“I'd Like To Ask Sister White ...”

Chapter 8—Did You Write to Your Grandchildren?

Armadale, Victoria, Australia

November 11, 1895

Dear Children [Granddaughters]:

Our camp meeting closed today. Yesterday, Sunday, the interest was the greatest we have yet seen. Elder Corliss spoke in the forenoon, and your grandmother at three o’clock. The tent was packed, and a crowd was standing outside. Elder Prescott spoke in the evening. The tent was full, and it was reported that hundreds went away because they could not get under the tent, and the wind was blowing so strong that it was not prudent for them to remain. LASW 94.1

After I had spoken on Sunday there was a baptism. I am told that twenty-six souls went forward in this ordinance. LASW 94.2

I want very much to see my dearly beloved grandchildren. I feel a special interest in the children. I have been pleased with the reports received from you. Children, you can all receive of the precious Saviour’s instruction. Jesus made a little child His model disciple. He “called a little child, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” During His ministry on earth the children were not overlooked or forgotten. When He sees them cheerful, obedient, sweet-tempered, doing little acts of kindness, what tender regard and fatherly love He feels for them. LASW 94.3

Let the peace of God abide in your hearts by faith. Let His love abide in you. God bless you all. ¹ LASW 95.1

Nashville, Tennessee

June 6, 1904

My Dear Daughter [-in-law] May Lacey White:

How pleased we should be to see your pleasant face and to hear your voice and to see the children [Mrs. White’s grandchildren], Henry and Herbert and Grace. Dear children, you must try to help your mother all you possibly can; for your father is not at home to encourage her and to help to bear the burdens. I pray for you all, and love you all. I pray that the Lord Jesus will make you kind and patient and gentle and obedient. Your father [William White] would be pleased to be with you. He would greatly enjoy the society of your mother and of his children. But there are many things that must be done at this time which your father can do. Just as soon as we have done what must be done, we shall return to our home in St. Helena [California]. LASW 95.2

Henry and Herbert, you are growing old enough to be able to study, able to exercise your physical and mental powers. You are to learn to pray and to be obedient. In this way you can be a great blessing to your mother, and she will not grieve so much because of your father’s absence. The Lord Jesus will be pleased because you are trying to be His own little children. You are to be always truthful, and always kind and pleasant and gentle and obedient to your dear mother. Do not do or say anything that will grieve her heart. LASW 95.3

We are looking forward to the time when the Saviour shall come in the clouds of heaven to gather His jewels to Himself. I pray that you, my dear grandchildren, shall be among the number who shall be called true and pure and faithful, fitted to become members of the royal family. LASW 96.1

You are now old enough to know what it means to be obedient to your father and mother. I pray that you will always remember that the Son of God so loved you that He died that you might have everlasting life. But if you do not love Jesus, if you do not try to do those things that will please Him, your characters will not be pure and true. LASW 96.2

You remember how the mothers brought their children to Jesus, that He might bless them. At first there were only one or two mothers. They were joined by others, and when they reached Jesus, there were quite a number of mothers and children. They were weary and dusty, but oh, so anxious to come into Christ’s presence and receive His blessing. Christ had watched these mothers and their little ones all along the way. He heard the disciples forbidding them to come to Him, and He said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” And He took the children in His arms, close to His great heart of love, and blessed them. LASW 96.3

These children never forgot the kind, gentle words that the Saviour spoke to them. The mothers were never tired of repeating these words. Both to mothers and children the occurrence was a constant wellspring of joy. LASW 96.4

Children, your father and mother are trying to do their best for you. They try to keep you from doing that which will displease the Lord Jesus. They present you to the Saviour, that He may keep you from all harm. Every day you are to remember that you are under the keeping power of Him who sees every action that you do and hears every word that you speak. You must seek to help yourselves by doing those things that will be pleasing in the sight of God, who is too pure and holy to regard with approval anything like falsehood or deception. You are old enough now to try to do right. LASW 96.5

I must now stop. I leave this letter with you, asking you to think of what I have written, and obey my words. LASW 97.1

Your Grandmother ² LASW 97.2

Los Angeles, California

December 4, 1904

My Dear Daughter May Lacey White, and [Grandchildren] Henry, Herbert, and Gracie:

We are pleasantly situated here, but I am longing for home. I do so much want to see you all. Your father has worked very hard, and he wants to go home as much as you want him to come. But the future of the work here demanded our staying for a while. We could not have gone home earlier. LASW 97.3

When we reached the Paradise Valley [California] we found the workmen busy digging a well on the lower part of the land. This work has gone forward successfully, without accident of any kind, and I am very glad to be able to tell you that a good supply of soft, pure water has been found. The workmen went down ninety feet, and one morning when they went to work, they found eighteen feet of water in the well, with all their tools at the bottom. That morning Brother Palmer and your father came to my room, their faces lighted up with smiles, to tell me about the water in the well. Oh, I wish you could have seen the joy in their faces! LASW 97.4

