God Can Change Anyone

Kelli Elizabeth Vance

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Faith-based Organization for Mental Health,

Addictions, and Homelessness

While growing up, my parents raised me, my brother, and my sister to know the Lord. When I was six years old, I invited Christ into my heart but some how lost my way. It’s hard to pinpoint what went wrong, but I was a troubled child. I had a learning disability and did terrible in school, I felt so dumb and embarrassed by it. My self-esteem was low, and my grades greatly suffered. I got kicked out of school, and ran away from home, and as a result, my life strayed even further.

I was eleven years old when I started acting out, most likely because I was sexually violated by a much older man. No one could control me, and I was always getting in trouble. At the age of twenty, I was pregnant with twins and didn’t know what to do so I got married to the father. I re-committed my life to Christ and sensed His power and Spirit active in my life but managed to slip away again. I discovered that my husband was unfaithful, and I tried to bury the pain but ultimately ended up blaming God.

Twenty-five years have come and gone, and God has been truly faithful. He never stopped loving and communicating with me, and I never stopped praying to Him. I tried many times to quit my addiction, but I could never sustain it for long. Until one day, Christmas 2008, when God dramatically intervened and profoundly changed my life forever.

My testimony is long, and I’ve done the recovery work. It’s been seven years now, and I continue to live drug-free. My relationships with my family and children have been restored. My place of employment encourages me to pray and minister to the lost. I have deep compassion for the lost and broken-hearted. I love to study and teach. Ordination is important to me because it demonstrates that I have studied hard and met the qualifications to work and fulfill various commitments in church.

When I found out CLI was free, I signed up not knowing where it would it would lead. That was three years ago. I fell in love with the professors and programs, and the learning is never ending. The quality of education from CLI, is evident by the Holy Spirit manifested in my life. I can honestly say I’m making up for lost time, and the process is still on-going. My hope is to finish Ordination then complete the Diploma program. And I plan move on to an Associates Degree. My goal is to reach others with the essentials of the Christian faith, by the Authority of God and His Word.

I sincerely thank Christian Leaders Institute for the learning and training experiences they continue to give me. May God continue to bless this school.