The Garden At Elmshaven
Throughout her life, Ellen White enjoyed gardening. She loved growing flowers. And she was equally pleased with her flourishing vegetable garden and fruit orchards at Elmshaven. On discovering this beautiful property for sale, just right for the needs of her family and staff, she wrote:
This is a most beautiful location. The surroundings are lovely. Ornamental trees from various parts of the world, flowers, mostly roses of a large variety, an orchard containing a thousand prune trees which are bearing, another orchard nearer the house, and still another orchard of olive trees, are growing on the place.
Almost immediately after Elmshaven was purchased, Mrs. White cabled her former farmer in Cooranbong, Australia, Iram James, asking him to come with his family and be the manager of her farm at Elmshaven.
Remarking on the amazing providence of God to provide Elmshaven for Sister White, as she was called by friends and church members, she said,
The Lord planned for me, and I found that I could buy this place here for less than I received for my house in Cooranbong and all its belongings. This includes two horses, one rather old, four cariages and a platform wagon.
Two years later, and well-established in her new home, Sister White put down her pen on day, weary from pressing writing duties. At the invitation of a friend, she and her assistant, Sara McEnterfer, drove with Iram James and two of his children, seven miles up the mountain to a cherry orchard. Their goal was to pick cherries for the Elmshaven family and staff.
She later wrote to a friend,
The platform wagon was drawn under the trees, and Sara and I stood up on the seat and in this way reached the cherries. I picked eight quarts. We took home a large box of the fruit and put up thirty-seven quarts. So you see, Sister White is not decrepit yet.
….I had been writing so continuously that I feared for my brain. This is the reason I went cherry-picking, and the change did me good.
Letters and records show that the Elmshaven family, as Mrs. White called her staff in residence, all worked together from time to time to dry tons of prunes. These were sent to needy missionaries overseas, and to the group of workers that her son, Edson, led in educating the poor black of the southern states.
Demonstrating a feeling of deep gratitude to God, Mrs. White penned,
This place (Elmshaven) was none of my seeking. It has come to me without a thought or purpose of mine. The Lord is so kind and gracious to me. I can trust my interests with Him who is too wise to err and too good to do me harm.
