AND THE UNREAD TESTIMONY  
In late October of 1851, 75 Advent believers  crowded into the Washington,  
New Hampshire, church, some even from out of state.  It had been only 7 years  
since the great 1844 disappointment, and those who had not lost faith in 
Jesus' coming now set about to establish the church firmly. Some who had  
been deeply disturbed by the disappointment criticized the leaders—especially  
James and Ellen White. Among these, Brother Stephen Smith stood out. He 
spoke with a poisonous tongue and did not hesitate to cut down the leaders  
with savage criticisms.  
During this 1851 meeting, Ellen White, who was attending with her  
husband, received a vision showing her the spiritual state of the Washington  
church members. She told her vision during the next meeting, and all those 
present received it as a message from heaven and resolved to listen to its 
counsel. That is, all except two welcomed the message. One of these was  
Stephen Smith. He opposed the testimony so bitterly that the church group 
finally dismissed him from their fellowship.  
This man really wanted to belong to the church, however, and so the  
next year he was received  back into fellowship after he had an apparent  
change of heart and made a deep confession. It didn't last long though.  
Every opposing movement that arose he joined. Every new attempt to set a 
date for Christ's coming he agreed with. All his strength was used to  
help the enemies of the infant Adventist church.  
But God loved Stephen Smith, and he sent Ellen White a vision pointing  
168


out the dangers of this man's course. Mrs. White was urged to assure him of  
>od's love and encourage him to turn from his waywardness. With prayer and  
painstaking patience Ellen wrote out the vision and mailed it to Stephen Smith  
from her home in Battle Creek, Michigan.  
The following week Mr. Smith called at the post office to pick up his  
mail. He received a long, thick letter with Mrs. White's name and address  
in the upper left-hand corner. Hot blood rushed to his face.  
"So, she has written ME a testimony now," he muttered, glaring at the  
unwelcome letter. "I'll not read it!" Jamming the unopened envelope into  
his coat pocket, he rushed home. Inside the house he spied a heavy, old  
trunk in one corner. At once he knew  what he wanted to do with that letter.  
Raising the lid, he reached inside and lifted the contents until he could  
feel the very bottom of the trunk. He thrust the letter there and slammed  
the lid. And Stephen Smith went his own way and did his own thing.  
People who knew him said that he had the most withering, blighting,  
blistering tongue of any man in the neighborhood. The Whites weren't the  
only ones to receive his  criticism. His wife and children were forced to  
live with continual cutting remarks. The following years, which should have  
been the best and happiest of his life, were full of anger and unhappiness.  
Twenty-seven years  passed. It was 1844. His hair had turned white. Lines  
of bitterness seamed his face. His back had bent with the years.  
One day he picked up from his own parlor table a copy of the Review  
and Herald. His wife had clung to the advent message and taught the 
children to be faithful, and it was she who had ordered the Review. As  
he opened the paper Stephen's eyes fell on an article by Ellen White. Hastily 
he read it. Thoughtfully he laid it  down. "That's the truth," he admitted  
o himself.  
169


The next week's Review brought another E. G. White article. Again he  
read it, and again he had to admit,  "That's God's truth." From then on h^  
watched for her articles weekly and read them. His wife and children began  
to notice a change come over him. His words were softer, his comments less 
sarcastic. He began to wish that he could see James and Ellen White again,  
but James had been dead for four years now, and Ellen lived in Michigan.  
The next summer, 1885, the General Conference asked Eugene Farnsworth  
to go back to his home town of Washington, New Hampshire, and hold revival  
meetings. Eugene knew all about the Washington church and remembered well  
the revival they had had there when he was just 19. He gladly agreed to go  
home and preach.  
News of the coming revival reached Stephen Smith, now living in Unity,  
twelve miles north. He remembered young Eugene and his conversion many  
years ago at Mrs. White's Washington Church meetings. So the old man  
journeyed south on Sabbath morning to hear Elder Farnsworth preach. The  
sermon topic that  morning was the Seventh-day Adventist movement. Just as  
Elder Farnsworth finished speaking, old Stephen Smith struggled to his feet  
and signaled a desire to speak. Eugene hesitated. He wasn't sure he wanted  
to allow this bitter, critical man to spoil the church service.  
Stephen Smith spoke up. "Don't be afraid of me, Brethren," he said.  
"I haven't come to  criticize. I've quit that business. I've been with  
many opposition groups over the years, and I see now that they have come to  
nothing. No honest man can help seeing that God is with the advent movement  
and against us who have opposed it. I want to be in fellowship with this 
people in heart and in the church."  
When Stephen  Smith returned home he began to think over his past life.  
On Thursday of that week he remembered the  letter at the bottom of the trr  
For the first time  in 28 years, he wanted to know what was in that letter.


It took a while to find the key, but when he unlocked the trunk, he  
ached clear to the bottom and felt around. There it was, the yellowed  
envelope, still sealed as he had left  it. Opening it, he slipped out  
the folded sheets and sat down to read.  
In the letter he found an exact and accurate picture of what his life  
had been, for he had not changed his ways nor had he returned to God. With  
terrible regret he realized how different his life might have been had he  
read and accepted that testimony earlier.  
The following Sabbath Stephen Smith again returned to Washington for  
church. As soon as the sermon had ended, he rose to his feet to tell Elder  
Farnsworth and the congregation about the sealed letter.  
"Every word of that testimony is true," he declared. "I know now that  
all the testimonies from Ellen White are true. If I had heeded the testi- 
mony she sent to me, my whole life would have been different. - It would  
~ave saved me a world of trouble. Instead, I dismissed her writings as  
'old woman's visions.' I'm too old now to undo what I've done, too feeble  
to get to our  large meetings, but I want you to tell our people everywhere  
that another rebel has surrendered."  
Stephen Smith did not live many years after that, but until he  died  
he believed in the Advent message.  
While most of us do not have any personal testimony from Ellen White  
hidden in a sealed letter at home, we do have the precious books she  has  
written to help us. The blessings and benefits of her writings will come  
only to those who read and obey them.  
(Adapted from the Review and Herald of August 6, 1953; Based on a July 15,  
1885 letter from Eugene Farnsworth to Ellen White telling her of the episode  
Washington, New Hampshire)  
171


STEPHEN SMITH AND THE UNREAD TESTIMONY  
Objective: To observe God's love in action through His prophet as  
He seeks to warn and win the wayward.  
For Discussion:  
Decide whether each statement below is true or false, based on the  
story about Stephen Smith. Correct the false statements. Give reasons for  
believing the other statements to be true.  
1. God can love a bitter, critical, sour person.  
2. A bitter, sour, critical person can love God. 
3. If a person has been bitter, critical, and sour for twenty-seven  
years, he is also hopeless.  
4. If a person says critical things to you about someone else, he  
probably will also criticize you.  
5. It is not polite to disagree when someone says critical things  
about another person.  
6. When someone says poisonous things about another person, the  
best thing to do is keep quiet.  
7. If we reject a message from God, He gives up on us.  
172


THE TEENAGER'S SECRET  
When a final prayer ended the Wellington, New Zealand, meetings, Martha  
Bromley hurried eagerly up to the front. Mrs. White had been speaking every 
day—sometimes twice a day—and the little gray-haired lady looked exhausted.  
Martha had watched her during the meetings. Fresh and alert when she arrived,  
hours of being on the platform and uncounted time spent with various people  
who wanted help with their personal problems were beginning to show.  As she  
watched the tired-lines grow deeper around Mrs. White's eyes, Martha's heart  
went out to this lady preacher. She and her mother had only recently joined  
:e church, and this was Martha's first big Adventist meeting.  
Now she squeezed between groups of people, past clumps of friends saying  
farewell, trying to get to Mrs. White before she, too, departed. Oh dear!  
Had she left already? Martha scanned the platform area anxiously. No, there  
she was. In a dark dress with a big white collar, Mrs. White leaned on a  
chair as she talked soothingly to a very agitated  man. Martha waited  
patiently until the man calmed down and left. Then she stepped up.  
"Mrs. White, I'm Martha Bromley. Remember me? We were introduced at  
the start of the meetings. I'm a new Adventist, you know, and they've been  
such interesting meetings. I've learned so much I don't know how I'll ever  
remember it all to tell Mother. But that's not what I wanted  to talk to you  
about. You look so tired, Mrs. White. I've been watching you all week as  
you talked, and every day it seemed that you were getting closer to exhaustion,  
ju're not getting enough rest, are you?"  
173


Mrs. White smiled. "Why, bless your heart, I have been more tired  
than usual lately. The Lord keeps me going, you know. I'm 65 years old,  
not as young as I was once. And I guess I need more rest. But I have  
talks to give, messages to write, and often people come to me with problems  
early in the morning and late at night. I'll be all right, though. I'll  
rest now that the meetings are over."  
"That's what I was going to suggest," Martha said eagerly. "We  
have a home overlooking Parramatta Bay. A road runs right along the 
beach near our home, and it's lovely and quiet out there. I'm sure you  
could get some rest at  our house—and we'd love to have you visit. Won't  
you please come and stay with us a few days? No one will bother you  
with problems there, I promise.' And you won't have to give a single talk!  
Please say yes."  
Mrs. White tilted her head to one side and looked thoughtful. The f "h  
sea air and quiet surroundings sounded marvelous after all the hustle-bustle  
of the meetings. Maybe she could take two or three days and relax. Well,  
not completely relax. She still had some more writing to do, but . . . her  
eyes sparkled at the thought. She put her hand on Martha's arm.  
"How kind of you, Martha. I just might come. It's not far, is it?  
Are you sure your mother wouldn't mind?"  
"Oh, no! She loves visitors. She wanted to come to the meetings, too,  
but somebody had to stay home and cook for my brothers and sisters. The  
train can bring you almost there. Will you come?"  
Mrs. White straightened up. She looked less tired already. "Yes,  
dear, I will. Meet the train on the 27th and I'll be on it. But I can only  
stay two or three days, remember."  
Martha hurried back to Parramatta Bay to tell her mother the good ne  
174


