The Call

Chris and Christina are students at Christ for the Nations Institute (CFNI). The journey to get here has been long, but not unfulfilled.  It began in 2008 - a small group of believers gathered in a home, amongst them was a prophet. The prophet gave Chris and Christina a word about coming to Christ for the Nations Institute. Up until that point, attending Bible School was not on their radar. Christina was in the middle of climbing the ladder to success in her career in biomedical research compliance. Chris was currently working nights, and Jesse was attending a Christian private school. They were a happy family living the American Dream. Shortly after this word, the Lord gave them the call through Genesis 12:1, "Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you." They always knew they wanted more than just being Sunday morning Christians. They had taken to heart James 1:27, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." Chris was actively involved in leadership in the Children's ministry at the church. Christina volunteered at the local pregnancy center as a client advocate. However, they had no idea what was to transpire the next few years after accepting the call.

 

Years past by, and while the vision was fresh in their hearts, they knew the timing just was not right. When 2011 came, the Lord reminded them of Genesis 12. Could this be the right time? Chris and Christina scheduled a campus tour that Spring to visit Christ for the Nations. Just days before they left, Chris suffered an injury. The result, a broken ankle with torn ligaments. The doctors indicated that the only treatment for it was through surgery. With the foot freshly wrapped, and crutches in hand, Chris knew they could not pass up the opportunity for the campus days. Within the first hour of being on the CFNI campus, a young man laid his hand on Chris' foot, and prayed for him. Immediately following the prayer, Chris put full weight on his ankle, and knew it was completely healed. The rest of the visit continued without crutches. This just brought further confirmation that this was the place they needed be. However, as they began the application process to become students that fall, they knew that this was not the right time. By the end of the year, both Chris and Christina had taken on new jobs - Chris accepted a position as a sample technician at a chemical engineering firm, while Christina continued the path of her career upping her pay grade at another university. Years continued to pass, yet they never lost sight of CFNI.

 

Then the beginning of 2013, the voice of the Lord became louder and clearer. Everywhere Chris and Christina went, Genesis 12 found it's way to their attention. They knew without a doubt this was the year. They began their application process. They then took their son Jesse to visit the campus that summer. It began to feel like home. In August of 2013, Chris and Christina had both quit their jobs, left everything and moved to Dallas, TX to become students at CFNI - just a step closer to answering their Genesis 12 call, getting training to fulfill the James 1:27 command.