Hello. My name is Gerald Booker. I live in Wyoming, United States, and am a Christian Leaders Institute student. The free ministry and Bible training at CLI equip me to serve wherever God leads.
Life My Way
My home growing up was not a Christian home. However, we attended church services on most Sundays. I was a teenager when I decided to accept Christ as my Savior. However, I did not know He also needed to be the Lord of my life.
When I entered high school, I became heavily involved in the drug culture. My grades at school were poor. I was soon ditching classes to get high on whatever drugs I could obtain. Eventually, they kicked me out of high school. I continued to spiral out of control. One night, I went to a party and almost killed someone. Charged with a felony, I received a short jail sentence and probation. Since then, I have had several run-ins with the law and spent 15 years in prison.
My Spiritual Journey
When I went to prison, I committed my life to Jesus Christ as Lord and sought to study His word every day. After that, I felt a burden to share with others and hopefully help them avoid making the same mistakes I made. I took all the Bible courses available to me and read through the Bible every year.
Free Ministry and Bible Training at CLI
Now, a free man, I serve in my church. I hope to teach a Bible study class and help others grow in their faith in God. I am taking classes at the Christian Leaders Institute and hope to pursue a degree when I can obtain financing. Currently, I am disabled and live on a limited fixed income, so that is not a reality right now. However, CLI’s free ministry and Bible training are a real blessing. I am learning much that applies to my life and walk with Christ.
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account, which will automatically enroll you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, and Degrees with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here.
My name is Imelda Huliganga. I am from the northern part of the Philippines, known as Bauang La Union. I now live in Canada with my husband and family. As a student at the Christian Leaders Institute, I am taking tuition-free Christian leadership and ministry training.
My Journey
Raised in a large, impoverished family of 11, I completed high school in Manila. Despite not growing up in the Christian faith, I attended a Catholic school. At 18, I pursued independence and moved to Singapore to work as a domestic helper.
Later, at 23, I relocated to Edmonton, Canada, where I worked as a nanny and met my husband. Challenges marked our early years together. My husband struggled with alcohol and prioritized friends over family. Despite this, we hadn’t embraced Christianity.
New Direction
Our lives took a turn when we moved to another city, and our daughter started attending church with my brother. Witnessing her involvement prompted us to join her, and gradually, our lives transformed. My husband ceased drinking, and we began attending church regularly and actively engaging in serving the community. The birth of our second child solidified our faith in Christ as we observed profound positive changes within our family.
Christian Leadership and Ministry Training at CLI
As I grew spiritually, I felt God calling me to serve as a small group leader within the church. Pursuing Christian leadership and ministry training became a natural progression for me. I am studying at the Christian Leaders Institute to learn more and receive formal Christian leadership and ministry training. This Christian training will equip me and build upon what I learned in my experiences. The training will help me discern my calling more clearly. Despite facing challenges, such as my limited familiarity with technology, particularly with computers, I will not let that hinder my progress. I refuse to limit my capacity for growth. Therefore, I am committed to continuously learning and growing so that I may be a vessel through which God’s blessings flow.
With each step forward, I find myself inspired by the journey that has led me to this point. Further, our challenges have only strengthened my resolve and deepened my faith. I appreciate the chance to tell my story and offer hope to those who might be going through the same difficulties.
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account, which will automatically enroll you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, and Degrees with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here.
My Journey to Becoming a Preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
My name is Israel Okolo. I am grateful to God for directing me to the Christian Leaders Institute for ministry and evangelism training. I am currently a resident of Canada but am originally from the eastern part of Nigeria. In my 40s, I am an engineer by training.
My Story
When I was born, both my parents practiced traditional African religion. My father was the chief priest of the community shrines, and my mother also had her gods. At a very young age, my father took my brothers and me to the community shrines during the festive period, and at any other time, they performed sacrifices to their gods. They served us food and meat sacrificed to the idols.
However, I noticed that any time my father was to offer sacrifices to their gods, he first raised the sacrifice towards the heavens while facing the heavens. He would thank the bigger God he called “Chiukwu,” which means greater God. After thanking the bigger God and asking for protection from Him, my father or any other priest would turn to the community shrines to ask for the same favor from their small gods. I became aware that there was a greater God who lived in heaven. I wanted to know that greater God more than the small gods that my community worshipped.
When my father died before I turned ten, my maternal grandmother took me to live with her. My grandmother was a devout Catholic. Becoming a Christian allowed me to offer my prayers directly to that greater God my father always referenced, the greater God living in heaven. Then, I received baptism in the Catholic Church. However, I cannot say I was seriously serving God.
Lukewarm Toward God
In high school, my uncle, a Baptist pastor, took me to live with him in another state. I received baptism again since the Baptist Church wanted me to be baptized by immersion. However, I was not seriously serving God at this time. I attended church to retain my Christian identity and not offend my uncle. What I needed was ministry and evangelism training.
I also switched from the Baptist Church to a Pentecostal Church during my time at university and a few years after my university education. During these years, I did not know God. I did not have a relationship with God. I was just a church member and a churchgoer. This inner voice deceived me, telling me I should first enjoy life and serve God truthfully and faithfully at an old age. I kept forgetting that it is by the grace of God that one reaches an old age. The owner of our lives can decide to take it when He wishes.
Even when I returned to the Catholic Church to marry, this lukewarm attitude continued until 2019, when everything changed. In 2019, I became seriously ill, and my illness was unresponsive to medical treatment. Every hope of living was lost. Before I knew it, I was battling depression and anxiety. Amid all these confusions, my mother died.
New Direction
In my struggles and the search for solutions to my problems, I came across a preacher who preached that our illnesses should draw us closer to God. Immediately, I felt that the message was for me. For the first time, I turned to God. I started studying the Bible with the desire to hear from God. My prayer life changed. I spent hours studying the Bible and listening to Bible messages. Again, because I had insomnia at the time, I used the more significant part of the night to pray and meditate on the Bible passages I read, asking God for mercy. I gradually started to forget about my illness and to focus on Jesus. My depression and anxiety disappeared. I became strong again in Christ Jesus.
After some months, I felt the urge to share some Bible passages with others. Then, I started sharing the good news of Christ in my community. It was mostly one-on-one evangelism. I aimed to speak to many people daily, but not less than two people. After three years of my walk with Jesus, I started making videos of my preaching, posting them on different social media platforms, and continuing with my one-on-one evangelism.
Finding CLI for Ministry and Evangelism Training
I was doing this when God directed me to the Christian Leaders Institute. My journey with the Christian Leaders Institute has taken me to a new level of Biblical understanding and interpretation. It has given me a new view of approaching prayer and fasting. More importantly, it has trained me to carry out my evangelical activities. I am grateful to God and also to the Christian Leaders Institute for the tuition-free program offered to me.
With my training at the Christian Leaders Institute, I now go out there with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and carry out my evangelical activities effectively.
Register a Study Account
Register for a free study account, which will automatically enroll you in the Getting Started Class at the Christian Leaders Learning Platform. The Getting Started class will take you less than an hour to complete.
When you log in to the Learning Platform, you will notice that the Getting Started Class automatically appears on your dashboard.
The Getting Started Class will orientate you to the Christian Leaders Learning Platform and the Programs offered, including:
- Ministry Awards, Certificates, Diplomas, and Degrees with the Christian Leaders Institute.
- Minister Credentialling (Ordination) with the Christian Leaders Alliance, including local Soul Center registration possibilities.
Note: You can enroll in tuition-free courses or mini-courses immediately without finishing the getting started class.
Find out more about women in ministry here.