Mrs. Bromley wasn't exactly pleased.  
"Oh, Martha! We've been Adventists such a short time, I'm sure we  
don't know enough about how they live, to entertain Mrs. White. I hear her 
diet is very special—no meat, and all that. And you know that your  
brothers and sisters aren't exactly model teenagers. They don't profess to  
be Christians at all. I wish you hadn't invited her."  
Nevertheless, Mrs. White arrived late on the afternoon of July 27.  
Tired from her day's work and the train ride, she asked if she might skip  
supper and go right to her room. Martha showed her into a lovely guest- 
room furnished with every convenience she'd been able to think of. The  
bay view from the window was breathtaking. The elderly lady stretched 
out on the comfortable bed. Already she could feel herself relaxing.  
That night God gave her a vision. By 4 a.m. she was up, writing it  
^own in a letter addressed to Mrs. Bromley. She told how an angel had  
called her to follow him, and then led her into a room where several  
teenage boys were playing cards. No one noticed that she had come into the  
room, and the language the boys were using was terrible! Her face burned  
just to hear it. As if that weren't bad enough, young girls leaned over  
their shoulders, watching every play and laughing at the dirty talk.  
"Who are these young people, and what  does this scene represent?"  
Mrs. White asked, puzzled.  
"Wait," ordered the angel.  
Leading her to another place, he ushered her in. There she recognized  
the same young people, drinking wine, beer, and liquor. Laughter and foul  
talk filled the air.  
"Who ARE these young people?" she asked again.  
This time the angel answered. "They are a portion of the family you  
are visiting."  
175


Stepping over to a young man, the angel called him by name. When he  
looked up, Mrs. White recognized the face  of Martha's brother. The angel  
urged him to leave the party and give his heart to God. As he hesitated,  
Mrs. White awoke.  She rose and began writing to Mrs. Bromley, telling her  
what she had seen and urging her to pray for her children's salvation.  
Her plan to stay only a few days changed the first time she tried to  
leave. A terrible storm arose on the day of her departure, and she decided 
to wait a day.  
"We designed to return to Wellington today, but the storm is very much  
opposed to this," she wrote. "We decided to wait until Friday."  
On Friday she wrote, "It is not raining so hard. We prepare and go  
to the depot. We find that all is uncertainty in regard to the cars.  
There is a heavy washout ... We conclude that the Lord would have us 
remain here over the Sabbath."  
Back to the Bromleys she returned in their carriage. It was frustrating  
to pack and turn back again, but then, the whole visit had been rather unusual.  
Daily carriage rides in the fresh sea air, long nights of rest and quiet walks  
in the garden had soothed her mind and body. Whenever she could, she had 
talked with Martha, Alex, Belle, and  Victoria, the Bromley teenagers. In some  
ways she felt they were closer to the Lord now.  
On Monday she gathered the family for worship before trying once more to  
leave Parramatta Bay. Earnestly she looked at the young people,  reminding them  
of their talks, of their secret and undesirable activities, of the Lord's love  
and concern for them. She pointed out that He must really be extra concerned  
to send her a special vision showing her that angels were working with them, 
even when  they were doing things they knew were wrong. Now, in conclusion,  
she asked Belle, the eldest daughter if she would not respond to this lov  
and give her heart to Jesus. Belle looked relieved, as if she'd been hoping  
176


Mrs. White would ask.  
"Yes," she said. "I will."  
Next the little lady put her hand on Alex, a boy of 17.  
"Alex," she asked, "will you confess Christ, too, and enlist in His  
service?"  
Alex nodded slowly and replied, "Yes, I will."  
Finally she turned to Victoria, a beautiful fifteen-year-old.  
"What will you do, Victoria? Will you give your life to Jesus?"  
Victoria answered promptly, "I will be a Christian, too."  
All this time Charlotte, the family's cook, had been very silent. Now  
Ellen White addressed her. "Charlotte, will  you give your heart to  
Jesus and seek to know and do His will?"  
Charlotte gave her promise, too.  
So it was that four people in that family decided to join their mother  
i sister in serving the Lord and keeping the Sabbath. Together they knelt  
in prayer and several of them prayed, dedicating themselves and their home  
to God. The love of the Holy Spirit filled the room. Mrs. Bromley, with 
tears of joy running down her cheeks, wondered why she'd ever been afraid  
to have this gentle, godly woman in her home. She had been no trouble at  
all, had been so appreciative of everything they'd done for her, and had  
brought such a blessing.  
Now that her task was done, Mrs. White gathered her bags again and  
headed for the train station. Storms were over, the washout had been re-
paired, and trains were running smoothly in both directions. God had kept  
her there just long enough to help the cook and three rebellious teenagers  
find their way to Him.  
^romley is a ficticious name) Adapted from Campfire Stories, pp. 15,16,  
and E. G. White Manuscript 82, 1893.  
177


THE TEENAGER'S SECRET  
Objectives: To perceive the effect on a home of a prophet's visit  
and a mother's prayers.  
To recognize the providence of God at work to help  
young people make commitments to Him.  
Locate New Zealand on a map.  
For Discussion: 
Complete each sentence below for the person indicated.  
1. Martha Bromley: I invited Mrs. White to our home because . . .  
2. Mrs. Bromley: I wanted to withdraw the invitation to Ellen  
White because . . .  
3. Ellen White: I delivered the rather disagreeable message to  
Mrs. Bromley because . . .  
4. Ellen White: I am not sorry it grew stormy at Parramatta Bay  
because . . .  
5. Mrs. Bromley: I am not sorry the trains were off schedule  
when Mrs. White attempted to leave because . . .  
6. Belle, Alex, and Victoria: We are glad Mrs. White visited  
us because . . .  
178


ELLA HATED HOUSEWORK  
When Ellen White lived in Australia, her son, Willie, and his wife  
May and their four children lived in an old house not far from her and  
the new college that was under construction. Ella, the oldest girl, was  
fourteen, Mabel nine, and the twin boys, Herbert and Henry, were just big  
enough to toddle around the house and get into trouble.  
Ella worked hard, helping Mother with the house and the twins.  
"Oh, how I hate these old splintery floors," she sighed, scrubbing  
with all her strength on a spot where the twins had spilled their breakfast  
\lk.  
"Yes, the floor is awful," Mother agreed, a twin in each hand. "But  
Ella, you know that a new house is being built for us. Things will be  
different for us soon."  
"Oh, Mother," Ella wailed, "the cookstove smokes, the wood is too wet  
to burn, and this floor never looks clean no matter how much I scrub it."  
Ella looked into her mother's face and felt sorry at once that she had  
complained.  
That night Ella knelt beside her bed and tried to pray, but her tired  
back, her chapped hands, and her discouraged heart hindered her prayers.  
She was trying so hard to keep at the top of her class in night school, but  
all this housework was spoiling everything.  
"Dear Lord," she prayed, "please help me to do Your will. Help me  
rrect the wrong things in my life so that I'm happy again."  
179


Crawling into bed, she wondered if her prayer had even been heard.  
She didn't feel like it had gone farther than the ceiling.  
The next afternoon Ella looked out and saw Grandma White's carriage  
at the door. Her heart lifted a little. Grandma always brought gladness  
with her. But today Ella saw no smile on Grandma's face. Father sat in  
the far end of the living room and she spoke to him.  
"Willie, call your family together. I have words to speak to them."  
As the family gathered in the front room, Mabel picked up Herbert, and  
Ella hauled Henry onto her lap. But Grandma White said, "Someone else take  
care of the twins,  please. I want Ella and Mabel to listen closely because  
I have a message for them."  
Opening her satchel, she took out some sheets of paper. "I wrote this  
early this morning," she informed them.  
Ella's heart beat faster. She knew that God gave Grandma messages for  
special people. Had He sent one to her and Mabel? This was incredible!  
Grandma read as the girls leaned forward to listen.  
"I did not sleep after eleven o'clock. One stood in our midst. Important  
words were spoken. Willie, your household is too large, too noisy, too con- 
fused." Ella nodded in agreement. The boarders and people they took in to  
help them added to the confusion of the house and made extra work. Grandma  
was right there.  
"You should take more time to  study your Bibles. The girls must keep  
their clothes clean and  mended." Ella hated mending! A pin was much faster!  
Sloppier, of course, but faster. And now God sends her a message—Do your  
mending, Ella. Really!  
Grandma White read on. "Your mother needs your help. Respect her  
words. Obey her requests. Be true to home duties. This education will f-*4"  
you to become members of the family above."  
180


Turning to Ella, Grandma read, "Your example before your sister and  
/ur little brothers is most important. Keep your room in order. Keep  
the kitchen clean and neat."  
Ella couldn't believe it. "Grandma," she interrupted, "did the angel  
really say all these things, or did you think of them yourself?" She  
knew how Grandmas loved to give advice.'  
Mrs. White looked straight into Ella's eyes. "No, Ella, I didn't think  
this up. The angel talked with me. I wrote down the messages he gave me 
for you and Mabel. Listen:  
"You may fill your place in the household, working for Jesus, doing the  
duties that are often disagreeable, but must be done and not delayed. Angels  
are waiting to prepare you for heaven."  
Then Grandma drew Mabel onto her lap and put an arm around Ella. "You  
eirls are missionaries," she told them. "You are bearing witness for Jesus." 
one went on to explain that books and study,  as important as they were,  
should not be given time at the expense of household duties. They came first.  
Laying the manuscript in Mother's hands, she stood to leave. Ella ran  
to her room and buried her face on the bed. How she hated sweeping, scrubbing,  
and dishwashing. She needed to study to keep her grades up. She cried hard.  
Suddenly she remembered her prayer of last night. God HAD heard that  
prayer! He had sent an angel to give Grandma a message just for her. How  
God must love her! The rebellious thoughts fled. God had not forgotten her.  
He sent this reproof because he loved her.  
As Ella knelt by her bed again, she knew this time that God heard.  
She asked his forgiveness for her attitude. She asked for help to do His  
will. Then she ran downstairs. Grandma had gone.  
Father was speaking.  
181


