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A Good Word

Darlene Diebler

When Darlene McIntosh was ten years old, she was so touched by a missionary’s speech that she told God she would go wherever He wanted her to. Little did she know just how much following Him would cost her.

Ten years later, she was on her way to New Guinea, an island north of Australia, with five trunks filled with lovely wedding gifts. Darlene and her new husband, Russell Diebler, then made a long, hard journey to the middle of the island to tell the Stone Age cannibals known as Kapaukus about Jesus Christ.

These small, dark-skinned natives had never seen a white woman before. But they liked Darlene instantly, and she loved them back. She and Russell lived in a small house made out of bamboo poles, made friends with the people, and told them about the Lord.

Their time with the Kapaukus was short, however. When World War II spread and Japan invaded New Guinea, they were forced to move to a nearby island. They worked in a mission Bible school there until it became too dangerous to stay. Then Darlene and Russell had to escape to the mountains with the other missionaries. They were able to take along only a few belongings, and she sadly left behind all her beautiful wedding gifts.

However, the missionaries weren’t safe in the mountains, either. Japanese soldiers soon came and took away all the men except Dr. Jaffrey, an elderly man, to a prison camp.

For a year, Darlene and the others that remained were forced to stay where they were. They had little food. She drew strength during this time from Dr. Jaffrey’s deep, quiet faith, and she loved him like a father. Then they were all taken to another prison camp that was run by a cruel commander who beat and kicked the women and girls for the smallest reasons. The prisoners worked hard, long days, even though they were fed a poor diet and were often ill.

When the Japanese moved Dr. Jaffrey to a different camp, Darlene wondered what more could be taken away from her. She missed him terribly, but she looked to God for comfort. Everyone in her crowded barracks became a close-knit group after she began leading them in Bible reading and prayer.

The commander saw how the other prisoners loved and respected Darlene, and he put her in charge of her building. Then came the news that Russell had died. By this time, the commander cared about her and tried to comfort her. She told him that she was very sad, but she had hope because she knew Jesus. She told him Jesus had died for him, too, and that she didn’t hate him or any other Japanese people. By the time she finished, the hard-hearted commander had tears running down his cheeks.

Still, things got worse. The secret police accused Darlene of being a spy. They took her to an awful prison where she was beaten and allowed to eat only one cup of rice a day. She became so ill that all of her hair turned white. Finally she was sentenced to die, but her old camp commander convinced higher officials that she was innocent. Just as a guard drew his sword to kill her, some officers drove up to take her back to the old camp.

Once Darlene was back, the commander put her in charge of all the other prisoners. But the prisoners’ lives became harder there, too. Bombings often forced the women to spend nights in ditches. Their barracks burned, and they had to stay in huts in the jungle. The little they had was gone. Food became even scarcer.

Finally, after Darlene had been in the camp three years, Japan surrendered. She was down to eighty pounds by this time and had to wear borrowed clothes when she was set free.

As she boarded the ship to leave, she vowed never to come back to the islands that had taken so much from her. Only 28 years old, she had lost her husband, her health, and everything she owned. But when she saw the Christian natives running to the shore to say goodbye, she knew she would return someday.

Back home in the United States, Darlene was asked to tell her story in a church. As she finished, she said, “It cost me everything to serve the Lord. For Jesus’ sake, I’d do it again.”

Taken with permission from Courageous Christians, Moody Publishers, ©2000 by Joyce Vollmer Brown.

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