Pastor Michael D
Texas, United States of America
This is my testimony. I am a Pro Wrestler turned Pastor through the grace of God.
When I was a young boy I had a very close and personal relationship with God. I watched God do some powerful and miraculous things in my prayer life. I knew at the age of eight years old that I was called to the ministry. As I grew older though I grew farther away from the faith.
I was a Pro Wrestler for eight years of my life. The wrestling circuit turned my marriage and my family upside down. I walked away from my faith at the age of 15 after the bitter divorce of my mother and father only to find that history was repeating itself in my own marriage. At the age of thirty, I decided to walk away from the wrestling career and put my life, my marriage, as well as my past and my future in the hands of God. I rededicated my Life to Christ and His service and I am now a licensed Pastor at a Church In Texas. Since that day, my marriage, my family, and my personal hurts have all been healed and restored.
I love to learn and I love to serve. CLI is a blessing for me to continue grow personally as well as in my education. My desire is to be all that my Savior has called me to be, either in my home or church, I want to give the Lord glory in all I do. CLI is helping me achieve that.
God Bless
Pastor Michael
Abigail Freeman – USA
I was born and raised in the United States, the only child of parents that unfortunately I must admit are not spiritual people. In 1994, at the age of 12, I was introduced to the church. That being said, it wasn’t until September 2nd, 2009 that I really came to know the Lord. At that time, my second child was 3 months old and I was sitting in a church service feeling lost. Every word the pastor said was echoing in my head and I could not see or hear anything else around me. I was crying, I was scared, and I knew I needed to get up there and beg and plead for the forgiveness the pastor was making it clear would be granted with the slightest whisper. I was incredibly shy and knew almost no one around me, but I stood up and walked to the altar. I bowed down and just started crying and saying how sorry I was over and over again.
From that point on, I vowed that I would do my best to live for the Lord. I haven’t been perfect, I wouldn’t even pretend. In fact, I explain it as “sin rehab.” We are always sinners and temptation is there; it’s only with God’s help that we will resist that temptation and turn our lives around. It is definitely much easier to do ministry in the United States, but with so much political correctness, it’s often not considered politically correct to be Christian anymore. However, God said it would not be easy and if this is the most difficult thing that we face here, how can I complain in the least?
I was working in a nursing home around two years ago when the daughter of one of my residents told me about CLI. At that time, I was newly married and active in church. I had been telling my husband I really wanted to get involved in ministry but had no clue how to start, as we really did not have the funds for me to go to school. After much encouragement from my husband, I started classes at Christian Leaders Institute. In that time, my knowledge about the Bible and my walk with the Lord has grown tremendously. Our marriage and life in general has been so blessed, especially in the past couple of months. I strongly believe that my time so far at CLI has been the main reason I have been able to stay so focused on my spiritual walk.
This ordination will help me continue in the direction that I believe without a doubt is my spiritual calling. My passion is to witness to women who are incarcerated and help bring them to the Lord. Through focusing on Women’s Prison Ministry, I believe that God can use me to reach women that are troubled, falling deep into sin, and may be creating a path that their children will grow up to think of as the normal way to go. I feel an urgency to get started and know that God has plans that He is just waiting for me to start putting into action. In this way, this ordination will help me to become a Pastor that can travel to Women’s Prisons and use His word to make a difference in these women.
When I first began this journey, it wasn’t so clear to me what direction I wanted to go in. However, I had always thought about the possibility of going into prison ministry after my niece had been in some trouble when she was a teenager. After I brought it up to my husband that I was considering prison ministry, he informed me that his aunt runs a prison ministry for women in Texas. I have never met his aunt and did not know about it, but she does prison ministry as well as a halfway house for the women when they get out. My father-in-law is also getting me in touch with her so that she can mentor me.
