My Story, Walk, and Journey into Ministry
Hi! My name is Zoya M. Thompson. I am thankful for the training in the Bible and ministry at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about studying the Bible online, Click Here). I minister, therefore, I am a minister for the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for this training opportunity!
My Story
I am a mother of six beautiful children: three boys and three girls. I’m also a wife to an amazing, outgoing husband. Louisiana is not where we originated from, but Louisiana is our home now. Throughout life, my studies consisted of basic Grammar School, High School, and some college under my belt. Being a Christian Leaders student here in Louisiana, I found it very fascinating to know that there are so many believers who support me and also want to become a student at CLI.
My childhood was very unique. Growing up, we never knew the difference between rich and poor. Our parents always made sure we had everything that was needed including a foundation in God. My mother always provided the love, nurture, and guidance we needed through the different stages of our lives. Although my biological father was absent, God sent a stepfather into our lives.
There, he taught us how to become women and to respect our bodies and mind even at an early age.
Jesus Christ was always around me. Sometimes, I would play and talk by myself, but I was never alone. My mother always had us in the church whether it was with her or a family member. Our foundation was firm in the Lord. We knew Jesus Christ and we lived by Him.
My Walk: For Such a Time as This
As I grew, I wanted more of God. So, sometimes even when my parents didn’t go to service, I found a way to be there. I finally realized that in this life you can’t make it without God. When my adulthood began, I was on the praise dance team and joined the choir. However, it was during the pandemic that I realized God was preparing me for more. I had a group of women who would come by, and I encouraged, prayed, and ministered to them. That’s when I knew I was chosen for such a time as this.
God gave me different dreams, good and bad. One was during the first stage of the pandemic, I was walking through a hospital with a covering over my head. It was a royal purple color. Everyone around me was sick or hurt. However, while the covering was on me, they couldn’t see me. God sent me someone to interpret that dream. That person said that “God was showing me that I was covered and that I should continue to do what I was doing and move forward.”
Different Obstacles and God’s Provision
I’ve faced many different obstacles in my life. Some good and some bad. From leaving the house too early and fast to getting married at an early age; to facing every abuse one could name physical, emotional, verbal, and mental abuse; and hiding from my loved ones. I watched myself go into a place of uncertainty. However, God was only shaping and molding me into the woman I am today – grateful, thankful, and humbled. I realized after my second marriage that I needed God. I would not make it out in my right mind if I didn’t have Him.
One time, I asked God if He could show me how to provide and make Covid masks for my children, family, and friends. Not only did He show me, but God also provided the machine, fabric, and all. I also remember during that time that I sat at the table making masks and listening to Gospel music. One time, the song was, “Let Me Touch You” by Kirk Franklin & Family. I reached out my hand and The Holy Spirit touched me!!! Right then and there, I knew that I wanted more of God and to live His way only.
I began to read the Bible more and more, worshipping and praising God. Even my children witnessed God’s glory for themselves. We all started to have visions and dreams. For me, when I spoke or talked to someone, I could see everything they mentioned. It was amazing!
Journey into Training in the Bible and Ministry at CLI
The Christian Leaders training will equip me more for this journey that God has chosen me for. Christian Leaders Institute is a blessing to me. I never would have dreamed of going back to college let alone receiving training in the Bible and ministry. It’s truly a blessing, especially in the times we are living in. So, when The Holy Spirit led me to CLI’s site, it was truly a moment to say, “But God!!”
So, thank you Christian Leaders Institute for not only spreading the Gospel but also teaching and training God’s children! God bless you!!
Register for a Study Account
Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform, and the Programs offered, including:
- Minister Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- College Degrees with the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
Hi, my name is David Male. I found the Christian Leaders Institute for tuition free higher education (Learn more about studying to be a licensed minister and studying the Bible online, Click Here). Now, I am an ordained and licensed pastor through CLI and CLA. I have also received three diplomas.
My Journey
I grew up in Victoria, Australia. For the most part, it was easy growing up here even as a Christian. Originally, born in Bendigo, my family moved away from there near the end of grade four for me. I am the youngest with two older brothers. I am 26 years old, married with one amazing kid, and working full-time as a security manager. I started in security after completing my Cert 2&3 in security operations. My dream is to help lead as many people as I can to God.
Born into a Christian family, I never departed from God. However, in primary school, I wanted to be liked so when asked if I was a Christian or forced to be one? I replied, “I’m not sure, I just follow what my parents do.” After saying this, I felt bad in my heart like I lied to God himself. To this day, that one line and the verse saying about whoever denies Jesus will be denied by God remind me to make sure I am always being honest and upfront about my faith. I am also working on trying to preach more at church or online but we will see how that goes with time.
