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/  What if the person least
likely to lead the sickly child

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who dropped out of school?

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The girl scarred by trauma, the one who
struggled with self-doubt was the very one

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God chose to carry a message to the world.

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Today we are stepping into the
remarkable story of a young woman

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who, against all odds, became a
voice of hope and faith for millions.

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Ellen Gould Harman was
born in 1827 in Maine.

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She was one of eight children in a
deeply religious Methodist family.

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But when she was nine years old,
her life changed dramatically.

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While walking home from school,
Ellen was struck in the face by

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a stone thrown by a classmate.

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The injury left her unconscious
for weeks, and when she finally

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woke up, she was disfigured,
frail, and emotionally scarred.

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She had to drop out of school
permanently at age nine, and for much

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of her youth, she battled self-doubt,
isolation, and serious health issues.

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By all appearances, Ellen did not look
like someone destined to become a leader.

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At age 12.

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Ellen gave her life to Jesus
during a Methodist camp meeting.

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Around the same time a movement was
sweeping across the United States.

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The Miller movement led by William
Miller, Ellen, and her family joined

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thousands of others in believing that
Jesus would return on October 22nd, 1844.

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She was just 17 when the
great disappointment happened.

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Like so many others, Ellen was devastated
that Jesus didn't come as expected,

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but she didn't give up her faith.

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Instead, she sought God more deeply.

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Not long after.

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, In December, 1844, Ellen still
only 17 years old, received

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her first vision from God.

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The vision showed a group of believers
walking on a narrow path towards

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heaven led by the light of Jesus.

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This was the beginning of a prophetic
ministry that would span 70 years.

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At first, she was reluctant.

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She was young, sickly, shy.

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A woman living in a time when women were
rarely seen as spiritual authorities.

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She often said she wished someone stronger
or more qualified had been chosen.

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But again and again, God confirmed
his call over her lifetime.

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Ellen White received around
2000 visions and dreams.

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These covered a wide range of topics
from spiritual revival and health to

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education, family life, mission work.

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And the great cosmic conflict
between Christ and Satan.

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Some of her visions helped correct
theological errors after the great

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disappointment, others encouraged church
members to live healthy, balanced lives

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leading to the Adventist health message.

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Still others shaped the creation of
Adventist schools, hospitals, and

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publishing houses around the world.

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Her books have been translated
into more than 160 languages.

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In total, she wrote more than 100,000
pages making her one of the most prolific

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female authors in American history.

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. But more than the quality of her
writing, it was her consistent

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message calling people to scripture
to Jesus and to a life of practical

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godliness that left a lasting impact.

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Ellen White never claimed that
her writings replaced the Bible.

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In fact, she called herself a
lesser light pointing to the

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greater light of scripture.

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Her goal was always to uplift Christ
and to guide people back to the word.

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When she died in 1915, the
church she helped shape had grown

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from a handful of disappointed
believers to a global movement.

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Her legacy is not just in books or
institutions, but in lives changed by

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the message of hope, healing, and truth.

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Ellen White's story reminds us that God
doesn't always choose the strongest,

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the loudest, or the most expected.

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Sometimes he chooses a broken girl
with a quiet voice and a humble heart,

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and uses her to help light the world.

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Episode two, A Youth with a
Vision read by Jared Stack.