The spring and early summer of 1881 we spent together at our home in Battle Creek. My husband hoped to arrange his business so that we could go to the Pacific coast and devote ourselves to writing. He felt that we had made a mistake in allowing the apparent wants of the cause and the entreaties of our brethren to urge us into active labor in preaching when we should have been writing. My husband desired to present more fully the glorious subject of redemption, and I had long contemplated the preparation of important books. We both felt that while our mental powers were unimpaired we should complete these works,—that it was a duty which we owed to ourselves and to the cause of God to rest from the heat of battle, and give to our people the precious light of truth which God had opened to our minds. {LS 247.2}

Foråret og forsommeren i 1881 tilbragte vi sammen i vort hjem i Battle Creek. Min mand håbede at kunne ordne sin forretning så at vi kunne tage til Stillehavskysten og hellige os selv til skrivning. Han mente at han gjorde en fejltagelse ved at lade sagens tilsyneladende mangler og vore brødres anmodninger, tilskynde os til at arbejde aktivt i forkyndelse, hvor vi egentlig skulle have skrevet. Min mand besluttede sig for at frembringe det herlige forløsningsemne mere fyldestgørende, og jeg selv havde længe påtænkt forberedelsen af betydningsfulde bøger. Vi følte begge at så længe vore mentale kræfter var uskadte burde vi fuldende disse værker. Det var en opgave som vi skyldte os selv og Guds sag at hvile fra kampens hede. Vi skulle give vore folk det dyrebare sandheds lys som Gud havde åbnet for vore sind.