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.
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Free Bible Courses
My name is John Randale Rovero of Manila, Philippines and I am taking free Bible courses at CLI. I grew up in a Catholic family. I have one younger brother and we’re currently living with our parents. I am presently working as a call center agent and a part-time Life insurance agent.
What I see here in the Philippines, although known as the only Christian country in southeast Asia, is that being a Christian is just a religious lifestyle. But, after being introduced to Christ, I’ve learned that Christianity is different. It is not about following do’s and don’ts or having perfect attendance on Sundays at church. It was my brother who became a Christian first in our family after someone shared the gospel with him. Then through his life, I’ve been introduced to Christianity. But before I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, my younger brother experienced persecution because of me.
In May of 2014, I accepted Christ when my brother invited me to attend one of their Sunday services and one of his friends shared the gospel with me. Then I noticed that I got more into attending Sunday services but I was still stubborn headed on those days. Finally, after three months I opened a Bible for the first time on my own at home. It was really awkward at first, but by God’s grace, I got used to it. Now it’s clear to me that it was the Father who prompted my heart to feed on His word. And the Holy Spirit enables me to comprehend Christ’s teachings. After three more months, I’ve been part of a ministry and joined a discipleship group.
Now, why did I join Christian Leaders Institute? Honestly, one of the reasons is that I actually never had finished any degree. Although I’ve had opportunities to enroll in schools, I moved from one school to another. I took Fine arts and Automotive vocational courses here in Manila, but I never finished anything because of my pride. Last year in 2017, I started facilitating a Bible study at our office where I currently work as a call center agent. After a month or two, I could tell that it’s not easy without God’s guidance and proper training. I’ve noticed that we’ve had Bible study sessions that to me are lacking and what I actually fear the most is to deliver God’s word outside its context. I then started praying that I needed help when it comes to presenting His words to the lost. This year I prayed about it, and God once again has been gracious to me and through a friend, the Lord introduced me to free Bible courses at Christian Leaders Institute.
At this moment, I just finished the “Getting Started Class” but I still need more prayers to continue studying for His glory and apply what I learn from the Lord through CLI as I reach out to the people and minister as God had called me to do.
All glory to king Jesus! Thank you, CLI, and thank you to our beloved faculty members!
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Read how Annabelle has been gracefully broken by betrayal, confusion, and ill-health into a Spirit-driven dream to become a Christian counselor, motivational speaker, outreach server, and author.
Gracefully Broken
Blessings, my name is Annabelle Ortiz, and I have been gracefully broken. I reside in New Hampshire where I am seeking to follow the call of God. I moved from Rhode Island a year ago, after being relocated due to domestic violence.
I came to the Lord in 2007 but did not fully understand what I was really seeking until 2009. Since childhood, I always felt drawn to seek God’s presence. I read the Bible and it would come to life in my mind. Every event and story became real. I was always praying and letting others know that I believed deeply in Jesus. I was not walking at all in the Spirit but felt this dependency and faith in Him. Even though I was in the world, God would always bring me to Himself.
I have endured many hardships and allowed the enemy to succeed in his attacks, but God’s grace and mercy always rescued and sustained me. I began going to church in Rhode Island where I was able to understand I have a calling and a purpose. I asked for a mentor and began serving in my calling as an outreach leader and server to our community. My purpose was presenting Jesus to those who are forgotten, such as the homeless, abused, and those from broken homes. I started “Alcance 911 “(Outreach Evangelist Ministry) through my church. It impacted many lives and God gave me this place where He wanted me to serve.
I then had a downfall health-wise and emotionally. I found myself in a spiritual warfare. I married an elder from the church that became my abuser. You can imagine the betrayal and confusion I felt. However, God has used this experience to equip me, strengthen me, and teach me discernment. He taught me that I must really seek His truth and choose to want to walk in righteousness and address the issues that separate us from His light. I then decided to educate myself spiritually and heal before I could be a leader within my calling.
I came to Christian Leaders Institute while asking God to show me how to grow in my walk. I started searching the internet and found CLI. I read it’s mission and purpose and understood that this was of God. Seeing that I could not afford to pay for school and still have complications from my tumor removal and being homeless, I embraced the challenge and promised myself to get started. Christian Leaders Institute has given me the opportunity to grow spiritually and have a better understanding of how to reach my spiritual dream to become a Christian counselor, motivational speaker, author, and outreach server.
My goal is to write books on how to be “gracefully broken” in the struggles and the conflict. I want to write and publish books about God’s grace and mercy. I also want to open a safe haven building for broken souls; a place where one can inject hope and restoration. A place to receive a breakthrough in order to have an opportunity to become who they were created to be!
Learn about ordination with Christian Leaders Alliance.