22
Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White
Not long after receiving this great blessing, I attended a conference
meeting at the Christian church, where Elder Brown was pastor. I
was invited to relate my experience, and felt not only great freedom
of expression, but happiness, in telling my simple story of the love of
Jesus and the joy of being accepted of God. As I spoke, with subdued
heart and tearful eyes, my soul seemed drawn toward heaven in thanks-
giving. The melting power of the Lord came upon the assembled
people. Many were weeping and others praising God.
Sinners were invited to arise for prayers, and many responded to
the call. My heart was so thankful to God for the blessing He had
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given me, that I longed to have others participate in this sacred joy. My
mind was deeply interested for those who might be suffering under a
sense of the Lord’s displeasure and the burden of sin. While relating
my experience, I felt that no one could resist the evidence of God’s
pardoning love that had wrought so wonderful a change in me. The
reality of true conversion seemed so plain to me that I felt like helping
my young friends into the light, and at every opportunity exerted my
influence toward this end.
Laboring For Young Friends
I arranged meetings with my young friends, some of whom were
considerably older than myself, and a few were married persons. A
number of them were vain and thoughtless; my experience sounded
to them like an idle tale, and they did not heed my entreaties. But I
determined that my efforts should never cease till these dear souls,
for whom I had so great an interest, yielded to God. Several entire
nights were spent by me in earnest prayer for those whom I had sought
out and brought together for the purpose of laboring and praying with
them.
Some of these had met with us from curiosity to hear what I had to
say; others thought me beside myself to be so persistent in my efforts,
especially when they manifested no concern on their own part. But at
every one of our little meetings I continued to exhort and pray for each
one separately, until everyone had yielded to Jesus, acknowledging the
merits of His pardoning love. Everyone was converted to God.
Night after night in my dreams I seemed to be laboring for the
salvation of souls. At such times special cases were presented to my