Ellen Chat Conversation

Ellen White addressed both China and India in her counsel about missionary work, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing work at home before expanding to distant fields. Regarding China specifically, she acknowledged the desire to send resources there but cautioned against neglecting nearby opportunities. She wrote, "It has been said, 'We should like to send a large amount of money to China.' Are the souls in China any more precious than the souls within the shadow of our doors?" (2SAT 327.5). She emphasized that while there is a responsibility to warn China, there is an equal responsibility to warn cities close by, particularly reaching foreigners of various nationalities who could then return to their homelands with the message. In a letter to Brother Daniells, Ellen White provided direct instruction about prioritizing mission work. She stated, "Last night instruction was given me that at present our principal efforts are not to be made especially for China or other fields similar to China. We first have a work to do at home" (PH151 27). She explained that all institutions—sanitariums, publishing houses, and schools—needed to reach a higher standard first. Only then would workers sent to foreign fields be more earnest, more spiritual, and more effective in their labors. This counsel reflects her broader principle of establishing a strong foundation at home before expanding abroad. She believed that strengthening the work domestically would ultimately make foreign mission efforts more successful, as better-trained and more spiritually mature workers would be sent to these distant fields. --- 💡 **You might also want to explore:** • What did Ellen White say about the qualifications needed for foreign missionary work? • How did she counsel about working with people of different nationalities and cultures? • What was her vision regarding the spread of the message to all nations?