.From a horrid past, Raymond has come to know God and has answered His Men Ministry call.
Men Ministry Call: My Call to Faith
My name is Raymond Mallon, and my home is in Fayetteville North Carolina, USA. Being a Christian leader here means confronting homelessness and addictions. My brothers and sisters in Christ need encouragement to help those who need help living like that.
Spiritually my childhood was as messy as my physical world. My grandmother was a praying believer who tried to get me to come to the Lord. But I was too hate-filled to listen because my stepfather had been raping me for years. I blamed that on God. I couldn’t find a way to see past my hatred.
When I was in high school, I met Brother Roy. He brought me to Forest Park Bible Church. It was there that I started my baby steps toward faith. Yet I couldn’t resolve my past with my desire for belief in God and His love. Instead of running towards God, I ran away from him. I joined the Army where my hate finally caught up with me, and I was court-martialed.
It was in the spring of 2000 that I came to realize that I had become like the very monster who abused me. I realized that I couldn’t do this alone and that I needed Jesus. My baptism was the next Sunday. As I came out of the water, I promised God to go where He pointed me, and that was with a men ministry call. My spiritual dream is to preach the importance of being the men that God has called us to be and encourage those men so that they can stand boldly against today’s attack on men.
There were stumbling blocks aplenty in my coming to this point such as overcoming my own anger, temper, and pride. I had to learn how to get out of God’s way first so that He can work on my heart, soul, and mind to be the most effective tool to fulfill this dream. I had to learn that it wasn’t me that mattered the most but Jesus and my fellow man.
The event that humbled me was getting out of prison and ending up homeless. I lived among people who have addictions to alcohol and drugs, who live under bridges, in the woods, and abandoned houses. Often society looks down on them. This quickly taught me that I can’t rely on myself. I need God to be able to stand up each day and walk in this world. I need Him to find a reason to laugh and smile so that I can encourage the next person who needs it.
My Christian Leaders Institute training will help me to encourage the men of faith in my church. I want to encourage them to be the heads of their homes, communities, and churches. Then, they can stand up for what’s right according to God’s Word not society. The free training from Christian Leaders Institute is vital to me because I am a homeless part-time worker in a fast food restaurant which means money is of limited supply for me. The ministry training is essential to me because I see no other way I can afford to do this.
Discover how you can be Ordained in your ministry field at Christian Leaders Alliance.
In this inspiring testimony, Erin writes “I thank God every day for my pain and the trials I endured. Not because they were fun; but because He trusted me to see the purpose in my pain.” Relying on God and His promises she is now experiencing a fulfilling and growing season in her life.
Growing Season: Out Of Pain Came Promise
Ever since I was a little girl I knew, or so I thought, what I wanted to be. While growing and changing, I remained an active society girl in high school and throughout my community. I went to Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland, all the while keeping my spirituality on the back burner. For a short period, I knew I wanted to be a doctor. Then, I had my mind set on being a teacher. And then I knew for sure that I was set to be a publicist. I never realized that God was chuckling at my plans while He was divinely merging my desires, interests, and passions with HIS ultimate plan. I find myself being happier now than ever before.
While at Bowie, I found myself falling into the world and not focusing on who God called me to be. I was drinking, smoking, failing my classes, battling with promiscuity, and everything in between. It was during this time I disconnected myself from people I loved. There was even a pregnancy scare, sexually contracted illness, and being taken advantage of sexually. I tried to commit suicide.
One night, when everything seemed like it was going wrong, I looked over on my nightstand, and there was my Bible. It was that night when I was at a dark place that I began to see God in another light. Since then, I have continued to grow in stature with GOD! I recently aligned my educational and spiritual goals. I am attending Regent University pursuing a degree in Christian Ministry.
Spiritual Growing Season
My belief in the theological principles of God’s existence shapes my worldview and my spirituality. Moreover, I see the proof that God exists through my experiences and seeing God’s hand at work. Biblically, I rely on the promises made to me because I see the manifestation daily.