"We've had a hard time these last months, but we will soon move into  
our new house, you know. No more rough floors to scrub. We'll have a nev  
cookstove, and the wood that I've been chopping will be dry by then and  
make a better fire."  
"We'll have a bathroom, too, won't we Daddy, with a real bathtub."  
Mabel snuggled up to her father.  
"Yes, we will. And I'll be home more.  We'll take our books to the  
woods on Sabbath afternoons and study the birds and get ferns and flowers  
for your collections."  
Ella wasn't listening. She had thought of something else—a sticky  
saucepan she had hidden behind the kitchen stove. Abruptly she left,  
dug out the saucepan, and scoured it. Then she cleaned the kitchen. She 
even gave the table a good scrubbing. It made a difference knowing that  
angels watched all you did.  
(Adapted from Stories of My Grandmother, by Ella M. Robinson, pp. 195-200)  
182


ELLA HATED HOUSEWORK  
Objective: To understand God's concern for orderliness in the people  
who represent Him.  
For Discussion:  
1. If an angel discussed the condition of your room right now, what  
might the angel say?  
2. How does orderliness become a witness for God?  
3. Complete:  
a. If an angel took note of Ella's housekeeping, my angel  
probably . . .  
b. The tasks I'm most likely to leave undone at home are . . .  
c. The best part about cleaning house is . . .  
183


THE FALSE VISIONS  
"Have you heard about Miss Phillips' visions? Aren't they wonderful?  
It's just like having Mrs. White with us again!"  
"I don't know—do you think the visions are really from God?" 
"They must be.  They don't teach any wrong doctrines. Some of the  
brethren have endorsed them and are publishing them, too. I think it's  
just marvelous."  
All Battle Creek was buzzing. Miss Anna Rice Phillips had begun  
having dreams and visions. Many people accepted her at once as another  
messenger from God. Others were more skeptical. What was the truth abo  
the matter?  
Mrs. White, of course, had moved to Australia three years before, so  
no one could ask her about it. The leaders missed having her ready counsel  
on church matters, but perhaps Miss Phillips would help out now. Of course,  
everything hinged on  her being a TRUE prophet.  
Young William Adams was pondering the problem on his way to church  
that April morning in 1894. As a student at the Battle Creek College he had  
heard all the pro's and con's of the debate. Unable to  decide which side  
to take, he wished that the leaders would unitedly study into the case and  
come up with evidence which would either prove Miss Phillips' visions true  
or false.  
Inside the Dime Tabernacle, so called because thousands of believers  
had collected dimes to pay for the construction costs, Adams took a seat ar  
184


the front and dismissed the matter from his mind for a while.  
The Tabernacle, which seated 4,000, appeared well-filled that day as  
Elder A. T. Jones took the pulpit. To everyone's amazement, he began reading  
some of the testimonies of Anna Rice Phillips. He spoke of sheep that fol- 
lowed the shepherd because  they "knew his voice." Then he read some of Sis- 
ter White's testimonies and said, "Do you hear the voice?" Many in the  
congregation nodded. They could hear the ring of truth in Mrs. White's  
writings.  
"Yes, we hear the voice," Elder Jones agreed. "Now listen to this."  
Again he read some of Anna Rice Phillips' writings. "Do you hear the voice?" 
he asked again. Fewer heads nodded this time, but there were some. "Yes," 
he said emphatically, "it is the SAME voice." The rest of his sermon went 
on to argue that Miss Phillips' testimonies were genuine because they had  
^he same "voice" or "tone" that the Spirit of Prophecy writings had.  
As William Adams made his way toward the door at the close of the  
service, he  was puzzled. He had confidence in Elder Jones; yet he didn't  
think that "tone" proved genuineness. Some of the other members evidently  
didn't think so, either, for they clustered in groups on the sidewalk dis-
cussing the matter. "Do you think Elder Jones is right, or might he be  
mistaken?" "Will she and Sister White work together?" "I'd like to know 
what Sister White would have to say about it." The congregation dispersed,  
more baffled than ever.  
Sunday morning Adams strolled over to the post office and bought a  
postcard. He had just stepped to a table to write a message, when Elder 
Jones entered.  
"Any mail?" he inquired in his usual way. Adams watched as the post- 
ster handed  Elder Jones a long envelope bearing the return address of Mrs.  
185


E. G. White. Remembering the sermon  of the day before, Adams was curious  
about the letter. Elder Jones sat down on a nearby bench and began to read.  
As he read, the student saw that he was deeply touched and tears began slip- 
ping down the older man's cheeks. When Elder 0. A. Tait walked into the  
post office, Elder Jones called, "Oscar, come here. Sit down. You heard me 
preach that sermon yesterday?"  
"Yes," Elder Tait replied. "What about it?"  
"Well, read this." He handed Elder Tait the letter.  
The letter was long but here is part of it:  
"Dear Brother:  
"I know that we are living very near the close of this earth's history;  
startling events are preparing for development. I am fully in harmony with  
you in your work when you present the Bible, and the Bible alone, as the  
foundation of our faith. Satan is an artful foe, and he will work where 1  
is, by many, least expected. I have a message for you. Did you suppose that  
God has commissioned you to take the burden of presenting the visions of Anna  
Phillips, reading them in public, and uniting them with the Testimonies the  
Lord has been pleased to give me? No, he has not given you this work to do.  
"... The work of Anna Phillips does not bear the signature of heaven.  
I know what I am talking about. . . Where is your evidence that these are  
of God? You cannot be too careful how you hear, how you receive, how you  
believe. [Some] imagine that they have special light in revelations from 
God, when they have not received such light. . . . Your action in bringing  
before the flock Anna Phillips' revelations is not . . . from heaven, you  
are moving ignorantly. We want not to encourage anyone in self-deception." 
Ellen G. White.  
"Who told Sister White a month ago," asked Elder Jones, "that I was  
186


going to preach that sermon about Anna Phillips as a prophetess?"  
Elder Tait smiled. "YOU know, Alonzo."  
"Yes, I do know. God knew what I would do and He impressed Sister  
White a month before I preached the sermon to send the testimony that I am 
wrong. Look at that date. March 15, 1894. A month ago. I am wrong."  
As the two men left the post office, young Adams felt strangely stirred.  
He had seen the Spirit of Prophecy working right before his eyes.  
In church the next Sabbath Elder Jones read part of the letter mailed  
to him from Australia. "I am wrong," he admitted, "and I confess it. Now 
I am right." The congregation, now in agreement again, returned home more  
than ever convinced of Mrs. White's divine calling.  
The problem was what to do  about poor Miss Phillips. Should they  
denounce her and burn her  writings? No, Mrs. White had some advice on  
that, too.  
"Say just as little as possible in regard to Anna Phillips. The less  
the matter is talked over and agitated, the better. . . . You may be per- 
plexed to know just what is the best course to pursue in reference to the  
writings of Anna  Phillips. I would suggest that nothing should be done  
rashly. I feel very tenderly toward this sister. I would not say or do  
anything to harm her. And as the writings have been so eagerly grasped and  
scattered . . . let there be no abrupt moves to call them in and destroy  
them as if they were poison. . . Let them remain. I am sorry, so sorry."  
(SM II, pp. 92-94)  
Miss Phillips, sincerely misled as to her visions, took the letter  
seriously and dropped the matter. Agreeing that if Mrs. White said so,  
the visions must be a deception. Miss Phillips consecrated herself to the  
Tord and became a valuable Bible instructor, winning many souls. And the  
187


early work became even more firmly established in the Midwest.  
(Adapted from "The Anna Rice Phillips Story," Review and Herald, July 7,  
1949, pp. 10-12; and SM II, pp. 92-95.)  
188


THE FALSE VISIONS  
Objective: To discover God's direct but kind way with delusions.  
For Discussion:  
1. Which of the following are good questions to ask to determine  
if a message comes from God?  
a. Does it agree with the Bible?  
b. Is the choice of words similar to other prophets' choice  
of words?  
c. Does the preacher endorse the prophet?  
2. Which of the following are good ways to deal with a person who  
is deluded about being a prophet?  
a. Burn the written messages publicly.  
b. Denounce the person publicly.  
c. The less said the better.  
3. Which of the following are in Christ's spirit?  
a. Expect that a deluded person will always remain deluded.  
b. Expect a deluded person to be able to change.  
c. Treat a deluded person tenderly.  
189


YOUR HOUSE IS THE WORLD  
Australia:  
Europe:  
Latin America:  
Southern Asia: 

God's Great Farm 
Ellen White & The Maoris  
Two Men from Europe 
The Book Satan Hates  
Unaccepted Gift  
Burmese Encounter, Parts I & II  
190


