I was very anxious to attend the camp meeting in California; but there were urgent calls for me to attend the Eastern camp meetings. As the condition of things in the East had been presented before me, I knew that I had a testimony to bear, especially to our brethren in the New England Conference; and I could not feel at liberty to remain longer in California.
(LS 235.1)
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July 28, 1878, accompanied by my daughter-in-law, Mrs. Emma L. White, and Edith Donaldson, I left Oakland, Cal., for the East. On the way I spoke at Sacramento Sunday, to an attentive congregation, and the Lord gave me freedom in speaking to them from His word. Monday we again took the cars, stopping at Reno, Nevada, where I spoke Tuesday evening.
(LS 235.2)
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On the way from Denver to Walling’s Mills, the mountain retreat where my husband was spending the summer months, we stopped in Boulder City, and beheld with joy our canvas meetinghouse, where Elder Cornell was holding a series of meetings. We found a quiet retreat in the comfortable home of Sister Dartt. The tent had been loaned to hold temperance meetings in; and by special invitation, I spoke to a tent full of attentive hearers.
(LS 235.3)
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Monday, August 8, I met my husband, and found him much improved in health, cheerful and active, for which I felt thankful to God.
(LS 235.4)
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Our family were all present in the mountains but our son Edson. My husband and children thought that as I was much worn, having labored almost constantly since the Oregon camp meeting, it was my privilege to rest; but my mind was impressed to attend the Eastern camp meetings, especially the one in Massachusetts.
(LS 235.5)
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Accompanied by my daughter-in-law, Emma White, I left Battle Creek, October 23, for the Kansas camp meeting. At Topeka we left the cars and rode by private conveyance twelve miles to Richland, the place of meeting. We found the settlement of tents in a grove. It was late in the season, and faithful preparation had been made for cold weather. Every tent had a stove.
(LS 239.1)
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Sabbath morning it commenced snowing; but not one meeting was suspended. About an inch of snow fell, and the air was piercing cold. Women with little children clustered about the stoves. It was touching to see one hundred and fifty people assembled for a convocation meeting under these circumstances. Some had come two hundred miles by private conveyance. All seemed hungry for the bread of life, and thirsty for the water of salvation.
(LS 239.2)
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Elder Haskell spoke Friday afternoon and evening. Sabbath morning I spoke encouraging words to those who had made so great an effort to attend the meeting. I told them that the more inclement the weather, the greater the necessity of our obtaining the sunshine of God’s presence. This life at best is but the Christian’s winter; and the bleak winds of winter—disappointments, losses, pain, and anguish—are our lot here; but our hopes are reaching forward to the Christian’s summer, when we shall change climate, leave all the wintry blasts and fierce tempests behind, and be taken to those mansions Jesus has gone to prepare for those that love Him.
(LS 239.3)
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Tuesday morning the meeting closed, and we went to Sherman, Kansas, where another camp meeting had been appointed. This was an interesting and profitable meeting, although there were only about one hundred brethren and sisters present. It was designed for a general gathering of the scattered ones. Some were present from southern Kansas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, and Tennessee. At this meeting my husband joined me, and from here, with Elder Haskell and our daughter, we went to Dallas, Texas.
(LS 240.1)
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Thursday we went to Brother McDearman’s at Grand Prairie. Here our daughter met her parents and her brother and sister, who had all been brought near to the door of death by the fever which had prevailed in the State during the past summer. We took great pleasure in ministering to the wants of this afflicted family, who had in years past liberally assisted us in our affliction. They were somewhat improved in health when we left them to attend the Plano camp meeting, held November 12-19. Here we were happy to meet our old friends Elder R. M. Kilgore and his wife. And we were highly pleased to find a large and intelligent body of brethren on the ground. My testimony was never received more readily and heartily than by this people. I became deeply interested in the work in the great State of Texas.
(LS 240.2)
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Sabbath afternoon, August 20, 1881, two weeks after the death of her husband, Mrs. White met with the Battle Creek church, and spoke to the people for nearly an hour. Reporting this service, Elder Uriah Smith wrote:
(LS 255.1)
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“Her theme was the lesson we are to learn from the recent experience through which we have passed. The uncertainty of life is the thought first impressed upon us We should also consider what manner of persons we ought to be while we live”
(LS 255.2)
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“The speaker’s mind then turned to those blessed exhortations of the apostles in reference to the relation which the members of the body of Christ should sustain one to another, and their bearing, words, and actions toward one another. We were pointed to such passages as these: ‘Be at peace among yourselves;’‘be kindly affectioned one to another;’‘be kind;’‘be courteous;’‘speak the same thing;’‘be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment;’‘speak not evil one of another;’‘live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.’” —The Review and Herald, August 23, 1881.
(LS 255.3)
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Regarding her journey westward, en route to California, and her reflections while tarrying a few weeks at her summer retreat in the Rocky Mountains, Mrs. White wrote:
(LS 255.4)
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“August 22, in company with my daughters, Emma and Mary White, I left Battle Creek for the West, hoping to receive benefit from a change of climate. Though still suffering from the effects of a severe attack of malarial fever, as well as from the shock of my husband’s death, I endured the journey better than I had expected. We reached Boulder, Colo., on Thursday, August 25, and on the following Sunday left that place by private carriage for our home in the mountains.”
(LS 255.5)
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