For a number of years the General Conference sessions had been held annually in the late fall months. At the session of 1889, also held in the fall, the decision was made to hold the sessions every other year, in the early spring. Thursday, March 5, 1891, was set as the opening date of the next session. It would be held in the Tabernacle in Battle Creek.
The second ministerial institute preceded the session, and Ellen White was urged to meet with them when she could, in the early-morning meetings. She made it a practice to be present and speak each morning, and also gave a short address in the closing exercises of the school (The Review and Herald, March 3, 1891). Writing to workers on the Pacific Coast, she reported:
The ministerial institute was a season of close searching of the Scriptures. The doors of hearts were not barred with iron, lest rays of light should penetrate the darkened chambers of the mind, and the sanctifying power should cleanse and refine the soul temple. Right in the midst of their study, during the past winter, there have been times where there was not a question with the class but that the Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God, was doing its work.--Letter 3, 1891.
The 1891 General Conference Session
It was in this atmosphere that the General Conference session of 1891 opened, following a week-long council of conference presidents. The 102 delegates represented twenty-nine conferences and four mission fields. O. A. Olsen, president of the General Conference, gave his report as the first item of business. It was one of progress: The ministers' school had been a real success, the colleges at Battle Creek and Healdsburg were full, South Lancaster Academy was crowded, and a new college at Lincoln, Nebraska, was under construction and would open in the fall. The Review and Herald was securing a new charter, the Pacific Press was crowded with work, and the publishing house in Norway had just added a cylinder press. The missionary ship Pitcairn, authorized at the previous General Conference session, had been built and had already visited the island of Pitcairn, where eighty-two were baptized and organized into a church. The Pitcairn was continuing its mission, visiting other islands in the South Pacific. S. N. Haskell, who had just returned from an around-the-world trip, brought thrilling reports of advances and opportunities.
Among the many items the president reported on was the progress toward consolidation of the publishing interests of the denomination, bringing them under one management and board of control. The plan looked attractive and promising.
Religious Interest at a High Point
A Bible study hour was scheduled for each day at 9:00 A.M., but a change was made, explained in the Bulletin:
So much interest was manifested on the part of the Battle Creek church, the students of the college, the helpers at the sanitarium, and hands in the Review office, that the time was changed to 7:00 P.M., in order to accommodate all.--The General Conference Bulletin, 1891, 15.
W. W. Prescott began on Friday morning with a study on the inspiration of the Bible. E. J. Waggoner followed with the next study, taking up the "Letter to the Romans" (Ibid., 33); he presented a total of sixteen studies on this topic.
Sabbath afternoon, March 7, Ellen White was the speaker. Uriah Smith reported of the meeting:
In the afternoon Sister White spoke on the importance of preaching the Word, and the danger of covering up, and keeping in the background, the distinctive features of our faith, under the impression that prejudice will thereby be avoided. If there is committed to us a special message, as we believe, that message must go, without reference to the customs or prejudices of the world, not governed by a policy of fear or favor. Some will receive it and be sanctified through it, though multitudes will oppose and reject it. But it must go everywhere till the very earth is lighted with its glory.
The discourse was a timely one, and made a profound impression upon the large congregation.--The Review and Herald, March 10, 1891.
What Smith did not mention in his report was something many in the audience noticed, which took on significance some hours later.
References to the Salamanca Vision
A. T. Robinson, who had been in Salamanca with Ellen White on November 3, made an observation on that Sabbath meeting, relative to a point that had particular significance to him:
The burden of the discourse seemed to be that we were to show our denominational colors, by being a distinct people, and letting the world know that we have a life-and-death message for this time.
Three times she attempted to tell the scene that passed before her at the Salamanca meeting; each time her mind would seem to turn in another channel. At the third reference to the Salamanca meeting, she remarked, in an almost impatient tone of voice, "But I will have more to say about that some other time."--DF 107b, A. T. Robinson statement.
Late that Sabbath afternoon the leading ministers met in the east vestry of the Tabernacle. Ellen White was present and pleaded for deeper consecration. At the close Olsen approached her and inquired if she would be present Sunday morning at the early-morning ministers' meeting. She replied that she had done her part and was weary, and she would leave the burden with him. So Olsen and Prescott planned to lead out in the morning.
