,Rev David Pearson and Bettie Pearson

Bettie Butler Pearson was born in 1931 the last of eight children and loved learning and at and early age published her own little newspaper that always included a page with ‘Something about the Bible.’ She attended Camp Miles and it was there she gave her life to the Lord. It was also at Camp Miles she met her future husband. Bettie attended Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC, Southern Missionary College in Collegedale, TN, and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary and Christian Education from Salem College in Salem, WV.

In 1953 Bettie married David Pearson and they served a few months in Paint Rock, AL before getting the call to go to Berea, WV. It was in WV that they first heard of the need for missionaries to go to the Makapwa Mission in Nyasaland, Africa. In 1954 Bettie and David answered the call and went to Nyasaland. They spent five years there and Bettie learned to speak and write Chichewa, taught at the mission school, wrote Sabbath school lessons, encouraged Sabbath School teachers, took primitive camping trips to visit Northern churches and became a mother for the first time. The couple returned home for a brief visit in 1959 but returned to Nyasaland for another 5 year term. During this time with all her other responsibilities she began to teach her eldest daughter at home, had another daughter, and taught Bible lessons to the many children who came to play. In 1965 Bettie and her family returned to the US and spent a year in Richburg, NY where she helped teach a weekly Bible class.

Bettie returned to Nyasaland, now Malawi in 1966 with David where she continued to help with Sabbath Schools, writing Sabbath School lessons and having them publishes in Chichewa. She also taught sewing and cooking to African women and helped train women leaders for the churches in Malawi. Bettie began having Bible classes in her home for nearby children and she taught in a more formal setting in government high schools teaching Religious Instruction. In 1972 they made the decision to stay on in Africa for another 5 years and a fourth term of service.

In 1977 Bettie and her family took up a pastorate in Plainfield, NJ where Bettie while supporting her husband, entertained denominational workers, started a Bible Club for neighborhood black childern, prepared many children’s messages about Malawi, served on Growth Force, taught Sabbath School, served on the Board of Christian Education, Women’s Society recording secretary and church secretary, all the while continuing to write Sabbath School lessons in Chichewa and sending them to Malawi for publicaiton.

In 1979 she and David returned to Malawi for a fifth missionary term.