My name is Cynthia Jones. I’m married with one daughter, a granddaughter, and a grandson. My husband and I live in a small community in South Carolina. We visit Costa Rica twice each year where my husband receives part of his cardiac care.
My daughter graduates this year with a four year degree in Ministry. She started a ministry two years ago, which I serve as a Chaplin in. I began studying with Christian Leaders Institute in the summer of 2013. I currently have 37 credit hours with plans to continue studying.
Being brought up in the Baptist church I was baptized before I was a teenager. I’ve always believed in the scripture, prayer, Jesus Christ, our Heavenly Father and the Holy Trinity, but I allowed many things to distract and dominate my life. During my chemotherapy for Stage III-C ovarian cancer in 2003, God tried to reach me, but I refused to listen. I would pray before bed or during difficult days and was not afraid of death because my soul was saved. God was trying to tell me the life I was missing without a dedicated walk with Jesus Christ. Even though I survived when I was given two years to live, my world turned into a downhill spiral. My days were unhappy, discontented and I felt like there was nothing special about my life. God was patient with me; allowing my misery until I was willing to surrender to His will.
My daughter tried to reach me, and in July 2010 her love and prayers helped open my heart and allowed God to take His rightful place in my life. The re-dedication of my life was made publicly with baptism, family, and friends. Praying and talking to God, reading and studying the Bible daily, I felt my heart began to change. Outwardly, my anger was removed, the tone in my voice changed, the way I viewed my world softened and I felt peace and happiness like I never knew existed. After my re-dedication I went through conviction guided by the Holy Spirit. It was painful and I was given a “slide-show” of my life. I was a good person, but I was not living the life of a dedicated Christian. He led me through conviction with the unconditional love that only God can give His children. What a gift! Please… Learn the difference between conviction and condemnation… The latter will kill you, spiritually and physically. One is of God and one is of Satan.
In prayer God directed me to pursue education of His word. I heard my calling to become a Chaplin. This isn’t a paid position. I register with local hospitals, nursing homes, hospice, home health care, people who are home bound; anywhere prayer, compassion and listening are needed. I no longer practice nursing, but my skills will allow me to be in uncomfortable and difficult situations when people may be in the last parts of their lives. No human should ever die alone. Being with a person when their time ends is one of the greatest gifts one human can give another. Love, comfort, respect, and compassion are what every person deserves. I know this is where I can be a reflection of the love of Jesus Christ in me.
Often I have no physical strength due to the long-term effects of the chemotherapy, but it doesn’t stop my prayers and studies. I find I’m fueled by the Holy Spirit, especially when I talk or pray with others. If you’ve never felt the presence of the Holy Spirit come over you, it’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced. It cannot be explained; only felt. I was guided in prayer to split my tithe each month between my church ministry and Christian Leaders Institute. I’m well fed by both and I’m very grateful for the new life I’ve been given.
I’ve been very blessed by the power of the Holy Spirit because I have a condition called “chemo-brain”. It makes my short-term memory very difficult and I often stutter. I know in my heart that I have the gift of the Holy Spirit with me every step of the way. When I’m speaking the words of our Savior my voice is strong and clear. That’s the power of the Holy Spirit, not me. Everything I’m doing is of Christ, not of me. Due to my previous occupation of being a nurse, I can be the one in a sick room when there are less than desirable conditions. Not everyone is comfortable in these situations. I pray to be a comfort to those who have so little and those who feel left behind.
With my ordination I’ll make myself available for funerals, assist in the planning of “End of Life Celebrations,” and possibly weddings. I’m prepared to give Communion with those who are home-bound and serve as a link for those who don’t attend church or don’t have a regular minister.
Five years ago this would not have been a second thought. And now I know why God saved me from Stage III-C Ovarian cancer.
I have more work to do in glorifying our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ through the blessing of Christians Leaders Institute. I plan to always be a part of this school. By the almighty power of God, along with the courage and strength of the Holy Spirit to share the love, grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, proclaiming the gospel everywhere… I rejoice! Amen.
My name is Nana Kweku Bennie, born in the year 1981 and I live in Ghana; the country of my birth, and currently residing in a town called Asankrangwa in the Western Region. Fortunately for me, I was born into a Christian home. My parents were very devoted Christians so it was a matter of course that my siblings and I had to attend church every Sunday morning. Thankfully, that upbringing stayed with us and when I graduated from the children’s ministry into my teens, I gave my life to Christ. This took place on 16th November, 1996. On the day, I stood before the entire congregation and prayerfully said the sinners’ prayer. On the 24th of December of the same year, I received the Holy Spirit baptism. Hallelujah!!!
Well it is a well-known fact that Ghanaians are very religious and Christianity is the dominant religion here. Since Christianity is the dominant religion, there is minimal religious or political opposition to church activities. There are lots of cooperation between the various Christian denominations here which actually creates a conducive environment for ministry. We have a very high illiteracy rate and this affects peoples understanding of issues. With low or no education, it becomes difficult to incorporate modern ideas which usually is a break-away from the status quo.
