“Sunnyside,” Cooranbong, March 20, 1899.
Home again. I bore my testimony on Sunday to a goodly congregation. On Sabbath there sat in the meeting with his wife and family a man who two weeks before had cursed his wife because she decided to be baptized. Afterwards he told Brother Starr that he was ashamed of himself. We think that he will obey the truth and himself be baptized. We hope the Lord will open the way for him.17MR 136.3
Lay hold by faith, my brother. The Lord wants you to trust in Him who gave his life for you. Hold fast the faith unto the end. Your wife has now the reward of her faith. May the Lord bless the dear soul. I would be much pleased to have you make us a visit and see what we are doing. Brother Haskell writes that the meetinghouse in Brisbane will be dedicated next Sabbath and Sunday. Oh, what a blessing it is that they have a meetinghouse. The tent they were using leaked badly.17MR 136.4
There is a much larger work to do in Newcastle. Brother Lord has moved to Cooranbong with his family. He has a large family of eight boys, and has had to borrow money to come to this place. We are now sending them food. When they arrived we took them to our home and found sleeping room for them. They breakfasted with us, and then we moved their goods to their place six miles from the station. They are now adrift for the truth's sake. His married son, with his wife and child, are living in a tent on the Avondale Estate. He is earning six shillings a day. Brother Lord's only daughter is married, and she and her husband are now living in a small tent in a field near the school. They have given him work. So you see there are those who are suffering for the truth's sake.17MR 137.1
The father sacrificed a good salary for the truth's sake, and now his entire family—himself, his wife, seven sons, his married son and his wife, and his daughter and her husband—are living in tents. These fourteen souls are homeless and dependent for bread to eat for what their hands can earn.17MR 137.2
Brother Lord is a converted man and as firm as a rock to principle. He asked his employer for a recognition of his twenty years of service. Had he made one mistake? Had he been unfaithful in the least? They readily said that he had not. Then why not allow him a pension, as they had others who had served no longer? They refused him this, but said that if he would work on the Sabbath, he should have his place and three pounds seventeen shillings a week. But if he left them, he must expect nothing.17MR 137.3
Both father and mother are brave and courageous. God help them, is our prayer. We shall not let them suffer for [lack of] food. We shall try to find them work, but at the present time we have no money to pay the workers on the school building. We are in need of the money that has been pledged but has not been paid.17MR 138.1
You see, my brother, we know how to sympathize with you. We pray the Lord to help you out of your difficulties. The truth of God will triumph. The mail has just been received, and there was a letter from Brother Haskell. He writes to Brother Starr, “We have received the pound you sent, and thank you for the offer of another pound from Nellie.” I cannot give you particulars to show you how much we are in need without making my letter too lengthy. But we have had several very remarkable answers to prayer in this line. I think fully one-third of the donations received in Brisbane have been from those not of our faith. One man with whom we had a little talk and who was very friendly and [who] came to the meetings quite often called on us one night, and although we had not asked him for a penny [he] said he would like to contribute to our building fund. He gave me two five-pound notes. Another man who is an infidel gave us two guineas, [] and so it has been.17MR 138.2
The coal mines must have the truth brought to them. The suburbs must be worked. A hospital must be built in Cooranbong. Dr. Kellogg assures me that he will raise $1,000 for this. We shall get believers and unbelievers to donate labor to clear the one acre of land on which the house is to be built. One man has promised to give the logs for building. We are suffering for [the lack of] this building for our sick. One man was taken sick. When the doctor came he did not put his hand upon him, [only] left a little medicine, and charged two guineas. It is just terrible. The doctors do scarcely anything for the sick. Dr. Rand came and found that the man had had no action of the bladder for days and no movement of the bowels for more than a week. The doctor from Newcastle had asked nothing about his condition.17MR 139.1
Application has just come for a sick girl to be taken into our hospital, but we have only selected the place for the building. God will help us. The building we shall erect will be a sanitarium and hospital combined, and it will be erected on the best site on the Avondale school ground. We must all walk out by faith, and humbly trust and wait and watch and pray. Let us humble our hearts before the Lord and walk softly before Him; for we need the wisdom that God alone can give. If we are tried, let us not be impatient. We shall put our trust in the Lord, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.—Letter 47, 1899.17MR 139.2
Ellen G. White Estate
Washington, D. C.,
June 4, 1987.
Entire Letter.