The year was 1909. Ellen White attended the Colorado camp meeting near Boulder, Colorado. She was on her way home from attending the General conference session in Washington, DC. As it turned out, this was her last trip across country. She was nearly 82.PPP 230.2

The Colorado camp meeting was being held in a Chautaqua building. A thousand church members were in attendance at the camp meeting, and others from Boulder turned out to hear Mrs. White speak. Among those in the audience was young H. M. S. Richards, son of the Colorado Conference president, Eld. H. M. J. Richards (setting for story is in Arthur L. White, Ellen G. White: The Later Elmshaven Years—1905-1915, vol. 6 (Hagerstown, Md., Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1982), pp. 215, 216).PPP 230.3

During Ellen White’s Sabbath-morning sermon there was a downpour of rain. Unfortunately, the Chautaqua building had an iron roof, so you can imagine what a steady roar that rain made. But young Richards recalled that in spite of all the noise, Mrs. White could make herself heard over all the clatter. Remember, there were no public address systems then; speakers had to project their voices from their diaphragms.PPP 230.4

People pressed to the front of the auditorium in order to hear better. Harold Richards, just a teenager at the time, recalled that he was sitting on the front row, right in front of the pulpit where Mrs. White was speaking. And though he recalled her sermon as being interesting, it was her prayer that most stood out in his memory.PPP 231.1

After finishing her sermon, she said, “I must pray for the people.” Here you see the burden of the prophet in action again. H. M. S. Richards recalled that she started out by saying, “O, My Father. . . .” Not, “Our Father,” but “My Father.” He said it was just as if she was talking with a personal friend. In fact, he said that her prayer was so intimate, and so moving, that he was afraid to open his eyes and look up for fear of seeing God standing right there next to Sr. White. Soon, Richards said, you could hear quiet sobs in the audience. Men and women were repenting of their sins. A great revival spread over the audience as a result of Ellen White’s prayer.PPP 231.2

As H. M. S. Richards summed up the story, he said that when Mrs. White spoke, she was just a dear, sweet grandmother talking to the people. But when she prayed, God honored her as His prophet. He said that as long as he lived he would never forget it, and he didn’t.PPP 231.3

Alma McKibbin’s story of hearing Ellen White prayPPP 231.4

She was the first Adventist church-school teacher in California; she wrote the first Bible textbooks for use in our church schools.PPP 231.5

One of the stories Mrs. Alma McKibbin told me was about a time when she heard Mrs. White pray. At the time, Mrs. McKibbin was living in Healdsburg, California. (In fact, she was renting Mrs. White’s old home there from Sr. White.) But on this occasion Mrs. McKibbin was ill. So she decided to go over to the St. Helena Sanitarium for treatments. But when she arrived she found the San was full, so she ended up having to stay for a few days with Miss Sarah Peck, a friend of hers who was then working for Mrs. White.PPP 231.6

Miss Peck was living in a small cottage just opposite Ellen White’s “Elmshaven” home. Because of her illness, Mrs. McKibbin found herself trying to sleep, but was unable to do so. In the wee morning hours, she saw a light come on in Mrs. White’s writing room. [Not a supernatural light.] Mrs. McKibbin knew Sister White had arisen to write. Mrs. McKibbin told me that it was a comfort just to know that another person was awake.PPP 232.1

Before Ellen White began to write, she prayed-out loud. Alma McKibbin said that in her entire life she never had heard such a prayer as she heard in the stillness of those early morning hours. This was not a public prayer being said for the benefit of an audience, or others who might hear it. Quite the opposite. Ellen White had no idea that anyone else was listening.PPP 232.2

Mrs. McKibbin said that through the clear night air she could hear almost every word. She told me that she had often read in her Bible about the burden of Isaiah, or the burden of Jeremiah, that they had for the people of God, but never before had she comprehended what it meant. But as she heard Ellen White pour out her heart to God, pleading for this church, she told me that she began to understand what it means for one of God’s prophets to carry the burden of an entire people on their heart.PPP 232.3

Mrs. McKibbin told me that Sister White prayed that morning for the leaders of this church, that they would be true and faithful in their roles of leadership. She prayed for the pastors and teachers, that they would always uphold truth before the people. She prayed for individual members, that they would hold fast to what they knew was true. And before closing, Mrs. White also prayed for the youth of the church. Oh how she implored God that the young people would accept Jesus as their personal Saviour and never let go of Him.PPP 232.4

That night, Mrs. McKibbin told me that for the first time in her life she began to understand the deep burden that a prophet bears for an entire people. And for the first time in my life, I had a glimpse into the power of prayer as experienced by our pioneers.—McKibbin, oral history interview conducted by James Nix, September 30, 1967.PPP 232.5

44. Newspaper Comments

46. Burden For Souls