Christian Latina Leadership Blog

By: Norvi Mayfield, Verónica Rodríguez Navarro, and Nora O. Lozano

Para leer la versión en español haga clic aquí

Graduations are such glorious and celebratory events. Those who believe and support education, at any level, hold in their hearts the hope that all the students will graduate, and that as they close an educational cycle, they will start a new path that will benefit them as well as contribute to the common good in our world.

CLLI is no exception. We hold closely the hope that as our students walk across the stage to receive their certificates, they are not only taking a certificate in their hands, but a wealth of knowledge and experience that will allow them to continue a process of transformation of themselves, as well as their families, churches, and communities. 

Recently, we lived this experience in the CLLI Mexico City graduation, and we want to share it with you. Thus, I asked two of our CLLI leaders who were instrumental in this graduation to share their perspectives regarding this important event.

Verónica Rodríguez Navarro, CLLI Mexico City Coordinator and CLLI graduate (Monterrey 2022), shared the following:

The first CLLI Mexico City cohort was an answered prayer of the leaders who believed in what God could do in and through them. As I remember the first session where we met the group, I remember faces that reflected doubt, expectation and disbelief of whether this program was for them or not. I also remember others hungry to discover what they would find at the end of this training. For some, the path became long to travel when, in the midst of trials, illnesses or discouragement, the end seemed unattainable, but God gave the encouragement that each of them needed in order to finish successfully.

For many, the support of their families was the key to reaching their goal. Listening to the testimonies of how their husbands, children, and sometimes even grandchildren encouraged them to finish, shows that this program not only empowers those who participate in it, but also touches their families by inviting them to participate in the life plan of these women. The purpose of transformation thus transcended from the graduates to their families.

As expected, the graduation celebration was full of emotional and significant moments for each of the students. We saw their faces shining with satisfaction and gratitude for the goal achieved. Furthermore, we feel the presence of God embracing with affirmation the new generation of Latina leaders in Mexico. Each prayer and song became a declaration of hope for this new stage they were experiencing. This event surely marked the lives of the graduates, but also of the people invited to the celebration.

Norvi Mayfield, CLLI graduate (Texas 2019) and CLLI supporter, also expressed her experience at the CLLI Mexico City graduation:

I thank God for the opportunity to share with you all the glorious things God is doing through CLLI. I have the honor and privilege of having visited three different chapters of the CLLI: Monterrey, Metepec and Mexico City. In my recent participation in the graduation in Mexico City, I heard the testimonies of transformation of several women who came with low and damaged self-esteem. I want to share two stories that really impacted me. When I met these two women at the beginning of the training, they said almost nothing because they felt that their opinion or words were worthless. They were hurt by the system and had doubts about whether the CLLI would treat them the same way, that is, without giving them the value that Jesus really gives to women.

One of these students shared how she was devalued in her family in relation to her opinions, tastes, desires or plans. However, through her studies at CLLI she was healed from the inside out and was able to find a sense of freedom. This transformation was felt in all areas of her life and allowed her to reclaim her space for a full life in her family and in society.

This is one of the gifts that the CLLI curriculum brings. A curriculum that presents a sound Christian theology that presents Christ and the transformation He can bring to the lives of human beings. Although this curriculum is at the university level, it is presented in an understandable way that touches the daily lives of women, at whatever educational level they are at or stage of development in their life. Seeing this student in the last class and during graduation expressing her opinions with great eloquence and confidence reminded me of the biblical miracles of healing. At that moment I was also witnessing a contemporary miracle. Glory to God!

On the other hand, I was also struck by the testimony of another student, a 75-year-old woman, who previously had not had much opportunity to study. At the beginning of the training, she was a quiet and self-conscious woman, and at the end of the training she also became an articulate woman, who stepped onto the platform with her shoulders upright. After receiving her certificate, her son hugged her, expressing a great gesture of joy and pride. With this, we saw that the transformation of this sister also reached her family, because if she could do it, her son and her entire family could do it too. This is something big, because by seeing it, we are witnessing the transformation of an entire family and perhaps in the future, of an entire country.

With these testimonies, I want to share with all the people who contribute to the CLLI with their time, prayers, work, or resources, that the transformation that the CLLI offers, in the name of Christ, is real and concrete. We really get to see the lives of transformed women who are transforming their environments.

The other important thing about investing in CLLI is that the investment in transformed lives can be seen in the present. I have been involved in different ministries and missions for 35 years, and I have never seen a ministry like this where you can see, right now, the exponential development of local leaders. The solid evidence proving the achievements of this ministry cannot be denied. So, I want to invite you to support the CLLI because it will be a great blessing for the women who take the training, but also for you because you will be witnessing in the present the transformation of women, their families and future generations.

What can we say before these testimonies? Glory be to God! Truly, we celebrated a graduation, but so much more. We invite you to join us as we continue with our goal of transforming women’s lives in the name of Christ. As Verónica and Norvi expressed so well, you will witness the transformation of women’s lives, and the lives of their families, churches, and communities in real time. What a gift! To learn more about this ministry and ways to support it, please visit  https://www.christianlatinaleadershipinstitute.org/ or write to clli@cllinet.org