Edna Kilborne Steele, who at the time resided in Ellen White's home in Battle Creek, doing secretarial work for both Ellen White and W. C. White, stated that when Sara McEnterfer asked Ellen White if she would be attending the early-morning meeting, she replied that she had no intention of doing so. This put Sara at rest, and she slept late Sunday morning. All concerned knew exactly what Ellen White's intention was! She would, if she could, sleep late that Sunday morning (DF 107b). But in her diary written later that Sunday, March 8, she recorded:
Instructed to Tell what She Saw at Salamanca
I awakened in the morning with a decided impression that I should go into the ministers' meeting, and bear the message which the Lord had given me at Salamanca, New York, in our three months' tour.--Manuscript 19a, 1891.
We turn now to the Robinson account:
Brother Ellery Robinson and I were being entertained during the conference at the home of Brother W. C. White. As we were on our way to the Tabernacle to attend the five-thirty meeting Sunday morning, passing the home of Sister White and noticing the house lighted up, Brother White remarked that he would call and see if his mother was ill.--DF 107b, A. T. Robinson statement.
He found her busily engaged in writing. "She then told him that an angel of God had wakened her about three o'clock, and had bidden her to go to the ministers' meeting and relate some things shown her at Salamanca. She said that she arose quickly, and had been writing for about two hours."--Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 315.
She proceeded with her son to the Tabernacle, where they found the meeting had opened and the ministers were engaged in a season of prayer. Olsen described her entry:
While we were engaged in prayer, Sister White walked in with a bundle of manuscript under her arm. Her coming was entirely unexpected, and of course we all received the impression that she would have something special for us. At the close of the prayer season and singing a verse, we gave her the time. She arose and stated that she had not expected to attend this meeting, that she had told Elder Olsen the day before that having attended a number of meetings in succession, she would not come today; but that at three o'clock she had been awakened, someone taking hold of her arm and waking her up; and then she had arisen immediately, gotten ready, gathered up her matter, and had come to the meeting. She was impressed that she should present some things that had been shown her in November the year before, while she was at Salamanca, New York.--DF 107b, O. A. Olsen account, August 19, 1914.
Ellen White's Report
I went into the meeting and bore the testimony given me of God in the demonstration of the Spirit and power of God. I told them the Lord had opened before me many things.
In the night season my Guide said, "Follow Me." I was taken to a council of men, where a zeal and an earnestness were manifested, but not according to knowledge. One held up the [American] Sentinel, and with his hand across the paper said, "This must come out," and then made remarks entirely contrary to the principles of our faith. The particulars of this are given in my diary of 1890. The message given made a deep impression on all those present.
Brother [A. F.] Ballenger, deeply affected, arose and said, "I was in that council meeting which was held last night until a late hour, and Sister White has described it accurately. The very words she says she heard spoken were spoken last night. I was on the wrong side of the question, and now take my position on the right side." The testimony was well wet down with tears, and humble confession.
I was greatly astonished. I thought that this meeting had been held at the time it was presented to me.--Manuscript 19a, 1891.
In describing the meeting Robinson said, "I shall never forget the look of perplexity on the face of the dear woman, as she looked at Brother Ballenger and exclaimed, "Last night!" Others reported that she repeated in astonishment, "Last night! Last night!"
When Ballenger took his seat, Captain Eldridge stood to speak:
I was in that meeting. Last night, after the close of the conference, some of us met in my room in the Review office, where we locked ourselves in, and there took up and discussed the questions and the matter that has been presented to us this morning....
If I should have begun to give a description of what took place, and the personal attitude of those in the room, I could not have given it as exactly and correctly as it has been given by Sister White. I now see that I was in error; that the position that I took was not correct; and from the light that has been given this morning, I acknowledge that I was wrong.--DF 107b, O. A. Olsen account.
Others who were in that meeting Saturday night spoke that Sunday morning, and the testimony of each was much the same--they were in the meeting a few hours before, and Ellen White had described what took place and what was said better than they could have done. Olsen later declared:
Personally, I sat there in blank bewilderment. I did not know what she referred to. I had neither heard nor had any knowledge of the things that she presented, nor of such a meeting as she described. Indeed, I was so surprised, and the things she presented as having taken place in that meeting seemed so unreasonable, that I was quite nonplused in my mind as to what this meant. She spoke at considerable length, and placed the matter very definitely before us, and showed up the wrong spirit that was manifested, and the erroneousness of the position that had been taken by certain ones in their discussion....
Sister White had had no opportunity to have any knowledge of what had gone on in that room during the night in the Review office.... The Lord had shown it to her before the thing took place; and now, the very morning in which it took place, she had been, in a special manner, called by the Lord to present what had been shown her. It is needless to say not only that it brought relief to many minds, but that it gave cause for great thankfulness that at such a critical moment the Lord stepped in and saved us from the perplexity and confusion that seemed to be coming up on important questions.-- Ibid.
