Personal Experiences of Ellen White
by Ellen White
We left Basle June 15 and came to Hamburg in company with Sarah and Christine Dahl. W.
C. W. preceded us. He started the morning of the fourteenth in company with Elders Whitney
and Conradi. These visited Leipsic on business, and were quite successful. We met W. C. on
the evening of the sixteenth. We took the boat at Kiel at midnight. We were accommodated
with a stateroom, and had an opportunity to sleep from two o'clock until five o'clock.
After the boat arrived we had to go through the preliminaries of the customhouse. That
over, we made our way to the waiting room, placed our numerous satchels and bundles
together, and took some refreshments--hot milk and bread. We then took up our baggage and
stepped into the cars. [ Orebro, Sweden, June 24, 1886 ] 3MR 393
Cider drinking leads to the use of stronger drinks. The stomach loses its natural
vigour, and something stronger is needed to arouse it to action. On one occasion, when my
husband and myself were travelling, we were obliged to spend several hours waiting for the
train. While we were in the depot, a red-faced, bloated farmer came into the restaurant
connected with it, and in a loud, rough voice asked: "Have you first-class
brandy?" He was answered in the affirmative, and ordered half a tumbler. "Have
you pepper sauce?" "Yes," was the answer. "Well, put in two large
spoonfuls." He next ordered two spoonfuls of alcohol added, and concluded by calling
for "a good dose of black pepper." The man who was preparing it asked:
"What will you do with such a mixture?" He replied: "I guess that will take
hold," and, placing the full glass to his lips, drank the whole of this fiery
compound. That man had used stimulants until he had deadened the tender coats of the
stomach. 5T 357
They were both apparently fully consecrated, ready to do all the good they could, both
with their means and by active effort. But Elder C knew not how to deal with them, and he
has wounded and bruised and driven away Sister H. Brother H was for eight years an active
worker in the Presbyterian church, taking charge of the Sunday school, until he embraced
the truth. Then he took charge of the Sabbath school, and in the absence of a preacher
conducted the meetings. Through Elder C's mismanagement he was relieved of every office,
yet he would not give up the truth or forsake the church. About the time we came, he was
in a position of sore temptation, but he is strengthened and established by the things
that he has heard. His wife is a woman of great firmness, of decided opinions, and
independent judgement. She has much push, and if consecrated, would be an aggressive
worker. I have no doubt now that she will come along if she is rightly treated, and the
Lord will be glorified if this sheep that has been driven away is restored to the fold. I
shall see them once more in their home before I leave. I have perfect liberty in speaking
plain things to them in love. 8MR 455 (LET.29A,1892 TO W.C.WHITE)
While parents and children were eating of their dainties, my husband and myself partook
of our simple repast, at our usual hour , at 1 P. M., of graham bread without butter, and
a generous supply of fruit. We ate our meal with a keen relish, and with thankful hearts
that we were not obliged to carry a popular grocery with us to provide for a capricious
appetite. We ate heartily, and felt no sense of hunger until the next morning. The boy
with his oranges, nuts, popcorn, and candies, found us poor customers. CD 239
I spoke to the people on Sabbath morning, and as I saw the congregation, mostly
composed of black people, bright and sharp of intellect, I felt that if I had dared, I
should have wept aloud. As the people sat before me, I never felt more pleased to break
the bread of life, and to speak comforting words to a people. My soul longed after them.
When the old meeting-house in which they had met was sold, and was being torn down, the
hopes of the people seemed to fall to the ground. They did not know what to do. Their
enemies said, They have sold the meeting-house, and now they are going to leave you. But
they were assured that a better house was to be built. Then their courage rose at once.
When I heard them singing in the meeting, I thought, It is not only they who are singing.
