Life Changing Opportunity
My name is Naomi Wood, and Christian Leaders Institute is a life changing opportunity for me. I am from the beautiful mountains of Durango, Colorado. My age is 20 years old, and I grew up in the agriculture industry farming the fields the Lord has provided my family to tend. I left Durango a few times after graduating high school, but God always brings me back home. I am single and working on my heart and the foundation that God wants me to have in Him. Then, I will be able to fulfill the purpose that He has created for me.
It is incredibly rewarding to be a Christian leader in Durango. As beautiful as this community is, there are a lot of people who don’t know Christ. The majority of my family and the people that I grew up with have belief in God and claim to be Christian. However, many do not understand what it means to have a relationship with Him. Now, I am learning how to be a light for Jesus. I want to share His unconditional love with my family, friends, and community. This step is essential because I was once someone who claimed to be a Christian but was not on a Christ-centered walk.
Childhood Experiences
While growing up, my childhood was a little rocky. I did not know my birth father. But, when I was young, my mom married the man who I call my father. They had three more beautiful children, so I was blessed to grow up in a big family. My dad traveled a lot for work, which meant that as the oldest child, I had a lot of responsibility.
I was partly brought up Catholic due to my mom’s family being firmly rooted in the Catholic Church. However, my dad is not religious, so I was not raised consistently in the church. My parents instilled biblical morals into my life, but they never emphasized teaching me to live by the Bible or to follow Christ. In high school, I fell into a lot of sin and strayed far away from God.
College and New Opportunities
After I graduated, I attended a community college in Wyoming, and after one semester, I came home. Later, I transferred to a Tarleton State University in Texas to get my bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Education. It wasn’t until that time that God was able to grasp my heart. At Tarleton, I got plugged into a college ministry at a non-denominational church. This season changed my life more than I ever knew it could. I began to learn more about the Bible and God, our Father, and I accepted Jesus into my heart and was baptized.
Shortly after this life change, I met a lady named Tara Simon from East Texas. She recruits people to work at Allaso Ranch, which is a youth ministry camp and retreat center run by Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas. I committed to working for their ministry last summer. At the same time, I found out I would no longer be able to attend school due to the cost of tuition and not having enough financial aid. This realization flipped my world upside down. However, I had a newfound faith and the next door God opened for me at Allaso Ranch. I had no idea what it meant to work in camp ministry, but I knew that God was calling me to go there.
Learning to be a Servant Leader
“Allaso” is the Greek word for life-change and that is what I found there. I found yet another completely unexpected life-change. That summer, I played many roles behind the scenes of the overall camp ministry experience. I was a lifeguard, a ropes course facilitator, a wrangler at the barn giving trail rides, a server for meals, cabin cleaning server, trash clean up, a professional window cleaner, and chair placer. The staff did whatever was necessary.
Serving in the shadows often seemed lifeless and discouraging when I wanted instead to be leading and ministering to kids more directly. But, I began to learn how to serve God’s Kingdom and His ministry through the small details. I learned how to be more selfless and what it is like to be part of something much bigger than myself. It was a blessing to be a part in every detail to prepare a place that God uses for life-change.
Life Changes and My Calling
Everything at Allaso is ordinary except for the people. The people at Allaso have decided to commit their lives to God and share His gospel. This fact is how life-change happens. In just a few short weeks, I witnessed 213 kids give their lives to Christ and be baptized. I saw the incredible life-change that God does there, and I am also blessed to have experienced my life-change. I found my calling to serve Jesus through ministry for the rest of my life in whatever capacity God calls me to.
Currently, God placed me back in my hometown. I am working full-time to pay off college debt that I already have. Then I can move forward with the next season He has for me. It was terrifying to leave such an incredible journey at Allaso to come home back into the real world. However, I came back to Colorado with a transformed heart and incredible eternal friendships.
I have a passion for people, photography, and traveling, and I want to turn those passions into my ministry and a life-time of sharing the Gospel. In this season, I am working on personal spiritual growth and building a strong foundation for my relationship with the Lord. Then, I can serve Him in my community and my home church until He calls me to new opportunities in full-time ministry.
College Degree through CLI and CLI’s Leadership Excellence School
A week before I left Allaso, I found the Christian Leaders Institute. In this incredible season with newfound life-change, fellowship, and calling to ministry, I struggled with the idea of not being able to get a college degree. Getting a degree has been vital to me, and I thought that my chance for that had been taken away. But, the Lord has provided me the life changing opportunity to get a degree through the CLI’s Leadership Excellence School. He could not have opened this door at a better time as He has opened my heart to ministry and the college that I was attending became out of reach.
