Growing up without one parent is sometimes traumatic for any child. For Pastor Melva Henderson, living her life without either of her parents was a reality. Thanks to her grandmother who raised her, she was able to face adversity, answer her calling and push through, despite not being raised within a “normal” family structure.
For this Milwaukee native, her life has been anything but perfect, but after making the decision to fully give herself to God, her purpose on this Earth became clearer. Like most people, Melva wanted a better life for herself and her children. After dedicating a countless number of hours to learning the word of God, her mindset changed. She addressed personal issues, and in turn, she started to see the change that she wanted.
“The word of God transformed my life,” Melva says. “It transformed my thinking. As a result of that, I just got on a different track in life.”
Fortunately, that “track” has led her down a path of many different accomplishments, the most recent being the release of her upcoming book Fresh Baked Manna Volume 1.
The book, which will be available in late May, is a result of a routine that Melva became accustomed to with her readers. She would wake each morning to write passages based on her inspiration from God. These passages are meant to in turn inspire those who follow her ministry.
After graduating from Rhema Bible Training Center in 1992, her desire was to help inform others about Christ and to help single mothers with their children. Through various ministries, Melva began to achieve her goal of helping others in many different ways, even from an international standpoint.
During a mission trip to Mexico in 2007, she visited a small village where children walked around in an area where there were dead dogs, broken glass and debris everywhere. These children weren’t wearing shoes.
“I went to a store that was somewhat like a Wal-Mart and bought as many shoes as I could,” she remembers. “I walked through the village and started putting shoes on the ‘Little Feet of Mexico.’”
Since that experience, Melva has funded a ministry in Mexico that purchases and distributes shoes for the children. Additionally, through various outreaches, she’s collecting, packing and shipping shoes to Mexico.
But Melva didn't stop there. In an effort to strengthen local churches, “The School of Ministerial Excellence” was born. The ministry is specifically for people who feel that they were called to stand in one of the five-fold areas of ministry. Even though this particular ministry is still in its beginning stages, through the school of prayer, mission and evangelists, Melva sees it growing in the future.
“Through those entities we’re able to get people developed and equipped,” she says. “Then we send them out into the four corners of the world.”
Although she has accomplished a lot, her most difficult obstacle in life has been not having the support of loving parents. Melva credits her grandmother with doing a good job, but at the end of the day, she didn’t have her mother or her father, which was extremely difficult for her to accept, she says.
Hearing others talk about their fathers made Melva’s situation with her parents more prevalent. Sometimes, she couldn’t even be in the same room while others spoke fondly about their fathers.
Her relationship with her parents caused her to become over protective with her own children. She was always with her children, even if it meant leaving her work.
“I just wanted to make sure they didn’t go through what I went through,” she says. “I didn’t want my kids to experience not having a mother like I did.
As a woman who has many different responsibilities, Melva notes that prioritizing is key, despite the fact that it can be a constant struggle when your calling is to help other people.
“Ministry is something that never stops, so you have to stop ministering,” she says. “I stop ministering when it comes to my family. My family is always first. My family is my priority.”
Her goal is to let her family know that they are what matters most. She’s also setting an example for her children and grandchildren when they come into the ministry, she says. As long as she keeps God first, he teaches her to keep her family first.
“I don’t want to win the world and lose my children,” she says. “That is not the vision.”
