Rory Tonkin – New Zealand
My name is Rory Tonkin and I come from New Zealand. It is an amazing country with boundless freedom, however sometimes freedom may come at a price. Ignorance and arrogance sometimes seems rife and any talk of Christianity is often laughed at or ridiculed. However their are many Christians and the church community is still strong nonetheless, it just feels more hidden than other countries. Their are plenty of opportunities for ministry in New Zealand with great numbers of spiritually broken people and many youth growing up into gangs.
Growing up in a small town called Motueka I went to a Catholic School where I learnt about Jesus and grew in my beliefs, but always struggled with certain hypocrisy and teachers who I felt were very unjust. I knew about religion back then but never knew about nor had a relationship with Christ. For years I held onto my beliefs but never delved deeper until I met my now Wife who is a Christian and encouraged me to come to church with her. I refused at first but eventually relented. At first I didn’t feel comfortable there and felt many people would be judging me due to the way I looked with many tattoos. I did grow to love her church and continue to go there to this day. The time I fully gave myself to the lord was when I was invited to an Easter camp. The whole experience was amazing and the speakers blew me away leading me to rethink everything I’d ever believed. One of the main speakers there was also surprisingly a man who had been a great father figure to me growing up and had taught me many great things.
My ministry dream is to begin to work with Prisoners, either in juvenile detention centres or full adult prisons. I also want to work with troubled youth on the path to becoming gang members, I feel like I most identify with being a Pastor of a Church but would never forget my main focus which is to work with the forgotten members of society.
The key experience in my life which prompted me to pursue ministry would be spending time in Africa (Namibia and South Africa) with YWAM. Just feeling a newfound purpose for my life and not following my old ways just living trying to accumulate material things and constantly searching for pleasures for myself. Learning there is so much more to life than this. The understanding that what is often portrayed to the World as the “good life” everyone strives for and chases often will lead to heart break, despair and depression, You may accomplish so much but without God in your life, you may never know peace.
The unique challenges in my area are really just the feelings towards Christianity and the negative stigma often driven by the media. It can be hard as a Christian trying to break through barriers where people have been taught for a long time not to believe and feel that if they do start to they will be ridiculed by there closest peers.
My local church has been very supportive in my ministry calling, encouraging and praying for my wife and I while we were involved in mission work in Africa. Due to the distance of it to where me and my wife live we don’t have take part in a great deal of the extra curricular activities that are happening but are making a great effort lately to be involved where we can.
A scholarship at CLI is extremely important to my ministry dream as it gives me a chance to complete Ministry training in New Zealand, learn more than I could imagine and allow me to follow my calling of one day becoming a Pastor. If anyone could pray for me and my current ministry dream of working with Prisoners just for more opportunities and for open hearts. Also prayers for open hearts for my family, friends and all others I come across during the rest of my life.
My name is Travis Burris and I am from the small town of Murray, Kentucky in the United States of America. I first began my journey with God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when I was 11 years-old. My best friend at the time was very active in a Baptist church and invited me to come along. I thought nothing of it spiritually, but just wanted to go because I would be around other kids I knew. After speaking to the pastor about Jesus Christ I experienced a false profession. However in the year of 2004, I was born again during a revival at a United Baptist church where I later became a member by baptism.
After going through years of church service, revivals, and gatherings with other Christians I can relate mainly between Pastor, Evangelist, or Youth Minister. Since I was recently laying on my couch and the Holy Spirit startled me with the words of “Preach the word, be instant in season and out of season.” Therefore I have been led through God and the Holy Spirit to spread the gospel not only in my community, but also throughout the state of Kentucky and hopefully into our nation and world. Of course within my own country like many others, there are sizable amounts of nonbelievers and those who are lost without God and Jesus Christ. Satan has blinded them from the glorious possibilities of eternal life with Jesus Christ. I know this because at one time I was that same person. I was mixed up in drugs, alcohol, my family disowned me for many years and I was lower than the bottom of the barrel. As Paul states in the New Testament “I am the chiefest of sinners,” and I felt the same way. I knew there was a heaven and a hell and the road I was on was spiraling quickly to the fiery pits of hell. As I laid within the darkness of Satan’s grasp, luckily as my hand was reaching up for help, God was reaching down and pulled me out of that wicked darkness.
My ministry dream is to either develop a church solely based on God’s love that will be more active with the community and surrounding area. I would also like to reach out into farther countries who are less fortunate to hear the gospel and do not have the same freedom as we do here in America. God’s word is to be heard by all men and women, not just the select few in a small area.
