Hi, I’m Timothy Jonsel Ermitaño, a called servant here in the Republic of the Philippines.
I came to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior through the underground ministry of my Father in a Restricted Access Nation. He was working as a Civil Engineer outside of the country while ministering to our fellow countrymen in the area. The condition of my soul was confronted, one summer morning, by a family Pastor friend who asked the simple question – “What are you waiting for?” Tears started rolling down my cheek as I realized the time I had wasted.
Growing up in a Christian home, in a very Muslim country, and seeing my Dad spread the good news of Christ planted something in my heart – a desire to seek those who are lost! By the time I was 16, I came home alone to the Philippines to pursue a college education…but God had other plans. Our family struggled financially so that led me to work in a Christian organization that specializes in curriculum development. My involvement in this organization awakened the deep seeded desire in me to minster. As I became active in the organization, my Church involvement also became hectic. I was asked to handle a small youth group every Sunday afternoon. This opportunity was the start of my love affair with the Word of God. Since that time, I am amazed at the wide reach of God’s word into the life of the believer. I’ve been teaching for almost 14 years and the Word has moved me from a small youth group to a mission church in my hometown, from single to married, from blessed to overwhelmed. You can consider me a non-ordained pastor and an inspired preacher. I love my work so much that I felt in my heart that I needed to train and prepare more…after all, God uses prepared minsters!
Throughout the years, God has been blessing me and my wife with ministry opportunities and just recently, I was given the opportunity to visit a countryside location where the salvation message is needed! I think that God is now calling me out to the mission field. My dream is to fulfill this deep seeded desire of proclaiming the Gospel wherever God leads me…and right now, I think God is leading me there. I just need your prayers of encouragement and protection since the people in this new area are known to be hostile to Bible believing people and the spiritual battle is great!
I would like to thank Christian Leaders Institute for providing opportunities to broaden our spiritual know-how in pursuing ministry for God’s glory. I look forward to be more involved in the courses of CLI, especially now that diploma courses are open.
Again, thank you CLI for equipping people like us to push the Gospel message into the unbelieving world!
SOLI DEO GLORIA
Olagbaju OLushola from Nigeria enrolled at Christian Leaders Institute because he could not afford a traditional Ministry Education through a Seminary, and takes free online courses at CLI to become Equipped For Ministry! Here is his story…
Equipped For Ministry – Olagbaju’s Story
My name is Olagbaju OLushola husband, with a son. My wife and I live most of the year in a community outskirt of Lagos, Alimosho in Nigeria I live in South Africa And Ghana where I was involved in several charitable Gospel outreach.
Ministry in my country Nigeria is doing very great God is recruiting His generals on a daily bases we give all the glory for all. Lives are transformed souls are won into his kingdom though there are challenges of on field mission work to the outermost interior due to financial challenges to send and sustain volunteers.
My relationship with the Bible and God has not always been as strong as it is now. In my journey through in till this day I have always wanted to live a life to serve in every capacity I find myself. I began my childhood life in a suburb known as Surulere in Lagos, Nigeria. My life as teenager was good but not the best, though I enjoyed every bit of it, my parents were just a nominal Christians who just attend church services but not rooted in Christ Jesus at that time. As I grew up in my twenties I became weak a worried I got exposed to some things dangerous to my life physically and spiritually though I knew about Christ then but I was not born again. Although within me I had always heard a voice in-depth convicting me to stop and turn back. I have always believed in God even during the time of not being a Christian, though this was hard without the Lord and my savior Christ
In God`s story I fit in this present Church dispensation and believes that Christ lives within me, also that I have a mandate to let the Christ in me the hope of glory to shine to others Colossians 1:17b. According to His word in John 5:5 and in verse 15 “He calls us His friend and verse 16” He made it cleared we never chose him but he chose us in order to bare fruits and that our fruits should abide”. He also called us “the light of the world a city that is set on a hill that cannot be hide” and also in Romans 8:19,as the children of light we must shine like our father (God) because Christ saved us in order to save others.
