At the time of the dedication of the Loma Linda Sanitarium, April 15, 1906, Mrs. White reviewed some of the remarkable providences that had attended the efforts of the brethren to secure sanitarium properties in southern California. She also outlined briefly the divine purpose that is to be wrought out through such agencies. In the course of her remarks, she declared: (LS 403.1) MC VC

“Solemn is the responsibility resting upon medical missionaries. They are to be missionaries in the true sense of the term. The sick and the suffering who entrust themselves to the care of the helpers in our medical institutions, must not be disappointed. They are to be taught how to live in harmony with heaven. As they learn to obey God’s law, they will be richly blessed in body and in spirit.” (LS 403.2) MC VC

“The advantage of outdoor life must never be lost sight of. How thankful we should be that God has given us beautiful sanitarium properties at Paradise Valley and Glendale and Loma Linda! ‘Out of the cities! out of the cities!’—this has been my message for years. We cannot expect the sick to recover rapidly when they are shut in within four walls, in some city, with no outside view but houses, houses, houses,—nothing to animate, nothing to enliven. And yet how slow some are to realize that the crowded cities are not favorable places for sanitarium work!” (LS 403.3) MC VC

“Even in southern California, not many years ago, there were some who favored the erection of a large sanitarium building in the heart of Los Angeles. In the light of the instruction God had given, we could not consent to the carrying out of any such plan. In the visions of the night the Lord had shown me unoccupied properties in the country, suitable for sanitarium purposes, and for sale at a price far below the original cost.” (LS 403.4) MC VC