GOD'S GREAT FARM  
W. C. White stood on the deck of the missionary ship Pitcairn, gazing  
at the skyline of Auckland, New Zealand. Hundreds of Sabbath School members  
had sacrificed to build this little ship which would carry missionaries to  
the islands. The task seemed impossible.  
Just then Captain Christiansen walked up.  
"Brother White," he said, "you look troubled."  
"I am, Captain. We've got this ship, but I'm wondering where we're  
going to get all the  trained people to take out to the islands now that  
ve got it. We need to build a school in Australia where workers can be  
trained; otherwise  why did we spend over $22,000 building  this ship? Of  
course, we have a few missionaries coming out of North America, but we need  
young people from Australia and New Zealand."  
The captain removed his hat and twirled it in his hands. "Your mother  
had some sort of vision about having a school in Australia, didn't she?"  
"Yes, God has shown her that we must open a country school where stu- 
dents can study and do physical work. It has to be away from the city so  
they can enjoy the beauties of nature."  
"Good luck," said the captain. "With this depression we're having,  
I don't know where you'll find money for it."  
Elder White sighed. He knew that hard times had struck Australia,  
but even so, a small training school had already opened in Melbourne. It  
\ in a rented building, and the school term was short. Only 30 pupils had  
191


enrolled. Where was the big country school they were supposed to have?  
At Wellington, New Zealandv Elder White disembarked and hurried to L^e  
campground to meet his mother, Ellen  White. The General Conference president,  
0. A. Olsen, was also there, and as soon as the New Zealand campmeeting  
finished, the three of  them sailed to Australia for the first Australian  
campmeeting.  
One big question filled everyone's minds: where shall we build our  
school? The brethren asked Elder Olsen to delay his return to America and  
help them find land. Six weeks he searched with them, and still they had 
no suitable land in sight. Finally Elder Olsen sailed for America anyway.  
The workers kept on looking.  
The problem was not that there weren't properties available. The  
problem was that there was no money available.'  
In the spring of 1894 they found nearly 1500 acres of wild land cal1 1  
the Brettville Estate, about 75 miles north of the large city of Sydney.  
Ellen White knew at once that this was the land the Lord wanted them to have. 
The brethren were not so sure. Price-wise it was a good deal. Less than  
$5,000 for 1500 acres. But even a good deal looks bad if you don't have the  
cash! Besides, it was so far out of town. And the Department of Agriculture  
said the soil was so sour it would take a ton and a half of lime per acre  
to sweeten it! More than 2,200 TONS of lime? Out of the question! In additio  
to that discouraging news, a government fruit expert examined the land and  
reported unfavorably.  
In the face of all this, Ellen White still insisted that they buy that  
land. About that time her son wrote, "The delay and uncertainty has almost  
made me sick. Our anxiety and suspense over this question is becoming un- 
bearable. We plan to buy a large tract of land, and can scarcely get mc  
192


to go out and look at it!"  
If Willie White was worried, Sister White certainly wasn't. In May she  
dreamed of the new land which she had not yet seen. A large field stood  
open to the sun with a freshly plowed furrow about two yards long at the  
edge of it. In her dream she saw two men come into the clearing, look at 
the furrow and declare, "This is not good land; the soil is not favorable."  
Then another voice spoke up. "False witness has been borne of  this land."  
And it went on to tell Mrs. White that the land would produce good fruits  
and vegetables if it were worked carefully. Her dream reinforced her be-
lief that God had selected this land for the new school.  
"Could you possibly journey out with us to visit the land, Sister  
White?" the location committee begged. "We want to be very sure this is  
the land God selected. We can't afford to make a mistake."  
Although she was 66 years old, Mrs. White agreed to make the trip.  
During the morning's train ride to Dora Creek, the nearest station, she  
told those accompanying her about her dream of the furrow.  
At Dora Creek the party rented rowboats to go upriver to the Brettville  
Estate. Once on the property, Mrs. White rested near a smoldering fire, for  
May was early winter in Australia, and the air was chilly. The others  
divided into groups and scattered over the property.  
In the late afternoon she rose, and taking a few of the brethren with  
her, made her way through the thick forest herself. Suddenly near the  
center of a clearing they saw a neat-cut furrow that had been ploughed about  
six feet long. There was no equipment in sight. No footprints or horses'  
hooves showed in the nearby ground. As the group stood wondering, two men  
of the surveying party that had arrived the day  before broke through the  
dergrowth and strode into the clearing. Standing by the furrow, one man  
193


said, "This land is not good. The soil is not favorable,"—the very words  
that Mrs. White had heard in her dream the night before.  
For the benefit of the newcomers Mrs. White now related her dream  
again, and they all marveled.  
Back at the boats the men rowed downstream to a rented cabin where the  
group spent the night. A very late committee meeting took place, and finally  
they agreed to purchase the land.  
Building began, with students learning to use saws and axes. A thou- 
sand fruit trees were planted, and Ellen White moved into a tent near the  
building site while waiting for her new home to be built on a plot she had  
purchased nearby. Camping at her age proved a bit rigorous. Wire safes had  
to be built to protect her food from the opossums that invaded her tent.  
Cooking was difficult, and the oven would not bake. Food was scarce, at  
first, and she wrote Willie to please bring bananas, vegetables, lemons,  
and oranges when he came to visit. Green peas were the only vegetable 
available, she said.  
On October 5, 1896, Mrs. White laid the cornerstone for the first school  
building at Avondale School, now known as Avondale  College. Before leaving  
Australia in 1900, she  picked peaches from the trees planted just the year  
before—delicious, beautiful peaches, some of which weighed half a pound each.  
The chapel filled with bright-faced students thrilled her as much as the  
lovely fruit. The angel had been right when he said that this land was fer- 
tile and  good. God had spread a table in the wilderness for His believers,  
and started a school to furnish workers for the South Sea Islands.  
194


GOD'S GREAT FARM  
Ob.j ective: To perceive God's guiding hand in the establishment of  
Christian schools.  
For Discussion: 
Ask students to complete each sentence. For those which seem  
difficult, offer the options after each one.  
1. The best place to prepare for mission service is  
a. in a Christian school  
b. in a language school  
c. in a foreign country  
2. The best counsel on where to buy a farm came from  
a. soil studies  
b. opinions of local farmers  
c. God's prophet  
3. "God spread a table in the wilderness" means  
a. God wanted His people in the country  
b. God blessed the land He chose for the school  
c. God wanted His people to have good food  
4. The strangest thing about the plowed furrow was that  
a. nothing was planted in it  
b. no footprints or horses' hooves showed in the nearby ground  
c. it was six feet long  
5. God sent a vision about the selection of the land because  
a. outward signs showed it to be a poor choice  
b. the members of the location committee were arguing about  
what land to choose  
c. the price was so low that it seemed it must be inferior land  
195


ELLEN WHITE AND THE MAORIS  
While Ellen White was living in Australia, she had a secret desire to  
visit New Zealand, 1200 miles southeast. Knowing she'd probably never get  
to that part of the world again, she was especially anxious to see the origi- 
nal settlers—tall, tan people, much like  Hawaiians, who had come years be- 
fore from the Polynesian Islands far to the north. Without navigating  
instruments or charts, these first settlers had traveled over 2,000 miles  
of open sea. How they did it is still a mystery today. They named the new  
country "Long Bright Land" and lived there many years before the first  
white man landed and named them Maoris (MAH 0 rees).  
Ellen White knew that these proud, fierce people had once been  
cannibals, famous for their wildly tatooed faces and the tall intricate  
totem-like carvings in their villages. In 1914 a very courageous missionary 
traveled to New Zealand to tell the Maoris about another "bright land" where  
Jesus lived. His story won some hearts, and he baptized a few of the islanders  
In 1860 Joseph Hare, an Irish settler, took his family to Maori country.  
He loved the Maoris and did much to help them. Mrs. Hare became famous as  
the "doctor" for women and children. When the Hares learned of the Seventh- 
day Adventist faith, they eagerly accepted it and began planning to tell the  
Maoris, too. That was harder than it seemed at first, because the Hares had,  
through much hard work, already convinced the Maoris that they should keep  
Sunday. Now they had to start all over again and explain why they should  
keep Saturday!  
196


It was Joseph Hare's son, Edward, who made Ellen's dream a reality  
when he invited her to come visit them in Maori country. Fortunately,  
the New Zealand campmeeting needed a speaker, so Mrs. White decided to  
accept both invitations.  
After a short sea voyage, Mrs. White, her son, Willie, and her travel- 
ing companion, Emily, arrived at Auckland. All around the northern island  
she traveled, speaking in churches and helping at campmeeting.  
One morning she awoke at 3 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep. This  
was the day they were going to the Maori villages. Quietly Mrs. White rose  
and finished packing her suitcase. As usual, she tucked a few books and  
tracts into her hand luggage. She might meet someone on the way who would  
be blessed by the literature.  
As soon as the sun began to peek through the window, she woke  Emily  
-ad began helping her to bundle up their bedding. They had a 6:30 train  
to catch, and she didn't want to miss it. At 5:30 Willie and the luggage  
took off for the train station, and half an hour later the two ladies fol- 
lowed in a little covered carriage pulled by sleepy horses.  
When the train puffed into the station, Elder Willie White and another  
minister helped the ladies into a second-class coach. First class, much  
more comfortable, was an extravagance that the early pioneers couldn't  
afford. Two long, hard wooden seats ran down the sides of the train, leaving  
the passengers facing each other over hand luggage piled in the aisle  
between them.  
As the train made its way into the New Zealand hills, Mrs. White was  
thrilled to see the giant tree ferns growing beside the track. She even  
""•ok time to count the thirteen tunnels they passed through getting over the  
mountains.  
197


