Stories from Sunnyside

Stories from Sunnyside

Wednesday, September 27, 2017
A revelation not of Ellen White as writer but resident
Stories from Sunnyside: Ellen White in Australia 1891-1900 (Signs Publishing, 2017)
Marian de Berg


I’d never been to “Sunnyside” until a few weeks ago. So, the opportunity to tour Ellen White’s Australian home excited me. As a guide ushered our large group through the historic building, I saw not only the room where the Seventh-day Adventist Church pioneer wrote a large proportion of her writings, including The Desire of Ages, but also other items she’d used in the running of her household. Our guide interspersed historical facts with interesting snippets and captivating stories of everyday life.

Only at the end of the tour did I realise our guide had been Marian de Berg, author of Stories From Sunnyside. I couldn’t wait to get a copy of the book to immerse myself in more of the stories Marian had shared throughout the tour.

At an age when many people planned their retirement, Ellen White came from the United States to Australia to continue the church’s missionary work—it began only six years earlier. She “saw no light in going to the South Pacific” but “knew that if God did not want her to go, He would close the door.”

The struggles of establishing an Adventist community in such a distant country during an economic downturn proved Ellen White a true missionary, managing to settle her family and establish an Adventist college, health retreat, printing press and health food factory.

Stories from Sunnyside draws the reader into the human aspect of Ellen White through stories of her life and of her extended family. Her dealing with the poor and needy shows a depth of understanding of what it means to live a “Christ-like life.” She opened her home to everyone and often sacrificed her own comfort to help those who were struggling. The result: many came to know Ellen White’s God.

Ellen White the writer is well known. Stories from Sunnyside reveals, especially from an Australian perspective, more about Ellen White the person.

Stories from Sunnyside

Stories from Sunnyside is now available from Adventist Book Centres in Australia and New Zealand or from hopeshop.com.

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Sonia Knight
Author

Sonia Knight

Sonia Knight is Resources Manager for Adventist Media Network.