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Life Sketches of Ellen G. White
a place at the meeting, for I shall attend if possible.” She expressed
the hope that when she got on the camp ground there would be some
reviving influence.
Sabbath forenoon she was very feeble, hardly able to leave her bed.
But at noon she said: “Prepare me a place in the large tent where I can
hear the speaker. Possibly the sound of the speaker’s voice will prove
a blessing to me. I am hoping for something to bring new life.”
A sofa was arranged for her near the speaker’s stand, with its back
toward the congregation. Elder Waggoner spoke on the rise and early
work of the message, and its progress up to 1882. There was a large
congregation, and several of the business men of Healdsburg were
present. When Elder Waggoner had finished speaking, Mrs. White
said, “Help me onto my feet.” Sister Ings and her son lifted her up,
and she was led to the desk. Laying hold of the pulpit with both hands,
she began, in a feeble way, to tell the people that this might be the last
time they would hear her voice at camp meeting. After she had spoken
a few sentences, there was a change in her voice and attitude. She felt
a thrill of healing power. Her voice strengthened, and her sentences
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came clear and full. As she proceeded with her address, her strength
was manifest. She stood firmly, and did not need to hold onto the desk
for support.
The large congregation witnessed the healing. All noticed the
change in her voice, and many observed the change in her countenance.
They saw the sudden transition from a deathlike paleness to the flush
of health, as the natural color was seen, first in her neck, then in the
lower part of the face, and then in the forehead. One of the business
men of Healdsburg exclaimed, “A miracle is being wrought in sight of
this whole congregation!” After the meeting she testified to inquiring
friends that the Lord had healed her. With the healing came strength
and courage to labor, and during the remainder of the meeting she
spoke five times.
In the
The Signs of the Times, October 26, 1882
, the editor, Elder
J. H. Waggoner, relating this experience, said:
“At the close of the discourse [Sabbath afternoon], ... she arose and
began to address the people. Her voice and appearance changed, and
she spoke for some time with clearness and energy. She then invited
those who wished to make a start in the service of God, and those who