My name is Donald Gould, and I am excited about CLI’s free online educational training. I live in Seymour, Missouri, which is a small country town in the Ozark mountains. I graduated high school in 1993 and completed a two-year automotive tech school.
Since joining the Christian Leaders Institute, things have changed for me and others around me. Those I have told have a lot of questions about this online educational training. People that know me see the things I have already learned. They are seeing how excellent the Christian Leaders Institute’s education is so far. They comment on how I have improved in knowledge already.
Challenges and Salvation
My childhood was a tough one. We moved to new towns and homes in bad neighborhoods almost every year. Due to this moving, I did not have many close friends nor any long term relationships. We were a single income family, and my mother raised me and my sister and brother. We didn’t have much. Most of the kids I hung around were into stealing, drugs, alcohol, and fighting. Gangs were starting all around us. I was able to avoid drugs and theft, but alcohol and conflict became part of my life for many years.
I went through the loss of a grandchild that my wife and I raised for eight years. After her loss, the pastor who did the funeral service invited me to a revival at the church. At this revival, God pulled on my heart, and my pastor led me to the altar. Through the Holy Spirit, the pastor told me that Jesus could save me if I would let Him into my life and have a little talk with Him. After that talk with Jesus, I believed, and Jesus led me to His Father.
Our Spiritual Dream and Growth in Christ
My wife’s and my spiritual dream is to preach to cowboys, cowgirls, and all who we meet. We dream of doing a cowboy church where I can lead lost souls to Jesus, who can do anything for anyone with any problem. I also dream of breaking the chains of family generations who don’t know Christ. As far as my family can go back, we have been without the truth and Jesus. I want to bring ministry to my family.
The first obstacle for me in my calling was me. I spent some time proving my calling is real. After I knew for sure, it was real. My second obstacle was my wife believing it was real. After she got confirmation, I realized my need for ministry training to proceed on this journey.
Finally, I came to a point in my life where I felt I was not able to lead my family anymore. It was a dead-end road. I felt a pulling toward God to direct my life as I realized I needed God’s power to guide my life and family.
God became real to me as He started showing me things that could only be explained by His power and His work. I dug into God’s Word deeply and started developing a close relationship with Him. It was then I knew He was real.
Sharing the Good News
I plan to share what I learn at the Christian Leaders Institute with everyone I meet. I plan to take this knowledge and put it into use in the community, my job, and my family. My walk with God has strengthened, and I want to share with others the good news of Jesus Christ. I plan to have the knowledge and understanding of how to lead and mentor others to be better Christians.
This free online educational training in my life is beneficial for my family and me financially due to how tight our finances are at this time. My church also is small, and most of our members have fixed incomes, so they can not provide help to me at this time. CLI makes God calling me right now at this time, still possible. Thank you, CLI!
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
I am Jan Boshoff, and I have a pastoral call to the marketplace. Currently, I live in the United States; however, I am originally from South Africa. When I first moved to the USA, I was a newlywed graduate engineering student. My wife and I attended a wonderful church in Delaware, where the pastors did an excellent job in discipleship, Bible training, and development of its laypeople.
During our stay in Delaware, several leaders in the church felt that I was called into ministry as a pastor. As I was praying and wrestling through this, and waiting on the Lord for confirmation of this calling, I met with a dear brother and spiritual mentor and talked it over with him. He pointed out that the Lord might be calling me into pastoral care in the marketplace in my career. This idea was a spark of lightning that lit up in my heart. I felt that it was what I was called to do.
New Direction and Study at CLI
Since that time, I have worked in the petrochemical industry in roles of increasing responsibility and management. Throughout my career, I have felt that the Lord called me to be a different manager. I am one that pastors while working to achieve the business objectives of the corporation. Now, I founded a clean energy technology company. I’m working toward creating a cleaner future, and the Lord’s calling is still playing out in unexpected ways.
I found the Christian Leaders Institute online. It offers free ministry training and clergy options for my pastoral call into the marketplace. At this time, I am pursuing to be a wedding officiant for some dear friends. I trust that I will be an effective instrument in the Lord’s hands. To glorify his name and further his kingdom as I walk in the deeds that he has for me is my desire.
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
“Kia Ora!” (hello in Maori) My name is Deborah Russell, and I am studying at CLI for my women’s ministry calling from God. I live in Christchurch, New Zealand. Christchurch is known as the Garden City in the South Island of my country. We are known for beautiful scenery and friendly people. I was born in Timaru in October of 1968.
I gave my heart to the Lord as a child and loved Jesus at Christmas time when we sang those Christmas carols. One doesn’t know the story of Jesus unless one grows up in a Christian home. I was baptized at ten. My parents moved to Twizel, in the heart of Mackenzie country. Winters were hard, and summers were long and hot.
Challenges
I didn’t get my school certificate from Twizel High School as I had learning difficulties. Reading, writing, and mathematics were my downfall. So, I left school to work in a restaurant. I met my first husband at 17, had our first child at 18, and married at 19. We had three girls together. About six months after the birth of my youngest, I left my husband and my three girls in his care. I was in counseling for childhood abuse and tried to get marriage counseling too.
After a while, I went back to live with my parents to rebuild my relationship with them. I missed my girls and wanted to get closer to them. I tried to study travel and tourism, but because of an old sports injury, I finally got an operation on my right knee. Later on, in that year (94), I meet another man, and we got married in (99) in Christchurch. Sadly my husband died in 2007 to cancer. A friend of ours learned of my husband’s passing and wanted to meet for coffee. We did, and we haven’t been apart since.
In 2010, a series of earthquakes hit Christchurch. The first one was 7.1. Then in February 6.4. One hundred and eighty-seven people lost their lives. The city was rebuilding. I went to the local Salvation Army in Belfast and became an adherent soldier.
Study at CLI for My Women’s Ministry Calling
A friend of mine used to hold a small coffee group with ladies from church. Sadly she left, and I was missing our coffee catchup. So I got a few ladies together, and we would meet once a month. In my corp, they hadn’t had women’s ministry in many years. So I talked to my church leaders and offered my services for women’s ministry. We went from six people to 30, averaging about 14 at a meeting. We just celebrated our first year in March. Sadly after the COVID situation, we went into lockdown.
I want to use this time to study for women’s ministry. So, I came across the Christian Leaders Institute online and started in the admissions class. Now, I am about to complete the Christian Leaders Connections class. All of the courses are professionally done. The materials and test assignments are achievable. CLI allows me to learn and grow in my ministry. The classes will empower me to strengthen and equip me for my future. I love the Lord, and he keeps showing me answers to my prayers. I study for Jesus and building His kingdom. Thank you for this opportunity, CLI!
Learn more about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance. Interested in a low-cost degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.