I first met Emma Dearstein when she arrived in the country of Guyana where I was serving the Church as Missionary Overseer. Wade H. Horton, one of our Tennessee Camp Meeting preachers, had mentioned this lady who prayed for God’s direction as to where to go, heard from God, then prepared herself to go by taking in washing for people, cleaning houses, and whatever else was necessary, saving her money until she had enough to purchase her ticket, then fulfilling her call by going! In my mind she was a saint in the fullest sense of the word.
She entered Guyana (where the main language was English) and as soon as she arrived in the outskirts of town began to preach on the street corner in Spanish. Later, she would say to me, “Brother, I could not understand it. People would look at me for a few minutes as if I was crazy – then they would walk away. I had always been able to get someone to listen to me. But now they were not listening. Then I discovered why. They speak English here! Not Spanish!”
Someone found her preaching on the streets and brought her to our mission home. She stayed in the home with us for a short time only and then went out into a remote area where she got very week and sick. Upon returning to our home sick, she told us she thought that it was her heart, because she had fainted. At her request we had prayer for divine healing and began trying to nourish her back to good health. She believed strongly in divine healing and trusted God to take care of her. We had some local pastors stop by and they also prayed for her healing but she was not getting better. When we wanted to call a doctor, she protested. After much initial protest, she finally said, “I’ll let you call a doctor – only because I don’t want you to be blamed for my death if something happens and I don’t survive.”
Emma refused to go to the hospital. We called a doctor whom we had met at the Adventist Hospital and he agreed to come to our home to give her a physical examination. After listening to her heart-beat and checking all her other vital signs, the doctor asked her, “Emma, have you been diagnosed with heart problems before?” She responded with an emphatic “No!” “Well … has someone around you told you it was you heart?” Again, she said “No!” The doctor then said, “Emma, I want to tell you that your heart is strong! All of your vital signs are great. The problem is that you have eaten some food somewhere and the germs have attacked your system.” To which Sister Dearstein responded, “I don’t believe in germs! I believe in demons! And right now all the demons of hell are attacking me!” She did get better and got back out onto the streets, preaching up to ten times a day.
The number of times the lady preached in a month was incredible! After the first month that she was there she sent in her ministerial report. After reading it and seeing that she reported something over 200 sermons preached in one month, I discreetly asked my Superintendent what he made of this report. Should I talk to her about this? Normally, a minister who preaches 3 times a week will have 12 to 15 sermons to report. An evangelist who spends his time preaching every night would normally report less than 30. Brother Morse (My supervisor) said, “No need to talk to her. I KNOW for a fact that her report is accurate. I have already checked her out by watching from a distance. She will take her market basket onto one arm and walk to a corner of the street; set her basket down, take out a hymn book, sing, close the book, take out a bible, read a verse/s and preach for about ten to fifteen minutes, invite people to come and pray and after prayer will pass out a few tracts. Then she picks up the basket and goes to the next corner where she starts all over again.” He further reminded me that 10 times a day multiplied by 30 days, equals 300!" That was the pattern she had set for herself.
In the beginning of her ministry (In the '50s or '60s) the board expressed to her that they did not think it wise to send out a single lady. It was too dangerous. It would raise too many sensitive questions from the converts in the foreign fields and might put her into awkward situations where she would have to be alone with a male. After being rejected by the board, she prayed about it until she felt sure that she was really called of God to go as a missionary. She told me that she prayed fervently, until she would speak in tongues. Then the Holy Ghost would give her the interpretation to the message, telling her in English where she was to go. Then she would raise her own support, purchase her own ticket, go to the place God told her to go – then work in that place until her funds ran out. After she had done this for a few years (I don't know how many) the board decided to send her $50.00 per month for support so she could at least have something extra for food or a new dress.
She was so pleased that the board supported her with that "huge" offering that now she could purchase gospel tracts for free distribution. She used very little for her own personal needs.
She was so pleased that the board supported her with that "huge" offering that now she could purchase gospel tracts for free distribution. She used very little for her own personal needs.
On one occasion, she said that she was praying, and feeling the presence of the Holy Ghost as if he were going to speak through her lips in tongues. However, she said, “Instead of a message in tongues, the words would come out … ‘St. Johns, St. Johns, St. Johns, St. Johns.’” After several days of praying like this, she went to the local library to see if she could find a place in the world named St. Johns. Walking into the building, she asked the young librarian, “Do you know of any place in the world named St. Johns?” “Oh, Yes!” She replied, “I’ve just come back from St. Johns, Antigua.” Immediately, Sister Dearstine purchased her ticket, went to that island in the Caribbean and established the Church of God there.