Growing up, I was never really a bad person. I did do things I shouldn’t have and feel regret for everything I did. But through God’s never-ending love, I use it to help relate to and teach others who have or are going through similar situations.
Challenges
Growing up, I was unsure about what I wanted to do for work. I wanted to be a teacher, doctor, lawyer, soldier, and bounty hunter (at that age, I didn’t realize we don’t have bounty hunters in Australia). When I was in grade 10, I decided to join the military. So I completed year 11 and then enlisted in the Army. However, I ended up hurting my calf only three months later and left the army with every intention of joining back.
However, after leaving the army, I didn’t know what I wanted to do in my life. So, I really prayed about it and tried to work out where God wanted me. Soon after, I had two near-death car crashes which changed what path I was on. They turned me around from where I thought I was meant to go. I broke my arm and chipped my spine and shoulder blade in the first crash. In the second crash, I coughed up a bit of blood and was fully covered in glass. Thankfully, I had no passenger because a branch about as thick as a soccer ball punctured through the front window. It went into the chest of the passenger seat, into the back seat, and even into the boot. If someone had been there, they would have been killed.
Encouragement
At first, after my injuries, it was hard for me because I felt worthless and useless. But, after praying to God and seeking wisdom from pastors at church, I ended up working at a supermarket as a cashier (I know boring right?). However, the four years I spent there were quite interesting. God put me in multiple situations where I was able to talk to workers and even some customers about religion and God’s help throughout my life.
After these multiple encounters and people asking all the tough questions, it pushed me to really study the Word of God and not what people had told me about it. Researching more and more into God’s Word, I started to care less and less about what the future holds. I simply enjoyed spreading God’s Word to anyone and everyone as well as researching as much as possible.
Growing at CLI
I am eternally grateful for these classes at CLI. They allow me to learn so much and walk closer to God. I can’t afford to study and provide for my family at the same time. Therefore, I don’t have to stress about anything, and I can still do what I love, studying God’s Word.
A challenge I faced not long ago was that the church I grew up in kept seeing me as a kid. The leaders wouldn’t allow me to do anything like pray, preach, or even talk about God. They still saw me as a child. Sadly, I was not the only one having this trouble at the church.
However, where I live there is a church across the road. So I go there now, and the pastor there has been mentoring me. The pastor is really looking forward to the day I agree to preach in front of everyone. After swapping churches, learning and applying what I have studied at CLI is so much more relaxing. Because now I have a voice to put it into effect.
Tuition Free Higher Education at CLI
This tuition free higher education with CLI helps me to feel more confident and informed about my life decisions. It helps me clarify and have more ways or ultimate ways of thinking or planning. I find this true especially in studying the Bible and applying Jesus’ teachings.
The free training offered through the courses has helped me greatly. Because now there are no money issues for studying God’s Word. I even get a lovely certificate for achieving a higher knowledge or understanding.
Thank you for taking the time to read a little bit of my story.
Register for a Study Account
Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform, and the Programs offered, including:
- Minister Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- College Degrees with the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
My name is Edie Boles from Ohio in the USA. I am a student at the Christian Leaders Institute to study to be a licensed minister (Learn more about studying to be a licensed minister and studying the Bible online, Click Here).
My Story
As a youth, I grew up attending Sunday school in our small town. Our dad dropped us off before Sunday school started and then picked us up after. When my brother and I got a bit older, we lived close enough to the church to walk. We attended most of the functions designed for kids such as Bible school, Christmas plays, youth group, etc.
As a teen, I drifted away from Sunday school and church. I went down a road that could have turned out to be a bad one if I hadn’t already known about the love of Jesus. After I graduated high school, I married a man I met on that bumpy road in my youth. I also had two daughters with him. Unfortunately, he suffered from alcoholism. Which caused him to be very abusive. This abuse and controlling nature from my spouse slowly made my life chaotic. I felt lost and all alone.
Loneliness Got Me Back to Church
In my lonely state, I found Al-Anon. For some people, Al-anon is a great program, however, it was not for me. As an extremely shy person, it was more of a challenge for me than a help. Because of that, I remembered a place where I felt loved and accepted. So with my daughters in tow, I went back to church. Slowly, I became more and more involved in church activities. One Sunday, we had a missionary visit. She was a beautiful woman named Meryl Esenwein. She spoke during the worship service. Meryl also taught lessons that she called “chalk talks.”
