Ellen G. White in Europe 1885-1887

Next Stop: Grythyttehed

Her destination was Grythyttehed, Sweden, but to get there they had to change trains three times and stay overnight along the way. The first change came that afternoon. During the two-hour delay, she and Willie took a long walk in the cool, bracing air. Then in the evening they came to Kopparberg. Here they remained until midnight Thursday. EGWE 109.1

Mrs. White was alert and observant of the charming Swedish people and their colorful way of life. She noted the large copper and iron mines, the red and green dwellings. She even described the quaint sod roofs: EGWE 109.2

“They prepare them by putting birch bark on the roof and then turf over that, which makes the house warm and free from dampness. The grass grows on this turf, keeping it fresh and alive, and sometimes flowers are planted in the turf. The appearance is rather nice.”—Ibid. EGWE 109.3

The next morning she partook of a genuine Swedish smorgasbord in the hotel dining room. It was all new to her, and she was duly impressed. “There is no stinginess manifested. There is a most liberal supply placed before you and you can eat plentifully of any and every dish for 40 cents each.”—Ibid. EGWE 109.4

Elder Matteson was traveling with Ellen White's party, and on Thursday she spent some time in conversation with him on theological questions he brought to her mind. God gave much light to Ellen White on doctrinal themes that is reflected in her articles and books. (See her book The Faith I Live By.) EGWE 109.5

At midnight on Thursday, October 22, they boarded the train for Grythyttehed. This town, about 150 miles northwest of Stockholm, was the site of the oldest Seventh-day Adventist church in Sweden. J. P. Rosquist came to this place in April, 1880, after some interest had been aroused by Adventist literature. By August he was able to organize a church of 47 members. Fierce opposition by the pastor of the State church resulted in the arrest of Rosquist and his imprisonment in Orebro. EGWE 109.6

When Ellen White reached the town she was met by a Brother C. G. Hedin and his wife. Hedin was a painter who had lived a life of dissipation that had brought him to poverty, but when he heard the Advent message and accepted it his whole life changed. His business fortunes improved with his life and character. He had even served as president of the fledgling Swedish Conference in 1883. Now he was employing several men. He expressed his gratitude to Christ and the message that saved him, by reserving two rooms of his two-story house exclusively for visiting ministers, much as the Israelitish widow did for the itinerant Elisha. EGWE 110.1

Reaching the Hedin home, Ellen White was escorted to one of these comfortable rooms. The weather was clear and cold, and in the morning a fire was kindled. She described the unique Swedish stove. “The surface looks like porcelain, white as milk and highly polished. These reach to the top of the room and a fire is made in them as in a fireplace.”—Manuscript 26, 1885. EGWE 110.2

The breakfast was another new experience for the visitor: EGWE 110.3

“There was a round table with a cloth upon it and a flower pot in the center, and bread, a quarter of uncut cheese, hot milk, and fried cakes, which constituted our breakfast.... We were invited to come to the table, all standing. A blessing was asked and then we stood around the table, took something in our hands, and walked about, talking and eating. Plates were then brought in and we put our food upon the plates.... EGWE 110.4

“After the meal is finished the guests shake hands with the landlord and landlady, thanking them for the food.”—Ibid. EGWE 110.5

There were meetings on Friday night and Sabbath morning of this weekend. Her text for the Sabbath message was Colossians 1:9-11. Well over 100 people attended these services. EGWE 111.1

Ellen White's room in the Hedin house was furnished with a convenient writing desk, and as usual she spent part of her time working on manuscripts and letters. She made some additions to her sermons given at the European Council in Basel. Then she forwarded them to Mary K. White with instruction that Mary should copy them and mail them on to the president of the General Conference, George I. Butler, to be read to the delegates at the upcoming General Conference session at Battle Creek. EGWE 111.2

When she addressed the church Sunday afternoon, she gave a special message for the believers about the time of trial and persecution that still awaited those who, like Rosquist, would hold fast to the truth of God. EGWE 111.3

“The most bitter and cruel persecution always comes from those who have the form of religion without the spirit and power of godliness,” she told them. “There is nothing at which religious prejudice will hesitate.” But she reassured the believers by adding, “Angels are watching the development of character, and are weighing moral worth. They are bidden to place a mark upon those who are loyal to God's commandments; such will have special help from God to endure the test and proving of the time of trouble.”—Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists, 196. EGWE 111.4

The cold weather (25 degrees below freezing), ^* the strain of travel, and the many meetings were almost too much for Ellen White. She returned to her room Sunday evening unable to sit up or eat, but by Monday, she was better, and able to attend a special dinner at the home of a gracious sister named Akman. This woman's husband was a merchant, but not an Adventist. Again there was a full-scale Swedish smorgasbord. EGWE 111.5

On Tuesday, October 27, Ellen White and her party left by train for Orebro. They arrived in a rainstorm! To make it worse, there was no carriage waiting for them. The weary travelers had to walk more than half a mile in the rain to the home where they were to stay. When they arrived, Mrs. White was experiencing sharp pains in her heart.^* It was an hour of trial for her. EGWE 112.1

Then a carriage was obtained to whisk her away, heart pains and all, to the meeting hall. When she walked into the place where the people had gathered she was deeply distressed. It was a suite of three rooms in a private house. The largest room would hold a hundred people on its backless benches, the other two about 20 each. But there was a full crowd on both Wednesday and Thursday nights. For this she was grateful, but her mind reverted to the Copenhagen experience where she had likewise been distressed by the lack of a representative meeting hall. EGWE 112.2