Of those who are saved it is said, God himself will rejoice over them with singing. If
there was not on that Sabbath singing in the heavenly courts, then I am mistaken. GCB
APR.05,1901
When we talked of building a meeting-house in Cooranbong, the brethren said that all we
would be able to do would be to erect a very small, rough building, and that they did not
think we could even do that much for a while. But in the night season the word of the Lord
came to me, "Arise and build. Make of the building of this meeting-house an
object-lesson." When I told this to the brethren, unbelief came in, and they said,
"We can not do it, we can not do it." I said, "We can do it," and we
did. Soon after that we received in a letter from Africa a gift of one thousand dollars to
help in the building of our meeting-house. This gave our brethren hope and courage. The
workmen laboured at half price, and in a very short time our meeting-house was erected.
GCB APR.25,1901
In the winter of 1864, my Willie was suddenly and violently brought down with lung
fever. We had just buried our oldest son with this disease, and were very anxious in
regard to Willie, fearing that he, too, might die. We decided that we would not send for a
physician, but do the best we could with him ourselves by the use of water, and entreat
the Lord in behalf of the child. We called in a few, who had faith to unite their prayers
with ours. We had a sweet assurance of God's presence and blessing.
The next day Willie was very sick. He was wandering. He did not seem to see or hear me
when I spoke to him. His heart had no regular beat, but was in a constant agitated
flutter. We continued to look to God in his behalf, and to use water freely upon his head,
and a compress constantly upon his lungs, and soon he seemed as rational as ever. He
suffered severe pain in his right side, and could not lie upon it for a moment. This pain
we subdued with cold water compresses, varying the temperature of the water according to
the degree of the fever. We were very careful to keep his hands and feet warm.
We expected the crisis would come the seventh day. We had but little rest during his
sickness, and were obliged to give him up into other's care the fourth and fifth nights.
My husband and myself the fifth day felt very anxious. The child raised fresh blood and
coughed considerably. My husband spent much time in prayer. We left our child in careful
hands that night. Before retiring my husband prayed long and earnestly. Suddenly his
burden of prayer left him, and it seemed as though a voice spoke to him, and said, Go lie
down, I will take care of the child.
I had retired sick, and could not sleep for anxiety for several hours. I felt pressed
for breath, Although sleeping in a large chamber, I arose and opened the door into a large
hall, and was at once relieved, and soon slept. I dreamed that an experienced physician
was standing by my child, watching every breath, with one hand over his heart, and with
the other feeling his pulse. He turned to us and said, 'The crisis has passed. He has seen
his worst night. He will now come up speedily, for he has not the injurious influence of
drugs to recover from. Nature has nobly done her work to rid the system of impurities.' I
related to him my worn-out condition, my pressure for breath, and the relief obtained by
opening the door.
Said he, 'That which gave you relief will also receive your child. He needs air. You
have kept him too warm. The heated air coming from a stove is injurious, and were it not
for the air coming in at the crevices of the windows, would be poisonous and destroy life.
Stove heat destroys the vitality of the air, and weakens the lungs. The child's lungs have
been weakened by the room being kept too warm. Sick persons are debilitated by disease,
and need all the invigorating air that they can bear to strengthen the vital organs to
resist disease. And yet in most cases, air and light are excluded from the sick room at
the very time when most needed, as though dangerous enemies.'
This dream and my husband's experience were a consolation to us both. We found in the
morning that our boy had passed a restless night. He seemed to be in a high fever until
noon. Then the fever left him, and he appeared quite well, except weak. He had eaten but
one small cracker through his five days sickness. He came up rapidly, and has had better
health than he has had for several days before. This experience is valuable to us. PH144
19
[ Other Experiences With Charcoal ] [ A Rapid Recovery. ] --A brother was taken sick
with inflammation of the bowels and bloody dysentery. The man was not a careful health
reformer, but indulged his appetite. We were just preparing to leave Texas, where we had
been labouring for several months, and we had carriages prepared to take away this brother
and his family, and several others who were suffering from malarial fever. My husband and
I thought we would stand this expense rather than have the heads of several families die
and leave their wives and children unprovided for.