On this particular Sunday, I felt like she was talking directly to me. Meryl asked us if we had asked God what He wanted us to do for Him. For me, it was a mind-blowing question that stirred in me. Finally, one day, I got on my knees and asked God what He wanted me to do for Him. Now, if you ask God what He wants you to do, you better be ready for His answer. The next thing I knew, I was a substitute Sunday School teacher. Then, before long, I was teaching every Sunday. After some time teaching, they asked me asked to be the Sunday School superintendent. So, I continued growing in my faith and stepping out in service for Christ.
Struggles and Return to Faith
Not long after that, my mom suddenly passed away. Even though we were not close, her death hit me hard. It made me very angry at God. I had all this faith that God was going to heal her, but she still passed. However, at that time I didn’t understand true healing, which is the healing God had for her. Through my pain, I allowed my anger to put a wedge between God and me. So, I stopped going to church, praying, and reading the Bible. I plummeted into a very dark place. It was the most miserable time of my life. Even the chaotic life of living with an alcoholic was better than where I was without God.
Speaking of my ex-husband, at this time, his drinking cheating, and abuse were at an all-time high. At this point, I was so lost, lonely, and depressed. Life had no meaning. However, God had a plan. That plan involved my youngest daughter, Amanda, who was a light in my darkness. She convinced me to go back to church. In Amanda’s words, “Our church.” It was a few weeks before Easter that I finally listened to my baby girl and went back to church.
When I walked into the sanctuary, I knew I was home. God filled me with a peace that I hadn’t felt in a very long time. That was the moment when I took a personal relationship with Christ seriously. I returned to teaching Sunday school and attending Bible studies. For the first time, I read the Bible from cover to cover. I not only read it, but I also devoured every word. The more I served God, the closer I felt to God, and the more I wanted to serve Him.
My Calling Struggle
One Sunday, we had a guest speaker. On this particular Sunday, preoccupied with some things going on at home, I was having a hard time focusing on the message. It was at this time when I heard a voice (that I know now was the Holy Spirit). The Holy Spirit said, “You will be a pastor.” I was taken aback because I thought I was the least likely person to be a pastor. I was shy, had an alcoholic husband, and was a “hot mess” as my daughter said. Confused and frightened, I thought I must have misunderstood. Believe it or not, I even tried to pass this calling off on my ex-husband.
However, I continued to hear the Spirit calling me into pastoral service. So I prayed about what God wanted me to do. The whole time praying, that same voice said, “You will be a pastor.” Yet, I continued to doubt. “Why me, I am not what God wants, I can’t preach, I can’t even talk to people,” I responded. This struggle went on for a while. The Holy Spirit spoke and I denied it with some excuse. All the while, I prayed for clarity. This struggle went on for about two years.
My Call Confirmed
At this time, our church had a Wednesday evening program for the youth called “Logos.” The leaders asked me to look into a sister program for the teens called “Alpha.” They wanted me to attend the training. At this training, my call was confirmed in my heart and I finally obeyed.
Even though I felt called to be a pastor, I was anxious about it. So I kept my call to myself for a while. One day, while talking to the Pastor of my church about some youth events, he mentioned a friend of his was going into the ministry. Without a thought, I said, “I feel called to Pastoral Ministry also.” It came out of my mouth as if someone else was saying it! It was like watching a video of myself where I couldn’t press rewind.
After that, I enrolled in a program through my local church. I took some classes that didn’t pan out. The old doubts came flooding back. “God didn’t call me into pastoral ministry.” So I prayed again for clarity from God and for direction. One day, God led me to Jeremiah 29: 11, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give hope and a future.”
Ministry Service and Study to Be a Licensed Minister
From then on, this passage has been a source of my strength. After this, the Spirit led me to an online study. Upon completion, I received a certificate. With a certification in hand, I got involved with a ministry called Characters Out Loud. This ministry helps those who are in the midst of a crisis. We worked mostly with the homeless and those who suffer from addiction. Since then, we disbanded, but still, look for ways we can be of service to the homeless. We hope that one day we can revive the program.
Currently, I serve a church as a pulpit supply. I have been there for four years now. However, pulpit supply is limiting. I cannot administer communion, baptize, or perform weddings. So, I feel my call is in licensed ministry. I found the Christian Leaders Institute online and am studying to be a licensed minister. I am thankful for this tuition-free study opportunity to become a licensed minister.
Every day, I feel God’s grace. Grateful for all the lessons He brought me through, I would not trade any of them. They helped me to grow in faith and into the person I am today. In Him, I find my strength. God has a plan, and it’s a good one full of hope and a future. On this, I stand strong. God Bless!
Register for a Study Account
Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform, and the Programs offered, including:
- Minister Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- College Degrees with the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.