Greetings to all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! My name is Lala Malope. I am thankful for the free Bible study opportunity (Learn more about Studying the Bible, Click Here) at the Christian Leaders Institute. By God’s grace, I am a Christian Leaders Institute student.
I was born in 1991 in South Africa in a small rural area called Mashashane in Polokwane, Limpopo province. My parents had me at a very young age. Therefore, I was raised by my grandmother with other siblings. We were about nine grandchildren in a small house with four rooms. My grandmother is an amazingly strong woman full of jokes, so the house was full of joy and laughter.
We all went to school and completed high school in the village. In 2010, I moved to Gauteng, Johannesburg, to further my studies. I obtained a diploma in business administration.
My Spiritual Journey
The last memory I have of the family going to church is when I was five years old. After that, never again did we set our foot there. I was too young to understand, anyway. So at home, we prayed to God and worshipped other gods and ancestors too. They still do. I did not see anything wrong as that was the only life I knew, and I had to obey the elders at home.
I am a person who dreams a lot. In fact, I never sleep and wake up without a dream. That made the elders conclude that I have a spiritual calling. There were some rituals to be done for me. I carried on with the life of worshipping ancestors and waited for an answer on what to do. However, it never came. In fact, every time I spoke to and worshipped them, my dreams and visions faded. It was like I moved further away from the true God.
How I Met Christ
After graduating, I found a job and had my own space, not close to any family members. That helped me a lot. Even though I did not stop worshipping ancestors, I began to realize that something was wrong. I was not getting the connection nor responses when I communicated with them. Yet, the spiritual void grew bigger and bigger. I knew I had to step into something, but I did not know what exactly. One Sunday, I woke up and went to the nearest church. I met my Savior, Jesus Christ, that day! That was November 2019. It’s been almost a year, and I never felt so alive.
My Humbling Experiences
In 2014, after I got a job, I fell sick. It was a strange sickness because I would have severe stomach pains but only at night or alone. In the morning, I would go to work, and it would be as if nothing ever happened as I felt no pain. I went to clinics and hospitals, but the pain did not leave me. After a time, I got better but realized that my menstruation got lighter until there was nothing. I have not seen my periods in seven years to date.
Before I was born again, I tried everything and everyone. I was afraid of the impact that this condition meant for me with infertility problems for the past years. It is a rare and sensitive issue. So I never found someone to talk to about it. I just cried and found no joy in life.
However, when I allowed Jesus Christ into my life, I found closure. I tell him how I feel, and he responds. So, I surrendered all the burden I had been carrying for years and find rest in him. Yes, the situation has not changed, but the living God I serve has given me peace. Also, I now know the promises he has made to me in Christ, and I know all is well. He is at work, and nothing is impossible with him!
Growth in My Relationship with God
I came to know God personally as my dreams and visions started happening in the natural. I dreamed of something, and it came to pass. That’s how I realized that God does communicate with me, and he has been fighting my battles all this time. In one of my dreams, a voice told me my purpose and how God will use me. I woke up crying and very much afraid and excited too.
The Free Bible Study Opportunity at CLI
My spiritual dream is to know God even more. I want to help my family get saved and turn from worshipping ancestors and other gods. Therefore, I need to be more equipped and have more knowledge about the Gospel. (Learn more about Studying the Bible, Click Here)
I also need to build up my confidence because I would like to start a ministry organization for women. There, women can talk about their infertility issues and make awareness to their families and communities to understand and be supportive at all times.
I want to thank the Christian Leaders Institute for this free Bible study opportunity. Signing up was easy, and before I knew it, I was a student. It’s been only a month, but I feel the impact of the training already. Thank you again to the team of CLI!
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
My name is Harry Orlowski, and I am excited about the free minister education opportunity at the Christian Leaders Institute. I was born in Hollywood, California. I remember seeing movie stars on Hollywood Boulevard when I went for walks with Mom and Dad. We moved south to the little beach town of Carlsbad, California, when I was only five years old.
My Early Years
In Carlsbad, I attended public school and worshipped at Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church every Sunday. I also attended catechism classes for six years until confirmation. Therefore, Christ was always part of my life. Carlsbad was a great place to grow up. I later realized that it was pretty close to paradise than some of the big cities I later called home. What a childhood of innocence and wholesomeness – friendly people, safety, and great weather! There was also magnificent golf in that area. I used to play at the world-famous Torrey Pines several times a week and at a local course nearly every day after or instead of school.
When I graduated from Carlsbad high school, I attended San Diego State University. I graduated with a B.A. in anthropology and economics, as well as an M.B.A. After finishing at SDSU, I transferred to the University of California at Irvine to pursue a Ph.D. in management.
Illness and Surrender to Christ
After working at a few corporate positions, including Blue Cross of California, and Metropolitan Life, I finally burned out after a lifetime of school and work. Too many 80-hour weeks got to be too much for me. So, I became terribly ill with an infection that put me in a hospital for more than a month.
