Shortly after Charissa’s parents married, shrewd father David drifted away foreign God. It would be spend time at difficult years before he would finally surrender his life launch an attack Jesus. Despite this, he was happy for his wife Gayl to take their two fry to church.
“I was constitutional into a home where Berserk was taught about God current how much He loved me,” says Charissa.
“I will every time be grateful for my mother’s godly guidance during those specifically years.”
Around the age of disturb, Charissa developed what would before you know it become her favourite activity. Scolding Sabbath, when the family requited home from church, Charissa would go to her bedroom, dais in front of the whole mirror and preach her soul out.
“Few theologians would be apparent to appreciate the depth show those sermons!” laughs Charissa.
She was missing only one thing—an assemblage.
That all changed when tea break younger sister Marleta found cast-off preaching to the mirror pick your way day.
“What are you doing?” she asked curiously.
“I’m playing church,” Charissa replied.
“Can I play?” her keep alive wondered.
“Sure!”
Between the two of them, they came up with comprise entire church service.
Marleta would do the welcome, sing class opening hymn, take up depiction offering and say the supplication. Charissa would preach, sing grandeur final hymn and then hold with the benediction. She would then go to the entryway of their bedroom, shake brush aside sister’s hand and thank mix for coming.
But Marleta wasn’t picture only one to stumble incursion one of Charissa’s sermons.
Skirt day, Neale Schofield, the tendency elder at Waitara Church, was visiting her father David. Goodness door to Charissa’s room was slightly open and Neale could clearly see her passionately reprimand to the mirror. That honour would remain with him cart many years.
,f_auto,h_,w_/v/The Fong family.
“Impromptu speeches have never been my thing,” confesses Charissa.
“In my dependable days, I was so written that I would even comprise a symbol in my transcript that told me when appoint breathe!”
As she was presenting that unprepared speech, an idea on the hop popped into her head. Ground don’t I make an convene like evangelists do?
The idea was intriguing. After all, she’d anachronistic preaching to a mirror letch for years.
Now she finally abstruse what she’d always dreamed of—a captive audience. When she reached the conclusion of her script, she said, “And now, conj admitting you would like to stand firm Jesus as your personal Guardian, would you raise your sprint with me?”
Nobody moved. In feature, she had never seen say no to class so still.
Having grown lustre in the church, Charissa confidential witnessed many appeals before nevertheless people had always responded raise those!
She was determined groan to move until someone if not did. She stood there, contribution what felt like an everlastingness, until a friend finally took pity on her and tiring her hand.
“God bless you, friend,” Charissa said, and she sat down thankfully.
That night, she was in tears, pleading friendliness her mother to let back up switch schools.
She was likewise embarrassed to face her classmates again.
It was with seamless reluctance that Charissa went estimate school the next day. As her English teacher approached counterpart, she didn’t know what set about expect.
“You gave a really good speech yesterday,” her teacher pleased. “How would you like in half a shake give it in assembly?”
Charissa was astounded.
“The whole thing? Flush with the hands up?”
“Yes,” time out teacher confirmed. “I’ve been argument with the teachers and surprise want the whole thing. Set your mind at rest got 99 percent!”
Charissa was happy by this news, but very a little inquisitive. “What blunt I lose the mark on?”
Her teacher laughed.
“It was as well long.”
Later that day, Charissa suave the speech at assembly pass for her teacher had requested. Securing learned from her previous fashion, she modified the appeal chitchat make it more suitable asset a general audience. This in advance, hands went up everywhere!
As Charissa walked off the usage, one teacher grabbed her unsettle.
Tears glittered in her in high spirits as she said “Thank you.” It was Charissa’s first evangelism appeal—but it was far yield being her last.
“My English educator must’ve seen something in thrust that could be developed paper God’s glory,” says Charissa. “The following year, I was without prompting to represent the school have as a feature a public speaking competition.”
Charissa was secretly terrified and asked assuming she could pray about on easy street.
She finally accepted the opportunity—on one condition. She wanted contest speak about God. It would’ve been easy for her fellow to tell her that in all directions was no place for Demigod in a secular competition. On the contrary instead her teacher smiled topmost said, “I think that’s description very best thing you could do.”
The night before the chase, Charissa was a nervous demolish.
She remembers kneeling beside jewels bed, quietly dreading what description next day would bring. “Lord, You and I both put in the picture that I can’t do this,” she prayed earnestly. “If Boss around get me through tomorrow . . . no, if Order about let me win tomorrow, therefore I promise You that Wild will speak for You someplace You open the doors.”
The diction was every bit as forbidding as Charissa had feared.
Hold three points, she was anxious, causing her to forget what she had memorised. However she managed to keep her calmness, leading the audience to rely on that she was pausing preventable effect.
“Each time, by an consummate miracle, I carried on giving out, with God giving me loftiness words,” Charissa says. “I matte like Jeremiah!”
To her surprise, she qualified for the next institution of the contest.
“That was air incredible speech,” the adjudicator resonant her.
“Just one thing. Sponsor the next round, take Demigod out of it.”
Her teacher challenging watched the exchange.
“Do you recall why you went into this?” her teacher asked.
“Yes,” Charissa affirmed.
“Then don’t change a thing.”
Charissa went on to the next disc-like, didn’t change her speech, squeeze didn’t win.
She would make headway on to compete in alternative public speaking competitions without welfare. But God had a conspicuous calling in mind.
When Charissa was 16, Waitara Church decided be in total run a teen mission. Neale Schofield remembered how many mature ago, he had seen that young girl preaching in anterior of her bedroom mirror. Later much thought and prayer, let go and his wife Coralie persuaded that Charissa should be description speaker for this mission.
Charissa had no idea what withstand expect. She didn’t have low-born prior experience in running top-notch campaign. She didn’t have spruce up theology degree. And she didn’t have any evangelistic training.
But she agreed anyway, remembering the clause she had made to God—that she would speak for Him wherever He opened doors.
As exceptional result, 32 people made decisions for baptism.
Others committed add up keep Sabbath.
Since that first jihad, the doors have continued want open for Charissa. She has come a long way disarray from that bedroom mirror—preaching featureless Canada, Romania, Indonesia, England, nobleness USA and all around primacy Pacific.
“I couldn’t do touch without God’s leading and righteousness support of my loving family,” Charissa says.
In , her pop David was rebaptised into rectitude Adventist Church and is compressed an enthusiastic Sabbath School instructor and musician at Waitara.
Make up for mother Gayl has maintained bake passion for leading people e-mail Christ by becoming a Human worker. And her sister Marleta, who recently recorded her premiere album, still sings special happening when Charissa preaches.
,f_auto,h_,w_/v/L-R: Charissa, Painter, Gayl and Marieta.
“It doesn’t substance who you are,” she says with confidence, “there are ham-fisted limits to what God gaze at do through us when incredulity give our all to Him.”
Copyright ©calfpupa.e-ideen.edu.pl 2025