READ WHAT FORMER STUDENTS SAY ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE AT RAD:

"My name is Wendi Damren and I am from Sugar Hill, Georgia. I met Rob Finney, the director of RAD Ministries last summer when I was 25. I knew that I had been called into some sort of ministry that involved sharing the gospel, but I didn’t know what, I didn’t know how and I didn’t even know where to begin training for whatever I was supposed to do! I was pretty clueless but I was waiting on God. I had checked into Bible Colleges and I just didn’t feel that that was the right direction but I knew I needed some kind of training.

After watching Rob step out in boldness to pray and minister to a Waffle House waiter that was waiting on our table, I was blown away! That was evangelism! Rob showed interest and care for him as a person, not just a waiter, and the waiter opened up and shared about himself and his situation and Rob prayed for him. Looking back on this now, I laugh because what seemed like such an amazing feat (to have meaningful conversation with and pray for someone you don’t even know!?!) is now just part of my walk when the Holy Spirit leads me to do so. In fact, it happened to me just the other day in a department store in Dallas, Texas!

The day after the most memorable Waffle House breakfast I’ve ever eaten, I took my questions to the Lord. That day, my 26th birthday I went away to fast and pray. “God, is being a student at RAD Ministries the next step?” was what I was seeking to know. That day I went seeking God and I met with Him. He didn’t answer my question but asked me one in return. Was I willing to lay down MY WILL for His to be done? I had an inkling then of what I know to be true now, a year later. If you are willing to answer the call to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, your response to any question from Him must always be “Yes, Lord.”

Three months later I began RAD’s 9-month discipleship program with the expectation that God would blow my mind and the desire to be bold and undignified for Him when I left. God is faithful. I graduated last weekend and God is still blowing my mind and I’ll never give up on giving Him the opportunity to do so. My whole life is now in a process of becoming undignified for Jesus Christ. Radical discipleship wasn’t just something I did from September 2003 until May 2004….that was just the beginning of the rest of my life.

Through RAD’s program, the real teacher was the Father God, the healer and restorer was Jesus Christ and the change agent was the Holy Spirit. I learned how to hear God’s voice, how to surrender so that I wasn’t hindering His work in me and how to be obedient. RAD’s program was exhilarating and life-changing, yes. I loved the adventure-based training and the hands-on experience. I loved the Bible studies and the trainers that were brought in to teach us different skills. I loved the family that I am now a part of and the friendships that will continue the rest of my life. More than anything, I’m grateful to God for showing me how to live a life that’s not wasted. All it required on my part was a willingness and a teachable spirit. In His grace, He gave me those gifts also. The greatest gift is a life spent walking closely with my Savior, walking in freedom on the path that is now clear before me, taking each step by faith, not in fear. "

“And I will be even more undignified than this…” King David (2 Sam 6:22)

--Wendi Damren, June 4, 2004

 

"To describe all that RAD did for me while being in it, I would have to say that RAD radically changed my life.  I could not be who I am today, or be where I am today if I had not been a willing vessel to let God change me.  I had no idea what I was getting into.  All I knew was that God had opened up this door, and there was no doubt in my mind that this was where He was leading me.  I came to RAD as a quiet and shy girl, who was hidden behind many masks, not knowing who I truly was anymore.  Because of the environment RAD put me in, I was removed from everything of the past, everything I had known, and then I was able to deal with the things that had hindered my walk with God, and to start fresh.  Something I did not expect was the bond that grew between my fellow team mates and me.  How can you describe what it is like to share your life with them, shed tears with them, and, yes, even shed blood with them?  There is no other closer family that I have because they know me, they've seen the real me – the good and the bad – and they still love me in spite of all those things!  I grew in the confidence that I, as a follower of Christ, am chosen by Him, and am part of His family!  By the end of RAD you could not stop me from talking, or sharing what Christ had done in me, much different from the shy person who came from Iowa and would only speak when spoken to.  What I am most grateful for is the real-life experience, and the real community aspect that RAD taught me.  And most importantly the foundation with my walk with God, because it had so easily been shaken before.  I now am able to take those things into the next season and journey of my life, attending a Christian school, studying to become a worship leader, and living in a different community.  Without this discipleship that I received, I know I wouldn't be on the path today that God has me on, and I know I would not be able to reproduce a lifestyle of Christ."

--Rachael Florke, Spencer Iowa

 

 

"Life after RAD……ha, how do I begin to explain? Well it’s definitely not the same in any way and never will be. It’s gone from a somewhat easy-going, mundane, regular life, to a life full of adventure, passion, and faith. Truth be told, I couldn’t fully explain to you the degree of how my life has changed, but I will give you what I’ve got.

