My name is Elias Hayek, and I am taking Bible school courses online at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here). I am from Lebanon and born in 1985. Currently, I am living in San Diego, California, USA. I am married to an amazing wife, who God put in my life for a reason. I love her so much and am blessed to have her in my life along with four children.
My Upbringing
Born in Lebanon, I grew up in a Christian Catholic family. As a Catholic, I lived my faith through traditions and rituals which created distance between me and God. I missed the opportunity to really know God and follow Him. The lack of biblical teaching and sound doctrine opened the door for me to ask questions.
Seeking God
So, I started seeking God with all my heart. I made a promise that I will live for Him and follow Him if I get to know Him. God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, was then a mystery to me. I decided to start reading the Bible and the Catholic catechism. God revealed himself to me. The more I read in the Bible, the more trust and joy it brought to me with God.
Things began changing quickly in me. I died with Christ, and I was born again with him. “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Growing in Christ
Therefore, since then, I have been growing spiritually in my walk with God. I am living for Christ, spreading the Gospel, sharing the Good news, and reading and searching the scriptures daily. “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” Acts 17:11.
My spiritual dream is to help people find God, bring salvation to the lost, and reflect the light of Christ in my life. The free Bible School courses online at the Christian Leaders Institute are a blessing on my ministry journey.
My name is Yolanda Smith, born in Oklahoma, and I am studying Bible classes at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here). I received my associate’s in Business Administration in December of 2016. I am a single mother of three and have two grandchildren, Britain and Auden. Being a retiree, after many years, I decided to go back out into the workforce arena.
Being a Christian Leaders Institute student here in Oklahoma is great. As a little girl, I was always going to church with my mother. She was a Sunday School Teacher, and I had to go to church every Sunday. I grew up in the church and always knew that there was much more to life than just living and dying. I was baptized at the age of twelve. Discovering what the shouting and the tears meant piqued my curiosity. As I grew older, I realized that the tears were tears of joy, and the shouting was releasing what you could not hold back, the joy of knowing Christ! I accepted Christ into my life at an early age. I admit that I was on and off-track for many years.
Studying Bible Classes at CLI
Not long ago, I started reading my Bible daily. I have read it front to back about four times now. Every time, I get something different from it. I often pray for guidance and instruction because I don’t ever want to do anything that the Lord has not called me to do. The Bible says, “Do not lean to your own understanding.” I have trouble with that. However, I want what God wants for me.
My ministry goal is to spread God’s Word around the world boldly. When I saw Joyce Meyer on television, I would say, “That’s what I want to do.” I would also like to start counseling women who have had an abortion and experienced trauma and regret. I myself know exactly what that feels like. I had to ask the Lord for forgiveness. When I did, there was a feeling of being set free! God led me to want to share this experience with other women going through the same thing.
The CLI free ministry training has changed my life for the better. I am so free to do what God calls me to do, which is to minister. It has given me the opportunity and establishes the credentials needed to make this spiritual dream happen. A ministry scholarship is something that anyone can benefit from. If you have a dream in ministry, you can achieve it at CLI! I encourage any and everyone to take advantage of this wonderful gift!
My Ministry Calling and Walk with God
I’m Stephen Kasasi Mwaviki, and I am taking ministry courses online at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here). I come from the western region of Kenya in Vihiga county. Born in 1988, I was seventh in a family of eight siblings. I grew up in a Christian family, although my dad used to drink. My mum took us to church every Sunday. I attended Sunday school at my local home church and learned about God and the Bible. I joined the church school and grew up knowing God.
Due to my family background, I desired to become a pastor. My late grandfather was a great missionary from the 1930s to the 1950s. He worked with European missionaries to bring revival to our country. He also contributed a piece of his land for a Pentecostal church to be planted there, which still exists to date.
Struggles
After completing my form four-course, my dream of becoming a pastor and expectations of joining a Pentecostal Bible college no longer filled my mind and soul. I interacted with many different friends. My life began getting ruined and sidetracked; surely, I had no fear of God. I fell into sexual sin and immorality. I even smoked bhang. Eventually, I stopped attending my local home church. At that time, I was attending college and studying journalism. However, things did not work for me as I expected. I found myself in a complete mess.
I married at the age of 25, and God blessed us with a baby boy. After five years of marriage, my dad passed away at his old age. I knew he fought well and finished the race. My wife also became ill at that time, and only three weeks after burying my dad, my wife also passed away. I went through a difficult time, but God strengthened me. At this time, I went back to my local home church. I noticed that God was answering my prayers. Then, I discovered that God was still calling me into ministry. However, most people in my local church and village did not believe that I could attend a Bible school or training and offer support.
Finding a New Church Home and CLI
One year later, I landed a job in another county where I found a local home church branch and attended it. The ministers of God there were loving and welcoming. We worked together in building the church of God. My new pastor loved me. Most of the time, he appointed me to do specific roles in the church. Sometimes, we did door-to-door evangelism, praying for people and teaching them the Word of God. He then introduced me to the Christian Leaders Institute. In fact, he used his Android phone to register me at CLI!
Now I take courses at Christian Leaders Institute. I am very much pleased and blessed by the ministry courses online. I’m happy to be a student at CLI. The free training I’m receiving at Christian Leaders Institute will make me the servant God wants me to be and fulfill God’s calling upon my life.
My spiritual dream is to bring back the historic revival of souls at my local church, other parts of this country, and worldwide. Then, the souls that are perishing will be set free! I will be led by the Holy Spirit and inspired by the free training I’m receiving at CLI. I’m looking forward to completing my training at CLI. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came to take away our sins! He overcame the world, and I too shall overcome in His Name! God bless CLI!