Two or three were taken in a large spring wagon on spring mattresses. But this man who
was suffering from inflammation of the bowels, sent for me to come to him. My husband and
I decided that it would not do to move him. Fears were entertained that mortification had
set in. Then the thought came to me like a communication from the Lord to take pulverised
charcoal, put water upon it, and give this water to the sick man to drink, putting
bandages of the charcoal over the bowels and stomach. We were about one mile from the city
of Denison, but the sick man's son went to a blacksmith's shop, secured the charcoal, and
pulverised it, and then used it according to the directions given. The result was that in
half an hour there was a change for the better. We had to go on our journey and leave the
family behind, but what was our surprise the following day to see their wagon overtake us.
The sick man was lying in a bed in the wagon. The blessing of God had worked with the
simple means used.--Letter 182, 1899 (To a worker in an overseas field. See p. 287). PH144
22 (2SM 299)
On one occasion a physician came to me in great distress. He had been called to attend
a young woman who was dangerously ill. She had contracted fever while on the campground,
and was taken to our school building near Melbourne, Australia. But she became so much
worse that it was feared she could not live. The physician, Dr. Merritt Kellogg, came to
me and said, "Sister White, have you any light for me on this case? If relief cannot
be given our sister, she can live but a few hours." I replied, "Send to a
blacksmith's shop, and get some pulverised charcoal; make a poultice of it, and lay it
over her stomach and sides." The doctor hastened away to follow out my instructions.
Soon he returned, saying, "Relief came in less than half an hour after the
application of the poultices. She is now having the first natural sleep she has had for
days." PH144 25 (2SM 295)
I have ordered the same treatment for others who were suffering great pain, and it has
brought relief and been the means of saving life. My mother had told me that snake bites
and the sting of reptiles and poisonous insects could often be rendered harmless by the
use of charcoal poultices. When working on the land at Avondale, Australia, the workmen
would often bruise their hands and limbs, and this in many cases resulted in such severe
inflammation that the worker would have to leave his work for some time. One came to me
one day in this condition, with his hand tied in a sling. He was much troubled over the
circumstance; for his help was needed in clearing the land I said to him, "Go to the
place where you have been burning the timber, and get me some charcoal from the eucalyptus
tree, pulverise it, and I will dress your hand." This was done, and the next morning
he reported that the pain was gone. Soon he was ready to return to his work. PH144 26 (2SM
295)
After the passing of the time in 1844, fanaticism came into the ranks of Adventists.
God gave messages of warning to stay the incoming evil. There was too great familiarity
between some men and women. I presented to them the holy standard of truth that we should
reach, and the purity of deportment that we should maintain, in order to meet the approval
of God and be without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Most solemn denunciations from
God were given to men and women whose thoughts were running in an impure channel, while
they claimed to be especially favoured of God; but the message God gave was despised and
rejected. They turned upon me, and said, Has God spoken only by you, and not by us? They
did not amend their ways, and the Lord suffered them to go on till defilement marked their
lives. Afterward, the very ones who had denounced me because I had reproved them, charged
upon me the things which they had been guilty of themselves, and which had caused me such
great distress and anguish of spirit. RH NOV.10,1885
When we built our meetinghouse in Cooranbong, Sister McEnterfer and I went through the
district where the carpenters lived, asking them how much they would charge to work for us
by the day. Many of them promised to work for much less than the ordinary wage. A few
promised to give some time; others with families to support, being too poor to work for
nothing, offered to work for six shillings - a dollar and a half - a day. The
meeting-house was built, and stands today as a monument for God, a miracle wrought by his
power. Many of the believers had just begun to keep the Sabbath. Some of them were very
poor, and at first we had to help them. Now they are all self-supporting. They keep up the
church expenses, and pay a faithful tithe. This is the way we worked to build our
meeting-houses in many places in Australia. SPM 246