Over the years many people have passed through Oak Ridge and have stories from their time here. Here is a selection of just a few of those testimonys.
Daniel van de Kamp
Originally I signed up for a DTS because I wanted to have a 5 month period set apart to see what missions was all about. I could have never imagined that these 5 months would turn into 6 years of missions work.
The outreach of my DTS was probably the most amazing experience ever. Just seeing how God can use simple people like me to touch other peoples lives. Oak Ridge will always have a special place in my heart, cause it was there I had a true encounter with God and got to know Him in a real way.
Matthew Guddat
DTS is never what you expect. Whether you sign up for an adventure DTS or not, an adventure it will be! It was a time for me to set apart my life for God and to know what that means. I have since matured in my relationship with God and grown in my relationship. For me DTS was not and answer to all life’s problems but the beginning of life and its problems and answers. Here I had an opportunity to plunge in over my head with God.
Joel Mercier
I was a good kid most of my life. Things got crazy, I got crazy, a little too crazy. I knew that Jesus was the only one who could save me from the life I was headed for. A friend and I, on a Friday with Mary smoke session, decided to do a DTS, and there I found Jesus. God is good all the time and all the time God is good. There is no high like Jesus my friends. Stay close to him and He will stay close to you. Be blessed friends.
Janelle Cadamia
It's so freeing to be in a place where you are a fresh face to everyone around you. You are not limited to the expectations of the people that already know you to be a certain way. You break out of that box, and you feel more open to become who God intended you to be. On my DTS at Oak Ridge, I really felt like God was able to bring me to a place where I could be honestly and completely me!
Joshua Millar
BLS at Oak Ridge really was a life changing time for me and challenged me to step up and help others learn more about God. I loved watching people change and grow and it always blew me away that God could use me to help change someones life! I recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about leadership, it is not an easy course but it is rewarding and will live with you for the rest of your life.
Ellia Meade
When in Vanuatu on DTS outreach, for one week we stayed with a local family whilst building a water catchment system for her house. While we were there our host showed us so much kindness and love. She cooked us lots of food and even massaged our sore backs. By the time we had to leave I realized she was my Vanuatu Mummy. It was hard then to leave my second home!
Katie Reding
On outreach in Vanuatu I met a poor boy in a village who loved to play the guitar… however his uncle had taken his guitar from him, so I decided to give him my guitar which I had taken with me. A huge smile came over his face as I handed him the guitar and he couldn’t stop saying “THANK YOU”! It was such a great experience to bless this boy! I loved it.
John McNicholas
For me, my faith had taken less importance and God had become distant, then I decided to do DTS. It's given me a fuller and more accurate understanding of God's character and how real he is! It's really helped breath life into my faith; and wasn't all that cheesy in the end! So relax and go for it - really worth a few months of your life!
Christine Westling
Reaching a point in life were it seemed my faith had hit a plateau, a big leap needed to be taken for any change to happen. Hearing about the adventure program at Oakridge I knew that was my leap. I threw myself into everything from the get go wanting to get as much out of every moment as possible. The more I let go the more gifts God gave, for example writing poetry for the first time in my life. If there was one word to describe my DTS it would be FREEDOM.
Justin Moser
While on outreach in Vanuatu we were able to run a night church servie. After the Chief asked me for prayer for his sickness he had had for a few weeks, so I prayed for it to go. He was very thankful and shook my hand. The next day at breakfast he came and shook my hand again and went on to tell how his sickness was gone when he woke up that morning. He was so exited about it and we were too.