“My dream is to start a mentorship tree for empowering women in Christ that will continue to grow yearly till we reach more women in Malawi and on the continent.”
Empowering Women
My name is Milandu Mwale and I am empowering women in Christ in Malawi. I am living in Malawi in the capital city Lilongwe. I have 12 siblings. I am married with three daughters. I gave my life to Jesus when I was 13 years old at a Christian student gathering in high school. Malawi has a high illiteracy rate, highest amongst women, and many women who don’t have income. However, the role of women in the Malawian family cannot be underestimated and saved and empowered women have the potential for reaching out for Jesus in the wider community.
When I was young and a first-generation believer in my family, I hungered for some mentorship and guidance. The more I craved this the more the Lord continued to impress upon me my call in this area. When I was in college studying to be a science teacher, the Lord continued to strengthen me and showed me the gaps that existed in the body of Christ in disciple-making. Ten years later, the Lord gave me the words from Titus 2 on mentorship cementing my call. In 2015, I started a ministry (online) called “Titus 2 Ministry” which is empowering women in Christ.
As the founder of the ministry, I felt the Lord leading me to invest in learning the how-to of ministry and the teaching of God’s word. My dream for ministry is to establish a mentorship academy. It would be a school that would provide mentorship to women, women’s ministries, women in business, women in the corporate world, on standing for Jesus and living a Godly life. My dream is to start a mentorship tree empowering women in Christ that will continue to grow yearly till we reach more women in Malawi and on the continent.
As a teacher, this was a no-brainer. If we demand a high school diploma to teach ABC’s to our children; how much more do we need to teach the treasures of God’s truth. In searching for a school that allowed flexibility in learning, God led me to Christian Leaders Institute. This is a treasure I hold so dear. A gift from God. This class has brought alive many teachings I have heard from sermons and have read in the scripture. It has strengthened my walk with Jesus a lot. It has helped me reflect on my personal walk with him.
I most identify with the word Pastor. I often find myself working with people that need help with their fresh or renewed walk with Jesus. As an ordained Elder at my church, some of the things I have supported my church with have been development of Sunday school curriculum, membership class curriculum and I have taught a number of these classes. But as the Lord deeply called me to mentorship, I found myself mobilizing women in my church to start a small group that mentored girls, we called it “DOVE” – “daughters of virtue and excellence.” A program that offers mentorship to women. In recent years, I have worked with “Sister-international Ministry” in training women mentors. My pastor is very supportive of this ministry and continues to encourage me on this spiritual journey to equip myself to serve!
This scholarship is very important to me, as it opens doors of opportunities and most of all it equips me for ministry. It is timely and God sent to prepare me to serve in my calling of empowering women in Christ. I pray that this training gives me the necessary tools to reach out to the lost people in my home country and help women to grow into people that would be able to mentor others.
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This inspiring testimony tells how Ashley intends to battle back against fibromyalgia and other obstacles to become a Christian Counselor and Leader:
Christian Counselor
My name is Ashley Drye, and I am called to be a Christian Counselor. I am from Austin, Texas. I am very excited to begin my journey with the Christian Leaders Institute. I live in a large city that is full of wonderful opportunities for Christian Leaders. We have a unique way of mixing the Austin style within our churches. I am looking forward to being a large part of the church community and spreading the love of Jesus.
I began my journey with God in my mid-twenties. As a child, religion was not a part of my household. My parents were not for or against religion, but they simply did not place any importance on it. I was lucky to have friends that went to church, and they would take me to their Wednesday night groups. I really enjoyed those days, but I had no vested interest in God. In my teenage years, I began to develop physical and emotional symptoms, such as severe pain and depression. It would be a decade before I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.
Having Fibromyalgia changed all aspects of my life. My pain became so severe that I could not sit or stand for long. I became bedridden and that made my depression worse. I ended up having two children in my early twenties. My pain stopped me from being active with them, and they had to adapt to a simpler lifestyle. Working became difficult for me and eventually, we became homeless. We moved into a faith-based women’s home. There I was surrounded by the works of Christian Leaders.
I was surprised by the kindness of strangers. I was invited to church and went along, even though I was hesitant. I was sitting in church, listening to the preacher and his words touched me. I started sobbing uncontrollably. People in the aisles were handing me tissue after tissue. Later on, I would recognize that I cry when I feel close to God. Since then, I have had moments where I am close to God and moments when I am trying to get close. My relationship with Him is like a marriage. I am learning to nurture it.
My spiritual dream would be to comfort people when they are facing the worse lows of their life. I want to help people navigate life and gain comfort when they need it. Some obstacles I have faced are my physical limitations. I am working on strengthening myself so that I can act for God in a positive way. I can envision myself in a few roles, but my main goal is to be a Christian Counselor. I want God to work through me to bring emotional healing to his people. My other goal is to be a beacon of hope for others. I am hoping God will continue to work in me and help me grow.
I am currently still a single mother, and we live in public housing. A free education is invaluable to someone like me. It is life changing for my children and me. I am excited to see the ripple effect from this experience. I have learned that even one good work from God can ripple out to many.
Learn about minister ordination with Christian Leaders Alliance.