Frequently the train stopped at little country stations where passengers  
boarded to ride to the next town and disembark. Many were tall, dark, 
muscular people. These must be Maoris!  
One certain man caught her attention. He remained on the train quite  
a long time, and was well-dressed and polite.  
"Willie," she whispered, "speak to that man and find out if he  under- 
stands English."  
Willie soon found out that he did, and that he had studied in mission  
schools, sent there by his father, a Maori chief. Mrs. White talked with  
him, too, and offered some of the Adventist books she had brought along.  
The young man accepted them courteously. "Thank you very much," he told  
her. "I'll surely read them." For the rest of the trip he hardly  looked  
up, reading page after page until his station was called and he left the  
train.  
How pleased Ellen was! She had actually talked to one of the original  
New Zealanders, and a chief's son at that! As  she rode she sent up a silent  
prayer that the books would make clear to him some new truths not taught at  
the non-Adventist mission school.  
Edward Hare was waiting for them at the station when they reached their  
destination. On the way home, he told them about the Maori people.  
"Their language is strange," he informed them. "They use all the vowels  
we do, but only eight of our consonant sounds. They have a hard time making  
b,d,f, or s, for those are all new sounds to them. We hope to print our  
message in Maori soon, and when we do, I'm sure it will sound better to them."  
The Hare family, long trusted among the tribes, had promised to take  
Ellen to a tribal council. True to their promise, they headed for the  
ritual the next day. Excitement filled the air and people hurried in and  t  
198


among tents pitched for the event near the house of the Maori priest. Low  
.id gaily decorated, the tents  reminded the visitors of campmeeting. Every- 
one wore bright, gaudy clothes, and interesting sights caught Ellen's eye  
wherever she looked.  
Then she almost laughed aloud. She might have, too, except for fear of  
hurting their feelings. The Maoris were greeting one another—not by shaking 
hands or hugging or even kissing as they do in France—but by vigorously  
rubbing noses! How strange that seemed to Western eyes!  
Since they were all assembled for this holiday, the tribesmen invited  
this woman-from-across-the-sea to speak to them. Delighted, she asked  
Edward Hare to interpret for her, and she told them of the second coming of  
Jesus. Their eyes grew wide and thoughtful, and they listened intently.  
When she finished, the headman spoke through Edward to her. He thanked her  
fir coming and for giving them this new hope, and he ended by saying, 
"Oh, how we hope to live to see this Savior." Ellen was thrilled. Her  
Maori visit was everything she'd dreamed it would be.  
On the return trip, however, Ellen met a different type of Maori.  
These men had been drinking, and they packed into the second-class coach  
yelling, stomping, smoking, and drinking more. The noise and confusion  
made Ellen tense and nervous. Her head ached badly. Finally, feeling she  
couldn't take it any longer, she prayed for relief.  
At once God answered. Three quiet, young Maoris facing her had appeared  
ashamed of their drunken tribesmen. Suddenly they began to sing an English  
hymn, and encouraged by Ellen's smiles, they sang song after song. At the  
end of the journey the boys and the Whites' group got off together, the  
boys helping Ellen with her luggage.  
"Thank you so much," she said, "for both your help and your singing.  
199


I didn't think I could stand that bedlam another minute."  
"It's nothing," the boys answered, embarrassed. "The drunks were  
showing their colors, and we decided as Christians we'd  show ours, too."  
And they hurried off toward their college.  
Before Ellen left New Zealand, one young Maori told her that he'd hoped  
to go to the new Adventist college in Australia but had no money. Talking 
it over with Willie, Ellen White decided that they would loan the boy enough  
for his fare and tuition to get started. Excitedly, he began to make travel  
arrangements, but before he could leave, a runner came from his village,  
calling him home for a relative's funeral.  
Back in the village the neighbors argued, "You can't leave now. You  
must stay for the drinking, dancing, and wailing. That will take several  
days, you know." The young believer didn't argue with them. He just slipped  
away and caught the train to the seaport and was at Avondale College sho' "" y.  
Ellen White helped another Maori named Maui Pomare to get to America and  
study medicine at Battle Creek. "Oh, how interested I am that these young  
men shall be prepared to do the missionary work for their own nation," she  
wrote.  
Although unable to stay in New Zealand, Sister White did all that she  
could to help the Maoris and to see that the work was strengthened in their  
part of the Pacific.  
200


ELLEN WHITE AND THE MAORIS  
Obj ective: To understand that the winning and  transforming power of  
the gospel knows no ethnic barriers.  
Map Study: Locate New Zealand on a map.  
For Discussion:  
1. Why would a prophet, no longer young, ride in an uncomfortable,  
second-class coach?  
2. Why would a Maori chief's son be interested in religious books?  
3. What did a prophetess of God choose to tell the Maori people  
during their holiday celebration?  
4. What are the ways non-Christians "show their colors"? 
5. What are the ways that Christians can "show their colors"?  
6. Why would a prophetess of modest income support a near-stranger  
in a foreign land to go to school?  
201


TWO MEN FROM EUROPE  
Wrapping the forbidden Bible carefully in a large handkerchief, Priest  
Czechowski hid it in the folds of his robe and went out into the night. 
Growing up in Poland, all that Michael had ever wanted to be was a Catholic 
priest. Now that he was one, he saw problems in his church that made him  
wish he'd never studied for the priesthood. This Bible that he'd found  
showed him why Martin Luther had tried to reform the church. It failed  
to follow the Bible.'  
Outspoken and high-spirited, the young priest began his campaign to  
reform the Catholic church. Like Luther, he met persecution more sever han  
any he imagined, even spending two years in a damp European prison. Surely  
if he could only get to Rome and speak to the pope, he would find an honest 
ear to hear his complaints. Packing his few belongings, he set out for Rome.  
His stubborn persistence won him an audience with the pope, much to the  
surprise of his fellow priests. Perhaps the pope could see that this de- 
termination would be a good asset for the Catholic church. At any rate,  
he told Czechowski to set his fears at rest. Always there were some things  
in any organization that didn't seem quite right, but one must  overlook  
these and strive for the overall good of the work. In conclusion, the pope  
offered him a very profitable mission in the world's most holy city— 
Jerusalem. Disappointed and feeling that the pope was ignoring the problem 
and attempting to bribe him, Czechowski left more disillusioned than ever.  
202


Fearing a plot against his life, he fled to Switzerland. For some time he  
v -c through trials in Europe until he finally left the priesthood completely,  
married, and fled to New York for security.  
A brilliant man who spoke seven languages, Czechowski quickly made  
friends and influenced people, eventually winding up in Montreal at a Protes- 
tant seminary. When danger threatened him in Canada because of his success  
in winning Catholics to Protestantism, he fled again, setting up a book  
bindery in a small Ohio town. It was there that he attended a tent meeting  
held by Seventh-day Adventists and became enthusiastic over the new truth  
he had found.  
When Ellen and James White met them, the Czechowski family were living  
in real poverty. They hadn't enough to eat and were truly suffering for lack  
of clothing. Quickly the Whites took up their cause and sent out appeals to  
brethren to contribute help to this new believer's family. The ex-priest's  
story touched hearts, and he was welcomed into the Adventist community at  
once.  
With a new message, Czechowski couldn't sit still. Packing up bis  
family, he moved back to New York, the big city filled with so many immigrants.  
Now his ability with languages proved  most useful, and he raised up a small  
European church of several nationalities. For some time he worked with Elder  
D. T. Bordeau, traveling back into Montreal and upper New York, preaching  
enthusiastically in French.  
Inclined to jump first and think later, the ex-priest, now decided that  
he should take the news of Jesus' second coming straight to the Vatican and  
preach it within the  hearing of the pope himself. He asked the General  
Conference to send him to Italy as a missionary. Startled, the brethren  
t 3d him down for several reasons. First, he hadn't developed skills to  
203


handle finances very well. He was always broke. Second, his strongly ^ted  
opinions had left a negative impression in several places. And finally,  
the brethren had neither the money nor the vision to send missionaries any- 
where. The church was too new to have thought that far yet. The workers  
couldn't handle the calls they had right here in the States. And at that  
time they believed the news  of Jesus had already been preached hundreds of  
years earlier overseas. Why go to Europe and start trouble with the pope,  
of all things?  
Frustrated, Czechowski remembered a very friendly First-day Adventist  
group he'd met in Boston where a thrilling book of his adventures in leaving  
the priesthood had  just been published. Catching a train to Boston, he  
persuaded this group to sponsor him as their missionary to Europe.  
For several years Adventist leaders heard no more of Czechowski. His  
sudden disappearance probably convinced them that he was as unstable a; ley  
had thought. But in Europe, the missionary began preaching in the Waldensian 
valleys of Italy, teaching the seventh-day Sabbath and the second coming of  
Jesus. When persecution threatened him there, he fled to Switzerland and  
established other companies of believers. Nowhere did he tell the converts  
about either Seventh-day Adventists or First-day Adventists. The Tramelan  
company in Switzerland thought they were the only group in the world to  
believe these doctrines which Czechowski taught from  the Bible.  
One day after their preacher had left them, the group at Tramelan were  
cleaning up his guest room. To their surprise they found a Review and Herald  
he had left behind. From it they concluded that there was some American  
organization that believed as they did, and they wrote the Review office.  
The correspondence continued, Adventists on both sides of the ocean thrilled  
that they'd found each other. As a result, the Tramelan church was in\ ,ed  
204


t^ send a representative to the 1869 General Conference at Battle Creek.  
When Czechowski found out about the correspondence, he attempted to  
stop it and left Switzerland for Romania, spreading the message there.  
Then he moved on to Austria. Death in a Vienna hospital ended the life  
of this fiery independent.  
Meanwhile, the church at Tramelan had sent James Erzberger, a young  
seminarian, to Battle Creek to appeal for a minister for Switzerland.  
Arriving too late for the General Conference session, he was taken into  
the home of James and Ellen White while he studied English and the Adventist  
message.  
Fifteen-year-old Willie White was given part of the responsibility of  
teaching the guest English. Teacher John Kellogg, the White's cook, Adeline,  
and Willie White kept the poor Swiss talking or reading from early morning  
i "1 evening.  
So successful were Erzberger's teachers that five weeks after his  
arrival he gave an interesting and understandable talk in English at a  
grove meeting. The next year he returned to Europe, an ordained Seventh- 
day Adventist minister. During that year the brethren had prepared James 
to become the preacher  that Switzerland had called for.  
We have looked at the story of two men from Europe, both outstanding,  
both dedicated, both independent, and both used by God, sometimes in spite  
of themselves, to spread His truth to Europe.  
(Origin and History of SDA's, Vol. 2. pp. 197-199 by Arthur Spalding;  
Light Bearers to the Remnant, pp. 143-144, by R. W. Schwarz; SPA Encyclopedia, 
p. 365.)  
205


