“My mother was looking for a church, so she opened to a random page in the phonebook and chose Pente
“My mother was looking for a church, so she opened to a random page in the phonebook and chose Pentecostal Tabernacle. It was a very West Indian church. Even though there were a lot of immigrants, we were one of the few African families. The civil war had stranded my father in Liberia, so my mom was raising three girls on her own. We didn’t have any family members around. And it wasn’t the nicest neighborhood, so the church became our community. The pastor was such a warm man. Pastor Herman had worked as a missionary in Liberia, so he understood our culture. He’d laugh, and sing, and clap when he preached. And he loved young people. In many churches the children are expected to fall in line. But Pastor Herman would always speak to us. And never with condescension. As a little girl I’d always been told that I talked too much. Or raised my hand too much. Or had too many ideas. Most adults would make me feel small. But not Pastor Herman. He prayed for me when I ran for student council. And he comforted me when I lost. My ideas would be given undivided attention, no matter how impossible they seemed. Pastor Herman would tell me: ‘Chara, you’re a leader. I see leadership in you.’ Can you imagine the power of hearing that? At the age of ten? He planted that seed. And there wasn’t any motive. He never pushed me into the ministry. He said: ‘Whatever God has put on your heart, pursue it.’ He told me that I could be Secretary General of the UN. We stayed in touch when I went off to college. And after graduation he encouraged me to accept a fellowship position with the Liberian government. Other people were telling me to settle down in the US, but Pastor Herman said: ‘Chara, go. You’ve been called to help back home.’ I ended up serving as one of the youngest deputy ministers. And right now I’m teaching governance and leadership to young African scholars. But there have been many times in my career when I’ve struggled to be my authentic self. I’ve heard voices from my past, saying: ‘You’re too intense. Too loud. Too much.’ But in those moments I’ve always heard another voice. The voice of Pastor Herman, saying: ‘Chara, you’re a leader. I see leadership in you.’” -- source link