The excellent education through my Christian Leaders Institute training will give me the foundation I need to pursue my calling into full-time ministry. Through this life changing opportunity, I pray that I will learn more about Christ and ministry and that I can be transformed into a woman of God. Free training is necessary for my situation of not being able to afford college and already having college debt. I am thankful for the people that have made this life changing opportunity for training possible for me. My life will be propelled into what God has for me to do. I am beyond blessed to be a part of CLI and CLI’s Leadership Excellence School to begin a degree in ministry. I can use this education to serve the Lord and His beloved people while I share the Gospel.
Encouraging Scriptures
“Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
God bless and remember to have joy in every trial. Let the testing of your faith produce endurance within you. The Lord has a plan to give each of us hope and a future. The plans that He has for us are much higher than any plan we could ever have for ourselves.
Your Sister in Christ, Naomi.
Free Online Christian Education Opportunity
My name is Christian Herring, and I am excited about CLI’s free online Christian education. I am from Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. Here in Salt Lake City, Utah, it’s a different dynamic than most places. It is a profoundly religious state, but there are so many incorrect spiritual teachings here. Also, there is nothing in the way of real Christian schools and education.
Growing up was pretty rough. I grew up with absentee parents in a rigorous legalistic, religious Latter Day Saints community. At a young age, I rebelled against all authority. As I matured, I turned to alcohol and later to not believing in God. Soon, I was indulging in whatever human desires struck me. I overcame this with all praise to God!
Salvation in Jesus Christ
I came to know the Lord close to 13 years ago now. I was dying spiritually and physically from alcohol poisoning. My struggle was not wanting to be part of this world any longer but not wanting to die either. So, I prayed. I prayed for Jesus to come into my life and take away the pain. Jesus did! From then on, God is real to me, and Jesus is my Lord and Savior! I have sought to do my best to follow Christ and His teaching. My baptism was on January 27th of 2018. Getting baptized solidified the Holy Spirit in me.
Before I came to know Christ, I felt unworthy and unloved. But Jesus changed all of that. Now, I am called to ministry in hopes of spreading the Gospel and His love to others. A pastorship is a definite option. My spiritual dream is to let people know they are not alone and are loved by God. I want them to know that all things can be done through Christ Jesus! He is the Lord, and He gives us new life!
Since there are no formal Christian schools here in Utah that I can physically attend, Christian Leaders Institute is a Godsend. Having this free online Christian education is a blessing. I plan to use my Christian Leaders Institute training for ministry wherever God leads me!
Learn about ordination with Christian Leaders Alliance.
David’s Ministry Journey
My name is David Civile, and the following is David’s ministry journey. I came to Christ 30 years ago and have gone through many seasons, which transformed me tremendously. Every time I think I am getting there, then God points out areas in my life that need work. I remember when I was a teenager, how strangers would come up to me on the streets and ask me to pray for them. The last thing on my mind at that time was God or praying for someone else and certainly not in public. However, God had other plans, and years later, I accepted Christ.
For years, all went well, but then I derailed and used all kind of drugs even while serving as a minister. Thankfully, God pulled me out of it! The biggest lesson I learned is while I stood on the platform, the power of the Holy Spirit works, if not for you, then at least for the saints. I paid a high price for going off-road, but God’s love and grace saved me again and again.
The Principles I Live by Today
Ephesians 4:12-14 : for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Isaiah 61: 1-3: The Good News of Salvation. The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me because the LORD has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
Mark 16:15-18: And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name, they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
David’s Ministry Journey
When God called me, I knew I needed a deep and real relationship with Him. So reading the Bible, going to church, and regular prayer was not enough for me; then I need it all. I need to feel, hear, and taste Him and His grace, and He has shown himself above and beyond.
I have worked in ministry for 19 years with the criminals, mafia, youth, poor and needy, and problem families. Repeatedly, I saw rapid change and miracles. Laws have been changed and lives altered on divine intervention by God due to simple miracle-working prayers. It is by God’s grace I can work and minister in the fields.
My wife and I have three adult children. I work as a professional contractor next to ministry, and the income supports the missions. I am half Dutch and half Italian, and our focus is the Mediterranean and from time to time Belgium, Zambia, South Africa, and Pakistan. We are part of a Global Ministry call House of Legacy. It has its roots in South Africa. The head of the ministry lives in California. I am an ordained minister in the House.
David’s Ministry Journey Leads to Free Ministry Training at CLI
I am well-trained, mentored, guided, and advanced. However, from time to time, you have to recheck everything you know and see if there are little foxes in your garden as Proverbs states. Sometimes you have to go back to the basics and have a fresh view of all the things you think you know. For me, it is washing by the Word and also the free ministry training at CLI. It is essential for further equipping, growth, maturity, and more. I always want to learn more and more about God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, and the Holy Spirit. To improve myself and grow in Christ is my hope as I study at Christian Leaders Institute.
Learn about minister ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.