An Abundance of Testimony
The files of the White Estate hold the testimony of others who were present that Sunday morning. One such statement signed by six prominent ministers declares:
The relation of this vision made a profound and solemn impression upon that large congregation of Seventh-day Adventist ministers present at that early-morning meeting. When they heard those who had been reproved for the wrong course taken in that council confess that all Mrs. White had said about them was true in every particular, they saw the seal of divine inspiration had been set upon that vision and testimony. The power and solemnity of that meeting made an impression upon the minds of those present not soon to be forgotten.--DF 107b, joint statements.
The Experience Brought Unity
A. T. Robinson related that those who attended that morning meeting had no breakfast that day:
The meeting, which began at five-thirty and usually closed at six-thirty, continued until well on in the forenoon. It was one of the most remarkable meetings that it has ever been my privilege to attend. Men of strong iron wills, who the night before manifested a spirit of unyielding stubbornness, confessed with tears and brokenness of voice. Elder Dan Jones said,"Sister White, I thought I was right. Now I know I was wrong."
"The Holy Spirit witnessed to the testimony borne by His servant in that meeting, and instead of division, there came a spirit of unity and sweet communion. The Sentinel, now called Liberty, has continued to this day to bear a mighty message of truth to the people.--DF 107b, A. T. Robinson statement.
It was very clear to him why Sister White could not relate that vision to him and W. C. White in Salamanca, and why she was withheld from giving it as she attempted to do three times the day before. Not only was the cause of God spared from a serious mistake, but the experience provided unimpeachable evidence to not a few who, during the past two years, had entertained serious questions concerning the reliability and integrity of the Spirit of Prophecy. Coming as it did at the very opening of the conference session, it stabilized the work and put to rest those questioning elements that can be so devastating.
General Conference Business
Developments early in the session pointed to the need of expanding educational facilities overseas, particularly in Australia. Haskell suggested that strength and inspiration would be brought to that field if Ellen White could spend some time there. Such thinking was not at all agreeable to her, for she hoped that she could soon find some quiet place and get on with her work on the life of Christ. Official action taken at the session called for establishing a school in Australia but said nothing about an E. G. White visit. So she tried to put that matter out of her mind and proceed with plans for her work as if there would be no interruption.
Uriah Smith's Spirit of Prophecy Sermon
The second Sabbath of the session, Uriah Smith gave the morning worship sermon. His topic was "The Spirit of Prophecy and Our Relation to It." Choosing as his main text 1 Corinthians 12:1, "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant," he used scripture after scripture in presenting a strong Biblical basis for the position that the prophetic gift would appear in earth's last days. He climaxed this phase of his address by introducing Revelation 12:17 as justification for accepting the position for this "operation of the Spirit" to be expected. He explained:
"The woman" is a symbol of the church, and the seed of the woman is the number of believers in any generation, and "the remnant of her seed" means, of course, the last generation of the church. Here is a positive prophecy that the last church will be characterized by this special feature; they will have the testimony of Jesus Christ. But what is the testimony of Jesus Christ? Revelation 19:10: "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."--The General Conference Bulletin, 1891, 150.
After dealing with the various interpretations of this term, he carried his listeners to what might be called "the bottom line."
Well, says one, if you have reached the fulfillment of this prophecy, which demands the testimony of Jesus Christ, or the spirit of prophecy in its midst, where is the Spirit of prophecy? I am speaking to a people today most, if not all, of whom know very well where it is, and how it is connected with this work.
It is set forth in what is known in our literature as the Testimonies for the Church, The Spirit of Prophecy, The Great Controversy, and works of that nature. What is our relation to this? Our relation to it is our relation to something which arose with this work, which has gone right forward with it, side by side, which has interwoven itself into and through it and all about it, from the day this message began until this present hour.--Ibid., 151
Smith then traced some history from the very laying of the foundations of the church and read a question received in the mail just two days before:
Does the Seventh-day Adventist Church believe the so-called testimonies and writings of Mrs. E. G. White to be revelations from God?
We believe these writings are a manifestation of the Spirit of prophecy; and just as much as anything that comes from God's Spirit would be a "revelation from God," just so much these are a revelation from God.--Ibid.
