Lonnie Cooper –
“Ministry in the United States is relatively easy. The area of east Liverpool, Ohio, in which i live, is currently and predominantly Christian. There are, unfortunately, still people who are unbelievers or have “hardened their hearts” to the lord. Maybe they just haven’t seen what its like to live as a true christian.
“As for my own faith, I grew up without any faith or religious views. I was raised around anger, hatred, sin, and things of the world. I also grew to know these things. I was full of anger and hatred for everything, even fellowship with other people. Then, sometime in the early nineties, I met my wife Susan. She grew up to know Jesus and the word of God.
“One sunday, she asked me to join her for church services, but I made excuses not to go. That afternoon, while susan was at church, I stopped at a small roadside stand to get a bite to eat. I sat at the counter and placed my order. Shortly after, an older gentleman came in and sat right next to me. He could have sat anywhere, but he chose to sit next to me. This made me angry, so I got in this man’s face and called him some severe obscenities hoping for a fight. As I stood there waiting for a reply, he looked at me and said, “your parents (he named them personally) should have brought you up in a better environment. It’s never too late to receive Jesus.” He dropped a few dollars on the counter and went out the door. I was flabbergasted because I had never seen this man before in my life and never had again. After a few seconds, I ran out the door after the man because I had alot of questions to ask. The man was nowhere to be seen. The street was empty. In shock and confusion, I drove to church where the congregation was just getting out of worship. I started asking questions, and the pastor put an arm around my shoulder and answered the questions that I so desperately needed.”
Lonnie Cooper Receives a Scholarship
“My ministry dream is for every head to bow down and every person to worship the Lord and live godly lives. I would like to further my own knowledge and grow in the Lord.
“I would appreciate prayers that my ministerial skills be used to please the Lord. Also pray that I glorify the Father to spread the good news of the gospel and advance in my own knowledge.”
Lonnie Cooper grew up in a home that taught him a bad model for life. He had no interest in Christ, but now Lonnie Cooper is living proof that God can reach any heart! Lonnie Cooper has turned his anger-driven, bitter life around through the grace and power of God. Now he wants to help others do the same. A scholarship at CLI is just what Lonnie Cooper needs to accomplish his ministry calling!
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Shelly Depp –
“Hello my name is Shelly Depp. I have been married to the most wonderful husband for 21 years. We have four boys and twin daughters. Also I’m a minister’s wife. I am very grateful that God saw fit to prepare us for incredible ministry. I don’t know what lies ahead, but I do know that God will continue to lead us.
“My vision in ministry is to help hurting people. There is nearly a million children are abused each year in the United States, also those who are suffering from sexual abuse, the pain of abortion and other traumatic life events, both big and small. We all go through various trails and life difficulties. We need encouragement, support, love and compassion.”
Shelly Depp Receives a Scholarship
“Christian Leaders Institute will help me be more effective at evangelism, outreach, pastoral care, and missionary work. To make me become more powerful in my word and to help equip God’s people to do good works and build up the church is a grand opportunity. Jesus ask us to partner with him. Jesus asks us to do what he did through the power of the Holy Spirit, ” to preach Good News to poor and to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed” Luke 4:18.”
Shelly Depp has a ministry vision. She is called to minister to people who have suffered tragic events in their lives. Shelly Depp dreams of bringing the love of God to those who have experienced nothing but brokenness where they should have received love. She seeks a scholarship at Christian Leaders Institute to reach more of the suffering with the healing power of Christ.
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Emmanuel J.K Yillah –
“My name is Pastor Emmanuel J.K Yillah. I am presently the Pastor incharge of New Life Ministeries Makani fellowship in the north part of Sierra Leone. I live in Sierra Leone, West Africa. I have pastored churches in the north, which is a Muslim dominated place in my country, but thank God for His grace.
“I came from a fanatic Muslim background, and I got saved in 1995 at the age of 15 years. I was “arramed,” ostracized or banished, rejected, and neglected by my whole family, including the “susu” people in our community. My later father hated me because I refused to recite the “calima” of the Islamic faith. But thank God for His Grace that has kept me.
“Nobody preached to me outright. My Father bought “My Book of Bible Stories” and placed it among the books on the shelf because he likes education. I started reading this book, and I became interested in the unique stories. As time goes on I started falling in love with Jesus Christ. So one day I decided to visit a Church and it was an orthodox Church. I became a member, young as I was. Our neighbors told my Father that I sometimes sneaked to Church, and I will never forget this day. I was beaten mercilessly. The more I loved the Lord. I keep on receiving all kind of punishments, till at the end my Father felt he had no alternative but to drive me out of the home. I went out in the street. Psalm 27:10 is the scripture that kept me going even in the street, until an old woman picked me an adopted me.
“My Ministry dream is for Church planting. Presently I am having four places in my spirit, Kenya, USA, Canada, Australia.”
Emmanuel J.K Yillah Receives a Scholarship
“I was led by the Spirit of God to go through this dynamic Ministerial training. C.L.I. is a blessing to this generation. I did not regret it. I really thank God for directing me here. The teachings of the Institution are direct and to the point. They break theology down to its direct point of application. They bring immediate illumination to the infallible Word of God, to the point that every layman, Christians, unbelievers, and neutralists can comprehend. My ultimate goal is to be a lecturer at CLI.
“In life no man is too big for learning. The day a man refuses to learn is the day he/she becomes a dead man. I have never learned the things I learned here before in my entire life. I believe with Scholarship at CLI I will be able to grow more in my knowledge of God and His word.
“Please pray that I fulfill my calling in Jesus name.”
Emmanuel J.K Yillah comes from a world where Christianity is more than unpopular. He was driven from his home at a young age for choosing Christ over Mohammed. It was there, as a teenage boy in a Muslim dominated community, that he began his life as a servant of God. Emmanuel J.K Yillah knows what it means to be beaten for one’s faith. He knows what it means to be rejected for his faith. Emmanuel J.K Yillah knows in a way that most Americans will never experience what it means to suffer loss for his faith. Yet through all these hard times, Emmanuel J.K Yillah pressed on to share this treasure with everyone he could.
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