When the Bangalore church was started in February of 1988 Stella was one of the very first women to be baptized. She was seventeen years old. She and her younger sister Doris both became disciples. They were 100% committed from day one. The Bangalore church started with a bang. 146 people were baptized that first year. Stella helped with a lot of the studies. She quickly became a leader and went on her first mission team to the city of Chennai (then called Madras) as a one year old disciple.
In Chennai Stella stood out with her serving heart and high commitment. She then went on the mission team to the city of Hyderabad. By then Stella had married a young man called Johnson. They became parents to two beautiful children.
Back in Chennai Stella worked for HOPE. She tirelessly traveled long distances to HOPE projects to serve the poor. She was always known for her smile and her sacrificial spirit.
In 2008, around the time of the Bangalore church’s 20th anniversary, Stella started experiencing severe abdominal pain. She kept pushing herself and had to be encouraged to seek medical help. When she did so the news was bad. Stella had cancer and it had spread to multiple organs.
Stella went on to live two more years with terminal cancer. As the months passed by she was unable to take part in all the church activities but she kept her smile. She used her days to pray for the needs of the church and she kept a very spiritual outlook.
Stella was faithful till the end. In her last days, as her suffering became more intense and she had lost her ability to see and hear, she would burst into song, recalling the hymns she had sung for the last twenty two years.
Stella leaves behind her husband and two children. Her children will grow up knowing their mother loved God and the church with all her heart. When we think of Stella, the following words come to mind, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
If you know of stories of faith and courage, please e-mail them to nadine.templer@dtoday.net or meghna.thomas@dtoday.net