TWO MEN FROM EUROPE  
Objective: To recognize the early impulses of mission service that  
emerged in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.  
Map Study: Locate Poland, Italy, Switzerland, New York, Montreal, Canada  
Ohio, Romania, Austria—sites of Czechowskifs travels.  
For Discussion:  
Cite evidence from the story to support each of the following statements.  
1. Czechowski was bold.  
(He went to see the pope himself.  
He sought a mission appointment.  
He traveled to many foreign countries.)  
2. Czechowski had talents that fitted him for mission service.  
(He knew seven foreign languages.  
He made friends easily.  
He was energetic, forthright, adventuresome.)  
3. Czechowski was energetic.  
(His audiences with the pope, his preaching, his seeking mission  
support, and his travels support this.)  
4. Czechowski suffered for Jesus.  
(He was in prison 2 years because of his religious convictions.)  
5. God provided a way for the Swiss converts taught by Czechowski to  
learn about other believers.  
(They found copies of the Review in his possessions left behind.)  
6. James and Ellen White are examples of true Christian hospitality.  
(They supported the Czechowski family in a financial crisis. They  
provided a home for James Erzberger while he studied Adventisi.  
cont,  
206


and English.)  
When the Seventh-day Adventists in the United States were not ready  
to enter mission service, God chose two other men to get the message  
overseas.  
(Czechowski and James Erzberger)  
207


THE BOOK SATAN HATES  
Alfredo hesitated before the old, run down house. Could anybody  
really live there? Alfredo was selling Great Controversy, Ellen White's  
book on the fight between Christ and Satan from the beginning right to the  
end of time. He believed that the book was so important, every single  
family should have the opportunity to buy one. As he hesitated, he thought  
he saw a movement inside. So unlatching the rickety gate, he strode up  
the path and knocked on the door.  
Immediately the door opened, and a handsome, well-dressed man greeted  
him. Alfredo explained about his Christian work and how he was visitin^^  
every home in town with this Christian literature. He held out Great  
Controversy, and the man took it, paging through it idly with a strange and  
evil smile on his face. Suddenly he tossed it back to the colporteur.  
"This book is about me," the man said, "but there is no hope for me.  
I am lost."  
The man's appearance, his words, and the sinister look on his face  
confused the colporteur. As the door shut in his face, Alfredo began to  
walk away.  
Closing the creaking gate behind him, Alfredo was just about to head  
for the next house when a passing car stopped.  
"Can I help you?" the driver asked. "You seem to be looking for  
someone."  
"Thank you so much," Alfredo replied, "but I've just been talking  
the gentleman who lives in that house."  
208


The man in the car looked astonished. "That can't be!" he protested,  
one has lived in that house for 15 years. It's haunted. Evil things  
live in that house!" Shaking his head, the driver moved on.  
Alfredo turned to look again at the house where he had just been.  
Could it be that he had talked with Satan himself? He shuddered, and  
hurried on.  
Spiritism is widespread in many South American countries, and the  
devil's power is often open and evident. Raymundo knew that, but when he  
stopped to canvass a church, he had no idea that it was Satan's church.  
In South America the pastor often lives in apartments adjoining the church,  
so the young literature evangelist circled the church and climbed the  
back stairs. Sure enough, he found the pastor's wife and daughter at home. 
He told them about Great Controversy and showed them an unopened copy in  
ifc cellophane wrapper. Immediately, before he could open it, the pastor's  
wire stopped him.  
"I like the look of that book," she said, "but we will have to find out  
if our 'Master' approves of it." Turning to her daughter, she handed her  
the book. "Rosita, take this down to the high altar in the church and  
lay it there. See if the 'Master' approves of it."  
Puzzled as to what was really going on, the colporteur kept talking  
with the mother. She explained that this was the Church of Satan, and that  
they couldn't buy books if he did not approve.  
Suddenly a loud and terrible rumbling filled the air, a savage,  
ferocious, snarling sound. The whole building shook as though an angry 
tiger were shaking a  helpless lamb. The door burst open and Rosita, wide- 
eyed with fright, dashed in. She didn't know what had happened. She only  
k that the 'Master' was enraged when she placed that book on his altar.  
209


Later, when everything seemed quiet, Raymundo and the woman crept  
downstairs to see what had happened. They found the book lying on the floo 
ripped right through the middle. It had been opened at the chapter  on the  
Sabbath, and torn right through the section dealing with the law of God.  
The air smelled of smoke, and the book's pages were singed. The tearing 
and mutilating could not possibly have been done by human hands because the  
book was thick, and it was torn not up and down, but crosswise.  
"We cannot buy this book," the woman said firmly. "The 'Master' does  
not approve."  
Taking the book with him, the colporteur left. Later on Elder Lee  
Grady brought it with him to the United  States while on furlough and  
exhibited it in several churches—the book the devil hated. It is still  
kept by our leaders in South America as a demonstration of how much the  
devil hates Ellen White's writings exposing him.  Is it any wonder that  
those who try to distribute her writings often face unusual difficulties?  
210


THE BOOK SATAN HATES  
Objective: To demonstrate how much the devil hates Ellen White's  
writings which expose him.  
For Discussion:  
1. Why do you think Satan hates the book, Great Controversy?  
(It portrays the conflict between Christ and Satan from the  
beginning until the end of time.)  
2. Why does Satan employ such "open and evident" power in some  
countries and not in  others?  
(In some cultures fear turns people away from an object,  
whereas in others, fear entices people. Satan uses whatever 
will distract from God; his programs are tailor-made for our  
times and moods.)  
3. Why is it dangerous to put ourselves in Satan's hands?  
(God is all-powerful, but  more than this, He respects our  
freedom to step outside the bounds of His loving care. He may  
warn us, may even protect us against ourselves or wills, for a  
time, but eventually He chooses to honor our freedom  and give us  
up to whatever power or presence we subject ourselves to.)  
211


THE UNACCEPTED GIFT  
A shiny black limousine drew up at the gates of an Adventist college  
in Southern Asia. Throwing them open with a flourish, the gatekeeper  
stood at attention and saluted. And well he might! That car held high 
government officials, men who had come to look over the Adventist college.  
Why they had come and what they wanted to see were anyone's guess—and  
everyone was guessing.  
"Maybe they want to send their sons to our college," one student  
whispered.  
"I'll bet they are going to tell the missionaries to leave," guesse-1  
another.  
"Perhaps one of the foreign students is accused of spying," volunteered  
a third. No one knew why they were there, but they certainly made everyone  
very nervous.  
Into the principal's office they  marched, greeting him and sitting down.  
"We have come to look at your college," they said. "Would you please show  
us around?"  
"Certainly," Principal Babcock agreed. "Come with me." Now knowing  
why they had come, he sent up a quick prayer for special wisdom in speaking 
with these men.  
"This is the administration building," he began, leading them out of  
the office. "All of the classrooms are in this block, and the assembly hall  
and library are in those two wings."  
212


"Excuse me," a visitor interrupted, "what are all these little boys  
aumg running around the courtyard with watering cans? Aren't they supposed  
to be in classes?"  
Mr. Babcock laughed. "Our school is a little different," he informed  
them. "We have what we feel is a balanced program of work, study, and worship.  
These boys belong to the grounds crew, and they work at least 17  hours a week  
weeding the garden, sprinkling the roads to keep down dust, watering, and  
planting. The smaller boys do this work. Bigger ones help with construction,  
repair buildings, or help in the office, library, or on the farm. The girls  
shell peanuts for our peanut-butter industry. It's delicious, too. You must  
try some! Other girls clean, cook, and so forth."  
"Does everybody work?" The visitors looked puzzled.  
"Yes," the principal continued, "everyone at our school MUST work.  
T" ther they're rich or poor, they have to work the 17 hours a week. We  
feel that having our students know how to work with their hands makes them  
better citizens and better Christians. Work is an important part of the  
Adventist educational system."  
The officials shook their heads. Even the rich boys worked? What an  
unusual idea! But the more they thought about it, the more they liked it.  
They themselves knew of too many rich fellows who were helpless without their  
servants.  
As the principal continued around the campus, through the dormitories,  
past homes and workshops, the favorable remarks increased. How clean it  
was! How efficiently organized! What happy students! By the time they had  
reached the office again and been greeted with cool lemonade, they were full  
of compliments.  
"We like your school, Mr. Babcock," the spokesman said, leaning back  
213


comfortably in his chair. "We appreciate what your church is doing for the  
people of our country. In fact, we want to do something to help you.  
have come today to offer you government support for your program. We are  
well aware that the mission doesn't  always have enough funds. We would lik  
to give you this much to help in your building program, and we will be send 
ing more later."  
As Mr. Babcock looked at the figures on the paper before him, his head  
reeled. They were offering more than enough to finish the boys' dorm. What  
a blessing! ... Or WAS it?  
Somewhere in his memory warning lights flashed. What was it he should re  
call? There was something in Ellen White's Great Controversy about mixing  
government business with church business to make the church more worldly,  
something else about institutions that took state support cooperating with  
Satan's plan for their downfall. In an instant Principal Babcock made r  
decision.  
Smiling as graciously as he knew how, he pushed the paper aside. "Thank  
you so much for your kind offer," he said. "I'm glad you appreciate our  
work here in Asia. But our church has a long record of supporting its own  
institutions to avoid becoming a burden on the local government. Please for- 
give me when I say that with the support of the church and the blessing of  
God we prefer to fund our own school. We truly thank you for this generous  
offer, but we can't accept it. I'm sure you will find other needy schools  
who will be glad to take it."  
The officials were startled, but not angry. It was hard to believe  
this man would refuse their offer, but then, this school was strangely  
different all the way around. Nothing in it seemed quite like other schools 
they'd visited that day.  
214


