Leadership Team

Rev. Rodger Anderson – Adolescent Campuses Executive Director

I didn’t start out thinking I would become a drug addict. I had dreams and plans just like most people I knew. By 2002 I found myself at Teen Challenge broken and totally stripped of family, business, and everything I worked for all my life. God used the TC staff to help restore me and my family. I graduated in 2003, began working as TC Resources/Development Coordinator and Teacher. While I was working for Teen Challenge I knew I was called to minister and enrolled in Teen Challenge Ministry Institute. After TCMI graduation I became credentialed with the Assemblies of God and recently ordained with International Covering Alliance for Ministries (ICALM). God used me for 7 years to help pioneer and establish an inner-city church, serve as a Board Member there, oversee Evangelism teams and city-wide events. For 5 years I served as Vice President/Board Member for First Nations Ministry of San Carlos Reservation. Currently, I am serving at Life Connections as the Celebrate Recovery Pastor and overseer of the homeless ministry where we are reaching out to individuals in the Austin area.

We were called to Texas and I had a burden to stay involved with Teen Challenge. In 2018 I asked George Thomas, CEO “What’s the need?” and he replied, “we really need an adolescent girl’s program”. The adolescent girl’s program was dear to my heart because my daughter Lindsey at 16yrs started to experiment with alcohol and marijuana. I enrolled her into the Arizona Teen Challenge Adolescent program (Springboard). Lindsey completed the program, it healed our broken relationship. It’s been 12 years since she graduated Teen Challenge Springboard and she is living a blessed life.

I am grateful to Teen Challenge for helping me become a man of character and integrity. I am blessed with a beautiful Godly wife Monica, who is also an ordained minister. We served as a team for several years in foster care ministering to young children and teenagers. For me there is no better ministry helping men, women, children and youth to get their lives back on track. Teen Challenge has truly impacted my children, family and friends.

Rev. Monica Anderson, MHC, RC Office Manager/Admissions

My first encounter with the ministry of Teen Challenges Vision and Mission was in 1987. Over the years I have watched the growth and success of Teen Challenge. God opened doors for me to begin working for Arizona Teen Challenge Corporate Office in 2003 and was privileged to work with great staff who love God. I have been truly blessed to be a part of Adult & Teen Challenge of Texas THRIVE Girls Academy where I am helping adolescent girls to know God and know their divine purpose. The scripture God gave me for this assignment was Jeremiah 24:7 “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” So many, many testimonies of the power of God and transform lives at Teen Challenge. To God be the Glory!

Rev. Sandra Smith, MHC, Education Administrator

Sandra Smith was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas and has one sister and two brothers. Sandra loves the mountains, making candles and jewelry. She has written over 29 books to date and began writing poetry as soon as she was saved in June of 1998. The Lord gave her, her first book to write right after her son was killed. It was not something she sought out. She poured her heart into time spent with the Lord in order to allow Him to heal her heart and the name of her first book was birthed in her spirit along with the chapters and what it was to be about during a devotion time. It was called: God’s Love and ironically enough with all that she was going through, God’s love was exactly what she needed.

She is an Ordained Minister and passionate about studying the Bible. She has taught Sunday school, Bible Study Groups, and has been an actively serving in her present church, Life Connection, Round Rock, TX in their Celebrate Recovery Ministry, and Homeless Outreach. Sandra was interviewed on radio shows: Golden Life Living and WMAP Radio (World’s Most Amazing People based out of New York), the Bill Martinez show and a Fox Radio show called the Kim Kennedy Show.

She is a devoted mother of 2 sons (Tim & Gerald Ray), one in which has gone on to be with the Lord due to a car accident. Through the death of her youngest son at the age of 16, a rocky marriage to an alcoholic and the abuse that came with that, and other overwhelming trials, she has drawn close to the loving arms of the Father. Experiencing God’s unconditional love as He held her heart in His hands, it has created a passion in her to help others grow in their understanding of and receive the love of God and to grow spiritually. She has a heart to help hurting women discover the princess in Christ that they truly are and overcome abuse, which led her to Adult&Teen Challenge of Texas Thrive.

Ruth Tahay, Lead Direct Care

Since I can remember at the age of 9 I’ve struggled with the enemy attacking my self worth, confidence and self esteem. So much so that by that age I remember having suicidal thoughts, which later developed into self harm. Since I felt I had no control in my life I felt at least the pain that I inflicted on myself I could control. In a way I was releasing all the poison that was trapped inside from years of emotional, physical, verbal abuse, and bullying. This was another lie from the enemy, I thank God though that I was raised in church and the seeds of faith and hope never left me, but rather flourished in my heart.

Looking back God was always there, every gut wrenching step, every fall I had. Ironically so many have stated ” your such a strong person” or your one of the strongest people I know. I have realized I am not strong, but in my weakness God is glorified and he is strong in me. It is he and he alone who has brought be out of darkness and has healed my broken heart and bound up wounds. I can say now my sufferings have produced perseverance. One of my favorite scriptures that sums up my life is the following.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
2 Corinthians 4:8‭-‬9 NIV