My dream for ministry is to stay on the course that the Holy Spirit has been leading me on ever since I sensed a calling upon my life. I have graciously been gifted with a wonderful teaching ability and understanding that in the coming years, my desire is to write books, journals and write ups explaining key biblical truths to the Christian community both locally and internationally. My prayer also that during my teaching services, the Holy Spirit will manifest His power to deliver, heal and encounter people in exceptional ways.
I tend to identify myself as youth leader because I love to work with the youth. Most of my activities in my ministry has been centred on the development of the youth. I hope to continue in that line even if I progress into other offices in ministry.
The bible makes me understand that out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, a thing is established. There have been more than three prophecies concerning my work as a minister of the gospel during prayer meetings. Before these prophecies, I have had dreams where I see myself ministering to people in diverse ways.
In Africa, one key challenge to effective ministry is witchcraft and black magic. These present strong battle grounds in the spiritual realm. If one is able to engage an effective spiritual warfare to defeat these spiritual hood hogs, you will have a successful ministry. The other challenge is ministry training. If you ever wanted to upgrade your knowledge in ministry, you have to leave your post and enroll in a bible school and stay on campus. This serves as a big barrier for further studies.
I have the backing of my Senior Pastor who has been a constant source of encouragement to me. Also since I will not need to travel before undertaking this course, my team of executive and stud group are excited about the course and after completion, others have expressed interest in enrolling at CLI.
By the grace of God, I have been married to a woman who has been my prayer partner for many years. She is really interested in my ministry and this phase presents a new opportunity for ministry.
Enrolling at CLI has really actualized the adage “killing two birds with one stone.” Once I secured a scholarship at CLI, I have been relieved from the burden of having to make a savings of a specific amount for at least five years in order to enrol in a bible college. In this way, my family’s finances have not been affected much. However, if I need to stay on campus to undertake my course at the bible college, it means I have to stop working altogether. In short, a scholarship from CLI has helped me realize my dream of ministry training and at the same time working along the way to support my family.
I will need prayer support to stay strong and focused in accomplishing whatever the Lord has commissioned me to do.
Thanks
My name is Pat VanderKolk and I live in the United States
I was born and raised in West Michigan and have continued to live in the same small town my entire life. While growing up my family attended church regularly but it was not until after I was married and in my early twenties that I was prompted to intentionally study the Bible. I realized that even though I practiced church traditions I did not have any real understanding of the Bible nor did I comprehend what experiencing God truly meant. I stopped reading short daily devotions and started concentrating on reading the Bible from start to finish. I also prayed that the Lord would give me my own unique testimony of who He is. This first step of obedience has provided me with personal stories of God’s complete love, grace, mercy and supernatural power.
My husband and I spent many years participating and leading in youth ministry events in our church. We went on a number of short term mission trips that involved building relationships with our own students while trying to help those in need throughout the United States and Mexico. This setting gave us confidence to speak about our faith journey and to be open with the young adults in our group. The things we learned on these trips changed how we viewed ministry and the value of deep honest relationships. We learned that you need to earn the right to speak.
We also were given the opportunity to visit with friends who lived in France and North Africa. This experience taught us about international travels and we became more aware of the cultural differences that countries have and some of the distinct difficulties between various religions.
During all of these events I began moving into a deeper level of prayer. I started to understand the importance of prayer and also to practice “listening prayer”. Sitting quietly before the Lord and waiting for His still small voice. I became intrigued by both the biblical stories of dreams and visions along with present time stories of how the Lord revealed Himself through dreams. I also began asking about the use of spiritual gifts and how they are used today. It became clear that I was missing out on the power of the Holy Spirit. Again, the Lord put people in my path that could give me truthful instruction on using the gifts of the Spirit and encouraged me to continue seeking out those gifts.
In the fall of 2004 while on a Biblical study tour to Israel, I sensed the Lord calling me to participate with Him in a deeper relationship and also to prepare for an upcoming ministry experience. I didn’t totally understand what was going to take place but I knew that I had to be open to His calling and that it would fit with my past experiences. The Proverbs 3:6 verse says it best. “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths”.
Each step in this journey has brought about new and exciting understandings of God’s faithfulness and His patience. His timing is always perfect and He always reveals the next step to take place. He also factors in my fear, stubbornness, and even procrastination. The Holy Spirit convicted me of past and present sin. He taught me that there really is full forgiveness and we can be set free from sin that has held us in bondage.
In 2011 a friend spoke prophetically over me regarding becoming trained in pastoral care and even being ordained in some form of ministry. I laughed at this because I had limited college education and it didn’t make sense at age 54 to invest the time or money into additional education. My work, volunteer and family schedule would not fit into a classroom type program and furthermore I didn’t think I was smart enough to participate in high level seminary classes. Much to my surprise in 2013 I was introduced to Christian Leaders Institute by a church member. Each area that I listed as an impossible reason for me to receive ministry training has now become possible because of CLI. My fear of failure was terminated after taking the initial introductory class.
The CLI on-line classes fit perfectly with what I needed to succeed in ministry training. The Ordination class will allow me to fulfill the necessary role to move forward in additional ministry opportunities that I will be stepping into. I am still waiting patiently and watching for events to unfold.
I am continuing to encourage lay-people to consider CLI as a form of training and discipleship. This is just another example of experiencing God’s provision.
Pat VanderKolk