Called Christian Leader: God Chose Me
My name is Wanda Ingram, and God chose me as a called Christian leader. I am from Washington, DC, in the United States of America. I am the youth leader at my church. Sadly, I was lost for a long time and did not realize it. I have been married twice, and both of my husbands have passed on to glory.
My first marriage, I was in my late 20s and did not overthink about God or church. When my husband was murdered, I stopped talking for a long time after he died. However, four years later, I fell in love again. This time it was with a high school love. We had not seen each other for years. But, we reconnected and married two years later. He passed away in 2014 from heart failure. That left me unsure about my future, but, thankfully, that marriage led me back to Christ.
Free Called Christian Ministry Training at Christian Leaders Institute
I love God with all my heart and want to serve Him wherever He leads me. God has taught me to love others. Also, He placed me in leadership to help the younger children of my church. Christian Leaders Institute will help me learn more about the walk God places before me. Right now, my church home is going through some hard times. Therefore, as a younger member, I feel God telling me to strengthen my walk with Him and my knowledge of His Word. I want to learn to be a strong Christian leader. I pray that my studies here at Christian Leaders Institute will help me grow in all of those areas and more. God led me here for a purpose. All praise goes to God!
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Free Education and Free Missionary Support
My name is Sheree Jarman. I am receiving free missionary support and free education through CLI from anywhere in the world! I was born in Australia. Currently, I serve as a missionary in Asia and have been for the past four years.
As a Christian leader in Asia, God has touched my heart for His people in many ways. Partnering with the local church has been an invaluable experience. Through this partnership, God has opened up many doors for us to preach the gospel. Through outreach community programs, we have seen many saved and lives changed for the glory of God. Even though this has been the most exciting time of my life, it has also been difficult. Often, the support and encouragement I need to continue to do the work of the Lord are limited. Living in another country can be isolating when you are not used to the culture, and you do not have your church family with you.
Early Life and Conversion
I grew up in a Catholic environment until the age of 11. Then my parents got divorced, and we stopped going to church. At that time, I never knew Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. When I stopped going to church, I also stopped learning about God because my family never prayed or talked about God. I always remembered that God loved me, but I didn’t know I could have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
In 2008 at the age of 32, my life was spiraling out of control. My father passed away and I questioned the purpose of this life. I had an alcohol addiction like my father and masked my emotional pain with it. My heart became so heavy that I could not lift my head from the pillow. I had to have time off work because I had become very sick from my addiction. As I lay in bed, all I could think of was a story I read about a lady who said: “God take control of my life.” After thinking about that story for a while, I said: “Okay God, that’s it. I give up; take control of my life.”
After I said that prayer, my life miraculously started to change. God brought a lady into my life who befriended me and eventually led me to church. Within five months of saying that prayer, I had received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Jesus instantly set me free from my alcohol addiction (John 8:36), and later He also healed me from a broken heart (Psalm 147:3).
My Spiritual Dream and Free Education at CLI
My spiritual dream is to raise up a generation of people who will lose their life for Christ (Matthew 10:39). God placed this scripture within my spirit at my salvation, and it has never left me. Some of the obstacles I have faced in my journey with Jesus have been the fact that I am the first of my generation to receive salvation. No one in my family except for my great-aunt was saved, which I found out later, but I was not in contact with her. This has been difficult, but praise God He strengthened me through His Word, my church leaders, and church family. Thanks to God’s Grace, I have seen many of my family members and the next generation receive Jesus.
Christian Leader’s Institute (CLI) has provided me with support and confidence. I know that I have been called by God to bring the gospel to the community around me. CLI is like a friend that helps me to stay strong in God. It keeps me moving forward no matter where other people are in their spiritual journey. As a missionary, I need further education to keep me motivated and connected to the Body of Christ to impact the community around me for Jesus.
