In 1886, Ellen White was given a dream—one that still speaks with startling clarity to the heart of our mission today. It’s a dream about berries, workers, and missed opportunities—and ultimately, it’s about souls.
She writes:
“In a dream given me September 29, 1886, I was walking with a large company who were looking for berries… We seemed to be in a city where there was very little vacant ground, but around the city were open fields, beautiful groves, and cultivated gardens. A large wagon laden with provisions for our company went before us…”
The group scattered to search for fruit, yet strangely, they overlooked what was growing right near them. All around the wagon—right there—were high bushes full of ripe, beautiful berries. But no one saw them. They were too busy searching far off, assuming fruit would only be found elsewhere.
Ellen White began picking carefully, one by one. Some of the berries had already fallen—spoiled and consumed by insects. And her heart cried out: “If this field had only been entered before, all this precious fruit might have been saved.”
Friends, this is not just a dream—it’s a picture of our mission field today.
Ripe but Neglected
Many are seeking fruit in distant places, while the berries closest to us—the souls right in our cities, in our neighborhoods, on our very streets—are falling to the ground unnoticed.
In her dream, Ellen White warns us: delay doesn’t just postpone the harvest. It causes it to be lost to us.
And why were the workers so ineffective? The dream reveals several sobering answers:
- They were distracted. Some were chatting, laughing, enjoying each other’s company instead of gathering fruit.
- They had no expectation of success. They brought food for themselves, but no baskets to collect berries.
- They made assumptions. They skipped the high bushes, saying, “We didn’t think we’d find anything there.”
- They weren’t prepared to follow up. When Ellen offered them her basket, they had no way to preserve or care for the harvest.
It’s a devastating indictment—not of a lack of fruit, but of a lack of faithful labor.
The Dream in Real Life: Grand Rapids
This dream has gripped our team personally as we’ve worked on the ground in Grand Rapids. During a recent mission trip, we took a different approach to follow-up. Instead of merely collecting interests, we immediately assigned local pastors and our student missionaries to begin visiting within 30–60 minutes of a Bible study sign-up.
Each church territory we canvassed was matched with real-time follow-up. It wasn’t just about gathering. It was about caring.
God blessed. We distributed over 25,000 books and received nearly 200 in-person Bible study interests—without offering online or mail options. Just face-to-face ministry. But that’s not even the most powerful part.
Becky and Charlene
There’s a trailer park in Kentwood we had visited multiple times. I had personally knocked on every door there at least three times. But during this mission trip, I decided to go again.
This time, I met Becky.
She was overwhelmed. CPS was threatening to take her children. Her house was in disarray. She was desperate for help—and also looking for a church.
I told her, “Give us a week. We’ll be back to help clean your home, study the Bible with you, and walk with you into a new chapter.” She said yes. The girls on our team returned this week. She was ready. She knew exactly why they were there.
Just a few doors down, I met Charlene. I had knocked on her door multiple times before, too. This time, she opened. She shared about the pain of losing her 14-year-old son in a car accident two years ago and the unbearable grief she still carries.
We prayed. She signed up for Bible studies. And when she learned we were Seventh-day Adventists, she lit up: “My stepmom is Adventist. Nobody explains the Bible like her. Now that I know you’re Adventist, I definitely want to study with you.”
Both women were there all along—berries near the wagon.
Lessons from the Dream
This dream and this experience have changed how I view the mission field. Here are the convictions God placed on my heart:
- Don’t assume the field is barren. Souls are ready—you just have to look carefully.
- Don’t delay. Some fruit spoils because no one arrives in time.
- Don’t skip the hard places. Some of the best fruit is on the high bushes.
- Don’t be unprepared. Bring baskets. Be ready to disciple.
- Don’t forget to revisit. Just because you’ve knocked before doesn’t mean the door won’t open now.
Final Appeal
As Ellen White said in the dream, “The day is already far spent, soon the night will be here, in which we can gather no fruit.”
Let’s not be distracted. Let’s not be idle. Let’s go out—carefully, prayerfully, faithfully—and search near and far for the precious souls Christ died to save.
And when we find them, let’s be ready to care for them.
Let’s not miss the berries near the wagon.
Transcribed from a devotional message given by Johnny Henderson, VP of Operations for Streams of Light International and associate director for Streams of Light Training Institute. To read Ellen White’s account of this dream, click here.