GOD & TEXAS: Pearl Simmons

When Texas native Pearl Simmons died in India on December 18, 1912, few noticed. Born in 1884, Pearl lost her mother while still an infant, and her father died when she was a young teen. Suddenly on her own, Pearl struggled to survive in the foreboding city of Dallas. Regrettably, she found the financial income she needed in the red-light districts like Frogtown and Boggy Bayou. Over time, the toll of constant abuse left her in hopeless despair.

It was then that Pearl met Rev. J. T. and Margaret (Maggie) Upchurch. They were the founders of the Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls, more commonly known as the Berachah (Hebrew for blessing) Home. 

In 1894, Upchurch and his wife initially started an outreach to prostitutes in Waco. But several of the local churches would not allow the “fallen” women to attend. Disappointed by their indifference, Upchurch moved to Arlington and purchased 27 acres of rural property in 1903. 

Lovingly called Rescue Hill, it welcomed homeless and often pregnant girls into a caring environment of faith and hope. Rev. Upchurch traveled the nation preaching the Gospel message and asking for financial support for Rescue Hill. Soon, he was receiving acclaim and donations from both local and national sources.

When a young woman was admitted to the Berachah Home, they agreed to spend one year in religious instruction and personal nurturing. The Home also provided opportunities to learn such job skills as childcare, sewing, nursing, stenography, printing, and housekeeping duties.

Rev. Upchurch formed a traveling musical group featuring the women and their testimonies of redemption. Their ministry was shared in local churches, city revivals, and street meetings in nearby Dallas and Fort Worth. 

Once Pearl had completed her year-long instruction, she joined the musical group and shared her story with zeal. At some point Pearl felt the call of God to minister in India. She and her close friend Olive Nelson traveled overseas in 1908 to share the Gospel message.

In a letter from India to Rev. Upchurch and dated October 30, 1912, Pearl wrote: “Notwithstanding difficulties, peculiar trials, and temptations which I am surrounded with in this dark land, when I get a glimpse of [Christ’s] face, then the clouds disappear and the mists roll away in the brightness of His presence. I feel encouraged to go on, and am more determined to work among these people and try to lead them to Him by His grace than ever before.”

Pearl died of smallpox at the age of 28, a few weeks after penning that letter. The Berachah Home brought her to be buried in their cemetery located on the present-day campus of the University of Texas-Arlington. Pearl rose above her circumstances and touched lives around the world. 

The world may not have noticed the unselfish sacrifice of this young woman, but God did. As the scripture says in Psalm 116:15 (NIV): “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His faithful servants.” 

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