Free Education Whenever and Wherever You Are
Whenever I do any classes through CLI, I feel built up in the Lord and equipped to continue in my spiritual journey on a deeper level. We are only as great as our teachers, and as I learn and advance in my studies, I feel more confident and supported to help those around me. I am excited to see what CLI is going to teach me each day. In fact, I don’t usually look forward to studying, but with CLI, I am interested to learn and hungry to know more. CLI’s free education and learning model have helped me to study whenever and wherever it suits me. Sometimes, I travel, but if I have access to the internet, I can always continue to do my studies.
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Preacher Call from God
Hello, I am Jeff Green, and I have a preacher call on my life. I am 59 years old and live in Greer South, Carolina, with my wife of forty-one years, Susan. We have two children, both married and three grandchildren. I am retired from Michelin Tire after thirty-five years there. I now work for the school district in building services.
Early Life and Conversion
I have one brother and two sisters of which I’m the oldest. My parents didn’t go to church regularly. One was Baptist, and the other was the Church of Christ. I went to a Baptist Church with my grandparents on my dad’s side. Around age thirteen or fourteen, when the preacher gave the invitation, I went down and was saved. A short time later, I was baptized. It’s strange because I don’t remember walking down. It was like I just floated.
God’s Leading and Calling
I volunteered in Emergency Services for over 35 years. I saw miracles that could only be described as, “God saved them.” After turning fifty-five, I retired. While I was working at a school, I saw a sign for a Christian radio station. I was down at the time, so I turned the radio to the station. I listened a little each day. One day, a preacher was talking about the rich man and Lazarus; explaining after they died. The light bulb in my head came on. After that, I listened to the radio, and I wrote down the scripture they were talking about. Then I read it.
Also, when our pastor preached on Sunday, I read what he was talking about. I heard a voice saying, “preach” when I read. At first, I thought it was just in my head. When I told my wife, she said the same thing. I told myself, “That voice can’t be true because I’m not smart enough and don’t know enough.” The next day, I read about people in the Bible that God used like Moses, a murderer, and the list went on. Then I read a sign, “God doesn’t call the qualified; he qualifies the called.” I knew then that a preacher call from God was mine.
1 Corinthians 1:27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the mighty things.
Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,” says the Lord.
Calling Verified and Mentor Found
Now, when I hear, see, or read things like a word or a phrase, a whole sermon comes to my mind. I have even written most of them down. I went and met with my pastor at church. He told me that I should read the Bible daily and pray about it. Also, he said that they were about to start a Bible study called “Knowing and Doing the Will of God” that might help. That threw fuel on the fire!
I have read the Bible all the way through and the New Testament again since talking to my pastor. I started looking for information on answering my preacher call and getting ordained. Most of them were bachelors or masters degrees. I knew at my age, with education and the cost, that wouldn’t work. Others just wanted you to send money to get the papers. Since I don’t know if that is legal or even right, I did not do that.
I Found CLI
I was about to give up when I found the Christian Leaders Institute. So, I enrolled and started the first class. When I told my dad what I was doing, he said, “You better be sure.” Therefore, I prayed about it that night again, asking for guidance and wisdom. The next day, my daily devotion was titled “Engaged in a Great Work.” Nehemiah 6:2-3 says, “But I realized they were plotting to harm me, so I replied by sending this message to them; I am engaged in a great work, so I can’t come. Why should I stop working to come and meet with you?” God answered my prayer and confirmed the preacher call. Everything I’ve heard and read at CLI is a good thing.
I am not certain where God will lead me in all this.
I have said that God is saving me for something. When I was three, I fell out of the car going down the road. At thirteen, I set myself on fire with gas. When I was fifteen and had my restricted license, a car barely missed the driver’s door. Around nineteen, the pickup truck that I was driving turned over on the highway in front of a tractor-trailer truck. Later, I was up in a tree twenty-five feet, and the tree fell with me in it. Then, while in the fire department, I sprayed water on a house fire. The water ran on to the downed power lines, and I was electrocuted. In all of these, I only received minor injuries. These incidences told me that God was not only with me but had plans for me that even I did not know.
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