To get the water out of the well was the problem now. The workmen set the pumping engine going at once, but they found that this lowered the water very slowly. So they sent for a larger cylinder and a larger pipe, and finally they got the water pumped out. LASW 98.1

There is already one patient in the Paradise Sanitarium. She seems to be a very nice woman. Other patients are waiting, and will come as soon as the building is ready. LASW 98.2

The night before we left, Sara said to me, “Two more patients came this evening.” “Where will they put them?” I asked. “In the barn, I guess,” was her answer. Then she explained that these patients were the two cows that someone had given to the sanitarium. The cows were brought overland [thirty miles] in a large wagon drawn by four horses. LASW 98.3

Children, be helpful to your mother. Obey her word promptly, and the Lord will bless you. God said, “I know Abraham, that he will—” coax?—no; “that he will command his children and his household after him, and they will keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment.” Should your father and mother allow you to do wrong things, without correcting you, they would displease God. LASW 98.4

God wants you, Henry and Herbert, to behave like little gentlemen. When you speak kind words and do right deeds, you are forming characters that God can approve. He will be pleased to call you the lambs of His flock, and He will bless you. LASW 98.5

The angels of heaven are guarding and guiding you constantly, always keeping you from harm and danger. I pray that your words and acts may be such that God can look upon them with approval. Dear children, do not allow yourselves to do one wrong act. Your father and mother love you, but they cannot love wrongdoing. They are made very sorry when you do wrong. Will you not try to remember this? Will you not try to overcome all your faults, because you love Jesus, who gave His life for you? LASW 98.6

Your father and mother are trying to bring you up to be unselfish, truthful, kind, tenderhearted. They want to help you to prepare for the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for you. He has promised to come again and take you to Himself, that where He is, there you may be also. Then put away every fault, and prepare yourselves to be received into the heavenly home, where you will be happy forever and ever. LASW 99.1

Ellen G. White Letter ³

Takoma Park, Washington, D.C.

May 24, 1905

My Dear Child [Granddaughter] Mabel White:

I have spoken seven times since coming here. Last Sabbath the Lord gave me strength to speak to a congregation of over a thousand in the large tent. All seemed astonished to see that my voice was strong enough to reach all in the large tent and even those standing on the outside. LASW 99.2

Since coming here, my health has been quite good. I am glad that I came. All seem surprised that I can step around as spry as I do. LASW 99.3

Our party has four rooms in the west end of the boys’ dormitory, on the first floor. The dormitory is an excellent building. Everything about it is strong and firm. Thorough work has been done in its construction. LASW 99.4

We go out riding nearly every day in a nice, easy carriage. Everything possible has been done to make me comfortable. LASW 99.5

We have had beautiful singing at the meetings and several different kinds of musical instruments have produced the sweetest sounds. LASW 100.1

During the first part of the meeting there was some rain, but for days the weather has been very fine, though not hot. LASW 100.2

Mabel, remember that Jesus is your helper. He loves you, and will be your sympathizing friend. If we think of His goodness and talk of His power, the result will be that we shall be changed into His image. We try to do as Christ would do, and as we follow His way we become meek and lowly. LASW 100.3

I love Jesus because He first loved me. We all need to keep our eyes fixed on Christ, and to follow in His footsteps, doing our best, and remembering that we are thus being prepared for the mansions that He has gone to prepare for those who love Him as their best friend and counselor. LASW 100.4

Let us be determined to be a light to those around us, revealing Christ in character. LASW 100.5

My dear child, have courage in the Lord. Pray, and believe, and trust in your Saviour, and He will be your joy and crown of rejoicing. LASW 100.6

Ellen G. White Letter ⁴

Sanitarium, California

December 1, 1905

My Dear Granddaughter Mabel:

I sit here on my couch this morning, very thankful to my heavenly Father for a good night’s rest. I slept well until three o’clock, and now after building my fire, I am ready to take up my writing. We have very much to be thankful for. Let our hearts be continually filled with thanksgiving to our heavenly Father and to our Saviour. LASW 100.7

It is now growing daylight. We are having the first cold weather, but it is not very severe. The days have been very pleasant, and the nights clear, the full moon making them almost as bright as day. We have had a few gentle rains, but up till within a few days the weather has not been cold. I have taken a ride daily, unless the showers threatened. LASW 101.1

I hope you will take special care of your eyes, for they are a great treasure. We can lose a limb, but if we have our eyesight we can still find something with which to employ our time. But to lose the sight is a dreadful loss. LASW 101.2

The Lord is good to me, very good. He has preserved my health and strength, and even though I am seventy-eight years of age, I can still rise before day, and write for hours before breakfast. My eyes trouble me somewhat if I take cold, but if I am careful I can do a great deal of work. LASW 101.3

Mabel, do not devote the precious talent of sight to reading that which you cannot use, and which will not benefit you. The life of the soul cannot be sustained unless right food is given it. The mind must be properly fed. LASW 101.4

My dear child, live on the words that proceed from the lips of Christ. Press forward, and believe that if you ask, you will receive. LASW 101.5

Your grandmother,

Ellen G. White ⁵