Hi, my name is Calandra Thompson, and I live in the United States of America. We have freedom in the United States to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. I grew up in a Christian home from birth. My grandmother raised me, taught me about God, and took me to worship services regularly. I was exposed to the Lord in my youth, but I came to know the Lord intimately in 2014.
I am currently a leader of the Singles Ministry at my church and co-leader of the Outreach Ministry. My ministry dream is to do Street Ministry full time and go beyond the walls of the church to spread the gospel to all that will hear. I identify with the word Evangelist more because it’s someone that is willing to go out beyond the walls of the church to save souls and bring people to Christ.
The key experience that prompted me to pursue ministry was when God changed me from who I was before. I was in the world and doing everything that was contrary to God’s word. I didn’t think that God would accept me back because I felt like I had messed up too bad. I came to understand that our God is loving, merciful, forgiving, and gracious. He didn’t let me fall, but he picked me up out of the mess that I had created and changed me into the woman of God he would have me to be. Every experience that I went through prepared me for everything that is happening in my life right now!
Last year in 2014, I lost everything – my apartment, my car, myself. I was drowning in guilt, sin, and forgiveness. As I started to lose things in my life, I felt like I was in a wilderness by myself. At that moment, I cried out and prayed to God to save me. I asked him why he was taking all this stuff away from me, and he replied, “You obtained all this stuff while you were in the world.” WOW! God knew all about my decisions, yet he still called me by name and wanted me back in his family. God restored my faith, family and finances.
I am very grateful that God is using me the way that he wants to use me. I let everybody else use me when I was in the world, but now my God has his way. I remember singing a song when my granny died, “If you can use anything Lord, you can use me.” I didn’t know what I was saying, but God knew.
There are no unique challenges where I live. I’m grateful for the location that God has placed me in because there are no constraints. My local church is supporting me by allowing me to use the gifts that God has placed inside of me for his glory. As stated earlier, I’m a ministry leader. I have been teaching at a church since last year, and the Single’s Ministry has Bible study off campus every Wednesday. God has allowed me to be able to connect with others outside of the church. I have great friends that support me in my ministry calling. Their responses to the “Calling Assessment Exercise” blessed me tremendously beyond words of gratitude. My family’s role in my ministry call has been that we all see Jesus face to face. I understand that what we see in front of us is temporary and that we should look forward to the new heaven and earth.
A scholarship at CLI is important to my ministry dream because I didn’t even think this would ever be possible. I was enrolled at a community college last year, but, due to a past due balance from a previous school, I wasn’t able to continue my studies. I remember sitting in the parking lot of the school wanting to cry, but I couldn’t. I knew the Lord had something better for me. God placed on my heart this summer that I needed seminary training, and I tried to fight the calling. I started to do research and was not sure where to begin. The Holy Spirit spoke, and I remembered my co-worker was enrolled in a seminary school for almost a year. I asked her if she could give me the information for the school and she told me about CLI.
I was overwhelmed at first, but God kept reminding me that I needed this for my spiritual growth. I overcame my fear, and I have been studying ever since. I’ve not lost my hunger for God! The scholarship will be a blessing to me and so many others that God places in my path. I will spread the Gospel even if no one asks me. That’s what God has called me to do, and I will be obedient. I will continue to say, “Yes, to his will and his way!” Please just continue to pray that God gives me his strength and that I’m filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Greetings my brothers, sisters, and fellow soldiers! I was born and currently reside in the United States of America. Being an American has a lot of upsides, however, it also has a lot of downsides. Growing up in America (I was born in 1990), life seemed somewhat simpler to be a Christian. The Ten Commandments were in school, various religions weren’t rampant in my community and prayer at community events was accepted by almost everyone. Of course, life as a child is in a lot of ways easier than that of an adult. Nonetheless, a Christian life was more comfortable to live and grow in. Over the past few years that has changed tremendously, not only in my community but the entire country! Don’t get me wrong, leading a sincere Christian life is never “easy”. There are organizations that file lawsuits against prayer at school graduations, and a giant part of our country has forgotten about God. Christians are generally hated (this is expected, since the Bible says “Marvel not if the world hate ye”). Our once thankful and hospitable country has become proud, arrogant, and self-loving. Many people are only concerned about me, myself, and I. In these days, our country is being divided tremendously with race wars and individuals failing to realize that all men and women are created equal and in the image of God. It has become hard to minister in our country. The general population sees us as judgmental holy rollers. They don’t see that we desire to share the good news of Jesus Christ and shower them with love, not hate and judgment. Nonetheless, it is not impossible, for all things are possible through CHRIST who strengthens me.