Bringing his address to a close, he summed up his presentation in twelve numbered points, the last of which drove the matter home:
What is received through this gift should be accepted, cherished, and obeyed, if we would be prepared for a greater diversity in the operations of the Spirit, in the restoration of all the gifts, and for the larger outpouring of the Spirit upon the church, when it receives the refreshing (Acts 3:19-21), the early and the latter rain (James 5:7, 8), as it comes to the close of its experience and its work in this world, not far hence.--The General Conference Bulletin, 153.
For two years Smith's influence had been negative; for two years
he had said little about the Spirit of Prophecy as manifested in the life and work of Ellen White. But a few weeks before preaching this sermon, he had "fallen on the Rock," as Ellen White put it. Now everyone saw where he stood, and it brought strength and confidence to the people.
Ellen White Asks for Time
The General Conference Bulletin for Wednesday, March 18, carried an announcement that Ellen White had asked for time to address the conference. It read:
Thirteenth Meeting: As it has been previously announced that Sister White would occupy the time at ten-thirty, a very large audience was assembled at the time for the opening of the meeting. Prayer was offered by Elder A. T. Jones. After the reading of the minutes, the conference adjourned to 10:30 A.M., Wednesday, March 18.
Sister White bore a very earnest and impressive testimony, a synopsis of which will appear in a future number of the Bulletin.-- Ibid.
The opening words of her address revealed the burden of her heart:
Dear Brethren and Sisters,
I have had a burden in regard to Battle Creek and the places surrounding it, and other places in Michigan. From time to time, light has been given me with reference to the duty of many of our people to leave this place, and go where they can spread the knowledge of the truth. Testimony on this point was given years ago, and why the people have been so backward in heeding it has been a mystery to me.--Ibid., 181.
She then read from what she wrote after the vision given June 12, 1868, as recorded in Testimonies, volume 2, pages 113-116, presenting a strong appeal to Seventh-day Adventists who were not needed in Battle Creek to move to other regions and carry the message of the church with them. She appealed that for the good of the church members and for the spreading of the message, Battle Creek members should spread out.
When I see so little of the spirit of self-sacrifice manifested among us, I wonder if our people believe that Christ is soon coming. Do you believe it? A man will act out all the faith he has. We used to say so in 1843 and 1844. Brethren, do you now believe that the Lord is coming? Do you believe it in your hearts, or is it a mere theory, without any real faith or power?
The world will present its proposals to draw you away from the work, and Satan will tempt you to accept them. If you can be easily divorced from the work, you may depend upon it, the bribe will come, because Satan wants every soul that he can lead. Now, brethren and sisters, we want to know who are on the sacrificing side; we want to know who will be on the side of God, the side of heaven, the side of eternal life.--Ibid., 184.
The Question of Consolidation
In his opening address to the conference Olsen had mentioned the importance of the publishing work of the church and of steps being taken thought to strengthen it:
At the time of our last General Conference we recommended this subject as worthy of consideration by this body. The result was the appointment of a representative committee of twenty-one, to take the matter under advisement, learn what could be done, and if the way was open, to go on and effect such consolidation. This committee has done all that circumstances would permit, and will render its report to this body at the proper time.--Ibid., 9
This report came in to the session on Sunday morning, March 15. The editor of the Bulletin saw in the prompt and full attendance at the meeting, and the fact that many visitors were present, the interest taken in this particular item of business. The report opened:
Your committee appointed at the last session of this conference to take into consideration the consolidation of the publishing work under one general management, with power to act, if in their judgment they thought best to do so, would report that we have given the matter referred to us much thought.--Ibid., 123
Instead of the formation of a new corporation, the committee recommended that the General Conference Association, which dealt with legal matters, be reorganized. The number of trustees should be increased from five to twenty-one, and all publishing interests should be consolidated under the control of this enlarged corporation board. It was suggested that if the conference acted promptly, the new arrangement could be set up before the close of the session, set for March 25. The recommendation was accepted and followed, and by the time the session closed, a board of twenty-one had been elected and steps taken to place it in a position of responsibility. What was not realized at the time was that the General Conference Association board of twenty-one could soon overpower, in some respects, the General Conference Committee of nine.
Among the many matters opened up to Ellen White in the Salamanca vision were dangers relating to the forming of confederacies in the publishing work, as brought to view in Life Sketches, chapter 48, [A reprinting of a tract issued in the early 1890S.] and the danger of covering up the distinctive features of the message, as referred to in chapter 35. She wrote of the vision given at Salamanca:
I was taken out of and away from myself to assemblies in different States, where I bore decided testimony of reproof and warning. In Battle Creek a council of ministers and responsible men from the publishing house and other institutions was convened, and I heard those assembled, in no gentle spirit, advance sentiments and urge measures for adoption that filled me with apprehension and distress.
