Chapter 13—Scandinavia to Switzerland

Across Germany's countryside

As Ellen White's party left Norway they witnessed one of nature's grandest spectacles—a northern sunset. Mrs. White loved the beauty of the natural world. To her, nature was God's second book. She was awed by the grandeur:EGWE 127.1

“We were favored with a sight of the most glorious sunset it was ever my privilege to behold. Language is inadequate to picture its beauty. The last beams of the setting sun, silver and gold, purple, amber, and crimson, shed their glories athwart the sky, growing brighter and brighter, rising higher and higher in the heavens, until it seemed that the gates of the city of God had been left ajar, and gleams of the inner glory were flashing through. For two hours the wondrous splendor continued to light up the cold northern sky,—a picture painted by the great Master-Artist upon the shifting canvas of the heavens. Like the smile of God it seemed, above all earthly homes, above the rock-bound plains, the rugged mountains, the lonely forests, through which our journey lay.EGWE 127.2

“Angels of mercy seemed whispering, ‘Look up. This glory is but a gleam of the light which flows from the throne of God. Live not for earth alone. Look up, and behold by faith the mansions of the heavenly home.’ This scene was to me as the bow of promise to Noah, enabling me to grasp the assurance of God's unfailing care, and to look forward to the haven of rest awaiting the faithful worker. Ever since that time I have felt that God granted us this token of His love for our encouragement. Never while memory lingers can I forget that vision of beauty, and the comfort and peace it brought.”—Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists, 220, 221.EGWE 127.3

But she and Miss McEnterfer were not long to enjoy such tranquil scenes as the glorious sunset in Scandinavia. Boarding a small passenger boat at Goteborg, Sweden, they began a six-hour crossing of the channel to Denmark.EGWE 128.1