Ellen White: Woman of Vision

Outreach In Missionary Endeavor

As the weather mellowed, and it did quickly, James and Ellen White were eager to engage in local evangelistic ministry. On weekends they held meetings in nearby communities. On Thursday, February 13, they were off for Dallas, 75 miles (120 kilometers) by carriage. Writing of this to Willie, James described one missionary facet of the trip: WV 190.1

Brother [Arthur] Daniells takes my carriage with trunk, and [he plans] to sell and canvass in cities and villages by the way. He will take a fine pair of mules for which I paid $180.... We shall be gone about a week (JW to WCW, February 12, 1879). WV 190.2

The 21-year-old Arthur G. Daniells was in Texas at his own expense, assisting R. M. Kilgore in tent evangelism. He had been lent to James White to assist him as a secretary. Daniells’ wife, Mary, was brought into the White home in Denison as cook. Thus began a long personal and professional relationship between the president of the General Conference, the messenger of the Lord, and a young man who in time would himself serve as leader of the church for 21 years. WV 190.3

When James and Ellen White went to Texas, their general long-range plans were to remain there for the winter, then in early May travel to Colorado, where they might spend a few weeks (The Review and Herald, November 21, 1878). But their plans fluctuated. Ever in search of a place where he could lay off the stress of leadership and write without interruptions, and where there could be an improvement of health, James White turned first in one direction and then in another. Forgetful of good resolutions to temper his schedule, he would get caught up in the stimulus of the work of the church, which he had nurtured since its inception. He had a clear long-range vision, shared by only a few, of the great days the church was entering upon, and had a natural urge to stand in the lead. WV 190.4

He was the president of the General Conference and was one of those who served on the General Conference Committee. He also was president of several auxiliary organizations—publishing, medical, and educational—and was chief editor of both the Review and Herald and the Signs of the Times. While such responsibility was exhilarating, it also was enervating. Repeatedly he saw that in the interests of his own survival he must withdraw from the forefront of the battle. WV 190.5