My name is Dominic Garcia, and I am receiving formal training and education for ministry at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible courses, Click Here). I live in Utah in the USA. My wife Teresa and I have been married for 16 years, and we have 2 teenage boys. I work full-time as a barber and have my own Barbershop. God has blessed my business and my personal life. I’m so grateful to know Him.
My Spiritual Beginning
My journey so far has been filled with twists and turns, but I’m always doing my best to follow what God has for me and my family. I’m originally from Ventura County, California. I grew up as a part-time Catholic going only to weddings, funerals, Easter, and Christmas services. I also did have a foundation in God through Catechism. Schooling for when I did my first Holy Communion and for my Confirmation in High School. All along, I knew there had to be more about Jesus then what I was taught.
My Salvation in Christ
As I grew older in my early 20’s, I fell away, sinning and grinning. Thank God, He always had his hand on me because I survived. After I married my wife, I began feeling a calling on my life that brought me back to church. I went to a small church in Victorville, Ca. That’s when I made the commitment to Jesus as my Lord and Savior.
It was August 21, 2007. At church, I had a conversation with the Lord. I told Him I just wanted to be the best version of myself and do what He wanted me to. That’s when he told me to raise my hand and answer the altar call. I did. Life has never been the same since and all for the good.
Challenges and Growth
Thankfully, no one said life would be perfect from here on out because I immediately had challenges. We went through the worst financial times of our life and trusted God to get us through which He did. There have been challenges throughout this walk, but He has always made a way. At church, I started serving pretty quickly. I wanted to get all I could from the Word of God, and the Pastor was willing to help me grow. God had put it on my heart to develop men for the kingdom. This is where my heart and my calling are.
Deciding to come to Christian Leaders Institute (CLI) seemed like the best way to get further education in ministry. Then, I can mentor other men with their God-given abilities and callings to be the men God desires them to be. Up until now, my education was through my experience in serving and studying, and following my mentor’s lead. Working full-time and raising two teenagers was a challenge to finding the right school. CLI is the perfect fit with the way the classes are set up for my convenience.
Formal Training and Education at CLI
After attending our church in Victorville for 10 years, we felt God calling us to move. We were to help our friends who were on staff with us in California with the ministry God gave them in Utah. So in August 2017, we moved, and God has been involved in every step. He made a way for us to do it, and we simply trusted Him. Now, after the last 4 years in Utah, I believe there is so much more God wants to do through me at our church in Utah. I need formal training and education through CLI. Then I can pastor/minister to the men that come my way. God has shown me that Godly men in the right place, doing God’s work, make a major impact for the kingdom. I want to be a part of that.
