Ellen G. White: The Lonely Years: 1876-1891 (vol. 3)

Back to Her Work in the North

From Fresno, Ellen White returned to her Healdsburg home and her work on book manuscripts. On May 4 she was back at St. Helena. She was deeply pained as she saw Mary and thought of her self-sacrificing labor in the cold stone building in Switzerland where disease fixed itself on her. How Mary did appreciate having her husband with her in the little cottage near the Health Retreat, but he was often called away for important meetings. Wrote Ellen White: 3BIO 382.5

Stern duty calls him here and there, and although he bears a very sad heart as he sees Mary—who has been so unselfish, so forgetful of self—weak and an invalid, yet he tries to be cheerful and never speaks one word of repining. He talks with me, and weeps over things sometimes.—Letter 75, 1888. 3BIO 383.1

As Mary continued to lose ground physically, a decision was reached to take her to the warmer and more stable climate of Burrough Valley, where Ellen White had recently visited. With the help of Mrs. McOmber, Willie took Mary to the valley. The next day Ellen White, with Sara, left for her camp meeting appointment at Reno, Nevada (Letter 27, 1888). It was her plan that after the Nevada camp meeting she, too, would go to Burrough Valley and spend a couple of months in writing. She stated: 3BIO 383.2

I have had but little time to write since coming from Europe. It has been one succession of meetings that have called forth labor from me. I do want to rest, for I need it so much. The perplexities that we have had to meet in St. Helena, Fresno, and other places have taken all joy out of my heart, and I have thought perhaps this work would continue till we reach the end.—Letter 27, 1888. 3BIO 383.3

The camp meeting held in Reno, commencing May 24, was well attended. 3BIO 383.4

Before it closed, a group picture was taken. Sara, in a postscript to an E. G. White letter, describes the experience: “The whole camp arrayed themselves before the large pavilion and had a picture taken.”—Letter 27a, 1888. Surrounding Ellen White were Sara and the ministers who were present—McClure, L. A. Scott, Derrick, Loughborough, and Hickox, who carried the meeting through. 3BIO 383.5

According to plans, following the Reno camp meeting, Ellen White went to Burrough Valley to take up her writing and to be near Mary. 3BIO 383.6

Late July found Ellen White back in her Healdsburg home. Jennie Ings had recently come to join her staff and was at the moment working with May Walling canning peaches and plums from the White orchard. Marian Davis would be coming in a few days, and Ellen White wrote hopefully, “Shall be glad to get all together again and settle in to earnest work.”—Letter 78, 1888. 3BIO 383.7