Darlene Deibler Rose

Darlene Deibler Rose as a young missionary

Darlene Deibler Rose was a woman of faith. At the young age of ten, she sensed the Lord calling her to be a missionary. In 1937, she met a missionary named C. Russell Deibler. After a brief courtship, they married and immediately set sail for the Dutch East Indies – now called Indonesia – to begin their ministry work among the natives. She quickly learned the language and culture and began sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with the villagers. Meanwhile, halfway across the globe, a conflict was brewing. World War II erupted in 1939 and before long, the Deiblers were forced to leave their beloved village in the East Indies and travel to a safer region on the island of Celebes. With the Japanese Imperial Navy advancing in Pacific waters, the Deiblers realized that they were only delaying the inevitable and, in January of 1942, the Japanese took over the island.

During these uncertain times, Darlene stood firm in her faith. On March 13, 1943, the occupiers gathered the few missionary men, including Russell Deibler, and shipped them to prison barracks. Darlene never saw her husband again. Two months later, the Japanese moved the women to another prison camp, and she was chosen as the leader of one of the barracks because of her fluency in English, Dutch, and Indonesian. Despite the horrendous conditions in the camp, she kept the women’s spirits up by holding Bible studies, praying, and caring for the weak and ailing. In May of 1944, the Japanese secret police came to the camp and brought Darlene to a prison where she was kept in solitary confinement – she had been accused of being a spy and was sentenced to be executed. Just as she was about to be put to death, God miraculously intervened and her captors released her back to camp. She returned to the United States after the war, remarried, and with her husband went back to the East Indies to continue her ministry with the natives.

Darlene Deibler Rose is a hero to me because throughout her ordeal, she truly was a beacon of light, first to the natives, then to the women in the prison camp. She became very well respected and God gave her the opportunity to bring the camp commander to Christ. Even on death row, she had the peace of God. No matter what came her way, Darlene always trusted in the Lord and made the best of her situation. I want to have that kind of faith. My prayer is that Christ would make me a woman of faith, a woman like Darlene Deibler Rose.