Ron Webster’s ministry dream is to connect with children and youth to bring them the Word of God. He enrolled at CLI for Free Childrens Ministry Training and is changing his life with his new education! Here is his story…
Free Childrens Ministry Training – Ron’s Story
My name is Ron Webster, and I live and serve in Southwest Florida in the Southeastern United States.
In Psalm 107, the Psalmist outlines 4 different accounts of people in distress, how the Lord led them through it, and calls on all of us who have been redeemed by the Lord to give thanks to Him.
In verses, one through three the psalmist says, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and the west, from the north and the south.” Our mouths should continually praise God for all that He has done for us.
In the four accounts that the Psalmist shares, each is a different type of testimony of the type of distress the person was in, and they all follow an outline. They all share what their life looked like before the Lord. Then they describe the Lord’s redemption, and what their life looked like with the Lord, and then they finish each account with why they are thankful. I see this psalm as an example to us of how to share our testimony.
The account I have chosen to model my testimony from is based on Psalm 107:17 -22 which says “Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; they loathed any food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. He sent out His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of His deeds in songs of joy.”
In my life before Christ, I was emotionally and spiritually sick. My parents had taken me to church as a child and teen, but it never produced any life change. When I moved out, I joined the military, and quickly found myself immersed in the immorality of the secular world. For 13 years, I lived a lifestyle based on my choices, focused on selfish desires and sinful pleasures. I married and divorced twice, having a daughter from each marriage, and struggled throughout that time with anger, alcoholism, and depression. I came to realize that there were no answers to be found in what the world had to offer.
The Lord saved me. He rescued me from the edge of depression, hopelessness, and despair. He placed friends in my life who shared the Gospel with me, and refused to give up on me. For years they prayed for me, shared with me, and finally in my brokenness, I cried out to God and He saved me! I confessed my sins to Him, begged Him to forgive me and accepted Him into my life. It has been a long road, but now, 16 years later, the Lord has restored me.
My life with Christ has brought redemption, healing, and forgiveness. Each day, as I grow closer in my relationship with the Lord, He opens my eyes to see the world around me through His perspective. I have learned to be content with His blessings and His will for my life and have found the joy that comes from surrendering myself completely to His perfect will.
I am now serving as a Preschool and Children’s Ministry Director at a church in Southwest Florida, and my calling is to reach children at a young age with the life-changing message of the Gospel. Every day I thank God for all that He has done for me, and my dream is to continue to learn more so that I can continue to grow in my relationship with Him and be more effective in ministry.
Christian Leaders Institute student Fran Hume has been a part of her Church’s outreach program for a long time now, but feels the need to take her involvement in ministry further. She has enrolled at CLI for a Formal Ministry Education, and will use her education to become more involved in her community. Here is her story…
Formal Ministry Education – Fran’s Story
My name is Fran Hume. I’m an American from the deep South, serving the international community in Lahti, Finland. For the past seven years, I’ve served my local Pentecostal church’s outreach program to our international residents. The roles I fill change according to need. They have been/were group leader, Bible teacher, deaconess, webmaster, and “mom”.
My ministry
Our growing group includes immigrants, students, multicultural families, and seekers, from about 15 countries and speaking about 25 mother tongues. Members’ religious backgrounds are diverse — they come from Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist, agnostic and atheist backgrounds. We build community by ignoring differences and focusing on Christ the One True Community. Our foundation is built on Christ’s sacrifice and salvation, and His instruction to love and forgive. We share faith by doing and pray that they see Christ through us.
How I came to Christ
All my life I’ve worked very hard to overcome the long years of abuse I’d suffered at the hands of an alcoholic parent. After leaving home at 19, I devoted my life to working hard as a writer and trying to be a “good Christian person”, but I didn’t have Jesus in my heart. Life was a struggle. By the time I was in my 50’s I had walked into, and pulled my way out of, one near-death experience after another, crisis after crisis. The NASDAQ crash of 2000? Yep — from rich to bankrupt overnight and I pulled myself back up. The World Trade Center in 2001? Yep — I lost everything and pulled myself up by moving to Finland. I climbed again to the top — but this time it was I who broke.I remember spinning in a circle and mumbling and hearing voices. I couldn’t separate present events from memories, was suicidal and suffering profound anxiety attacks. The doctors said I showed all the symptoms of a combat soldier returning from long combat in active war zones. Only then did this tough little Texan give up. I whispered “I give up. Jesus — if you’re real — then you do it.”
In the snap of a finger, I heard in my mind, “Go get a cuppa coffee.” That led me into a cafe run by an English-speaking saint. She led me to a social office, whose workers led me to a Salvation Army shelter. A few weeks later, another lady led me to the only church offering an English-language worship service and fellowship. Jesus began pouring a love over me.
As our beloved Apostle John wrote 2000 years ago, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them was written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)
In Christ, All Things Are Possible!
Now, I’m 62. My Lord and Savior has completely healed my body and mind; he baptized me with the fire of the Holy Spirit and delivered me from generational curses and demonization through my sinful choices. I live in His peace, and strive to give other immigrants the same assurance of Christ’s mercy, grace, and love that He showed me.Recently I’ve felt more urgently that I must shift my attention towards getting a degree in Bible studies. It feels like there’s a closed door somewhere that Jesus wants me to walk through, but first he wants me to get the key: a formal ministry education.
I’m 62 now, and as so many other immigrants here, am unable to find a job. It’s impossible for me to pay the high tuitions required by Bible schools. That’s why CLI’s scholarship program is crucial for me. It represents Christ’s perfect provision. Thank you, and God bless you all!
Please pray for all pilgrims forced to leave their homes, and for those receiving-country missionaries who minister His hope to them.