The Watchman
August 29, 1905
Recent Very Encouraging Testimonies for Nashville and the South
Extracts
The workers in Nashville need encouragement that they have never received. The way in which the work there has been treated by some has made wounds that should now be healed. The Lord will not vindicate one vestige of selfishness. He calls upon men to act under his supervision. SW August 29, 1905, par. 1
The work in Washington is important and essential, and great efforts have been made to call the attention of our people to that field. But now the Lord would have us consider the work in the South. These matters have been presented to me in such a way that I see my duty clearly. In the name of the Lord, I, as his messenger, call upon the leaders of the people in his cause to do the works of righteousness. The souls of the people in Nashville are just as precious in the sight of the Lord as the souls of the people in Washington. The light of truth is to shine forth as brightly from Nashville as from Washington. The necessity at Nashville is at the present time far greater than it is at Washington. Right is right. Justice must be shown to the Southern field. God sees a selfishness working for the mastery that must be overcome. SW August 29, 1905, par. 2
I am bidden to say that selfishness and any form of injustice must not find a place in our work. Let the brethren repent before the Lord for any selfishness that has come in toward the work in the Southern States. This matter has been presented to me three times, and I was instructed that five thousand dollars ought to have been placed in Elder _____'s hands before he left the conference grounds. All ye are brethren.... Over and over again I am bidden to urge upon your attention the necessities of the work in Nashville. The Lord has specified what should be done there. A grand work has been started, and it should by all means be sustained. It must not be hindered by neglect, but it is to go forward in straight, clear lines. SW August 29, 1905, par. 3
Brother _____, Brother _____, and his wife and others are laboring hard and earnestly, and are wrestling with many difficulties; and they must be given assistance. Souls in Nashville are as precious as souls in Washington. The conditions in Nashville make the work of the laborers doubly hard. If those in other parts of the field who have been highly favored by God do not awake to the true situation, the Lord will visit them for their difference. SW August 29, 1905, par. 4
Brethren _____ and _____ have been trying to advance in their school work, but while the means was flowing into Washington, they were exhorted to patience. They have made as much headway as possible. SW August 29, 1905, par. 5
Recently a beautiful sanitarium site of thirty-five acres was chosen, not far from Nashville. On this site a sanitarium building must be put up soon. For a long time Dr. _____ and his co-workers have been struggling on in the face of many difficulties. They must be helped. I give this instruction to you as it was given to me. SW August 29, 1905, par. 6
I was instructed that I must present before them (i. e., the leading brethren) the self-denying labors of Elders _____ and _____, and say, Beware what impress you leave upon the minds of these tried servants of God, whose influence is of the highest value. They have known the truth from the earliest period of our work, and have ever sacrificed for the truth's sake. SW August 29, 1905, par. 7
Moreover, I was instructed that I must call attention to the history of our first work among the people when these aged pioneers were men of earnest, enduring action. These men have their work to do, an important work. Even in their age their testimony and their endeavors bear witness that the wheels of providence are not constructed to stand still or roll backward. In their labor is their happiness. It is not work that wears men out, but sadness, anxiety, and worry. If Elder _____ and Elder _____ break down, it will be because of the heavy perplexity that has come upon them in trying, without sufficient means or helpers, to accomplish the urgent work before them in the Southern field. SW August 29, 1905, par. 8
The great Medical Missionary, who has purchased men with the price of his own blood, knows what it means to work under discouragement and perplexity. He carried many burdens, and his untiring labors made him very weary.... SW August 29, 1905, par. 9
Elder _____ and Elder _____ are to be given the assistance and the advantages that will make their efforts successful. They are to be sustained in their labors. The Lord would have those of his people who are willing to give of their means for the advancement of his work now turn their attention to the work in the South, and especially just now to Nashville. Twenty times as much could have been accomplished in the South as has been accomplished had the sanitarium work been built up, and had the necessary schools been established. SW August 29, 1905, par. 10
The Lord's tried servants in Nashville are becoming worn out with disappointment. Few realize the value of these staunch old soldiers. Sometimes they are not given the credit due them.... SW August 29, 1905, par. 11
These matters are first in my mind, for they have been reviewed and repeated since last Sabbath evening. In this letter I can give only a jot of the history of the self-denial with which the work was carried forward in the beginning, and how earnestly the laborers worked to meet emergencies. SW August 29, 1905, par. 12
Elder _____ has labored unselfishly and untiringly to raise money for the General Conference and for the Review and Herald and other institutions. His persevering, self-sacrificing zeal carried him long distances through the heat of summer and the cold of winter. On one occasion he drove a long distance in the winter in Minnesota. I think it was there that he froze his hands, causing himself great suffering, but he got the money that was needed. Though weary and worn, he had no thought of laying down the armor, but fought his way through every difficulty. SW August 29, 1905, par. 13
Of Elder _____ and Elder _____ God says, “I will guide them, I will put my grace in their hearts. Because they have not been turned away from the truth, to give heed to seducing spirits, but have stood firm, declaring the message given them, they are to be highly esteemed. They will not exchange the faith that they have boldly and fervently declared, for another doctrine which is not true.” SW August 29, 1905, par. 14
I am glad that these men are still able to do solid, substantial work. They must have greater encouragement, in point of financial assistance, in their work in the Southern field. Their efforts have brought many souls into the truth, and they must not be left to wear out their souls in discouragement. The Southern field is a very hard, needy field, and it must receive assistance. Chosen men should be appointed to receive the funds that will now be called for in behalf of the enterprises that must now come to the front in this needy field. SW August 29, 1905, par. 15
Over and over again the light has been given that a special work is to be done in Huntsville. Those who are rooted and grounded in the truth, in all its bearings, are to be placed in charge of the work. A beginning has been made on the orphanage for colored children, but this work stands unfinished. On the beautiful farm of over three hundred acres, God purposes that an efficient missionary training school shall be conducted, which will develop many workers for the colored people. SW August 29, 1905, par. 16
A small sanitarium should also be established in connection with the Huntsville School. The sanitarium building should not be of a shoddy character. Neither should it be narrow and contracted. It should be built substantially, and there should be in it a room for the physician and nurses, to carry on the work of healing the sick and giving patients and students an education in regard to the right principles of living. SW August 29, 1905, par. 17
I now make a call that means shall be sent direct to Nashville, that the fruit of the gospel in good works may appear. The work there is to be supervised by men who understand what needs to be done, and who have learned how to economize. SW August 29, 1905, par. 18
The work in the South must now receive attention. It has stood in an unfinished condition long enough. I now expect that the necessities of this work will be seen and understood, and that our people everywhere will be encouraged to send donations, great and small, to Nashville. The workers there have waited patiently until the Washington fund should be made up. This fund has been made up, and help should now be given to Nashville to carry forward the work that must be accomplished. SW August 29, 1905, par. 19
Ellen G. White.