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Megan Skene: When we think about movements
in history, we usually picture the

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names on the books, the voices behind
the pulpits, the leaders at the front.

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But what about the ones behind the
scenes, the ones folding letters,

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hosting guests, or keeping the
work moving when no one's watching?

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In the Early Adventist church, women
like Harriet Smith with the quiet

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strength, holding everything together.

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They may not have had microphones,
but without them, the message

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might never have spread.

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Let's rewind to the 18 hundreds.

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It was a time when women were expected
to stay silent and small to serve

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behind the scenes, speak only when
spoken to, and certainly never take

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the lead in public religious life.

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But here's the thing.

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God didn't wait for culture to catch
up before calling people to serve,

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and neither did Harriet Smith.

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May not have heard her name before.

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She wasn't preaching on stages.

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But Harriet stood behind people
supporting, serving and strengthening.

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Harriet, married Uriah Smith, an
early Adventist author, editor, and

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theological voice who helped shaped
the identity of the movement,.

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But behind his contributions was Harriet
organizing his correspondence, hosting

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guests helping coordinate travel,
and holding up the day-to-day work

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of a movement that was always moving.

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She didn't just support her
husband, she supported the mission.

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When the Adventist Publishing House
and Battle Creek was short-staffed

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or overwhelmed, Harriet stepped in.

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She worked tirelessly to
keep things running quietly,

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humbly, and without applause.

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And she wasn't alone.

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There were many other women just like her.

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Women like Leonora Farnsworth,,
who wrote for church publications

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and mentored young women in faith.

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Women like Anna Knight, who traveled
the American South as a missionary,

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often alone and often in danger.

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And women like Lucinda Hall, who
worked as Ellen White's assistant,

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helping shape messages that would
go out to the entire church.

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These women wrote letters, organized
travel funded projects, opened

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their homes, raised children,
prayed over printing presses.

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They were the unseen engine
behind a fast growing movement.

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And the truth is the church might
not have survived without them.

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While others stood behind pulpits,
these women stood behind the

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people while others got credit.

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They got to work.

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They were rarely quoted, rarely
spotlighted, but heaven noticed

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every act of quiet faithfulness.

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Maybe you can relate to that.

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Maybe you've never been on stage,
and maybe your name isn't in the

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credits, but you've baked the meals,
folded the bulletins, prayed behind

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the curtain, sent the encouraging
texts, made the spreadsheet, and

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listened to what no one else did.

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You don't need a microphone
to make an impact.

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Sometimes the kingdom is carried,
not in the noise, but in the

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quiet hands of the willing.

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Women like Harriet Smith
never asked for titles.

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They just showed up again and
again, and because they did the

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Adventist movement moved forward.

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Their legacy isn't always written in
books, but it's written and changed lives.

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So if you're someone who's
behind the scenes, know this.

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Your faithfulness matters.

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Your work is not invisible to
God, and your impact might be

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greater than you'll ever know.

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Episode seven, Harriet's
Hands Read by Megan Skene.