Chapter 25—An Angel Points the Way

“I have felt impressed for several weeks that I am to go to a new field of labor,” said J. N. Loughborough as he stood in meeting. “I have come to this meeting prepared to go wherever the Lord will call me to go.”HMes 137.1

This was said at the General Conference session held in May, 1868. A man from California had just made a plea that workers be sent to that faraway field to tell the people there of the soon coming of Jesus. In those early days before there were railroads across the country, California seemed a long way off. But many people had been moving to this new and interesting State during the past twenty years.HMes 137.2

Now the need of sending workers to this new territory was being considered by the conference. When Mr. Loughborough heard the appeal he felt at once that California was the place to which God was preparing him to go. Mr. Bourdeau stood in another part of the meeting hall and said, “I feel the same. God has also impressed me that I must go to another field of labor.”HMes 137.3

The ministers voted that this work should be begun at once, and that these two young ministers should start a mission in California. Mr. White appealed to all to help in raising $1,000 to send these missionaries to the Pacific Coast.HMes 137.4

In less than two weeks the ministers were in New York buying a tent and preparing to start on their long journey. Because the railroad across the continent was not completed, the men arranged to go by boat to Central America. There they went overland to the Pacific Ocean, and boarded another boat that carried them to San Francisco.HMes 137.5

They planned to pitch their tent at once in that city, but they could not find a suitable place. They prayed that the Lord would guide them in this new mission field and show them the way to take. At once they felt impressed to go north of the city, across the bay, but they did not know just where. The next day a stranger came from Petaluma, a town across the bay, about thirty miles north of San Francisco, in the Sonoma valley. This man invited the ministers to pitch their tent in that town.HMes 138.1

“One day I saw a notice in one of the Eastern papers that two ministers were coming to the Pacific Coast with a tent to hold meetings,” he said. “The people of our church in Petaluma have sent me to find the men with the tent and to urge them to hold their first meetings in our town.” Feeling that God was leading them in this way, Mr. Loughborough and Mr. Bourdeau went with him to Petaluma. He did not then tell the ministers that a few nights before, one of the members of his church dreamed that he saw two men kindling a fire, and then he saw the ministers of Petaluma trying to put that fire out, but they could not. The men kindled five fires that burned with a beautiful bright light. The man who had had the dream told the people of his church that he would know the men he had seen building the fires in his dream if he should ever meet them.HMes 138.2

“There they are,” exclaimed the man who had dreamed of the five fires, as he saw the two ministers coming. “Those are the identical men I saw in my dream.”HMes 138.3

The ministers pitched their tent, glad to know that the Lord was leading them to this place. Many people came to the tent each night to hear the message. Mr. Loughborough wrote back to the leaders in the East and told them of how eager the people were to hear their message. It was not long until there were five Seventh-day Adventist churches in Sonoma valley.HMes 138.4

In a few years Mr. and Mrs. White went out to California. They held camp meetings and encouraged the new believers to build churches. Although they had to return to Battle Creek and carry on the work there, during the next few years they made several trips to the West. The railroad across the mountains was now finished, and the trip could be made all the way by train in nine days. The work grew so rapidly that other workers also were brought from the East to California.HMes 139.1

At a later time two young ministers held several series of meetings in the tent which Mr. Loughborough had used many years before. One spring they decided to hold a new effort in Cloverdale, a little village north of Petaluma, but Mrs. White was shown that the tent should be pitched in Oakland, where there were many people eager to hear the message.HMes 139.2

“We must see the ministers who intended to hold meetings in Cloverdale,” she told her husband, “for the tent must not be put up there, but in Oakland.” They started at once for Healdsburg with their carriage and team. When they reached Healdsburg they were greatly disappointed to find that the men they wished to see had already gone on to Cloverdale, and they were told that the tent was all loaded at Mr. Bond’s place, ready to be moved to Cloverdale the next morning. Although the sun was setting behind the wooded hills, they felt that they must journey on.HMes 139.3

“Let us go as far as the home of Mr. Bond,” said Mr. White, “and then we can go on from there in the morning.”HMes 139.4

In order to do this they had to cross the Russian River. It was past nine o’clock when they reached the river, but Mr. White had no thought of turning back. It was not safe to cross except at certain places, and Mr. White dared not drive his team into the water until he had found where they could cross safely. The river ran swiftly, and it was dark under the overhanging trees. Mrs. White stood on the bank holding one horse while her husband rode the other one through the river. He cautiously rode over and back, choosing the safest way across, and then returned and hitched the horses to the carriage again and drove through the water to the other side, feeling deeply thankful that they had crossed the river in safety. When they rode up the bank on the other side, to their amazement they saw stretching to the right and to the left before them a broad, rapidly flowing river. They had crossed only a branch of the main stream.HMes 139.5

