A Leader in the Making

Amazonian Wednesdays 🌴

October 2004
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When I met Melissa Chuquispuma three years ago, she was so timid that she could not even make eye contact with me. Today, she is overseeing three cell groups. I would like to tell you a little bit about her life. 

Melissa tells me that as a child, she attended Sunday School and became familiar with the stories of the Bible. However, it was not until she was a teenager did her relationship with God become living and active. A youth leader made her feel welcome at church, and she has been coming ever since. She plugged into our discipleship program, hungry for growth in her spiritual walk. She is now twenty years old and full of fire for Jesus! 

Toward the end of last year, Melissa went to a conference in Lima, the capital city of Peru. There she heard a message that changed her life. Pastora Claudia Fajardo of Misión Carismática Internacional was preaching on the subject of courage. She defined a courageous person not as someone who was never afraid of anything, but as someone who went ahead and just went for it in spite of fears and uncertainties. All of a sudden, a light went on inside of Melissa. She realized that she could be a bold leader in spite of the insecurity that often sprang up inside of her. As soon as she got home, she was ready to put this new understanding into practice, and expressed an eagerness  to start leading a cell group. 

Tragically, a few months after the conference, Melissa’s father, still quite young, passed away unexpectedly of a stroke. Israel and I were ready to give Melissa an extended time of rest from her involvement in ministry during her initial period of grieving. Melissa had a different idea. Though her father’s death caused her deep sorrow, she decided that she could not put life on hold as a result of it. After only a few weeks, she plunged ahead with her desire to be used of God in cell ministry, channeling the strength of her emotions into the activities involved with this new commitment. She also was careful to take time alone with God to work through the process of healing from her loss, and not to bury her pain or ignore it. 

Melissa has blossomed this year. Her first cell group grew quickly, as the young people in her neighborhood were drawn to the faith that was reflected so obviously in her life during this time of trial. Soon, she had trained another leader from our discipleship program to take over the first cell group, and she was ready to start a second one. At this point in time her leadership has expanded to include three cell groups under her direction. We are immensely proud of her.