Casting a Vision

Revival for Mission August 29, 2017

As the early Adventist Church grew in its focus on mission, Ellen White had a vision of printing presses in different countries around the world. Later, she could not remember the names of all the countries she saw, but she did remember that the angel in her dream said Australia.

White moved to Australia in 1891 amid tensions and criticisms in the church. The start of her work was not easy. The year 1892 was one of the most difficult times of her life. In response to her trials, White studied the story of Mary, Martha and Lazarus and learned to wait on God. While she had originally intended to stay two years, she ended up staying in Australia for 9 years and played a pivotal role in the early work of the church and the mission work to the South Pacific region.

Modern Sydney is a beautiful city. One of its most famous sites is the Sydney Opera House designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon. Although he oversaw most of the construction, Utzon left Australia before it was completed due to conflicts with local authorities over the work. He never saw the finished building.

What Utzon started led to the eventual completion of one of the most important structures in the world. In the same way, if White returned to Australia today, she would see how her legacy has resulted in the thriving educational, medical and health work she helped start in Australia.