Bidding the principal a cordial goodbye, they climbed into the  black  
limousine and left.  
"I certainly hope I did the right thing," Principal Babcock worried  
after they were gone.  "It seemed like the Lord was reminding me of things  
to make me say no. I didn't have time to call a committee. I hope they're  
not annoyed."  
Classes continued and the work program ran smoothly during the months  
that followed. The boys' dorm was completed, thanks to unexpected gifts 
from overseas. The officials' visit was forgotten in the bustle of campus 
life.  
Then one day an uprising alarmed the country. A new leader took over  
the government, a leader who promised reforms in business, industry, and  
education. Suddenly Christian schools hit the headlines.  
"What is it that makes a school Christian?" the new official  inquired  
in a speech to the nation. "Most of these Christian schools have non-
Christian teachers, non-Christian students, teach the government's non-
Christian curriculum, and  use government money to run their institutions.  
It seems to me that we could run them better, and as of today, they are 
the property of the government."  
In Christian schools across the country,  chaos reigned. Government  
officials arrived to take over offices, government teachers moved in to  
teach classes, Bible teachers were replaced with priests of the national  
religion. The schools were all alike now. There was no longer anything 
Christian about any of them.  
Except for one. One college had all Christian teachers, all Christian  
students, a distinctly different educational program, and had not accepted  
l bit of government aid.  
215


Today that one Seventh-day Adventist college is the only truly Chr  
institution of higher learning in the entire country, a living witness to 
the value of heeding the special instructions that God delivered to His  
church through His messenger, Ellen White.  
(Reference: Personal experience by George P. Babcock, General Conference  
Department of Education.)  
216


THE UNACCEPTED GIFT  
Objective: To understand the long-range effects of the wise counsel  
God's prophet.  
Map Study: Locate India on a map.  
For Discussion:  
1. Why do you think the college in India required its students to  
work?  
2. Why would accepting government aid lead to a school's downfall? 
3. If someone offered you money, what questions might you ask? 
4. Under what circumstances might you refuse to accept money?  
217


BURMESE ENCOUNTER I  
Shouts filled the air as the steamer WINPO left the Rangoon dock and  
headed for Pyapon (Pah-POON). Squeezed against the ship's rail, Hla Pe  
(Hlah-pay) tried to avoid the jostling crowd. He'd expected it and boarded  
last night with all his baggage. In a fairly good spot near the first class  
cabins, he'd slept on his luggage. How glad he was he'd boarded early! Now  
the deck was so crowded he could hardly move.  
Making his way back to his boxes, Hla Pe perched on a suitcase. This  
afternoon he'd be in Pyapon. That was a scary thought. He had started out  
to sell books with another student, but his friend found an aunt in Rar ~>n an  
decided to forget selling books.  Hla Pe felt like giving up, too, but he just  
couldn't. His next term of school depended on this canvassing scholarship.  
Hla. pe was eighteen and a recently baptized Adventist. Knowing no one  
in the town assigned to him, he wondered how he'd manage. He knew that the  
books he carried were filled with God's word and that God had promised to be 
with him. Still ....  
Rising from his suitcase, he noticed a nice-looking English lady sitting  
in a nearby cabin. Since the door was open, Hla Pe decided he ought to can- 
vass her. First, however, he had to look presentable. His clothes, wrinkled  
from the night, hardly seemed the thing. Selecting clean, white pants and  
a shirt from his suitcase, Hla Pe hurried to the bathroom to change. Then,  
taking a big breath of courage, he stepped into the cabin's doorway.  
"Good morning, Madam," he said in his most courteous manner. "Ex a  
218


me if I make annoyance to you."  
The lady smiled at his English. "Good morning, young man. What do you  
want?"  
"My name is Hla Pe and I'm a self-supporting student at the Seventh-day  
Adventist school in Meiktila (Meck-tilla). This is my first journey to this  
territory where I shall try to sell books for a scholarship next year. I have  
here a powerful set of inspirational books—Desire of Ages, Great Controversy,  
and The Story of Redemption, all by Mrs. Ellen G. White. I also have a good  
book called Health and Longevity and an excellent set of Bedtime Stories  
for children."  
As he spoke, Hla  Pe handed the books to the lady who examined each one  
carefully and slowly. Hla Pe shifted from one foot to the other. At last  
she put the books down. "These books are very good indeed," she declared.  
'" hink I'll take them all. What do they cost?"  
Hla Pe's heart leaped with courage. ALL of them? "Thirty-three  
rupees, only," he replied.  
Without looking in the least alarmed at the price, the Englishwoman  
handed the boy forty rupees and began putting the books with her luggage.  
From the tags on it Hla Pe saw that she was the wife of the district com- 
missioner of Pyapon. How fortunate.' If he ran into  difficulty selling  
books in that town, her husband might help him out.  
"I'm sorry, Madam, but I don't have change. Kindly give me the money  
when we arrive, but keep the books." Hla Pe began closing his carrying case.  
"That's all right. Take it all. Forget the change." Such generosity!  
The Lord was certainly keeping his promises! "I hope you earn your scholar- 
ship, young man. Where do you plan to stay in Pyapon?" Such a kind question  
i i a total stranger startled him. 
219


Hla Pe hesitated. He'd rather not think about that! He HAD been ~ el  
ing better!  
"I guess I'll go to the pastor of the Protestant church," he answered  
slowly.  
"Do you know him?" the woman persisted in a motherly way. 
"No, but he's a Christian, and he ought to allow me to stay a week or  
two with him until I know my way aroundi"  
A look of concern crossed the woman's face.  
"I'll be all right, Madam. I'll stop by the commissioner's house some- 
time and  tell you how I make out.  Now I must go. I don't wish to weary you."  
Respectfully saluting, Hla Pe left.  
When the boat docked about 2:00 p.m., Hla Pe bargained for a rickshaw to  
carry himself and his books to the Protestant mission compound. There he  
met the pastor and his wife, stated his problem, and respectfully  reque i  
lodging for a week or two. In a non-Christian country, Christians usually  
helped each other regardless of what denomination they  belonged to.  But  
when he told them he was from an Adventist school, he sensed their immediate  
hostility.  
"I'll only need a little corner," Hla Pe begged. "I won't be any  
trouble, really."  
The two looked at each other and then the woman said sternly, "Well,  
stay in this room for now. Over there."  
Quickly the boy arranged his few belongings, stacked his book boxes,  
and prepared to look over the town. He didn't feel welcome here, but  he  
must stay at least a week until he could find another place. Strangers who  
stayed just anywhere often got robbed or cheated. He wished he knew someone 
else in town.  
220


Suddenly he remembered the commissioner's wife. She might know of a  
safe lodging place. He hurried out of the house.  
Dodging bicycles and rickshaws clear across town, he finally arrived  
at the home of his lady customer.  
"Well, well. Hla Pe! You did come to see me, didn't you? And all  
the same day! Did you find the Protestant pastor?"  
"Yes, Madam. I met both the pastor and his wife." Hla Pe stopped  
abruptly.  
The lady looked at him kindly. "Yes," she urged. "Go on."  
"Well, I'm sorry to tell you, but both of them seem unwilling to accept  
me. I must stay with them at least this week, though, till I find a place.  
I'll move out as soon as possible."  
"Oh, that's too bad," she said sympathetically.  
"I thought so, too," Hla Pe continued. "I thought Christians would all  
accept their brethren, but I guess they don't. I haven't  been a Christian  
too long myself."  
Rising from her chair, the woman went inside. Hla Pe could hear her  
on the phone. She was telling her husband about him and urging  him to help  
the student.  
When she returned, she spoke. "Don't feel bad, Hla Pe. You're right.  
Christians should help each  other. But I'll try to help you. Now have a  
glass of juice and relax until my husband comes home."  
Before long, two gentlemen entered the living room—the English commis- 
sioner and a Burmese man. The woman rose.  
"U Tin, this is the boy from the Adventist school. He's selling books  
for a scholarship, but he has no friends or relatives in this town. Do you  
s^^ose he could stay at your house a week or two? He'd be welcome here, but  
221


