BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

“I figured I could,” Matthew says, “so I stood in the lobby at each service handing out cards with our college group service times to young adults. Within a few months, the college group numbered 80 to 100 people. It grew steadily until we had 300 to 400 in the database. I sent out a scripture or an encouraging word about five times a week.” Eventually, Matthew started a college group at another campus. Still something in Matthew wasn’t fulfilled. He was hungry for more of God. So, he continued to search, and before long the Lord led him to a ministry connected with Kenneth Copeland Ministries. “This was pivotal in my life,” Matthew says, “because I learned the Bible at a whole new level. I down-loaded the daily "Believer’s Voice of Victory" TV broadcast and the teachings of Keith Moore. I listened to them from one to three hours a day. As I learned to live and walk by faith, I received the fullness of the Holy Spirit.” In 2010, Matthew received a text from a woman in the church he first attended. She said she was hun-gry for more of God, and that the Lord had instructed her to contact him. For years, Matthew had steered clear of women because he didn’t trust himself to handle relationships well. But after praying, he agreed to meet Shany, a teacher who was from Mexico, and her friend at a coffeehouse once a week. During those meetings, they would read the Bible and listen to teachings by Kenneth Copeland and Keith Moore. When the meetings ended, Matthew would leave, never taking time to engage in personal conversation. After meeting with Shany for about eight months, Matthew heard these words: 'She is your wife.' At first, he rebuked the devil. When he heard them a second time, he decided to fast. What Matthew didn’t know, was that about the same time he was hearing those words, Shany heard a voice telling her, 'He is your husband.' Just like Matthew, she rebuked the devil. When she heard them a second time, she also fasted. In November, Matthew proposed and Shany accepted. Six weeks later they were married. Two weeks after Matthew and Shany married, Matthew left for Africa on a mission trip. There, he quickly built relationships with local pastors, held meetings, preached faith and prosperity, and saw many people healed. Over the next three years, he went to Kenya and Uganda five times. In 2014, they went to Mozambique for three months to attend a missions school, then to Kenya to fol-low up with the local pastors they had built relationships with. Finding the schools there to be few and over-crowded, with 100 to 150 students per teacher, Shany asked several children what they would ask for if they could have anything in the world. “A school,” they replied. “We bought land in Kenya,” Matthew says, “and in 2017 we broke ground and began construction. Since then, we’ve put three teachers through college. We planted six village churches that are still running. We’ve built four classrooms for our school. We saw a man, whose arm doctors wanted to amputate, get healed and restored to full mobility; a boy lame from birth get healed and run, which led to a village drunk giving his life to Jesus. From 2014 to now, the ministry in Kenya has continued to grow and reach into Uganda, where we also spent days sleeping and ministering in a refugee camp 6 miles from the South Sudan border.” Words of Life When Facing Death In October 2015, Matthew and Shany moved to Reynosa, Mexico—just across the border from McAllen, Texas. One of the most dangerous cities in Mexico, life there was marked by cartel wars, carjackings, kidnappings, shootouts and gunfire that went on all night. Living by faith wasn’t optional. Each time they left home, Matthew and Shany hurried to their vehicle, locked the doors and prayed in tongues while they drove around the city. Despite being pregnant with their first child in 2017, Shany continued to serve alongside Matthew, working with local pastors, hosting and facilitating pastors conferences, and ministering in churches, prisons, brothels and bars. She never suffered so much as a single symptom of morning sickness. Nov. 13, Shany went into labor. They arrived at the hospital at 4 p.m., and less than 30 minutes later their daughter, Zoë, was born…dead! “Why isn’t she crying?” Shany asked Matthew. “Is everything OK?” Knowing that first words matter, Matthew told his wife, “Everything is going to be OK.” * * * * article concludes on p. 16 * * * * ******************************************** DEC Read Through the Bible Old Testament / New Testament Sun 1 Ps. 133-136; Prov. 29:15-27 Mon 2 Dan. 1-2 / Rev. 2 Tue 3 Dan. 3 / Rev. 3 Wed 4 Dan. 4 / Rev. 4 Thu 5 Dan. 5-6 / Rev. 5 Fri 6 Dan. 7-8 / Rev. 6 Sat 7 Dan. 9-10 Sun 8 Ps. 137-139; Prov. 30:1-17 Mon 9 Dan. 11-12 / Rev. 7 Tue 10 Hos. 1-4 / Rev. 8 Wed 11 Hos. 5-9 / Rev. 9 Thu 12 Hos. 10-14 / Rev. 10 Fri 13 Joel 1-3 / Rev. 11 Sat 14 Amos 1-4 Sun 15 Ps. 140-141; Prov. 30:18-33 Mon 16 Amos 5-9 / Rev. 12 Tue 17 Obad. 1; Jon. 1-4 / Rev. 13 Wed 18 Mic. 1-4 / Rev. 14 Thu 19 Mic. 5-7 / Rev. 15 Fri 20 Nah. 1-3 / Rev. 16 Sat 21 Hab. 1-3 Sun 22 Ps. 142-144 Mon 23 Zeph. 1-3 / Rev. 17 Tue 24 Hag. 1-2 / Rev. 18 Wed 25 Zech. 1-3 / Rev. 19 Thu 26 Zech. 4-7 / Rev. 20 Fri 27 Zech. 8-11 / Rev. 21 Sat 28 Zech. 12-14 Sun 29 Ps. 145-147; Prov. 31 Mon 30 Mal. 1-4 / Rev. 22 Tue 31 Ps. 148-150 ********************************* BVOV : 15

• Cover