I pursued this ministry course and learning opportunity through CLI because of my dear uncle who had recently lost his wife from passing on to be with our Lord and Savior. He is a devout Christian and pastor at a small church in Oklahoma and is very knowledgeable in theology, scripture, doctrine, and walking with God. After my experience with the Holy Spirit moving through me to “Preach the word” my uncle was the first person who came to mind to ask what is my first step. He led me to CLI after he has participated in the courses as well.
I can only humbly ask for everyone’s prayers for me to receive the proper guidance, knowledge, and wisdom to not become a well-known pastor or evangelist, but to be a spiritual leader that people in my community can count on to save souls from the clutches of Satan.
In my community, the Salvation Army has been a large influence to me by sharing their gracious love for others within the community. By feeding people, giving them shelter, or even reaching out to nursing homes and preach the gospel has truly inspired me to become more involved within the ministry. After I spoke with the Captains of the local core, they highly advised me to continually pray and to stay within God’s word because this would be one of the greatest journeys of my life. And so far, it has been nothing less than that.
Lastly, one of the largest reasons I have chosen this path to the ministry is not only to be a “soul saver,” but also for my son. Since he is only 2 years old now he has not reached the age of accountability, but he is already aware of church, and who Jesus is. I want to be able to show him how to be a Godly man in life, not just in a church setting.
My name is Julie, an Indian citizen female, aged 35, born and brought up in the Middle East. I did my schooling in the Middle East Indian School and further moved to India for my higher studies (finished my Bachelor’s degree program in Speech and Hearing in 2000). My family was from the Protestant background. I’m not sure of how aware everyone is about the lifestyle in the Gulf – monotonous, dry, and lonely. Parents usually work long hours to earn maximum income to save up and use money for the future. In such a busy schedule, children are usually ignored. Their educational needs are catered by tutors. Food, clothing, toys are all taken care of from the money that parents earn. Once a week, traditional church was a ‘MUST TO GO’, event rather than ‘WANT TO GO’. Such was my life too. And so, the emptiness in me eagered for the truth. One day, God graciously allowed me to attend a Pentecostal meeting where in one Minister of God was used mightily in sharing about the Holy Spirit and His works; I received Our Lord as my Personal Savior during that meeting. The greatest day of my life. After which, my entire life changed from sorrow of being alone and rejected to unspeakable Joy of having the King of Kings as my Best Friend. My Passion for reading the Bible, having long hours of Quiet time devotion increased to the point that I didn’t eager for any other companion, until the time God revealed to me the man I was to get married to. He was faithful to His promise. I got married to my Husband after 7 yrs of courtship and we’ve been happily married for the past 10 yrs and blessed with 2 beautiful children, aged 7 & 2 yrs. At present, we are residing in Doha, Qatar. Children are going to school and I’ve been working as a Speech Therapist for 10 yrs too.
As far as my spiritual Background is concerned, I’ve done my Discipleship Training Program in YWAM (Youth with a Mission), from Chennai, India in 2002. I’ve also been Women’s Leader in the Church out here (but took a break from my assignments during my second pregnancy) and actively been a part of the Intercessory Team with the giving of short Exhortations too. Both my husband and I have been blessed with good leaders over us, both from India, Middle East and abroad too. Middle East Church activities can be challenging at times as we have to abide by the rules of the land. We might not be as privileged as those from abroad but yet by the wisdom of Our Lord, we still manage to be a testimony and a faithful worker for Our Lord (More details cannot be given about this matter at this point)
Off late, a strong conviction has come upon me that I have to learn the Bible in a more extensive and organized way. My leaders also recognize the calling of the Lord over my life (to be a Bible Teacher) and support me very well, in pursuing a good Bible Study Program, Since, I am working and also have 2 kids to look after, I was really praying that I could find a program that would not be so burdensome with respect to time and at the same time be affordable. Words cannot express the happiness I had when one of my leaders mentioned about CLI to me. It is definitely more than I could ever ask for.
I have witnessed so many Revival meetings that was organized in my home town and in the Gulf. One of the key elements that most of the churches leave out is the immense follow up and discipleship that the church would require after such meetings were conducted. Our Lord has definitely commissioned us to ‘GO’ but He further says, ‘make DISCIPLES of all nations’. How can we make disciples unless we teach them how to obey & follow His commands and teachings on a daily basis? This teaching cannot be done through a single meeting…not even in a week. Churches definitely require teachers who would help the congregation in their daily living challenges. And that exactly where I want to be.
Attaining a scholarship in CLI & moving on to study further courses, would definitely help me in the calling God has over me. My passion / my dream is to teach the Bible to small groups, family cell meetings, train & counsel Women and Couples. In due time, as God reveals, I would like to completely devote my services to the church and my Family and move out of my profession of being a Speech Therapist. Until then I would be very grateful if you could pray that God would grant me all the wisdom, time, patience and discipline I would require to complete this course. Thank You so much for giving me such a wonderful blessing. Amen.