Growing up in church notably streamlined my current belief systems in the Trinity. My past in the world allowed me to see the necessity for God in my life. He is continually shaping who I am in Christ and how I look at the world. Through my Biblical worldview lenses, I can see things on a spiritual level and beyond the worldly realm, further allowing me to not rely upon myself, but instead, “cast[ing my] burden[s] on the Lord, and He will sustain [me]; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken” (Psalm 55:22 HCSB).
Out of my season of pain came a promise, and I began a ministry called “A Touch of Glitter, Inc.” (ATOG). I organized ATOG ministry to help young women grow in God, develop self-esteem and fulfill their God-given call. Prayer and scripture grow my faith as Romans 8:28-31 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Continuing Education
I plan on teaching at a Christian Day School after college and then getting a Master’s in Curriculum Development. From there, I want to write the curriculum for Christian School programs, women’s Bible Studies, Vacation Bible Schools, and everything in between. I plan on preaching The Gospel to nations and bringing souls to Christ to build the Kingdom. Eventually, I want to get a Doctorate degree. One of my ultimate goals in life is to become a Godly wife and mother.
There are more areas in which I need to grow. Coming from a place of such low self-esteem, I find myself being a little self-conscious at times. I quickly snap out of it and say a prayer. God is continually working on my heart and making me new every day. Knowing I am secure in Him is a reason I will continue to experience this spiritual growing season. I thank God every day for my pain and the trials I endured. Not because they were fun; but because He trusted me to see the purpose in my pain. He trusts me to turn it around and be the best me I can be.
I am also excited to be a student here at Christian Leaders Institute. In this growing season, CLI is helping me reach my ministry goals and to grow in the wisdom of God and His Word.
Learn about Ecuministry Ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.
Michael’s spiritual journey began at the age of 10 when he first stepped into a church and joined the children’s choir. Follow his inspiring testimony and see how he intends to use his unique skills to promote Christian Ministries through the media and mentorship.
MICHAEL WESONGA ODHIAMBO’S SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
My name is Michael Wesonga Odhiambo. I was born in Kenya’s Capital Nairobi. But we moved to the western part of the country in my father’s homeland of Busia County when I was 14 years old. I currently live in Kitale Town Trans Nzoia County.
The first step of my spiritual journey is when I joined the Sunday School class of Rhema Fellowship International. I was ten years old. I didn’t have much experience with the church before that. Immediately, I enrolled in the Sunday school choir. Occasionally, we did radio shows for Sunday School children at the Transworld radio studios at Hurlingham. We also did missions and even performed at outdoor meetings like crusades.
I kept a low profile for quite some time while in Busia where I joined Deliverance Church in 1999. This church is where I was attending until after the Holy Ghost filled me at a youth meeting in 2003. Then, I was encouraged to take an active role in our churches. I had been attending choir practice, but I never actually participated in active ministry on Sundays.
The Holy Spirit’s infilling in my spiritual journey completely revolutionized my life. I have never looked back to date. God is real to me, and I now serve Him whole-heartedly based on faith and trust in Him. I am a trained journalism and communication expert and work in the media, evangelism, music, instruments, and interpretation departments.
Next Steps on my Spiritual Journey
Kenya is a predominantly Christian state and therefore Christian leaders are highly regarded. I find it a privilege to serve under such circumstances and strive to render acceptable and pleasing service to the Lord Jesus Christ. My desire is promoting Christian Ministries through media, mentoring true worshippers and worship leaders, and promoting prayer in the Body of Christ.
The greatest challenge I have encountered in my spiritual journey as a Christian has been lack of mentorship. The death of my spiritual father in 2010 created a gap in my life that has taken too long to refill. But thank God, that happened in 2019. Otherwise, my steady spiritual growth can be attributed to listening to numerous preachers online and reading books.
I hope to use the training I at Christian Leaders Institute to sharpen my skills as a Christian Leader and help my ministry projects be fruitful. The free training could not come at a better time than this on my spiritual journey. First of all, I am going through significant challenges, key among them being finances. This fact means it would take me quite a while if I were to progress in ministerial training anywhere else as it would have to wait until I am financially stable. I don’t know when that will be. Secondly, as a bi-vocational leader, I report to work five days a week. That makes Saturday the only relatively available day. So, this is where CLI’s system of training becomes handy as I can progress with studies at my own pace.
Learn about Ecuministry Ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.