1886年，当南非几位安息日复临信徒的“马其顿呼声”传到总会，要求给他们派一位传道人时，得到的回应是第二年有一个团队的人从美国出发去开普敦，成员有D.A.罗宾逊和C.L.博伊德和他们的妻子;两位文字布道士，乔治·伯利和R.S.安东尼;和一位圣经教师，卡丽·梅斯小姐。{TSA 4.1}
D.A.罗宾逊弟兄和C.L.博伊德弟兄在前往南非经过挪威时，与从美国去欧洲一段时间(1885-1887年)的怀爱伦相逢;怀爱伦很关心他们的使命，在他们去非洲的行程中写了若干劝勉的信寄给他们。{TSA 4.2}
怀夫人对在非洲开始的工作的关心没有就此止步。1889年，当S.N.赫斯格前往欧洲五个月探访、举行聚会和辅导工作时，他收到了怀爱伦的来信，她在信中论述了传道区工作的某些方面和在传道区领导工作的人。 {TSA 4.3}
A. T. 罗宾逊1891年被派到非洲，他负责那里的工作时，在组织方面做了许多工作。怀爱伦所写的一些劝勉的信也寄给了他。 {TSA 4.4}
在怀爱伦涉及非洲工作信函的重要对象中，有一个南非家庭，即韦塞尔斯家庭，拥有许多财产。皮耶特·韦塞尔斯是最初在1886年写信给总会要求帮助的两个信徒之一。这整个家庭在后来的年月里得到了怀爱伦最深切的关心，她关心他们的属灵福利，他们的个人问题，和他们为圣工正确地使用钱财。 {TSA 4.5}
虽然怀爱伦本人从未访问过非洲，但她1891-1900年在澳大利亚时经常与非洲的领袖和信徒们通信。在档案中许多出自怀爱伦笔下的信函是写给韦塞尔斯家庭成员的，从1890年开始一直到1908年，即距她去世只有七年。{TSA 5.1}
总之，在怀爱伦信函和文件档案中涉及非洲的材料由给在非洲的传道士和领袖、给信徒，特别是给韦塞尔斯家庭成员的劝勉所构成，包括给个人的勉言，其中一些比较私密，适合特殊的情况。有些内容指出了在方法上犯的错误，有许多的劝诫，应用于工作的原则论述，和多页深刻的属灵教训。{TSA 5.2}
怀爱伦办公室致力于将指导和鼓舞非洲工作的相关材料汇编在本书中，还收录了通信以外的一些特殊内容，表明怀爱伦对非洲传道区的深切关心和参与，以及她对复临信息在非洲大陆得以迅速而均衡传播的负担。 {TSA 5.3}
怀爱伦著作托管委员会
1974年8月于华盛顿
When in 1886 a “Macedonian call” came to the General Conference in Battle Creek from several Sabbath-keeping Adventists in South Africa asking that a minister be sent to them, the response came in the form of a company who set out from America the next year for Cape Town, consisting of D. A. Robinson and C. L. Boyd and their wives; two colporteurs, George Burleigh and R. S. Anthony; and a Bible instructor, Miss Carrie Mace.{TSA 4.1}[1]
In Norway, as they were en route to South Africa, the path of brethren D. A. Robinson and C. L. Boyd crossed that of Ellen White who had gone from America to spend some time in Europe (1885-1887); and having become deeply interested in their mission she wrote letters of counsel which she placed in their hands as they journeyed to Africa.{TSA 4.2}[2]
Mrs. White’s interest in the opening work in Africa did not stop there. In 1889 when S. N. Haskell went to Africa to spend five months in visiting, holding meetings, and counseling concerning the work, he received letters from Ellen White in which she discussed certain aspects of the work of the mission and those leading out in it.{TSA 4.3}[3]
A. T. Robinson was sent to Africa in 1891 and, as he took charge of the work there, had much to do in shaping its organization. Letters of counsel from the pen of Ellen White were also addressed to him.{TSA 4.4}[4]
Among those very prominent in Ellen White’s correspondence concerning the Africa interests was a South African family, the Wessels family, who had come into the possession of considerable means. Pieter Wessels was one of the original two believers who wrote for help to the General Conference in 1886, and this entire family evoked the deepest interest in the years that followed on the part of Ellen White who was concerned with their spiritual welfare, their personal problems, and the right use of their means for the cause.{TSA 4.5}[5]
While Ellen White never visited South Africa in person she conducted regular correspondence with leaders and members there while she was in Australia from 1891 to 1900. There are in the files many letters from the pen of Ellen White to members of the Wessels family starting in 1890 and spanning the years to 1908, only seven years before her death.{TSA 5.1}[6]
To summarize, the E. G. White materials in the files of letters and documents touching on Africa consist of counsels to missionaries and leaders in Africa, to believers, and especially to members of the Wessels family. It includes counsel to individuals, some of it very personal and applying to particular situations. There are observations pointing out mistakes in method, many exhortations, statements of principles applying to the work, and many pages of deeply spiritual instruction.{TSA 5.2}[7]
The E. G. White office has endeavoured to bring together in this collection the relevant material that will serve to guide and inspire in the work in Africa, and to include some of the special items out of the correspondence that will show the deep interest and involvement of Ellen White in the Africa mission and her burden for the rapid and balanced growth of the Advent message in that continent.{TSA 5.3}[8]
Ellen G. White Estate Washington, D. C. August 1974[9]
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