I am identified with the word name during my stay in abroad but presently at home here I am currently the Youth Pastor of my local church and also the choir coordinator
. My key experience in life that prompted me to pursue ministry was back in the days when I was in the college that I firs gave my live to Christ the spirit of God convicted me to develop myself that he will use me more in the teaching ministry more but I should start with what I have at that time which was passion to help people
Some of the unique challenge in my area is fund to establish and grow local church in the interior part
They have supported in terms of counsel, advise and trainings too.
Scholarship at CLI is so important to me to it because of my passion to grow and equip myself in the ministry which has very difficult for me access due to financial constrain most time. I will appreciate if I considered for a place in the scholarship scheme of CLI
My prayer God will give immeasurable grace and fill with his spirit and power to grow in all areas of my ministerial assignment not fail and falter so I will end well this Christian race to fulfill His mandate upon my life to the fullest.
Mary Elizabeth Whitlow has a dream to change her rapidly declining community and plans to enlighten, enrich and empower her neighbors by Building Community Faith Through Ministry at Christian Leaders Institute for free and completely online! Here is Mary’s Story…
Building Community Faith Through Ministry – Mary’s Story
My name is Mary Elizabeth Whitlow and I live in Muskegon, Michigan, USA. I have lived in this small city on the shores of Lake Michigan for most of my life. Even when I have left, I keep coming back because my heart and my calling are here. Muskegon has a bit of a reputation in West Michigan. It is too urban, too poor, too demographically mixed, too crime ridden, to fit in well with the small tourist towns around it. I think maybe this place has a lot in common with another place dear to God’s heart, Nazareth. When Jesus began His ministry, their were many who said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” I believe God loves the Muskegons and Nazareths of the world because He loves to exalt the humble and despised places as showcases of his glory.
I grew up in one of the tougher neighborhoods of Muskegon. The longer we lived there, the more the demographics changed to poorer, more rundown and rental properties, and more minorities. I was raised in a small church of visionaries and prayer warriors who looked toward a future when Muskegon would be a “city on a hill” shining God’s light across our state, country, and world. However, I grew discouraged by the daily struggle of living in an impoverished, hopeless place. When I left for college, I wanted to be done with inner-city ministry and racial reconciliation. Couldn’t I serve God in some nice, clean, suburban place where people looked like me and I understood the rules?
Circumstances kept bringing me back to Muskegon and back into inner-city, cross-cultural ministry. One summer I spent a month in Detroit, helping to run tutoring and Vacation Bible School programs. My struggles relating to those of other cultural backgrounds led to some misunderstandings that left me deeply wounded and discouraged.
Then, I attended an Urbana missions conference and found myself in a session about racial reconciliation. God showed me clearly that choosing to turn my back on Muskegon and my minority brothers and sisters meant turning away from all He had for me. My journey since then has lead to a year in West Philadelphia with Mission Year and two years teaching in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I am now back in another inner-city neighborhood of Muskegon, praying for God to “move into the neighborhood.”
My particular passion is for teaching the Word of God. I want to light a passion in Christians of all ages to read and study the Bible. So many of our young people in this country stop going to church or following Jesus when they leave home, if not before. Very few of them have any personal devotional life or understanding of what they believe. This is not surprising, since most of their parents do not have these either. My dream is to have multi-generational Bible studies where everyone from elementary students to octogenarians are studying and discussing Bible passages together. I have always wanted to study the Bible more deeply myself and CLI is an open door for me to do this.
I also long for the day when Muskegon will be that “city on a hill.” I want to be part of bringing this about through teaching the Bible, being reconciled, and an instrument of reconciliation, to my brothers and sisters of all cultures in this city, and being part of raising up leaders here from all backgrounds and walks of life. I would love to be part of starting a mentor center in downtown Muskegon…and then another…and another…until God has raised His standard here.
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