Called to Ministry and Study

My name is Debra Brock, and I am called to ministry and study at the Christian Leaders Institue. I live in Salem, New York, USA, a small town in upstate New York, about five minutes from the Vermont border. Recently, my husband and I celebrated 41 years of marriage. We have four beautiful daughters, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren that we are blessed to have live with us. We have a family-run dairy goat farm and a dog rescue/sanctuary.

My Youth

Born in Illinois, I moved around a lot as a child because of my father’s work. Wherever we lived, we served at a local church. I have fond memories of my mother doing summer Vacation Bible School in several towns. Sometimes, she served at VBS for more than one church in the same town.

As a young child and into my teens, I had several accidents. Any of them could have been fatal, but God miraculously spared not only my life but everybody else involved in these accidents.

Sidetrack and Recommitted 

I have always had a strong belief in God and Jesus all through my life. However, marriage, work and starting a family took my husband and me away from the church. Thankfully, we realized something was missing in our lives and the lives of our young children.

At about this same time, my mother became gravely ill. I was at the hospital with her and stepped out to pray for her. I distinctly remember standing near a water fountain and hearing the water. Jesus spoke to me in the water saying that my mom would be okay and back with the family again.

We started attending a Spirit-filled local church, where our children and we gave our lives to Jesus Christ and received baptism as believers. Soon after, we served in the church’s youth group and prayer group. We witnessed God’s power in many people’s lives.

As our family grew, we moved several times to different states. We became involved in various churches where we lived. Therefore, we focused on what mattered, the message from the pulpit and church groups.

Trials and Direction

We have faced many trials as a family. How do people who do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ make it through trials and events? We thank God that we have that relationship in our lives.

Many years ago, we worked in raising and training guide dogs for the blind and military service people. We were part of this project for more than 16 years. It was our family’s mission. The blessing of seeing the dogs that we helped raise to become the eyes of those who could not see was powerful. We even had a dog that can ski with their person and one that does several cruises a year and has a life jacket.

As an adult, I again had a couple of accidents. The most recent one resulted in having a Traumatic Brain Injury. It makes some memory issues and balance problems at times. Just before I had this accident, one of the dogs I raised came back to me because the man she matched decided he did not want a dog and sent her back to us. It was absolutely a God thing because she became my service dog. She keeps me upright and allows me to get around wherever we go. She has given me back my life.

Called to Ministry and Study at CLI

My dream is to minister to other people who are struggling with challenges in their lives, similar to mine. Then, I can encourage them and convey what the powers of God can do with them. There are others out there who have been where they are. I believe that God spared me and put me where I am for such a purpose in my life. He placed this calling on me to share Him and His Grace with others. Without Him and His Grace in our lives, we would be up the proverbial river without a paddle.

I look forward to being able to serve God and the people that God will bring to me.

God provided the Christian Leaders Institute to my husband and me as we are called to ministry and study. We are so excited to see what He has in store for us. We are grateful to all the people that have made the Christian Leaders Institute possible and available to us.

There is no way that these few paragraphs can capture everything that God has done for our family and me. However, we are excited to see what God has for us next!

Learn about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.