Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 16 (1901)
Lt 174, 1901
Friends at Home
On the train between San Francisco and Chicago
November 14, 1901 [typed]
Portions of this letter are published in 5Bio 138. +Note
Dear friends at home,—
We have just passed a lake which the porter tells us is Salt Lake. Last night I slept a larger number of hours than I have for a year in one night. The train does not go with disagreeable swiftness, and there is much less rattling noise than we have felt on some trains. 16LtMs, Lt 174, 1901, par. 1
It is now ten minutes past twelve in the afternoon. I am well, and am resting. My heart is drawn out in prayer to God that He will give me a fitness by His Holy Spirit for the work before me. I am weakness of myself, but the Lord is my helper. I shall not be left to confusion while I put my trust in Him. I praise His holy name. I feel that I am indeed in the line of duty, that the Lord is guiding me. Sometimes I feel sad for hesitating so long about coming, but I kept asking and finally found that I had no longer any burden for the work in the Sanitarium at St. Helena. The Lord has laid this burden on others, and I do not wish to take it again. I want to be as true as steel to my duty. 16LtMs, Lt 174, 1901, par. 2
Yesterday about eleven o’clock in the morning the weather became beautifully clear. We had a nice night, and today there is no fog. Outside I can see nothing but sagebrush and dry, sandy plains. 16LtMs, Lt 174, 1901, par. 3
I shall not worry about the future, but shall try to do present duty. I hope you will all have comfort and peace in the Lord. I have read the letters which came from Australia just as we were leaving. I greatly desire to get some money to send there for the completion of the Sanitarium. I do not think that I shall lay out any money on the fruit house. Let it stand, and we will invest the means in living issues. 16LtMs, Lt 174, 1901, par. 4
Sunday morning
I am up at six o’clock. Have taken a bath and packed my incidental belongings. Sara is now up. The cars are in motion. I am writing just a few lines to finish this letter. I have had a very hard night. After suffering for some time with intense heat in my spine and kidneys, I got up to investigate the matter and found that the steam coils were so hot that I could only just touch them. Sara called the porter, and he turned the heat off. But I slept little the rest of the night. The base of my brain was much affected. For a time it seemed to me that I should go frantic. But the weather is cool this morning, and my bath helped me greatly. 16LtMs, Lt 174, 1901, par. 5
On Friday night I had a serious time. The feather mattress was too short, and I could not get my lame limbs in an easy position. My ankle and hip pained me severely, and I could not rest. Finally I got up and pulled one of the green cushions from under my head to put under my feet. And after a time I slept. These are the inconveniences I have to endure in travelling. But I feel much stronger than I thought I would. And there is only one more night, and then our journey will be nearly ended. 16LtMs, Lt 174, 1901, par. 6
The cold air is not going to be an injury to me, but a blessing, so you need not worry about me. 16LtMs, Lt 174, 1901, par. 7
Thus far our accommodations have been very nice, and the porter pleasant. When we reach Chicago, we transfer to another car. It is now five minutes to eight, and Sara has the bundles all done up. At half past nine we shall reach Chicago. There was a most glorious sunset at the close of the Sabbath, but I think a storm is brewing. 16LtMs, Lt 174, 1901, par. 8
I am surprised that I feel as much braced up as I do this morning, after passing through such a night. We hope that you are all enjoying the blessing of the Lord. My heart is drawn out that the Lord will bless you all and give you wisdom. I am pleading with Him to go before us and prepare the way for us. “Without me ye can do nothing.” [John 15:5.] When we take ourselves into our own hands, we are weakness itself. Now as never before we need the efficiency of the Holy Spirit. 16LtMs, Lt 174, 1901, par. 9
I am of good courage in the Lord. 16LtMs, Lt 174, 1901, par. 10