-------------------------------------people ----------------------------------------- Senior Brad Austin said he has loved God all of this life. Austin, raised in the church, said his father had been a preacher for more than 20 years. However, since corning to Harding in the fall of 1999, Austin said he changed for the better. "I'm a lot farther along in my faith," Austin, a social work major, said. "Being a preacher's son, I had not experienced a lot of other situations outside in the world." During his time here, Austin helped form the Harbin Devotional, traveled the country for mission trips and ministered to a group of churches that didn't get much attention from college students. Austin, senior Jonathan Storment and several other students traveled all over Arkansas visiting small, rural congregations. They led devotionals, performed skits and tried to encourage the members of those churches. "It's easy to see that we're making a difference in "It's a really awesome experience to go to these churches that don't have very many members and see how excited they are when we arrive:' Austin said. "It's easy to see that we're making a difference in their lives." Traveling to cities such as Nashville, Tenn., Calgary, Canada, and Fresno, Calif., on spring break campaigns, Austin said he dreamed of beginning his own inner-city ministry someday. "[These trips have given me] a sense of reality," he said. 'They have really prepared me for what's out in the world." their lives." Austin also worked wi th a inner-city youth program for two summers in Nashville. Wherever he went after graduation, he wanted to use the skills he learned through those programs. Storment believed Austin was made for this type of ministry. -senior Brad Austin "Brad has one of the biggest hearts of anybody I've ever met," Storment said. "He's got a real love for people. It's evident when you see his interaction with the kids. It's amazing how the kids are just drawn to him. He's got a strong faith and a contagious personality." Austin hoped his passion for ministry would continue afrer graduation. He didn't exactly know where he wanted to go or what he wanted to do, but he knew the ministry would be a primary concern for him wherever he landed. "Harding has been great for me," he said. "I've grown as a person, and I've grown spiritually. I'm looking forward to taking what I've learned with me wherever I go." Byl£RSky Senior Brad Austin reads his Bible in Shores Chapel. Austin was a spiritual leader on and off campus through– out his career at Harding. (Photo by Amy Beene) seniors II 55
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==