“Go Ye Into All The World”
129
larger display of His mercy and goodness. Achieve a destiny on earth
worthy of heaven.—
Letter 26a, 1891
.
Missionaries Must Be Committed to the Work
The following letter was written to Elder and Mrs. I. J. Van Horn,
who had gone to Oregon as missionaries. Adelia Patton had lived in
the White home for several years prior to her marriage to Isaac Van
Horn, and was like a daughter to them. Elder and Mrs. White had high
hopes and expectations that, working together, the Van Horns would
make a mighty missionary team. Their hopes were short-lived
.
My Dear Children, ever near and dear to me: It is with pain I now
address you. When you went to your field of labor in Oregon it was
with the idea that your wife and yourself would work in the interest of
the cause of God. This I was shown was the will of God concerning
you.
But you changed this order of things by your own course. God did
not order it thus. Had you both devoted your powers, the ability that
God had given you, to do the work with an eye single to His glory,
you would have done only that which it was your duty to do. The
importance of self-sacrificing labor in this cause and work of God
should be ever felt in a higher sense than it is. If it was felt then there
would be a self-sacrificing spirit manifested. The love and pity for
souls for whom Christ has died would call the thoughts away from
selfish desires and selfish plans.
The love for Him who died for man will exercise a constraining
power over our imagination, our purposes, and all our plans. We shall
[139]
not plan for our pleasure, to gratify our wishes, but lay ourselves on
the altar of God a willing sacrifice for the Lord to use us to His glory.
The mind of Jesus Christ must be in us, controlling every thought,
every purpose of our lives. This is the attitude in which we should ever
keep our souls before God. This we will do if we realize the worth of
souls and if the truth as it is in Jesus is stamped upon the soul. This
work was given you—to be missionaries for God.
Satan lays his plans to defeat the purpose of God. He helps you
to plan for yourselves, which plan he knows will succeed in hedging
you both about with difficulties, not only robbing God of the labors
of Adelia, but in a large degree of Brother Van Horn also. The care