Years before, I had been called to pass through a similar experience.... On the night of November 3, these warnings were brought to my mind, and I was commanded to present them before those in responsible offices of truth, and to fail not nor be discouraged. There were laid out before me some things which I could not comprehend.--Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 319.
Her attention was called particularly to those carrying on the work at Battle Creek. She wrote:
Great peril was about the people, but some knew it not. Unbelief and impenitence blinded their eyes, and they trusted to human wisdom in the guidance of the most important interests of the cause of God relating to the publishing work. In the weakness of human judgment, men were gathering into their finite hands the lines of control, while God's will, God's way and counsel, were not sought as indispensable. Men of stubborn, iron-like will, both in and out of the office, were confederating together, determined to drive certain measures through in accordance with their own judgment.--Ibid., 320, 321.
Was it because she detected that this was taking place in the moves toward consolidating the publishing interests of the denomination that she was led to say what she did as she addressed the conference session on the last night of the meeting?
In this address she sounded warnings in several directions. Although she did not speak directly against the plans developed for the consolidation of the publishing work, it would seem that she had this in mind in her opening remarks:
Brethren and sisters, I appeal to you as Seventh-day Adventists to be all that this name signifies. There is danger of departing from the spirit of the message, and adopting measures that will imperil the work of God. As the Lord has presented these things before me at several times and in different places, I have been brought into your assemblies where articles were read and statements made which were false in principle and dangerous in their tendency. I was shown that those who advocated these sentiments were not following the counsel of God.--The General Conference Bulletin, 1891, 256.
Among leading workers in her audience there was some uncertainty as to how to apply the counsel. Did it refer to problems over the American Sentinel, or to the matter of consolidation? When they came and inquired of her, she replied that she could not answer that question. At times under similar circumstances she replied: "I cannot explain it; you should understand it better than I. If you do not understand it, pray to the Lord, and He will help you."--DF 105b, W. C. White address, November 25, 1905.
In the closing meeting she devoted some time to the question of their relationship to the Spirit of Prophecy; she challenged them to test her work by the Word and by their observations. She spoke of the Sabbath and the need to prize it and stand in its defense, and that the church's testimony now "is not to be less decided than formerly; our real position is not to be cloaked in order to please the world's great men."--Ibid., 1891, 258
She spoke of the institutions in Battle Creek and of how, as they were founded, the pioneers prayed and sought God day and night. "Now let us continue to pray," she admonished. "If we needed to pray about the establishment of these institutions, how much more do we need to pray for God to keep them as guardians of the truth."--Ibid., 261.
Cheering, Positive Attitudes
In closing, she first reminisced and then admonished:
At the morning meetings I have enjoyed hearing the testimonies of those who came here to learn--testimonies of how they have learned to believe that Christ has forgiven their sins.... If we learn what is to be the joy of our calling, we shall praise God with heart and soul and voice. And at last we shall have a glorious triumph when our captivity shall be turned, and our mourning and tears shall be forever past. What a shout of praise will then go forth from human lips! Shall we begin it here? God grant that we may!--Ibid.
A few days before the close of the session, Ellen White had written to fellow workers on the Pacific Coast:
We have had a deeply interesting conference.... I attended all the morning meetings except three, and spoke to the ministers with great freedom. The Lord has been in our midst, and we have seen of His salvation.
I never attended a General Conference where there was manifested as much of the Spirit of the Lord in the study of His Word, as on this occasion. Meeting after meeting was held for three weeks. Each morning there was a meeting at half past five for the ministers, and these were special seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. These ministers' meetings were of a solemn character. There was depth of feeling, thanksgiving and praise, offered to God for His precious blessing bestowed in the searching of His Word.--Letter 3, 1891.
Ellen G. White Following the Session
The 1891 General Conference session over, Ellen White hoped fervently that there would be no invitation for her to go to Australia. She exclaimed, "I long for rest, for quietude and to get out the 'Life of Christ."'-- MS 29 1891. In fact, in anticipation of a concerted program of writing, she had purchased a lot in Petoskey, in the resort area on Lake Michigan, where she had spent two months the summer before. She was having a home built there, where she and her staff could hide away and work. But meetings the brethren wished her to attend would involve several weeks. The last of these were at Grand Rapids, which she would attend en route to Petoskey. In her restlessness she wrote:
I long to be in Petoskey and feel almost conscience-smitten in losing so much time. I do not know but that we will give up Grand Rapids and go on to Petoskey.--Letter 65, 1891.
