Puerto Rico Ministry Training
My name is Yasmin Coles, and I am excited about the Puerto Rico ministry training opportunity at Christian Leaders Institute. I live in Puerto Rico. I am the middle child of five. At the age of ten years old, my brothers started to rape me until I was twenty-one. When I was sixteen, my mother returned back to the church. That is when I started to go to church with her. At the age of 26 years old, a pastor told me that God is calling me to serve him. At the age of 28 years old, I started to question God. I was angry with God and my family. So I left the church and my family.
When I was 29 years old, I started to live with this certain person, and this person introduced me to drinking, doing drugs, and partying all night. I did this for eight years. At the age of 38 years old, I gave birth to my son. It was at that time that I realized that I need Christ in my life.
After five years passed by, at the age of 43 years old, I married my husband. God became real to me when I met my husband, Minister Coles. Then I wanted to know more about God and how to live for him. Therefore, I searched online for free ministry training. That is when I found the Christian Leaders Institute. My spiritual dream is to use my training at Christian Leaders Institute to help my husband in the ministry work he leads. Serving God with my husband is a true blessing in my life. I am excited to see how God will lead us in this ministry.
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My name is Bruce Fidler, and I have a motorcycle ministry. I live in British Columbia, Canada. I thank God that I live in a country where I am still free to minister for Christ and share the Gospel. However, I will share more on this later. At the moment, I feel ill-equipped for Christian leadership.
My childhood was not bad at all. My parents were devoted to one another, but my father was a quiet man. Probably, this reticence was because he served six years in the British Army during World War II as a surgeon. He was not easily able to speak into my life. Weekly, I went to church and Sunday School but never really understood who Jesus was. At some point in my childhood, a presence (I believe it was Jesus) visited me. He gave no message, did not show Himself, just engaged in loving conversation. This event later became a fundamental part of my testimony.
Wandering Time and Marriage Struggles
After leaving home at 19 years of age, I completely fell away trying to find a place to fit in. I got married at 24. We had two daughters together, but there was abuse that occurred. Therefore, I became a single parent. In 1991, at the prompting of a Christian friend, I called out to Jesus. A man showed up to pray me into the Kingdom. A few years later, I got married again. Since I wasn’t ready, we were divorced in 2001.
Finally, I looked within myself and learned a lot about the importance of communication in marriage. I was single for twelve years and used a lot of that time to get back on my feet and study the early church and Jesus. In 2013, I expressed to God my loneliness. My ex-wife had died, and He set me up with the love of my life. We married five years ago, and now we pray together and study together.
Motorcycle Ministry and Ministry Training at CLI
For seven years, I have been in motorcycle ministry with the Christian Motorcyclists Association. We go in groups to motorcycle events to help and serve. This ministry is another place where I sometimes wish I had a better answer for a good question.
Back to my childhood visitor, four years ago, I woke in the middle of the night with a command to get my lexicon. I was to look up the name for the one who visited me as a child. The name consisted of two letters in Hebrew: Hee Nee. It turned out to be a command, not a name. This command I had not obeyed, and it was a revelation that brought me to my knees in tears. Hee Nee: “hay” means to behold, and “nun” is pictured as a sprouting seed meaning continuance. “Behold Continuously” is the command.
For the past two years, I have been volunteering at a breakfast post for the homeless. Then, last year, the pastor left to devote his time to his job and street ministry. Therefore, now, it’s my turn to speak to, comfort, and lead God’s people. This leading includes Bible studies, teaching, and more. I hope to be better equipped to do this ministry with the Christian Leaders Institute‘s free ministry training.
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Discipleship Ministry Calling
My name is Lora Lamberth, and I have a discipleship ministry calling. I was born and raised in the mountains of West Virginia. My mother was an accomplished secretary and an inspirational speaker. My father served in the Air Force during Vietnam and was an accomplished Special Education teacher after the war. I have three brothers -two older and one younger.
My grandfather on my mother’s side was an amazing man who fought in WWII and liberated from Belsen-Bergin concentration camp on April 15, 1945. My grandmother on my mom’s side was a school teacher and spiritual leader for our family.
I did not spend much time with my dad’s family. My grandfather was an alcoholic and a mean drunk. When he wasn’t drinking, he had a love for nature and animals. He accepted Christ just before he passed away in his late 70’s. My grandmother on my father’s side was a great prayer warrior. She was a quiet woman who liked to paint. She loved God and prayed a lot but was afraid to make much noise. When she passed, my dad showed me her old worn out leather Bible. There were prayers and marks she made in her Bible for all of us.
Spiritual Development
I learned the most about God from my mom’s mother who had MS and was bedridden most of my life. Even from her bed she diligently sought ways to minister to others and give back to the community. She taught me Bible studies from the time I can remember. I still have all my Oral Roberts certificates from my childhood where we would read the books together and take the quizzes and send them in to receive a certificate of completion.
