Ronnie Lester has been training police officers for 26 years. He got his nickname, Dr. Pain, at the Police Academy because of his hard line with his students. Chances are pretty good that if you encounter a law enforcement official in north Florida, his imprint will be on them.

He now works with the St. Johns River Community College Career Development department and can teach any of the 200 courses offered to law officials, including specialties like SWAT and sniper training. More than 1,000 officers a year pass through his advanced training courses to become supervisors and instructors.

Two-and-a-half years ago, Ronnie’s life changed when he was asked to teach EE at his church, Good News Church in St. Augustine, FL. He had taken EE some years before, but didn’t realize the impact it could have until he began to see the lives of those he taught changing before his eyes. Both he and his wife had previously been married and things were not going as well as he had hoped. The ministry of EE changed this tough guy’s heart, causing him to focus more on God and he developed a compassion for others that he had never known before.

Prior to his teaching position, Ronnie had worked in the prison system for nine years and saw how wrong choices could bring a person down. Now, he feels a love for the lost and recognizes that everyone needs to know Jesus Christ.

He has taught EE to about 75 people at Good News, but one of the greatest times of his life was going on a mission trip to Ukraine, where he worked alongside Nickolay Revtov, EE Vice President for Eurasia, teaching EE through an interpreter to twenty-six people. About 40 kids gave their lives to Christ during a sports camp they held, and no one calls him Dr. Pain any more!

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