Called to Ministry and Study at CLI
Hello, my name is Yolanda Cantoran, and I am called to ministry and to study at CLI. I was born in Texas and raised in Minnesota. I am a mother to one son. My husband helped me learn about Christ and His salvation.
A Challenging Beginning and Finding God
My childhood was difficult. Both my parents were alcoholics and always separating. We did not attend church, but my father was somewhat strict. I moved out at the age of 16, had my son at 17, and divorced at the age of 24. After this, I partied and did inappropriate things. However, I began looking for someone who could talk to me about God. I even bought a small Bible (without knowing how many versions there were). I prayed and asked God for help.
Then, I started dating again and met my husband. After knowing each other awhile, he told me about how he used to attend church and then stopped. He was thinking of going back. This fact made me happy. I finally found someone willing to tell me more about God. Ironically, I never thought of going to church. It never crossed my mind. When we married, he, my son, and I went to church. I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior and received baptism at the age of 28. However, we went back to our old ways. It wasn’t until 2015 that I realized I was not taking my walk with God seriously.
A Discovery and God’s Peace
My Father passed away in 2015, a couple of months after I was diagnosed with an autoimmune illness. My illness left me needing a walker, a cane and, on occasion, a wheelchair. After my Father’s funeral, I became bitter and angry. I was mad at everyone, but not at God. I was just hurt by things that were said and done to me by my family.
Before my father got sick, we discovered that he was not my biological father. He told me this did not matter as he was still my father, and nothing would change that. At his funeral, I discovered that he told his other children from his first marriage, that he only had two daughters (my two younger sisters). He rejected me.
After these revelations, my family and I visited a church. The pastor prayed for me and told me that I needed to let all the hurt and anger go. It was making my illness worse and hurting me spiritually. So, I forgave those who wronged me and prayed to God to forgive me for not turning to Him first. I asked God to forgive me for not remembering that He alone was my Father. God never rejected me.
Called to Ministry and Study at CLI
Now, we are back at our home church, where we are growing spiritually as a family. My husband is on the Men’s Ministry team, something he had not done in more than 15 years. My son is interested in playing the saxophone again and might try out for the Music Ministry team.
Since I am called to ministry and to study more, I am here at Christian Leaders Institute taking free ministry classes. I thank God for the opportunity because there is no way we could afford it since I am disabled. First, I am taking classes for the Women’s Ministry. However, I will also study in other areas. I desire to share with women that there are tough times, but we can always trust God to be there for us. He is everything we need, and He loves us. All Glory to God!
Learn about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance.
My Free Biblical Learning Journey
Hello, my name is Garret Bolthouse, and I am receiving free Biblical learning at CLI. I am from Tucson, AZ and have a degree in Philosophy with a minor in Business from the University of Arizona. Currently, I am studying Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
My wife and I have served as ministers in our community for over a decade. We teach the Bible to middle school students in our church family every week. We mentor and lead youth and their families in our church’s student ministry. Furthermore, we actively support a well-founded community of Christians in the Tucson area. Tucson is an interesting but difficult place to minister. The city is culturally diverse and highly unchurched. The culture is largely oriented toward self-determination and personal fulfillment. Community and accountability are difficult concepts for those who have grown up in Arizona culture.
My Early Salvation Journey
I grew up in the state of Washington. When I was about seven, I came to Christ at a VBS. The man who presented the Gospel to us took a piece of flash paper and lit it on fire. He said, “This is what Jesus does with all of the sins in your life.” Then, I knew that I needed Jesus in my life!
God became very real to me as I spent time in His Word and developed a love for the stories of the Bible. The more I read, the more real God became to me. I did not realize until my early twenties that I probably hold closer to God than most people my age. It shaped and formed me into the person I am today. I am continually reminded of God’s grace to me.
My Spiritual Dream and Obstacles
My spiritual dream is to continue to serve my local community. Currently, I mentor many young people and disciple them to become ministers of the Gospel. I have a specific set of God-given interpersonal skills and a mind and heart that make me well-suited to be a shepherd in my community.
The first obstacle to maturity in my life have been thinking I am in complete control of my destiny. A second obstacle has been my failure to bear with the failings of those I believe are immature. God has reminded me repeatedly of these two obstacles. He shows me that I am not in control and putting immature people in front of me on a regular basis.
Free Biblical Learning at the Christian Leaders Institute
I hope to use my Christian Leaders Institute training to gain skills and knowledge and to form my understanding of the world in the context of the Bible. I studied the Bible for many years and learned much from it. Now, I can further my pursuit of God, the Bible, and His Kingdom through the free Biblical learning at the Christian Leaders Institute.
Free training is important and necessary for me because I have a large amount of debt due to my schooling. I would like to continue Biblical learning, but attending traditional Christian seminary would add to my debt burden significantly. thank you, CLI, for this free Biblical learning!
Learn about ordination at the Christian Leaders Alliance and low-cost degrees at the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.
Free Ministry Leadership Training at CLI
My name is Jennifer Starr, and I am receiving free leadership training at CLI. I am from the United States. I grew up in and out of the church but became a regular attendee at 12 years old. After my baptism, I became a person who was there whenever the doors were open. When I was an older teenager, I taught Sunday School to the few young children that attended. I married, and we attended church for a few more years. However, we slowly found ourselves attending less and less until we no longer attended at all.
A Sign to Return to Church
After I lost my second child by a miscarriage, I was in a dark place in my life. I asked God to send me a sign that I was going to be alright. As I looked off into the distance from my front porch, I noticed a large steel cross that I had never seen before. I knew then that my family needed to find a new church home.
We attended a few different churches. Then, we came across Solid Rock Fellowship Out West. On our second Sunday there, they announced that they needed someone to lead the youth ministry program. God pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I volunteered. I have now been the youth leader for five years. Now I also have the role of activities coordinator for the entire children’s ministry.
Free Leadership Training to be a Better Ministry Leader
I started classes at Christian Leaders Institute to guide me to be a better ministry leader. I also wanted to develop my ministry resources and methods better. Currently, our church is building a new youth and family center. We hope better to serve the community and children in our area. There have been many roadblocks that tried to stop our efforts in completing the building. However, through God, we will prevail.
Our new building should open within the next month. Our goal is to have a safe place for local children when they get out of school. We are also looking into the possibility of partnering with a local school to provide after-school care. Perhaps, in the future, we will start a full-time Christian daycare.
Called to Youth Ministry and Free Leadership Training
I am called to youth ministry but also to guide and lead others in their ministry calling. To me, the ministry is a team effort, especially when it is a ministry to children and youth. I want to be able to train others so they can equip the called.
The leadership class at CLI has given me many tools needed to lead ministry workers. It also provided insight into how to overcome situations that can tear apart any ministry. I believe the area that will be the most significant help is how to deal with conflict. There are all types of conflict when there is more than one person making decisions on anything. Knowing the different kinds of conflict and how to handle conflict when it arises will help me to handle situations that come up. Thank you, CLI, for this leadership class!
Interested in a low-cost college degree? Check out the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School.