My walk with God has been comparable to that of a roller coaster. I gave my life to Christ when I was 12 years old. What a wonderful day that was! I was blessed with being raised in a Christian family. Through my life, until I graduated high school, I was somewhat close to God. Once I graduated high school, I entered into a dark stage of my life. I began using drugs, drinking alcohol, and having sex outside of marriage. I lost complete focus of God. I ended up joining the US Army when I was 19. Through my military career, I seemed to get further away. I drank uncontrollably and had a foul mouth. I was focused on pride, drinking, clubbing, and women, rather than humility, the Bible, church, and God. One night, while returning home from the club, I was severely assaulted in my barracks parking lot on the army base where I lived. I had a fractured skull, bruised and bleeding brain, kidney and stomach damage, and a severely lacerated lip. When I was found in the parking lot, I was unconscious, bleeding from my ears, mouth, and nose, and was barely breathing. The Emergency Medical Team that responded to me told the person who found me that if they had waited ten minutes longer, I would’ve been dead. On the way to the Emergency Room, I had to have respiratory resuscitation three times. It was only by the grace of God that I survived. Three years later, here I am, healthy overall, with slight memory loss, PTSD, and occasional headaches. I simply see them as reminders of what I never want to go back to being. I thank God that he humbled me and granted me the grace to continue living. He opened my eyes to the fact that my life was for him and not for me.
Over the past year, I had struggles maintaining my focus on God, but I’ve since been grounded on the rock Jesus Christ. I’ve completely given my life and control of it to God. I began seeking God diligently and sharing what I’ve learned and read with others. I started to notice that I had a want, a burning desire to serve God. I’ve since had multiple people tell me I need to be a preacher. I didn’t pay any attention to it until a few months ago. I realized that my desire to serve and lead in God’s army became stronger and stronger. I would read, and verses about leading and being entrusted with his Word grabbed me more and more. I had a talk with my local pastor and explained what I was experiencing and showed him the verses that were sticking out to me. He told me to pray for confirmation from God, to begin studying more and more and to take things slow. He confirmed that I was being called to preach!
So here I am suited up with the Armor of God and seeking to be equipped to wage this spiritual warfare. By receiving a diploma from CLI, I will be trained more and more in the tactics (knowledge) and strategies (understanding) to win these battles. I want to submit my entire being to Christ for use as a vessel. I want to love people more. I want to lead lost souls and wanderers to Christ. To help RISE UP this world. To recruit and suit people to the greatest army ever known: The Army of God! If there’s anything I could ask prayers for, it would be that God’s will would be done in my life. That He would use me as he sees fit, to reach people that He puts into my life. I pray for true wisdom that only comes from God and strength to fight the good fight. I pray for a bigger capacity for love, and an even stronger desire to serve and worship the ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD!.
My name is Dorcas Priviledge Ndebele, and I am 30 years old. I was born in Zimbabwe and relocated to South Africa while I was still a teenager. I am the third born in my family with two older brothers and a younger sister and brother. Our mother is a strong, beautiful woman who has become my friend. In my earlier years, we did not have a relationship because she was always away. Each time she came back was with a baby, and, after a few days, she left and was gone for years. I never knew my father, and one of our brothers was taken by his father so I never really knew him till I was older. We had a difficult childhood being raised by different people. By God’s grace, my family is being restored. I have formed a bond with my brothers and sister; I couldn’t be happier. I have a son who is three years old; he is just a bundle of joy, and I have learned so much from him. I have learned about love, meekness, and forgiveness. I am grateful that the Holy Spirit has taught me many things through the eyes of a child. I love my son very much, but the relationship with his father is a challenging one though he also loves his son very much.
South Africa is a beautiful country filled with many races. There are a lot of churches with different doctrines, but what I see is that few are preaching the true, undiluted word of God. There is a rise in “prophet” run churches that people are flooding to, but they are coming out empty and unfulfilled. Many people who go to these churches are not saved, and they don’t know what the Bible says. Their lives are just the same as unbelievers’. Because of the rise in the number of prophets, people are rushing to these churches for instant problem solving and miracles. I have a passion to teach people the Word of God, to lead them to Christ, and to teach them how to have a personal relationship with God. I feel the urgency that lost souls be won for Christ, and that they are prepared for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Since I gave my life to Christ three years ago, it has been very difficult. I have faced persecution from the “religious” people and friends. Being a young, unmarried woman with a child has been a challenge and has brought me many enemies, but the work of God will be done.
My dream is to go around the world preaching the gospel. Currently, I am ministering to a small group of women and running a Facebook page called Arise Strong Women though it is in its infancy. I am targeting women who are abused, raped, broken, and having spiritual problems. I counsel and pray for them. I have made myself available 24 hours a day for these women, and I am grateful for the grace of God that enables me to serve full time.
Though I haven’t had any formal training in ministry work, I am sure that I am called to this work. My church is very small, and there is not much room. I am involved in almost every department: as a worshiper, a teacher/leader at Bible studies, an intercessor for the Church, and a leader of the women. This work is all done by the grace of God. I thank God also that I have been able to bring my family close to God, and that has given me peace and joy to see my family drawing close to God.
It is crucial for me to get a scholarship from CLI because I desire to be in a full-time ministry. I want to learn and know more about God, and I cannot afford to go to a formal Bible school for ministry training. Getting a CLI scholarship would allow me to continue ministering full time and still be able to study and get more advanced knowledge. For me, there is no limitation when it comes to the things of God. I will go where God leads me, and I will learn more where I am given the opportunity. Please pray for me that I may obtain more wisdom and knowledge and that I may live to glorify my Father in heaven.