Some of the unique challenges I face in my geographic area would be that the closest women’s prison in my state is 5 ½ hours away from where I live. I am hoping that my fulltime job will help make it more possible to travel and do my ministry work. Another challenge I am facing in my area is that I am living in Arkansas currently and attending a Southern Baptist church. We have just moved to this area and haven’t attended the church very long, but I have been warned by my husband that women are not normally looked upon as someone that should be a pastor. This being said, my local church has been supportive and has asked questions about my classes, my ministry calling, and Christian Leader’s Institute in general. I have had several talks with my Senior Pastor regarding CLI.
I am extremely excited about the chance to not only get ordained, but to follow through with my calling and be able to spread the Word. I am also excited to continue forward with my schooling at CLI and continue to grow personally and spiritually. I will forever be grateful for this free ministry training and everything it has made possible in our lives. Please pray that God continues to guide the direction for my ministry and opens the doors needed so that God can be introduced into the lives of those women who need Him. Thank you!
My name is Will Latham. I am a 40 year-old husband and father of 4 children. I have 1 daughter and 3 sons. This is my story.
At the age of 8 years-old, my 2 sisters and I were abandoned by our mother after years of verbal and physical abuse by our step father. I would not see or hear from my mother again until 31 years later. I was raised in a Christian home by my great aunt Myrtle Turner and her husband Earnest Turner. From a young age I learned about the goodness and mercy of God. Although being taught about God’s love and mercy, I still held a great deal of anger and resentment towards my mother for leaving me to be with her husband and the 3 children she had with her husband. This anger caused me to have a bad attitude and quick temper. As a young man I fell into a life of petty crime and drug use. I ended up becoming incarcerated.
While incarcerated my aunt passed away. I felt empty, alone and lost. I began to reflect on some of the wise words my aunt had given me, while she was alive. I began to pray and ask God to help me. I gave my life to God while I was incarcerated. It was once I gave my life to God, my life began to feel whole and at peace. I have continued my walk with God ever since.
When my aunt passed away, I prayed to God to give me a family. I was released from prison in 2009. God answered my prayers, God blessed me with a wife and 2 step sons and 2 years later another son. The good Lord also lifted the anger in my heart towards my mom. I began looking for my mom and the siblings my mom took with her when she left. After about a year of searching, I was able to find my mom. She currently resides in Georgia. Me and my mom speak to each other often on the phone now.
I live in Newark, New Jersey a city plagued with crime and killings. I would consider my self a youth leader, but would definitely like to grow in ministry. I want to be able to spread the goodness of God throughout this city. I currently work with young boys from my community. I take some of the boys I have developed a relationship with to my church. I am currently working on forming a nonprofit outreach program for young men in urban areas. I have also been working with my pastor on ways to encourage and draw the young people into the house of God. I use to ask myself why do I have to go through so much hardship and turmoil. I now know, it is because of all the painful experiences, I can relate to so much of what the young people in my community is experiencing. I’m reaching out to the young people to tell them; I know what it is like to be abandoned by your parents. I share with them God can fill any void in your life, if you give God a chance.
My dream is to open a nonprofit faith-based center for people. This center will focus on the fact, you can do all things through God. The center will specialize in working with abuse victims, drug addicts, victims of domestic violence, gang members and anyone looking to turn their lives around. I know where He has delivered me from, and the goodness of God. The good Lord has given me mercy and showed me grace. Now that I know the goodness of God on a personal level, I want to be educated as well; which is why I want to move forward with the online Bible school. While I read the bible on a daily basis, I want to gain a firm understanding of the Bible. So when I am out witnessing to others about the glory of God, I’m armed with knowledge and understanding of scriptures from the Bible. As I don’t want to add or take away anything from the bible. This online Bible school is essential to the work God has for me to do. I currently stay at home to take care of my 2 year old son with special needs, and cannot afford to pay tuition for school. I ask that a scholarship be given to assist me doing Our Father’s work.
Will Latham, of Newark, New Jersey U.S. Graduate of the Christian Leadership basic course – Christian Leaders Institute.