Ministry Dream: I Am Ready

Ministry Dream

Hello, my name is Sandra, and I have a ministry dream. I live in Live Oak, Texas. I have a sister and an older brother. My Dad and Mom are deceased. My Granddad was a Pastor, and my Grandmother made sure we went to church as she was the one who drove the church bus. As a child, I can’t remember a day we were not in church on Sunday. God’s seeds were being planted. When I was seven, I had picked up the habit of sucking my thumb. My parents tried wrapping my thumb with hot sauce. But since I love hot spicy food, that did not work. They tried everything, but nothing worked.

One night my uncle said, ” You are going to have buck teeth if you keep sucking your thumb.” I knew that I had a friend named Jesus so later that night, I asked God to please help me stop sucking my thumb. As I laid there waiting for a response, a small voice inside me stated, “Put your thumb under your pillow.” I followed the directions and laid my head on my pillow. My pillow smelled beautiful; I could never describe the smell even to this day. The next morning, I had forgotten all about my thumb. But later I realized that I had not craved my thumb all day. I rushed to tell my parents. I explained to them what happened and they both started to cry. Needless to say, I never sucked my thumb again. God took the habit away from me overnight. We serve a great God.

Wake-up Call

As I got older, I forgot about what God had done for me, and I kept Him a secret. I was in control and life was good, or so I thought. But I was living in darkness. In my late twenties, I started drinking wine. It made me feel super and bold. I was the life of the party. One night, I ran into a pole while driving and fell asleep there. I woke up the next morning. The cops pulled up behind me. They asked if I was okay. I told them that I studied all night and fell asleep. They drove away. My life was in turmoil.

December 31, 2005, about 15 years later, I headed to Las Vegas to Celebrate New Year’s Eve. We had many bottles of wine; it was crazy. We made it to my townhouse which I owned but rented out to a friend who said it was okay to stay with him for the celebration. As the night progressed, I had about ten or more glasses of wine. I remember making it to the Luxor Hotel and needing to go to the restroom. I sat on the floor of the bathroom drunk. A bright light shown over me. I knew it was God. At that time, I just started crying out to God. I asked Him, “Please take this away from me!! I don’t want to drink anymore!” My friends thought it was funny because I was the life of the party.

God’s Call to my Ministry Dream

So, January 2006 was the LAST time I took a drink of wine or any alcoholic beverage. God took it away overnight. I’m not saying that all my victories have been overnight, but God has always been faithful. He has given me my ministry dream. So, I wanted to learn more and looked for online Bible schools. I found the Christian Leaders Institute.

Now, the Ordained Deacon Minister class at Christian Leaders Institute has opened up doors for me with my church. I will be ordained by the church leaders next week. I am excited and ready to do God’s will. This class at CLI has really opened my eyes to the calling God has on my life and my ministry dream. I will be a servant to Him for the rest of my life.  I am planning to study more as I prepare for what God has in store for me. Thanks, CLI, for providing free ministry training! Please pray for me.

Learn about ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.

Author: Henry Reyenga

Henry Reyenga is president of Christian Leaders Institute and Christian Leaders Alliance.