My name is Donald Mason. I live in Texas in the United States. The dominant religion in America is Christianity but it is becoming more and more difficult to be a Christian in America as our society seems to be caving more and more to the wills of the devil and to the desires of our flesh.
I came to know God after a long and decisive battle with the concept of atheism, my life was getting difficult and my world seemed to be falling apart so I made a personal declaration that God could not exist because if He did then the world would not contain the evil that seems to consume it. However, after my father died from Graves’ disease and was resuscitated, everything changed in my eyes. My dad was no longer the same person, when he came back to life it was like looking at a new person. He told me that when he died, he heard the voice of God, who mercifully gave my dad another chance at living his life for God instead of living for the desires of the flesh. After hearing my dad’s testimony, I began to revisit the idea of God being real. I searched for proof that God is here and found that proof in my heart, when I felt the incomparable love that only God can give to us. I found Jesus and decided to try my hardest to live for Him. After finding Jesus, I began to see life in a whole new light, I saw the goodness of God in all of His creations, I saw what true love looked like and I felt the power of His mercy and His forgiveness.
My ministry dream is to help teenagers come to know God and see Him in all of His glory. I currently am a youth leader in my church and would love to be able to speak more into the lives of these kids that are struggling with hard family lives, addictions, and just the hardship of being a teenager in a cruel world. I also dream of being a medical missionary. I am currently studying in college to become a Pharmacist and would love to use that knowledge of medicine to help further the kingdom of God.
I identify with the title of Youth Leader the most, because I love my students in my youth group so much and because I really want to help more of our world’s youth come to know Christ.
My church has been very supportive of me in my calling to minister into the lives of others. My church truly believes in the Holy Spirit’s anointing of all believers to be able to work to further the kingdom of God on this earth.
A scholarship to Christian Leaders Institute would benefit me greatly in my ministry as it would allow me to study not only the Word of God but the background of the culture in the time of the Bible and how it relates to our current world situation. Knowing these things will give me the ability to use that knowledge to help the teenagers understand that God is with them and that He understands what they are going through. That He is sufficient and can help them in any area that they need help in, no matter how difficult the situation is or how much they think they have messed up.
I ask for prayer that God will have His way in my life and that I am able to lay down my own wants and desires to fulfill His will, even when my flesh cries out that I should go against what God wants. Pray that He anoints my words and my hands and everything that I do, and that the Spirit will move through me and through my works to speak life where there is death and speak love where there is heartbreak.
Hi, I’m Timothy Jonsel Ermitaño, a called servant here in the Republic of the Philippines.
I came to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior through the underground ministry of my Father in a Restricted Access Nation. He was working as a Civil Engineer outside of the country while ministering to our fellow countrymen in the area. The condition of my soul was confronted, one summer morning, by a family Pastor friend who asked the simple question – “What are you waiting for?” Tears started rolling down my cheek as I realized the time I had wasted.
Growing up in a Christian home, in a very Muslim country, and seeing my Dad spread the good news of Christ planted something in my heart – a desire to seek those who are lost! By the time I was 16, I came home alone to the Philippines to pursue a college education…but God had other plans. Our family struggled financially so that led me to work in a Christian organization that specializes in curriculum development. My involvement in this organization awakened the deep seeded desire in me to minster. As I became active in the organization, my Church involvement also became hectic. I was asked to handle a small youth group every Sunday afternoon. This opportunity was the start of my love affair with the Word of God. Since that time, I am amazed at the wide reach of God’s word into the life of the believer. I’ve been teaching for almost 14 years and the Word has moved me from a small youth group to a mission church in my hometown, from single to married, from blessed to overwhelmed. You can consider me a non-ordained pastor and an inspired preacher. I love my work so much that I felt in my heart that I needed to train and prepare more…after all, God uses prepared minsters!
Throughout the years, God has been blessing me and my wife with ministry opportunities and just recently, I was given the opportunity to visit a countryside location where the salvation message is needed! I think that God is now calling me out to the mission field. My dream is to fulfill this deep seeded desire of proclaiming the Gospel wherever God leads me…and right now, I think God is leading me there. I just need your prayers of encouragement and protection since the people in this new area are known to be hostile to Bible believing people and the spiritual battle is great!
I would like to thank Christian Leaders Institute for providing opportunities to broaden our spiritual know-how in pursuing ministry for God’s glory. I look forward to be more involved in the courses of CLI, especially now that diploma courses are open.
Again, thank you CLI for equipping people like us to push the Gospel message into the unbelieving world!
SOLI DEO GLORIA
Olagbaju OLushola from Nigeria enrolled at Christian Leaders Institute because he could not afford a traditional Ministry Education through a Seminary, and takes free online courses at CLI to become Equipped For Ministry! Here is his story…
Equipped For Ministry – Olagbaju’s Story
My name is Olagbaju OLushola husband, with a son. My wife and I live most of the year in a community outskirt of Lagos, Alimosho in Nigeria I live in South Africa And Ghana where I was involved in several charitable Gospel outreach.
Ministry in my country Nigeria is doing very great God is recruiting His generals on a daily bases we give all the glory for all. Lives are transformed souls are won into his kingdom though there are challenges of on field mission work to the outermost interior due to financial challenges to send and sustain volunteers.
My relationship with the Bible and God has not always been as strong as it is now. In my journey through in till this day I have always wanted to live a life to serve in every capacity I find myself. I began my childhood life in a suburb known as Surulere in Lagos, Nigeria. My life as teenager was good but not the best, though I enjoyed every bit of it, my parents were just a nominal Christians who just attend church services but not rooted in Christ Jesus at that time. As I grew up in my twenties I became weak a worried I got exposed to some things dangerous to my life physically and spiritually though I knew about Christ then but I was not born again. Although within me I had always heard a voice in-depth convicting me to stop and turn back. I have always believed in God even during the time of not being a Christian, though this was hard without the Lord and my savior Christ
In God`s story I fit in this present Church dispensation and believes that Christ lives within me, also that I have a mandate to let the Christ in me the hope of glory to shine to others Colossians 1:17b. According to His word in John 5:5 and in verse 15 “He calls us His friend and verse 16” He made it cleared we never chose him but he chose us in order to bare fruits and that our fruits should abide”. He also called us “the light of the world a city that is set on a hill that cannot be hide” and also in Romans 8:19,as the children of light we must shine like our father (God) because Christ saved us in order to save others.
I am identified with the word name during my stay in abroad but presently at home here I am currently the Youth Pastor of my local church and also the choir coordinator
. My key experience in life that prompted me to pursue ministry was back in the days when I was in the college that I firs gave my live to Christ the spirit of God convicted me to develop myself that he will use me more in the teaching ministry more but I should start with what I have at that time which was passion to help people
Some of the unique challenge in my area is fund to establish and grow local church in the interior part
They have supported in terms of counsel, advise and trainings too.
Scholarship at CLI is so important to me to it because of my passion to grow and equip myself in the ministry which has very difficult for me access due to financial constrain most time. I will appreciate if I considered for a place in the scholarship scheme of CLI
My prayer God will give immeasurable grace and fill with his spirit and power to grow in all areas of my ministerial assignment not fail and falter so I will end well this Christian race to fulfill His mandate upon my life to the fullest.