They lifted their hearts to God for help, because they still felt they must go on. Again the horses were unhitched and Mr. White mounted one and rode across the stream. The water came up on the sides of the horse, but he reached the other side before turning back. Twice again he rode back and forth.HMes 141.1

“Mark the course I take by the mountain on the other side,” he called across to Mrs. White. Although she was having troubles of her own holding the restless horse, who wished to follow his mate, she tried to see the way her husband was going in the darkness.HMes 141.2

Again the horses were hitched to the carriage and they drove into the river. The water came into the body of the carriage, but the horses went steadily onward until they came out on the opposite bank. From there it was not far to the home where they planned to spend the night.HMes 141.3

“Why, if this is not Mr. White,” was the hearty greeting that fell on the ears of the tired travelers when they knocked at the door. The next morning they saw the tent all loaded ready to be taken to Cloverdale. They arranged to have it sent back for use in Oakland. Then Mr. Bond hitched his fresh, strong team to the carriage, and went with Mr. and Mrs. White to Cloverdale.HMes 141.4

In Cloverdale they found one of the ministers. He said to Mrs. White, “After looking around, we have decided that the prospects are not good for a meeting here. We feel we should go somewhere else.”HMes 142.1

This was just what Mr. and Mrs. White had come to tell them. The whole company were soon on their way back to Healdsburg, and plans were laid for the meetings to be held in Oakland, California. These were very successful, and many people learned of Jesus’ soon coming. Mr. and Mrs. White now made their home in Oakland, that they might help with the tent meetings. Soon after the tent was pitched and the meetings were begun, Mr. White started publishing the Signs of the Times in Oakland.HMes 142.2

That summer Mrs. White felt that she should go back to the Eastern States and attend the camp meetings. She wanted to present to the people there the work that was being done on the Pacific Coast. She wanted to ask their support for the Signs of the Times that had just been started. But Mr. White was not very well, and he must take care of the new paper, and she did not like to leave him.HMes 142.3

“Will you let me go to Battle Creek to try to raise some money for the work here?” she asked her husband.HMes 142.4

“How can you go?” he said, as he thought of the camp meeting to be held in California and of the articles that must be written for the papers. “I am overwhelmed with the responsibility. I cannot let you go.”HMes 142.5

“God will take care of you,” she answered simply.HMes 142.6

While they were considering what should be done, one of the workers, John I. Tay, visited them. They told him of their burdens, and together they all knelt to pray for God’s guidance. While they were praying, the Spirit of God filled the room, and it seemed to Mrs. White that she saw an angel pointing across the Rocky Mountains to the churches in the East.HMes 142.7

Mr. Tay rose from his knees. His face was white. “I saw an angel pointing across the Rocky Mountains,” he said, as he turned to Mr. White.HMes 143.1

“Well, Ellen,” Mr. White spoke quietly, “I shall have to let you go.”HMes 143.2

Mrs. White did not wait for another word. She hurried to her kitchen and put a few graham gems and some fruit into a basket for her lunch, packed a few clothes, and hastened to the train. She went alone on this trip back across the Rocky Mountains and the plains, a journey that took eight days.HMes 143.3

She went to the different camp meetings and bore her testimony. Everywhere she went, she asked for money to help in the work in California, and she was not disappointed, for the liberal people gave all they could.HMes 143.4

At a camp meeting in Newton, Iowa, the people had pledged $2,000 to help in this work, but when Mrs. White had finished speaking, they asked that they might pledge again, and another thousand dollars was added to the gift.HMes 143.5

At times Mr. White was in poor health because he had borne such heavy burdens in the cause of God. Still, while he was near where the other ministers were working, he was always eager to help.HMes 143.6

“If we could only find a place in the country where we could be by ourselves,” thought Mrs. White. Then one day while she was in the Sonoma valley, she found a small well-wooded place for sale near Healdsburg. On it were several fine springs flowing with clear, cool water. “This is the place we need,” she told the gentleman who had shown her the land. “This is just such a place as will please Mr. White.”HMes 143.7

Soon they were busy packing and moving. In a few days they were settled in their little home in the mountains. There was a great fireplace in the front room, and there both Mr. and Mrs. White spent many happy days reading and writing. From this little parlor came letters of encouragement and letters of counsel to those for whom God had sent messages. Here the angel of prophecy visited Mrs. White many times and opened up before her the plan of the great work to be carried on.HMes 144.1

Sometimes they left their quiet home to go to Oakland to work with the brethren there, and they also attended important meetings nearby.HMes 144.2