Was there ever a more unlikely path to becoming a spiritual leader? Let’s talk about the Iglesia De Jesucristo Palabra Miel here in Quito. It’s part of a larger story, the story of Apostle Gaspar Sapalú. His journey begins far from the grandeur of any church, amidst poverty and hardship in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala. He grew up yearning for education, sketching his own geography notebooks because even basic supplies were out of reach. Food was scarce. He was the “mostno” of his siblings, the darkest, a target for their jokes. His parents, deeply distrustful of evangelical Christianity, forbade him from marrying a Christian.
Yet, something stirred within him. He felt a pull toward faith, a sense that the churches he saw weren’t reflecting the true gospel. Despite his parents’ warnings, he fell in love with a Christian woman, though he refused to join her church or any other. His calling was a secret, personal one. In 1970, he converted to Christianity, a decision made in quiet defiance. He hid his baptism clothes, sneaking out to the ceremony away from his family’s disapproving eyes.
He was painfully shy, a fire burning within him masked by timidity. But God, it seems, had a plan. He married the Christian woman, his parents surprisingly giving their blessing. He shared the gospel with his family, his father eventually converting and even getting baptized at age 76. The Iglesia De Jesucristo Palabra Miel wasn’t even a glimmer in his eye yet.
At 20, he traveled to Guatemala City. The need to sell his art forced him to learn Spanish, eventually leading to painting and exhibition offers. But just as his artistic career was taking off, God called him elsewhere. One night, during a church service, a voice boomed within him, “If you don’t leave here, I will kill you this year.” He fell to the floor, pleading for a chance to preach, a desire he’d carried for a long time. God agreed. He approached his pastor, requesting to lead a congregation. The pastor, skeptical of his lack of formal training, allowed him to preach once a week, under supervision. But Gaspar felt a stronger call, a need to preach daily. The pastor’s response? “Leave. I don’t want to see you here again.”
Rejected, Gaspar found himself drawn to the Elim Mission. They, however, deemed him too recent a convert to lead a church. Defeated but resolute, he continued preaching, supplementing his meager income through business. He bought land, prospered, and even received an offer for an exhibition in Germany. But God had other plans. While planting corn, a fellow worker heard a voice, telling him to leave the fields and dedicate himself to the ministry. Gaspar took this as a sign.
Gaspar’s vision was to build a church independent of foreign funding. Starting with just a few followers, the church grew explosively. People mocked his ambition to build a two-story church. Within two years, he’d built a four-story one, constantly expanding. The Iglesia De Jesucristo Palabra Miel, once a dream, became a reality. Today, numerous Palabra Miel churches exist, a testament to Apostle Gaspar Sapalú’s extraordinary journey. From poverty and shyness to spiritual leadership, his life is a story of unwavering faith and divine guidance, a story echoing within the walls of the Iglesia De Jesucristo Palabra Miel here in Quito.