I don't think he'd feel as comfortable with our food and customs as with  
yours."  
The Burmese man smiled. The commissioner was his boss, and he wanted  
to do all he could to please him. "Don't worry," he said. "He can stay  
with us as long as he likes. We've got plenty of room."  
"That's so good of you," the lady beamed. Then turning to her husband  
she went on, "Now, is there any way we can help him get his scholarship,  
dear?"  
The Englishman sighed. His wife and her big heart! "Don't worry,  
dear. U Tin already told me on the way over that he'd introduce the boy  
to possible customers. Now we're going onto the veranda. Would you have 
the servant bring drinks, please?"  
Hla Pe was thrilled. As his hostess sent her servant to get drinks,  
he wondered what more he could have wanted. God really did work thingr it.  
Yet . . . there WAS one more thing. Did he dare ask? That encouraging,  
friendly smile settled it.  
"Madam, I am so glad and happy at what you have done for me with your  
exceedingly great helping hands. It is far more than I expected. But 
could you do one more little thing for me?" Hla Pe's voice was most humble  
indeed.  
"Certainly. How can I help you?" 
"Well, I need to return to the pastor's house to get my things, but  
do you suppose you could come and pick me up in your car? If you would, I  
know they'd have more confidence in me and not talk badly to their church  
people about me. Would that be too much trouble?" His hands twisted  
anxiously.  
The lady laughed. Hla Pe was "saving face," Asian style.  She und tooc  
222


all about that!  
"Of course, my boy. I'll come after you about six this evening. Get  
your things ready."  
"Oh, Madam! You are too good!" Hla Pe saluted smartly, whirled, and  
ran down the steps with joyful speed.  
A missionary couple and two Burmese workers were talking to the pastor  
when the boy got home and none of them saw him enter. Their discussion  
centered around how to get rid of Hla Pe!  
Quietly he slipped into his room and began packing up the things he'd  
just unpacked hours before. After seeing his guests off, the pastor came  
back into the house and looked startled to find Hla Pe there. Without a  
greeting, he stalked into the kitchen. Hla Pe sat down to read.  
An hour later a car drew up. A horn blew  loudly, and Hla Pe gathered  
hi ^longings. He could h ear the pastor and his wife welcoming the district  
commissioner in sugar-sweet voices.  
Mrs. Commissioner leaned out of the car and called, "Hla Pe, please  
bring your things quickly."  
Hla Pe hurried out and put his cases into the car. Turning to the  
astonished pastor, he spoke—very respectfully, of course.  
"Thank you very much for allowing me to stay in your house, but I know  
it was a burden for you, so I found other shelter before sunset. I heard  
your missionary friends urging you not to let me stay, so it's best that I  
go, I'm sure. Thank you for the time I was here."  
Climbing into the back seat, Hla Pe shut the car door and the big, black  
limousine zoomed away, leaving the pastor and his wife absolutely speechless.  
That night found Hla Pe safely settled in U Tin's friendly home.  
223


BURMESE ENCOUNTER I  
Objective: To understand God's overriding care of His people who  
bear His message.  
Map Study: Locate Burma on a map.  
For Discussion:  
1. Read Counsels to Teachers, pp. 526-7, to find the instruction  
that Hla Pe followed in Pyapon.  
2. What is the subject of each of these books that Hla Pe sold:  
The Desire of Ages, The Great Controversy, and The Story of  
Redemption? (Look at each of the books, if you can.)  
3. How did God prepare Hla Pe for the crisis of being unwelcome in  
the Christian missionary's home?  
(He brought Hla Pe into contact with the commissioner's wife on  
his trip to Pyapon, and the woman assured him of her interest  
and kindness.)  
4. What record do you suppose was made by the recording angel  
regarding the hospitality of the missionaries?  
5. When Hla Pe, a new Christian himself, found other Christians  
unwilling to accept him, it must have been a surprise and dis- 
appointment. If you could have been there to comfort him at  
that time, what would you have said?  
224


BURMESE ENCOUNTER II  
When the sun creeping through the window threw its first beams across  
his pillow, Hla Pe rose, dressed, and knelt to pray. He thanked God for 
His wonderful care on his first day in the city, and asked God to guide him 
again this day and give him good success with the inspirational books he  
hoped to sell.  
Outside, he headed for the civil hospital to visit a certain doctor.  
Peeking to make sure the doctor had no one in his office, Hla Pe  
stepped in. "Good morning, Doctor. Do you remember me?"  
The doctor glanced over the top of his glasses at the young man and  
went on writing. "No, I'm afraid I don't. Who are you?"  
"I'm Hla Pe from the Adventist school. When you were director of  
the medical depot near there, your children went to school with me."  
The doctor looked up at once. "Why, of course.' Hla Pe! Let me shake  
your hand. What can I do for you? Aren't you a bit far from Meiktila?"  
Hla Pe laid Health and Longevity on his desk. "I am selling this  
excellent book, Doctor. I have a hundred copies in Burmese and fifty in  
English. I was sure you would know many health inspectors, midwives, nurses, 
and other medical people who would like this book. If you could put in a  
good word for me, it would help me to sell many of them and get back to 
school next year."  
The doctor scanned the book quickly.  
"Excellent book! Here, nurse. Get me a list of the medical personnel  
225


in the area, please. I'll take 75 of the Burmese books right now for my  
immediate personnel, and I'll let you know how many I need in English _ ir.  
Hla Pe's eyes popped. Did he hear right? Did the doctor say seventy- 
five? He could hardly contain his excitement.  
"Oh, thank you, sir, thank you. I'll go and get them right now and  
pick up the list when I return. This is wonderful!"  
That afternoon after hauling the heavy books back to the doctor's  
office, Hla Pe sat down under a tree to rest and think. Where to next?  
At that moment he remembered seeing an old ship near the dock which  
had been made into offices for a shipping agent. Maybe he would buy.  
Hla Pe made his way to the dock and hurried up the steps to see the  
agent, U Po Shwe. Evidently the man's living quarters were on the boat, to  
for he was sitting in a cabin on a  parlor couch.  
"Good afternoon, sir. I bring some books for you to see. Would you  
like some?" Hla Pe laid them on the table in front of the agent.  
Without a word of welcome, the man rose roaring and shouting, weaving  
from side to side—drunk. Bottles fell on the floor, glasses shattered.  
Hla Pe turned and fled as fast as he could, leaving the whole set of books  
behind. On his way off the ship, he ran into the agent's clerk and explain  
what had happened.  
"He's impossible when he's drunk," the clerk agreed. 
"But the books!" Hla Pe begged. "I can't afford to lose them. If he  
doesn't want to buy them, could you save them for me? I'll come back."  
That night at U Tin's house Hla Pe felt both delighted and distressed.  
The big order was tremendous! The loss  of the books was disastrous! U Tin  
couldn't help seeing something was wrong with his young guest, and when the  
boy explained his day's activities, the older man clucked sympathetica!"  
226


"What a day! Why don't you pack your bag and come with us to my  
I  
parents' house upriver for a few days? You could sell books there and  
forget Pyapon for a while."  
That sounded good to Hla Pe, and the next day found him farther up  
country.  
Taking his book bag just in case, he set out on an early morning walk  
and spied a lone English gentleman sitting on the porch of a government  
guest house. Ahhh! Another fine English prospect! Hla Pe hurried up to  
him. 
"Good morning, sir. May I talk to you a few minutes, sir?"  
The Englishman lowered his paper and peered at the boy. "Huh? Oh, good  
morning, boy. Yes. Come up."  
Without wasting time Hla Pe showed him the books, stressing that Mrs.  
Wb' N's books really had a beautiful Bible message. Impressed, the man 
bought them all. He proved to be S. I. Boals, chief engineer of the irriga- 
tion department. Hla Pe was thrilled to think of this important man reading  
God's message. By the end of his two-day visit, he had sold 25 more books  
in that town.  
Back in Pyapon he contacted the shipping agent again, and to his surprise,  
the now sober man paid for the entire set. When he returned to Rangoon at 
the end of the summer, Hla Pe had more than his scholarship, but habit made  
him canvass one more Englishman whom he met on the train back to school.  
Although Mr. Wills didn't buy a thing, Hla Pe gave him some Signs of  
the Times magazines and a few tracts and forgot the encounter entirely. He  
was too eager to report to the publishing secretary how well  he'd done during  
vacation! The Lord had really blessed!  
Years passed. Hla Pe received God's blessing a hundred times in a  
227


hundred different ways. He never ceased to marvel at the miracle. He 
graduated from school and became the editor of the Burmese Watchman ma ,i: 
an Adventist periodical. In his new job he had a chance to encourage many 
colporteurs who came by to pick up books and magazines to sell.  
How startled he was one day to meet two fairly new Adventist colpor- 
teurs—Mr. Boals and Mr. Wills, two of his English customers from that summe  
of canvassing at Pyapon. But even  more astonishing was the sight of ex- 
drunkard U Po Shwe as Pastor U Po Shwe.' He could hardly believe his eyes.1  
The pastor's excitement at finding the young colporteur who had left truth- 
filled books with him was something to see. The next Sabbath Pastor U Po  
Shwe introduced Hla Pe to his congregation and told them the story of how th  
God-inspired books of Ellen White had changed a drunkard's life. Hla Pe's  
joy was full. Three new workers for God's cause—and all because he believe  
in God's blessing and faithfully sold His books.  
(This story took place in 1928 and was written by Hla Pe himself for Norma  
Youngberg.)  
228


BURMESE ENCOUNTER II  
Objective: To know that the dividends coming from Christian service  
surpass earning a living and include the joy of winning souls for Christ's  
kingdom.  
For Discussion:  
1. Burma is a country closed to missionaries today. In what way do  
you think God works in Burma now?  
(Through the people—nationals—who know Him.  
Through the books which endure even when the colporteurs are  
banished or die.)  
2. How did reading Ellen White's books change the life and career  
of S. I. Boals?  
(The former government irrigation engineer became a Seventh-day  
Adventist colporteur.)  
3. Imagine the opportunity Hla Pe would have lost if he had said to  
Mr. Wills, "I'm disappointed in your lack of interest. I was  
going to give you a religious tract, but I guess it would be a  
waste."  
4. What would most salesmen do to a drunk man who scatters their  
wares about? Compare their actions with Hla Pe's. What makes  
the difference?  
5. A drunk man who becomes a pastor demonstrates the power of . . . 
6. A drunk man who becomes a pastor gives hope to . . .  
r  
229