Lashell Jones –
“My name is Lashell Jones. Im 30 years of age and I love serving the Lord. I currently reside in the United States in Herndon, VA with my husband. I attend Tenth Street Baptist Church and came to know the Lord at the tender age of seven. My mother raised me and my siblings in the church since we were babies. I accepted Christ as my Savior then was baptized and been serving the Lord since. Although I was raised in church I neglected to serve or follow Christ once I graduated high school and left home for college. I went out with the wrong crowds doing drugs and drinking alcohol forgetting all the morals my parents instilled in me growing up. After graduating from college I exhausted my time working and living on my own. It wasn’t until I met my husband who came to know the Lord that I decided to come back to Jesus. After witnessing the power of prayer that saved my husband life it opened my eyes back to the Lord and his greatness. Since then me and my husband have become the Youth leaders in our Couple’s ministry. I’m an active participant in our Women’s ministry and just received my membership to discipleship certificate.
“My ministry dream is to encourage God’s people especially our youth that when praises go up blessings come down. I want to start a praise and worship team used for Sunday’s devotion, Tuesday’s prayer service, Wednesday’s Bible study and other future programs. I strongly believe that praises can be demonstrated through song, speech and dance. My ministry will involve the youth and young adults which is our future. I also will like to start a big brother & sister club for our youth when they are away for college. Speaking from experience I know that Satan is busy doing those times when you’re away from the structure of home and your church family. I really wished I had a peer in Christ to call on when I needed prayer for strength and will power to continue to follow Jesus.
“I most identify with Youth leader. I feel my testimony help me witness to our youth. The youth at my church have seen my accomplishments and blessings from all my hard work and dedication. My light is shining through my walk and a lot of the youth look up to me already as a big sister. Looking back from both drug and alcohol abuse I know that the Lord is a way maker. After neglecting my health to the streets and experiencing those sleepless nights has prompt me to pursue ministry to help prevent my young sisters in Christ from following in my shoes.
“Growing up in urban DC and attending church was not considered the “In” thing to do. Kids teased me and my siblings for being different. They laughed when we could only play to the street lights came on and that was after we had all our chores and homework done. As a teen I wasn’t allowed to date until I was 16 years of age and even then it was all supervised. Things have not changed. A lot of my friends are either dead, drug users, drug dealers or working on baby daddy number three and the cycle is then starting all over again. I was caught in crossfire, jumped by my peers but still found the courage to graduate in the top ten of my high school. I thank the Lord for the structure I had at home although crime and chaos was happening right outside my bedroom window.”
Lashell Jones Receives a Scholarship
“My church has supported me in my ministry calling by allowing me to become an Youth leader in our Couple’s ministry. This has allow me to serve in my full potential. My mother is currently serving as a Minister at my church. I often accompany her when she’s called to preach at visiting churches. In addition, I assist her with her very own ministry “Herstory”. Through this ministry for women it allow us to reach out and share our story and how we overcome.
“A scholarship at CLI is so important for my spiritual growth and my ministry’s dream come true. My ministry will make a difference for our future. I especially need prayer for patience because I know its not easy encouraging our youth to follow Jesus. Our future is all we have to hold on to and we need to break the cycles of failure and neglect in our urban youth.”
Lashell Jones believed in God since she was very young, but later in her life she wandered away and was trapped in an environment thick with drugs and alcohol. After returning to the Lord, Lashell Jones became active in her church’s ministry. Lashell Jones wants to continue deeper into ministry, with the ultimate goal of reaching the youth. Lashell Jones sees her past – being drawn into drugs and alcohol – as an opportunity to reach out to others and keep them from falling into the same temptations. Lashell Jones seeks a scholarship at Christian Leaders Institute so that she can fulfill these ministry dreams.
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Lizette van der Linden –
“I am currently living in South Africa and have been doing ministry here for 13 years except for the 3 years I have had the honor to live and work in Malta.
“South Africa has it’s own set of challenges , we do have freedom here to proclaim and worship the Lord freely without a lot of persecution and most people you meet will confess to be Christian but this is in name only. The Gospel have been mixed with ancestral worship and customs of the people, poverty and AIDS also play a role in the health and perception of the church and local believers.
“I was came to know the Lord 22years ago through a Gospel message on television. Went to the local church and I have not looked back since. I started a Prayer School ministry in 1998 that is still going today but the Lord released me to go and work and pray in Malta for 3 and a half years.”
Lizette van der Linden Receives a Scholarship
“My ministry dream is to help and plant churches that proclaims the truth of the Word of God where ever the Lord might want! I want to help local believers grow and have a better relationship with the Lord . CLI will help me with this dream by equipping me and making me more effective where I am now. By learning and spending even more time in the Word through this course I know I can make difference for the church and the Body of our Lord. My dream would be to make CLI teaching available to many in my community that does not have access to the Internet to have a space they could come to and be equipped.
“Pray for me as a woman in Africa since there are many prejudices against females in ministry and for divine opportunities to spread the Gospel! Thank you for the opportunity and material you have made available to me so far my the Lord Jesus bless you!”
Lizette van der Linden serves the Lord in South Africa, where religious freedom is the official stance. However, Lizette van der Linden faces a unique challenge in South Africa because there are many prejudices against females being involved in ministry. Also, Lizette van der Linden sees the cultural traditions and superstitions that have been integrated with the local Christian culture. Lizette van der Linden seeks a scholarship at Christian Leaders Institute so that she can be part of the development of a new Christian culture that is completely Christ centered.
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Larry Stepp –
“My name is Larry Stepp and I live in WV in the US. I was saved at an early age but as time went on I got into the drug scene which landed me in a bad place. I was making good money and spending it all on crystal meth! In 2006 I was drug tested at work and failed. At the time I thought it was a bad thing but it wasn’t. In early 2007 I went through a big transformation and totally changed including moving to a new state and having a fresh start with the woman who is now my wife of 4 years. To the best of my knowledge I walked away without having the first withdrawal! I believe this was the shelter of the Lord upon me keeping me from going back to that lifestyle.
“From the age of about 20 even through all the drugs I always had a dream of starting an “outdoor” ministry one day and using Gods great outdoors as a tool to lead people to the Lord. I live in an area which is perfect for this due to all the backwoods we have. The local youth also has been impacted by drugs and teenage prostitution. They simply don’t have anything positive in this area to turn to. In light of that I want to plant an organization with many after school programs and fun activities to get kids off the street and teach them about the Lord by using my own failures and blessings as an example and success story.”
Larry Stepp Receives a Scholarship
“I currently head up Outdoorsmen For Christ which is a sub group of the men’s ministries program at my local church. I want to apply the education I receive from Christian Leaders Institute to move toward the goal of having a separate entity in our own building. This will give the freedom to explore into getting the kids off the streets and at the feet of Jesus!”
Larry Stepp came to God many years ago, but lost his way like so many in the modern world. However, after hitting his own rock bottom, Larry Stepp returned from the darkness he’d fallen into to live once again in the light. Now, by the grace of God, Larry Stepp leads the “outdoorsmen” division of the men’s ministry at his church, but his vision is much bigger. Larry Stepp wants to use God’s wondrous creation as a unifying experience and a guiding light that points the youth in his area to the Creator. Larry Stepp seeks a scholarship at Christian Leaders Institute so that he can take that next step and offer the youth of his area something better than drugs and promiscuity.
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