 

Before RAD, I was wondering what my life was really all about, and what I was suppose to be doing with it. What were my passions? Did I even have any?  I was quickly headed down a path of danger, filled with drinking and recklessness. I was an abuser of men.  I had a pain-filled relationship with my mother.  Life was all about a good time and making money.  I found myself with a large debt, broken heart, ruined relationships, and almost dead from alcohol poisoning. Sounds like fun, huh? I was over it, and God was too. He ripped me up and sent me to RAD.

 

Since RAD, I have come home to become a leader and teacher in my church, a daughter who encourages and disciples her parents, a mentor to a young girl, and a wife in a loving, selfless marriage, ordained by God alone. I have a direction and purpose.  God has allowed me to break down barriers of what worship is for many and bring reconciliation to broken relationships. Since RAD I am becoming the woman of God He has created me to be and encouraging others to do the same. Without going through RAD I never could have had the ability or tools to do what God has allowed me to do.

 

I wish I could explain to you the reformation of my heart. But it’s only something you can fully understand once you experience it yourself."

--Christina Karst,

Jacksonville, Florida, December 12, 2006

 

 

 "I live a life in which every day that I wake-up, I know that I have a purpose in life and that every day is a new day with new opportunities.  I know that my Father’s love for me is without bounds and that nothing on earth or in heaven can ever separate me from His love.  I know that no matter where I am in my life or what I’m doing, He’s right beside me holding me, right in front of me preparing my way, and right behind me pushing me for more and more.  I know all these things now, but before RAD, all I knew was that there was a God.  I wanted to live for Him but I didn’t know how.

My mind, heart and life were so completely transformed while at RAD, that it’s hard to remember that my life wasn’t always this amazing. I grew up in an unstable home and harbored much anger and resentment most of my life. All that I had ever been shown was dysfunction and I basically believed that disappointment was supposed to be a constant part of my life.  But there was always something deep inside of me that said there had to be more to life. Then I came to RAD and realized that life, the way that God meant for it to be, is not a bunch of disappointments with occasional bits of happiness. I learned that it is in fact the complete opposite. For the first time in my life, I felt what it was like to have a hope for the future, to wake up and thank the Lord for the day that is before me because it is another day to serve Him.

RAD was a place for me to take the time and the initiative to figure out who God was. Who was He to me, what kind of a God is He and why is He worthy of my life and my time?  What I found out was more than I ever imagined. I found out that God loved me so much that He gave up everything that He loved, so that He might gain my love.  I found out that if Jesus’ death would have saved only one of His children, me, He would have done it anyway.  I found out that throughout man’s history, we have been here with one purpose, that is to love God, and we have had the hardest time doing that one thing.  We have broken His heart over and over and over, yet His love for us has never changed. That alone is reason enough to serve Him and I know I couldn’t serve a more awesome God.

 

All these things I learned while at RAD because I had someone behind me at all times to push me to the throne of the Father when I didn’t feel like it. The staff at RAD are the most amazing Jesus followers who lead by example and give off an amazing abundance that overflows from their lives. Now I am a peer-leader at a Christian University, ministering to people out of the abundance that is in my heart, and I’m fulfilling the dreams that the Lord has given me. I owe it all to Jesus, the Lord of my life, and to the people at RAD who believed in me and pushed me for more of the Lord at all times, no matter what the circumstance.

I believe that every Christian should go through a program like RAD to learn what it’s like to live as a child of God. Before RAD, I had ideas about the kind of close relationship I wanted to have with the Lord, but I didn’t know how to close the gap between the way I had always lived, and the way I wanted to live. God used RAD as a bridge to get me closer to His heart and His will for my life.

In RAD, I learned who my Father truly was and what it meant to be a child of the King. Everything I previously knew about God was from what people told me and what I heard about Him on the Television. While at RAD I learned that the Bible is full of stories of His character and God is willing to tell you personally who He is, if you are willing to take the time and listen. God used RAD as a molding time to show me that I have been in His mind and heart since the beginning and I am always in the palm of His mighty hand.

RAD is a safe place for someone to go and figure out who they are, who God is and why He is worth serving. Each RAD graduate has something else to say about what RAD meant to them and how the grew. But the common thread amongst us all is that we all did grow and we all have a clearer view of how we are being called to live. RAD was not the easiest time of my life, but it was the most significant because it brought me closer to fulfilling my purpose in this life.

 

His Daughter,

Bobbi"

--Bobbi Flint,

Alaska, December 19, 2006

 

 

“I used to be the kind of guy who would run from confrontation, hide from problems, and take a backseat role if I could in team situations.  When I had to lead or teach, I was not confident or bold, but quiet and passive.  RAD gave me the foundation of learning and experience in leadership that the rest of my life can build upon.  Through RAD God instilled in me characteristics of leadership including: boldness, discernment, ability to confront problems and issues, ability to direct and administer, and an understanding of the King’s voice and guidance.” 

—Joshua O’Neil, Honduras

 

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