My name is Troy Yoppini from the United States. “Who am I that I should go? God chose what is weak.” Therefore, I want to be equipped to minister where God may lead me. That desire led me to the online courses at the Christian Leaders Institute to be further equipped to minister (Learn more about studying the Bible online, Click Here).

In the Beginning

As far back as I can remember, I was in church. I can’t remember anything specific about those early years except for playing in the yard with friends and acting out a battle scene where we fought against the “bad guy down there.” At some point early in my childhood, my parents stopped attending church. I felt a loss. As a child, all I knew was something was missing. But It was like missing a friend or a parent. I remember asking my mom why we didn’t go anymore. I don’t know what she said, but I remember asking to return to church.

For whatever reason, my parents didn’t return. Finally, they sent me to the church less than a block away. It wasn’t easy as the kids there were established and had families there. Nevertheless, I wanted it. The following year as I moved into the fifth-grade Sunday School class, I met my teacher Mr. Goetz. There was something incredible about him. He made the Bible leap off the pages into my heart and soul.

However, it wasn’t just that. He treated me as if I was the only pupil he had. Of course, he did this with all his students, but I only knew our relationship experientially. He was a father figure who loved me and treated me as unique. As a ten-year-old, I was a bit different, asking questions about Eschatology (end times). I’ll never forget that Mr. Goetz let me borrow his “Late Great Planet Earth” LP. I was immediately enraptured (pardon the pun) by the narrative.

The Fall

Then came the Junior High School enlightenment. Without going into great detail about my Prodigal Son Odyssey, I will say I went full throttle as is my custom. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? 1 Corinthians 6:9. The list that follows that verse was a checklist that I seemed to almost complete. Disastrous choices, one after another, followed. It was like the laws of gravity. It came naturally.

Already, But Not Even Close

Often, at this point in a person’s testimony, we read of a dramatic redemption-style story. These miracles do indeed happen! But not with this guy! I returned to the Lord only to flame out miserably several times. This was devastating to my heart. “Oh Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?” (Habakkuk 1:2). Sure, Habakkuk was dismayed by the evil he saw and wondered why God wasn’t doing anything, or so it seemed from his perspective. But, similarly, I cried out, “Why Lord, do I keep failing? Why do I doubt and why don’t you make it clear?

Many such intellectual and emotional questions nagged at me incessantly! I had Apologetics books and thousands of hours in audio lectures from Christian institutions. However, I remained blind and, at best, like the blind man at Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26). Jesus healed me in stages. “I see people, but they look like trees.” My trek has been a gradual, not dramatic, transformation but a miracle, nevertheless! “Through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

Marriage

“Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1) Late in my life, God brought my “Sarah,” named Juliet, into my life. We married in the Philippines.

While we were there on our honeymoon, we traveled all over the islands. Early during the tour of her native land, I saw a girl not more than nine years old breathing into a sandwich bag like when they get the hiccups. I asked, “What is she doing?” My bride informed me she was inhaling solvent gasses! In shock, I wondered why? She calmly replied, “Because she is hungry and has no food.” It is common among street children there.

The Call

Later that week, as we were returning from El Nido (a beautiful island in the Philippines), we stopped to have lunch. We found a lovely outdoor restaurant. We selected our food from a buffet line of plenty and sat down. I noticed children outside of the restaurant staring in. I shrugged it off, basking in the glow of our beautiful trip.

Then, my wife asked me, “Do you have any coins?” I gave her a handful, curious why she asked. She got up and walked over to a little boy standing at the edge of the restaurant. He was three years old with worn clothing and a dirty face. She handed him all the change.

Immediately cut to the heart, I stopped eating as I asked myself, “How can you just do nothing?” I didn’t look up for more than ten minutes or eat. I knew that the moment I caught my beautifully hearted wife’s eyes, I would burst into tears. On the ride back, I couldn’t shake it from my mind. For the first time, I knew God was saying, “I want you to go back and help my children.”

Almost at retirement age, I know God is calling Juliet and me back to the Philippines. As of this moment, I don’t know what that all looks like or what He has in mind. But like Abram, I will let God show me the way. However, I know that I need to be equipped to minister in whatever God leads me to do.

Equipped to Minister through CLI

This is where the Christian Leaders Institute comes in! I sincerely hope I will be further equipped to minister in the work God has called me to. “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will” (Hebrews 13:20-21).

Register for a Study Account

Register for a free study account that automatically enrolls you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.

When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.    

The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform, and the Programs offered, including:

1. Minister Awards, Certificates, and Diplomas with the Christian Leaders Institute.
2. College Degrees with the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
3. Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities. 

Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.  

Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.