His Messenger

Chapter 19—Across the Mississippi

At the time the work was being started in Battle Creek, some of the Sabbathkeepers from Maine and other parts of New England decided to move out across the Mississippi to the new country of Iowa. HMes 104.1

“You can buy good, fertile land cheap here,” wrote one of the friends who had just moved out West. “The country is prairie, and there are no stumps or stones to clear away.” HMes 104.2

“This sounds good to me,” said one of the hard-working men who had lived on a rocky farm in Maine all his life. HMes 104.3

“And too, we can spread the gospel message out there,” a young minister said. “We can support ourselves with ease, and have much time left for gospel work.” Several families decided to go to Waukon, Iowa, and take their oxen and farm tools with them. HMes 104.4

They were soon settled on the new land and were busy building homes. But the work was not as easy as they had thought it would be. They toiled from early until late, but it was not long before they realized that the glowing promises of the friends who had first moved to the West were not all going to prove true. The minister turned to carpenter work to support his family, and preaching was forgotten. All these hardships brought discouragement. The families who had been old friends in Maine, began to criticize one another and to find fault. The little church that had been formed was almost broken up by discouragement and faultfinding. HMes 104.5

In the middle of the winter Mr. and Mrs. White were holding some meetings in Illinois. While there, Mrs. White was given a vision concerning this little company of believers in Waukon, Iowa. She felt that she must visit them as soon as possible and bring them spiritual help and encouragement. HMes 105.1

“We must go and visit the believers in Waukon,” she told her husband. “They need our help.” HMes 105.2

“It is two hundred miles from here,” said Mr. White, “and the trip will have to be made in an open sleigh; but if you feel that we are needed there, we will go.” HMes 105.3

They asked two of the men who were working with them in Illinois to find a sleigh and take them to Iowa. These men felt that they could not refuse to share the hardship with Mrs. White if she was determined to go, but they knew it was a long, dangerous journey to be taken in the middle of winter when the ground was covered deep with snow. HMes 105.4

The afternoon before the four people planned to start on the trip, rain began to fall. By night the snow was fast melting away, and they realized that it would be impossible to use a sleigh in the mud and water. HMes 105.5

One of the men turned to Mrs. White and said, “Mrs. White, what about Waukon?” HMes 105.6

She answered, “We shall go.” HMes 105.7

“Yes,” he replied, “if the Lord works a miracle.” HMes 105.8

Many times during the night Mrs. White rose and went to the window to watch the weather. About daybreak a cold wind began to blow, and snow fell thick and white. By five o’clock the next afternoon the roads were good enough for them to start with the sleigh. HMes 105.9

As they traveled northward, the snow continued to fall until the roads were almost blocked. The second night they stopped at the home of Sabbathkeepers in Green Vale. The next morning they found the roads in every direction covered with heavy drifts of snow. For nearly a week they waited here for the roads to be opened. When they felt that it was possible to travel they started on again, but progress was slow. Many times they had to dig a way through the snowdrifts. HMes 105.10

Thursday evening they stayed at a hotel a few miles from the great Mississippi River. There was no bridge across the river, but teams crossed on the firm ice. Although this ice was covered with snow, it was thought to be quite strong. HMes 106.1

About four o’clock the next morning Mrs. White was awakened by the sound of rain falling on the roof. At once they arose and gathered their things together, ready to travel on. They dared not wait, for the rain would weaken the ice on the river. In the light of the early dawn they rode in the open sleigh toward the river, with the cold rain drenching them. There had been a crust of ice over the snow that made it easy for the horses to walk and for the sleigh to slip over the snow, but the rain melted the ice until the horses’ hoofs broke through the crust at every step. HMes 106.2

When James White and his companions reached the river, they asked if it was possible to cross, but no one whom they asked would give them any encouragement. The ice on the river was soft and spongy and mixed with snow, and a foot of water stood on top of it. They stopped at the edge of the water. One of the men stood up in the sleigh. HMes 107.1

“We have come to the Red Sea,” he shouted. “Shall we cross?” HMes 107.2

“Go forward, trusting in Israel’s God,” his companions answered. HMes 107.3

Slowly they drove the team onto the ice. They crossed the river, praying as they went, and were carried safely over the treacherous ice. As the team pulled the sleigh up the bank on the Iowa side of the river, they all united in praising God. HMes 107.4

A group of people stood watching them cross. “No amount of money would tempt me to venture out on that ice,” said one of them. But God’s followers were safe in going where He sent them. No ordinary business would have made them take such a risk. HMes 108.1

The travelers went to a hotel not far from the river and prepared to spend the Sabbath. In the evening they sat in the parlor of the hotel and sang hymns, while the other guests gathered to listen. The listeners expressed their appreciation of the songs; then one of the ministers hung up his prophetic chart and gave a short lecture. When it was time to separate for the night, the travelers were invited to stop on their way back from Waukon and give another lecture. HMes 108.2

Early Sunday morning the sleigh was prepared, and the journey was begun again. It was a bitter-cold day, and the travelers were continually in danger of freezing. They all watched one another to see if a nose or an ear was freezing. HMes 108.3

“Brother, your face is freezing, you had better rub the frost out as soon as possible,” one would say to another. HMes 108.4

This weather lasted for three more days, and they suffered much. Thursday morning Ellen White wrote to her children: HMes 108.5

“Here we are fourteen miles this side of Waukon. We are all quite well. Have had rather a tedious time getting thus far. Yesterday for miles there was no track. Our horses had to plow through snow, very deep, but on we came. HMes 108.6

“Oh, such fare as we have had on this journey! Last Monday we could get no decent food, and tasted not a morsel, with the exception of a small apple, from morn until night. We have most of the time kept very comfortable, but it is the bitterest cold weather we ever experienced. “We introduce our faith at every hotel we enter, and have some two or three invitations to hold meetings on our return.... There seems to be interest awakened at every place we stop. We think we shall have some meetings in this place next first day.... HMes 108.7

“O how thankful shall I be to see home, sweet home, again, and my dear little boys, Henry, Edson, and Willie.... Children, be thankful for your comfortable home. We often suffer with cold, and cannot keep warm sitting before the stove.... HMes 109.1

“Last night we slept in an unfinished chamber where there was an opening for the stovepipe, running through the top of the house—a large space, big enough for a couple of cats to jump out of. HMes 109.2

“Pray for us, ... for God to open the way for our return, or we may be blocked in and remain all winter. Pray for the Lord to give us success.” HMes 109.3

In the afternoon of the day before Christmas the weary travelers reached Waukon. The Sabbathkeepers there were greatly surprised. They had read in the Review of the meetings to be held in Illinois, but they had not thought it possible for anyone to travel through the deep snow and the cold to Waukon. HMes 109.4

Meetings were appointed at once in the home of Edward Andrews. All the Sabbathkeepers met together to hear the workers who had come to visit them. Discouragement and misunderstanding were wiped away, and wonderful meetings were held. The people who lived in Waukon were blessed as the Spirit of God came upon Mrs. White and she was given a vision. During the vision she solemnly repeated, “Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord.” This brought a wonderful new hope to those who had been discouraged. HMes 109.5

The workers did not stay long, but soon started back over the same long, cold journey. The Sabbathkeepers in Waukon shed tears when they saw these faithful workers leave. HMes 109.6

Although Mrs. White was tired and almost sick from her long journey in the cold without good food, still she wrote, “We are already many times paid for facing the prairie winds and storms on our long and tedious journey to northern Iowa.” HMes 110.1