Woodland, California by M. G. Kellogg

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 30, 1872

Woodland, California.

By M. G. Kellogg

Bro. Loughborough having left the tent to attend the quarterly meetings with the churches in Sonoma Co. and San Francisco, I am assisting Bro. Cornell with the tent. The interest is still good, but there are several causes that hinder many of the people from taking their stand; yet several have decided to obey the truth, and have kept the four last Sabbaths. So we are not discouraged. We were not acquainted with the business habits of the people of this valley, and commenced labor in Woodland at rather an unpropitious season. The people here had just commenced haying when we pitched the tent, yet we had a good attendance from the first, which steadily increased until we had about one thousand hearers on Sunday evenings; but just as the brethren had fairly begun to present the claims of God's law, harvest began, and that kept the country people at home.

Harvesting here differs from harvesting in the States, in that each farmer has so much of it to do. Almost the entire country is in wheat, and very little in hay or pasture. Hardly a farmer has less than one hundred acres of wheat to cut, and many have two or three hundred, and some have as high as eight, ten, and even fifteen hundred acres, and all of this is good, and much of it very heavy this year, while for the two years just past, the crops failed because of drought. This, together with the fact that every few weeks we have a high, hot, dry wind that lasts for three days; and should such wind come in harvest time, as it frequently does, it would shell the wheat out so that it would not pay to harvest, makes the farmers now devote every moment and thought to saving the crop. Harvesting and threshing will occupy about two months, then the people will be at leisure.

The meetings in the tent have been kept up every other evening, and twice on Sunday, drawing about two to three hundred hearers, who principally reside in the town. Many of these say they can see no reason why we are not right in our views of the Sabbath, but they wish to hear what may be offered on the other side before they commit themselves.

The Campbellites are greatly agitated over our meetings. Their church is quite large, and several of their members are keeping the Sabbath, while many others believe it. This troubled the leaders (their minister, Eld. Pendegast, being East on a visit), so that they do not know what to do. The two principal under elders have each preached opposition sermons. Bro. Cornell took notes at two of these, and myself at a third, all of which Bro. Cornell reviewed, making the truth shine out very clear. We visit daily among the people. Several who never professed religion before have determined to start in the service of God.

When Bro. Ferguson and myself first came to this county, eight weeks ago, we commenced a course of lectures twenty-five miles north-west of this place, in Fairview school-house. In a few days we had double the congregation that ever attended there before; but the people lived so scattered, and the roads were so broken by ravines, that as soon as dark nights came on we had to close our evening meetings; yet some twelve or fourteen became very much interested, and say they believe we have the truth. But their large harvests stood in their way.

After we had given fourteen discourses in Fairview school-house and ten in the neighborhood four miles South, we were compelled to close our evening meetings on account of the harvest (it coming on two weeks earlier than elsewhere in this valley). I then commenced a course of lectures in Cacheville, a little hamlet six miles from this place. The trustees gave me the use of the Methodist house of worship. The people turned out to hear, and I was told that my congregations more than doubled any that had ever been gathered there before. Bro. Loughborough came and preached once, and Bro. Cornell twice. I gave nine discourses, making twelve in all, in Cacheville. We had from one hundred to one hundred and fifty hearers. We had just got ready to present the claims of the Sabbath, when we had to close our meetings there on account of harvest. The people manifested much interest in all these places, and desired us to come again after harvest: “but,” said they, “we have not raised any crop for the last two years, and now that we have a crop, we must save it before the hot wind from the north shells it out.”

I shall visit all of these places again, and try, with the help of the Lord, to urge the people to obey God. Our courage is good. We know that God's hand is in this work. I want a more complete consecration to him to do his will. Oh! for grace to overcome. M. G. KELLOGG. July 3, 1872.