Hello from sunny Southern California, USA. I am Jessica Mogensen, and I am taking free online Bible courses at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here). I have been married to my wonderful husband Robert since 2012. We have four children, three boys, and a girl. I am a stay-at-home mom to our children, who are the loves of my life. However, they also cause me to get new white hair every 5 seconds.
Early Years
I grew up in a Christian home and became a born-again Christian at a very young age. Then, I recommitted my life to Jesus at the age of 13. For some reason, I thought I was too young to fully understand what it meant to be saved when I was 4. That is when my desire to know everything about God started.
I always loved the stories I learned from Sunday School and the other Bible stories I heard from my parents. When I started to reread and relearn the stories, I noticed new things or saw them from a different light. No matter how many times I read it, I always saw something new. That created an understanding of how alive the Bible truly is and how it will never get old.
Since High school, I have been interested in ministry in some type or form. This led me to go on a mission trip to Brazil when I was 16. That is where I fell in love with youth ministries. After graduating High School, I volunteered to be a youth leader in the Junior high group at my home church and a small group leader to six 7th grade girls. I loved seeing the Bible come alive to the kids and see their personal relationships with God grow.
New Challenges
Once I married, my husband and I moved away and struggled to find a home church that fit us. It was the first time my husband and I were actually on our own when it came to our Christian walk. Previously, we stayed in the same church we grew up in and never decided on factors like that. Unfortunately, instead of seeking the right church, we ended up going to our home church online. Therefore, we lost the connection, and fellowship in-person church gives. This is when I truly realized how important attending church is for me. I desire to be part of a church family to plug in and not just be a seat warmer.
Also, having my first child made me understand that I need a church family not just for me but for my children. Then, they can grow up and understand the importance of fellowshipping with other believers. This put a fire in me to prayerfully seek a new home church to raise our family. We are very blessed to have found a loving and God-centered church that has helped us grow up in our faith and claim it as our own.
Bible Courses and Ministry Training at CLI
Recently, I realized that I still have the calling to go into ministry. It might be stronger now than ever. I long for the connection and the blessing I get during my time serving the local church. I prayed for God to open doors at our new home church, and boy did He ever. Currently, I am on the leadership team for our Women’s ministry and run the social media pages for our church. I have also been asked to start training under the Connections Pastor as she is planning on retiring. She may have me take over her role in the future.
Growing up in the faith was not enough for me to feel adequate to take over such a role. So, I started looking for a Bible college where I could get training and a possible degree. I found out that no matter what, schools and Biblical training will be costly to me. Then, I came upon the Christian Leaders Institute with free Bible courses. I thought it was too good to be true. However, after looking into it and taking some classes, I realize this is another door God has opened for me. CLI helps me understand my call into ministry and understand my Heavenly Father and what He wants for all of us.
My name is Jobert Simacas, from the Philippines. I am thankful I have found purpose in God and feel called to share Christ. So I am studying at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here).
At an early stage of my life, one of the philosophical questions I had was related to the purpose and meaning of life.
What is the meaning of life? Why should I continue living? By that question, you can tell that I was suicidal during my early years. That was because I didn’t see meaning in living. I thought I was born to suffer. For me, that was all. Living means you will suffer, and then you will suffer without a purpose.
I saw my mother cry a lot when my younger sister died at an early age. So, I thought I don’t want to hurt my loved ones by committing suicide. I also heard from someone the happiest place was heaven. However, if I killed myself, I would not go to heaven because suicide is a sin. Those thoughts prevented me from committing suicide. But I still found life meaningless and purposeless. I hated life itself and myself because I was a failure. I failed myself, and I thought I failed my mother as well.
Saved By God’s Grace
When my father became a Christian, we were forced to attend church services. Several years later, I was at one of the youth services. During singing after the Word of God was preached, I gave my life to Christ. The song was about offering oneself to God, including past and future hopes and plans. I gave my whole life to God, including all the negativity in me, such as hatred, fear, and anxiety. I thought I failed myself and the people around me. It was at this time that I came to realize that I failed God as well. So I asked for forgiveness and for Him to take care of my life. It was that time that God made himself known to me. I experienced unexplainable joy! I came to understand that I can only find the true meaning of life in God.
It is my desire for people to find happiness, purpose, and meaning in life through a relationship with Jesus Christ. People have been looking for meaning in so many things, but they wouldn’t look to God. Through the ministry training of the Christian Leaders Institute, I hope to become competent enough to bring the Word of God to people around me. I want everyone to know that there is life’s purpose in God.
My name is Nikki Reitnauer. In order to study and understand the Bible more, I am taking classes at the Christian Leaders Institute (Learn more about online Bible classes, Click Here). I am 48 years old. Growing up in Eastern Pennsylvania, I now live in Tampa, Florida, with my husband of 15 years, Jason, and our 14-year-old daughter, Olivia. I also have a 20-year-old step-daughter, Ciera, from my husband’s first marriage. Currently, I am a Project Manager for a major Health Insurance Company. I have been with this company, in many capacities, for the last 22 years.
Early Life
I am the middle child of three children. I have an older brother and a younger sister. My parents were very young when they had us. Times were not always great when I was a child. There were alcoholism and abuse involved. I grew up in the Catholic church and graduated from an all girl’s Catholic High School. I was back and forth between my mom and my dad for most of my teenage years. My teenage years were rough between my mom’s abusive boyfriends and my dad’s addiction coming back after being sober for 10 years.
My dad remarried when I was 13, and times were great at my dad’s until he had surgery, which triggered his addictions. At the age of 17, I met a boy who I dated until I was 30. He was always my “savior,” coming to take me out of the abusive situations at my mom’s. His family was completely different. Stable and VERY involved in the Presbyterian church they belonged to. A year after graduating from High School, we attended a Billy Graham crusade where I was saved. This was when I heard God calling me. I became very involved in my boyfriend’s family church. I taught Sunday School to the children, sang as part of the women’s worship team, and attended summer revivals with the youth group.
Changes
When I was 27, my Dad lost his battle with his addiction and went home to be with the Lord. Through it all, I never blamed God for any of it. I understood that the choices we make are what set our path.
My boyfriend and I stayed together until I was 30 years old. We never lived together or got married during that time. Before we broke up, I bought my first home after receiving some money from a car accident. Although that was an exhilarating time for me, it ended up being the end of the first part of my story with the Lord. Being involved in my boyfriend’s family church was not going to work out now that we were no longer together. So I stepped away from the church but never fully stepped away from the Lord. I ALWAYS turned to God in my times of need but stopped having a relationship with Him.
I met my husband when I was 31 years old. He was not a strong Christian but grew up going to a Lutheran church and attended Sunday school with his Dad. His mother was not as involved, attending church only during the big holidays (Easter and Christmas Eve). Jason and I married in May of 2016, and Olivia was born 11 months later. In 2017, God brought us to Tampa, FL. The teenage years with a daughter are difficult. Realizing that nothing I was doing made our relationship better, I cried out to Jesus to please intervene. He has since done wonders in our life and relationship. We have started attending church and are to be baptized at the end of April.
Call to Ministry Training and to Understand the Bible
While looking up how I could study and understand the Bible, I came across Christian Leaders Institute. I couldn’t believe that they were offering free classes to become a Ministry leader. I am not exactly sure what I want to do, but I know I want to be more involved in the church. Whether it is women’s ministry or youth ministry, I want to be around those that can strengthen my relationship with the Lord. God has called me back. I am so happy to be able to have the opportunity to learn and study through CLI.