Dorretta and her husband, Zeral, surrendered their lives to missions in 1945. They were confirmed as missionaries by the First Baptist Church of Salem in 1947, who also pledged their entire monthly support of $300.00. They served first in the Dominican Republic, then Cuba and Mexico, before returning to the DR. While in Mexico they founded TIME Ministries with the goal of giving young people a missions experience.
In 1991, they returned to the Dominican Republic and expanded TIME Ministries. They reconnected with Pastor Rudy, brothers in spirit and in goals. Together they purchased land, hauled water, built temporary wooden chapels and helped to begin the Quisqueyana Baptist Church (IBQ) with the help of mission teams. Five years later her beloved husband passed away. “What to do now?” Pastor Rudy and Patria made a special room for her in their home, and she continued to serve in the IBQ church and with TIME Missions in a leadership role. God used her to raise the funds to build the three-story TIME Missions headquarters, and together with Pastor Rudy and Patria they supervised and sub-contracted the construction. Dorretta’s faithful involvement and prayers continued to play a significant role in TIME Missions during difficult transitions. She came to be honored by the TIME board and staff and looked forward to a weekly prayer time with them until shortly before her death.
In 2006 while continuing her service to TIME Missions, Dorretta’s deep connections with the Dominican Republic and IBQ made it the perfect location for STCH Ministries to start their international ministry under the leadership of one of her daughters, Joanna Berry. Dorretta worked with the cooks at both TIME MISSIONS and STCH Ministries to perfect the menu used with the mission teams. Compassionate and burdened for the needs of children, together with Patria, they began to sponsor a few children, and called it Samuel’s Fund. It formed the nucleus of the current STCH Ministries Samuel’s Fund sponsorship of over 300 children. “I’ll retire when I get old,” she often said with a shrug and a bit of a smile. That day came at the age of 97, although she returned to visit the following year, and again to celebrate her 100th birthday.
Dorretta never outgrew her identify as a humble country girl. Never went to college, never sang a song, wrote a sonnet, or preached a message. She could never accept that she had outstanding value or a lofty purpose in God’s plans. “I just love to cook good food, and serve people.” She grieved and complained about the limitations of age, and her failing eyesight that took away her ability to knit and sew and read. She compensated as she devoured audible books, and continued to bake her pies by touch.
Her faith was unshakable and her theology was encapsulated in the familiar song “Jesus loves me, this I know; for the Bible tells me so.” Her prayers were bolstered by her absolute faith in God’s Word, frequently quoted to all who would listen, “All things work together for good; Give thanks in everything, for this is the will of God,” and perhaps her most quoted (with emphasis), “Be anxious for NOTHING, but in EVERYTHING by prayer and supplication, WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known unto God. She called it a recipe.
For a humble country girl, God used her to inspire hundreds of lives. “There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance,” the Bible tells us. On July 13, 2024 we will bury Dorretta’s body next to her husband, and the following day we will celebrate her life at First Baptist Church in Salem, Oregon. We will mourn the loss of a significant presence and the light of her love and counsel. And we will laugh and dance as we remember and celebrate her legacy.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to TIME MISSIONS for Development and Training of National staff. Donations can be made online www.timemissions.com, or sent by check to TIME Missions, P.O. Box 13050, Des Moines, IA 50310. Please designate to Dorretta Brown Memorial Fund.