But she didn't, and finally she reached Petoskey on the evening of Monday, May 4. She stayed with friends for a few days until her home was completed and her household goods had arrived from Battle Creek (The Review and Herald, June 9, 1891).
Her summer plans were to be affected by other actions taken at the recent General Conference session. One called for a Bible institute, to be followed by a summer normal institute from July 15 to August 25, in the vicinity of Petoskey. For some reason, perhaps because of her son's involvement, Ellen White and the two women with her, Sara McEnterfer and Marian Davis, were drawn into searching for appropriate sites for the planned summer institutes, even before getting settled in the new home, which was nearly ready for occupancy.
It was just at this point the invitation from the Foreign Mission Board for her to go to Australia reached her.
Ellen White Shared in Carriage Accident
After W. C. White reached Petoskey he spent several days driving in different directions from the city in search of a location for the summer Bible school. It was while he was thus engaged that an accident occurred. George B. Starr and his wife, engaged in evangelism in that area, witnessed it at close range and felt it was an attempt on the part of the enemy to bring injury to Ellen White or to destroy her and those with her (Ibid.). She herself wrote of it to her close friend Dr. J. H. Kellogg, of the Battle Creek Sanitarium:
Wednesday we had an accident that might have proved quite serious. We had just started for Harbor Springs; before we were out of town, we turned a corner at a moderate pace, when one wheel of the carriage broke down completely. Every spoke came out of the hub, the carriage was overturned, throwing some of us out, and one on top of the other.
Willie was holding the reins. Our spirited horse had one thill [carriage shaft] on the top of her back; she trembled, but did not run a step. There was no screaming; we kept perfectly silent, but there was some surprised thinking. I crawled out over the back seat on hands and knees, and with heart and voice thanked the Lord for our escape. No bones were broken and none of us was seriously hurt. The girls [Sara McEnterfer and Marian Davis] who were with us received some bruises, [but] I not a scratch, though my dress was badly torn.
The thill was taken from the horse's back, the tugs loosened, and the horse tied to the fence; we obtained another carriage from the livery stable and went on our way.--Letter 10, 1891.
As they drove along, Ellen White had some thoughts about the wheel that had collapsed under stress, and about the Seventh-day Adventist workman who had made it:
I felt sad to think who made our carriage, and that the article we had thought could be depended upon was so wrecked. At first we could not understand the cause of the breakage, but upon examining the wheel [we] found that the spokes were too small for the holes in the hub, and wooden wedges had been driven in to make the spokes fit, then all painted over. It was a complete fraud. I am sorry that even all our brethren cannot be trusted to deal honorably, without pretense or fraud.
I believe that an angel of God stood by us to preserve our lives. When our horse was taken out of the stable she was so full of life that it was all a man could do to hold her. That in so short a time she could stand such a test so well was due to the guardianship of heavenly angels.--Ibid.
To Go or Not To Go
The action of the Foreign Mission Board calling for Ellen White to go to Australia carried a clause that left the final decision with her. That is, the request was predicated on "the light she may have in the matter" and "her own judgment" (The General Conference Bulletin, 1891, 256). As the summer wore on, how she sought the Lord for light! But she received none, either to go or not to go. On June 5 she wrote in her diary:
Up to this time I have had many letters to write. I have devoted most of four days to writing on the life of Christ. So many important letters to answer, which I cannot neglect, give me limited time to do the work I desire to do.--Manuscript 43, 1891.
Nonetheless, the plans stood firm. As she later wrote of it, she had adopted the practice of responding to the requests of the General Conference unless she had special light to the contrary (Letter 18a, 1892). As they viewed the needs of the world field the brethren had asked her to go; in vision she had been shown conditions in Australia, which to her seemed to be an indication that she should go; and as the Lord gave her no direct word as to the course she should follow, she would go, even though she wished she might be released from going.
In mid-August the Foreign Mission Board and the General Conference Committee took action appointing the Starrs to accompany Ellen White and her party to Australia (The Review and Herald, October 13, 1891). The Review and Herald carried the word:
Sister White left Battle Creek, Wednesday September 9, in company with Brother W. C. White, and others, on her Western journey. She will attend the camp meeting in Colorado and California, and then sail for Australia.--Ibid., September 15, 1891
She had filled out nearly 63 years of her life. For nine years she would again labor overseas.