My mom’s dad was God’s love in action. He did not say much, but he was an example of grace, mercy, and love. Grandfather worked for over 20 years at a funeral home for free because he promised the man’s mother he would look after her son when she passed. He was a mailman in the mountains of West Virginia – not an easy job. He would often bring groceries, medicine, or provide transportation to town for people who would otherwise have no way. My grandfather never grumbled and never hesitated to help at any hour.
My grandmother encouraged him to serve others even though she required help herself. Both my father and mother worked so I spent most of my formative years with my mom’s mom. She taught me how to cook and clean, how to be modest and proper, how to serve others and to love as Jesus loves us. Even though she couldn’t walk, she and I would make meals for the church to deliver to others in need or we would sew clothes for our family and others. We didn’t have much money, but we were rich beyond compare.
Marriage
Fast forward to when I was 15 years old, and I fell madly in “love” with my future husband. I thought he was my dream come true. At 18 years of age, I left home, and we married shortly after. My parents did not approve. We had a good life for several years – starting with almost nothing and working our way up to having many luxuries.
After about seven years, we had our son. Nothing was ever the same. I began to feel the discipleship ministry calling of God on my life as I looked at this perfect little boy. I would need to guide and nurture him as my grandmother did me. My husband was not happy about being a dad and quickly became jealous of how much time I spent taking care of our son. He didn’t like that we couldn’t do things as we used to (going out, drinking, non-child friendly vacations, etc.).
The marriage became a nightmare, and he became abusive to both our son and me. Divorce to me was not an option. I tried prayer, counseling, and getting help from our local church, but nothing helped. He had no desire to change. When our son was five years old, he left us with my parents and never looked back. That was the best thing he ever did for us. I became a single mom, got a job and raised our son the best I could on my own. We joined a church, and I was baptized with my son by my side.
New Beginnings
Just over three years later, God sent me my current husband. We dated for a year. On December 20, 2003, I became Mrs. Lora Lamberth. A year later, he adopted my son. In 2011, we had beautiful twin girls. Ruby is called to be a worship leader. Rose is called to be a prayer warrior. Rose has Sensory Processing Disorder and is on the Autism spectrum. Both girls faced many obstacles that have made them stronger. My son has many hurts in his heart from his past but has overcome much. He attends church and is close to our pastor Father Rob but does not have an intimate relationship with God at this time. He did when he was little but has let the hurt in his heart build walls around forming a real relationship with anyone.
Discipleship Ministry Calling from God
I would not say that I am a Christian leader in my area. I was a youth leader at our current church, but that is not my calling. At one time, I taught Bible classes to adults at another church. I loved it with a passion. My calling is to teach and to help others understand the Bible for themselves so they can listen to and talk to God. Each of us has a responsibility to develop a personal relationship with God. After my divorce, I dedicated my journey then and there to know more about God, how to listen and talk to God, and how to love like God. I am not perfect and have fallen many times, but God has always been faithful never to leave me nor forsake me.
Obstacles Strengthened Me
There were obstacles in my life that shaped me and my discipleship ministry calling. After my divorce, my real understanding of God’s grace and mercy began. I had to forgive my husband and forgive myself for staying in that abusive relationship. The next obstacle was when I became pregnant with my twin girls. I was 40 years old and diagnosed with Crone’s disease. I was on bed rest or in the hospital for the entire nine months. After they were born, I was very ill and spent over a month in the hospital in critical condition. The doctors did not know if I would live.
Therefore, my husband took a family leave with no pay to take care of our newborn girls. He had never taken care of a baby before, and now he had two! Rose was sick from the time she was born. She cried non-stop and hardly slept. Ruby cried a lot because her sister cried. When she was around one, Rose was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder and placed on the Autism spectrum. I struggled with bonding with my girls because of my illness. It took me about a year before I had strength or energy, and two years before I went into remission. Now, eight years later, I am still in remission, and the girls are doing great.
The next obstacle was when my dad got sick. He was diagnosed with dementia and began exhibiting signs of PTSD from Vietnam. I cared for him and moved my parents across the street. I took care of dad while my mom watched the girls. In a few short months, dad had to be put in a lockdown unit. I visited every day. He passed away on December 20 three years ago. Within months, my mom had a stroke and was on a ventilator and feeding tube. No nursing home would take her because of the vent. She moved in with me. I took care of her 24/7 until she passed in February of last year. These “obstacles” served to draw me closer to God and rely on His strength. It was a privilege to take care of both my parents, and I wouldn’t have changed much of anything.
CLI TRAINING
Through the free ministry training at Christian Leaders Institute, I hope to be better equipped for my discipleship ministry calling. I desire to help others understand God’s love and how to have a real and intimate relationship with Him. This training at CLI will help me communicate in more effective ways with the world and the church.
The Holy Spirit led me to this point and CLI. I feel God leading me to more in my discipleship ministry calling. I think that CLI will help me develop my relationship with God so that I can effectively minister to others.
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