It was the hand of God that took me to Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital. Because, for the first time in my life, I was bombarded with Bible-believing Christians preaching God’s word to a captive audience. Something awoke in my soul – a fervent desire to read the gospel! I read the New Testament several times, and that ignited a long-dormant desire to know Jesus Christ! Well, that was 30 years ago that I confessed my many sins and asked for Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. It’s amazing how sometimes our lowest point in life can serve as the springboard for the turning point towards salvation.
New Direction
After taking a few months off work, I began to question whether I really wanted the corporate rat race. The answer was a very loud and clear, “No!” I decided to take it a bit easier for the rest of my life and have more balance. So, I took classes to earn a California teaching credential and learn a new language, Spanish, to teach in bilingual public school settings. Therefore, at 39 years old, I got a new start as a public school teacher.
I was pretty anchored in Christianity by then, and I constantly looked for opportunities to sneak Christian teachings into the curriculum. This practice was frowned upon officially, but believers do it anyway. That’s how God used a humble teacher to put Christian ideas into the hearts and minds of impressionable young children. After only three years in a classroom, I decided to get an M.A. in Educational Administration and an administrative credential to become a school administrator. I did, and I worked at LAUSD for 20 years until I retired in 2016.
In 2016, I went on vacation to Acapulco and fell in love with Mexico and moved to Mexico City, where I currently live most of the time. Actually, I switch back and forth between Mexico City and Hollywood.
Minister Education Opportunity at CLI
Christianity has been important to me for 30 years. So, when I saw the Christian Leaders Institute minister education opportunity to learn more and seek ordination, I jumped at it. I began in June of 2020, and I’m enjoying my first taste of formal theological instruction with some excellent professors.
There is a coherent thread woven through this story, and it begins with early exposure to religion that was fairly intense for about 10 years. That served to establish a latent desire to know Jesus Christ that was later rekindled at a time of desperation. Reading the New Testament with fresh and more experienced eyes ignited a love for Jesus that has lasted ever since.
It is now a natural progression to devote my time to know God better and learn how to share salvation with others. My spiritual dream is to bring others into a relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The CLI training helps me have the substance, coupled with my enthusiasm, to be more effective at this mission. Thank you, and God bless!
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
My name is Tammy Hawk, and I am receiving free Bible School studies at the Christian Leaders Institute. I live on the East Coast of Florida in the United States. I was born and raised in southern New Jersey until I graduated high school and moved to Florida on a collegiate softball scholarship.
As a child, I was raised to know Jesus. My grandparents made sure my siblings and I attended church and Awana youth group. I loved playing sports, so eventually, my schedule became too busy to attend church activities. I still loved the Lord, but I was so busy with school and sports.
Challenges
The less time I spent with God, the more I spent doing things that led me to times in my life where I didn’t recognize myself. After five years of “living up” the college athlete’s life, it all ended when I began having unexplained seizures. I could not finish my last trimester of college for my Bachelor in Accounting.
During that dark time, I met a man I ended up dating for 16 years. We had a beautiful daughter together, had great jobs, built a house, and played softball. However, God did not play any role in our life. In 2006, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.
More Challenges
In 2013, we had a house fire and lost just about everything! Standing in Walmart covered in black soot, I was desperately trying to think what my family would need to at least sleep that night. That was the first time I felt God’s presence pour over me! His Peace carried me through the next few months.
I met with the insurance adjuster at the house to review our contents. She handed me a book that had been in a cabinet with all my other books five feet from where the fire started. She could not even identify most of the books; however, the one my uncle gave me years ago didn’t have a black mark. It even still had its paper cover! That Joyce Meyer devotional, ”Hearing from God Each Morning,” changed my life!
Later that year, I lost my corporate job and became a single parent. My daughter and I were baptized together in 2015. However, I struggled to find God’s purpose for my life.
In 2018, my health began to take a deeper decline. In 2019, I was hospitalized with major neurological issues. I was having difficulty walking, talking, seeing, and thinking. Since then, my symptoms come and go. I have been to over 15 specialists so far, and none can explain any of this.
New Life and Healing in God
During this last year, my life as I knew it ended. Almost every relationship in my life ended or became distant. My brain struggled in the most basic of tasks. Then the pandemic hit, I had nowhere to turn but to God!
I poured every last bit of energy into my relationship with Him, and I began to know his Peace again. In August of 2020, God brought some amazing people involved in Ministry into my life. That is when my healing began. The first time they prayed and laid hands on me, my right leg grew even to the other. The doctors still have no idea what is going on with my brain; however, I continue to get better and better!
Call to Ministry and Christian Leaders Institute
God is calling me to go into ministry to help heal the sick and broken. He led me to the Christian Leaders Institute. My finances are more than a mess after my health issues, so the opportunity to begin my Bible School studies free is an answer to my prayers! May God bless the amazing people that make this possible for people like me to follow God’s calling!
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.