BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

herself to Valium. By the time she was 10, she was stealing drugs from medicine cabinets in the homes of people where she babysat. Though she had started out doing well in school, it was a real struggle for Venessa. But because she was an athlete, her teachers routinely passed her on to the next grade. By the time she graduated from high school, Venessa was functionally illiterate. She read and wrote on a first-grade level. Her problem wasn't just with letters and words. She could neither read nor write large numbers. Stepping away from the balcony's edge, Venessa went back inside and listened to some music as she contemplated her death. The bass notes seemed to come alive. Through the speakers, she heard these words: You can die tonight, or you can live for Me. Free at Last "I wasn't high anymore," Venessa recalls. "I was instantly sober. I said, 'Yes, Lord. Yes, I want to live for You.' "My life changed radically after that. One of the first things the Lord directed me to do was go to the library. I checked out first-grade books. Then second-grade books. I kept going until I learned to read and write like an adult. "In addition, every yearning for drugs and alcohol left me. When I was saved, God delivered me from even the temptation of drugs. When I said yes to God, I decided that if I were going to live for Him, I would do whatever He said. I determined that my story would be one of total obedience." Having grown up in Fort Worth, Venessa was familiar with Kenneth Copeland Ministries. When the Lord urged her to study faith, she began to immerse herself in the teachings of Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, as well as other faith preachers like Jerry Savelle, Jesse Duplantis and Bill Winston. "I studied faith until it became my spiritual heritage," she said. Venessa had lived in many cities, but the Lord directed her to move into the inner city in Baltimore. "My family had been very multicultural," she said. "We didn't live in an African American neighborhood. We lived around all kinds of ethnicities. Our home was the one where everyone gathered. If you needed food, you came to our house. "Now in the inner city, I witnessed shootouts in the streets. I saw people getting killed. One night I heard someone screaming. A woman had been locked in the trunk of a car. "I asked the Lord why He had me there. He said, You don't know how your people are living. It made me cry out for the African American people, especially men and boys. "I asked God what He wanted me to do. He said, Adopt some kids. I thought maybe He forgot that I was 33 and single. But I wouldn't say no to God. I became a foster parent for a few years. Then I got two little boys, Jonathan and Joshua, ages 3 and 4. I fell in love with them. I'd had them for about a year when their parents' rights were severed. That's when I adopted them." Venessa's life was full. In addition to working full time, she was active in church, raising two boys and earning college credits. She was also called into the ministry. Over the years, Venessa earned a bachelor's degree in Christian education, and later a master's degree in Christian counseling. Now that she was free from drugs and alcohol, she loved to learn. Coming to understand that people in other countries value education, Venessa eventually earned four doctoral degrees—which she says has opened many doors for her with governments and people. A New Call In 1997, Venessa was offered a new job and she and her two sons moved to Georgia. There, she started a Bible study which, over time, grew to become New Gate International Church—a church filled with praying people who heard prayed-out mysteries and often heard deep things from God. On one occasion, Venessa found herself praying about the American Colonization Society. What was that? she wondered. She'd never heard of the American Colonization Society. Upon researching the name, Venessa learned that the society, which was also known as the American Society for Colonizing the Free People of Color in the United States when it was first organized in the early 1800s, was a national organization dedicated to promoting the release of the enslaved and the settlement of free Blacks 1 6 : B V O V JUNE READ THROUGH THE BIBLE Thu 1 2 Sam. 6:12-8:18 Acts 20 Fri 2 2 Sam. 9-11 Acts 21 Sat 3 2 Sam. 12:1-13:33 Sun 4 Ps. 71-72; Prov. 15:1-15 Mon 5 2 Sam. 13:34-15:23 Acts 22 Tue 6 2 Sam. 15:24-17:29 Acts 23 Wed 7 2 Sam. 18:1-19:30 Acts 24 Thu 8 2 Sam. 19:31-21:22 Acts 25 Fri 9 2 Sam. 22:1-23:7 Acts 26 Sat 10 2 Sam. 23:8-24:25 Sun 11 Ps. 73-74; Prov. 15:16-33 Mon 12 1 Kgs. 1:1-2:9 Acts 27 Tue 13 1 Kgs. 2:10-3:28 Acts 28 Wed 14 1 Kgs. 4:1-6:10 Rom. 1 Thu 15 1 Kgs. 6:11-7:39 Rom. 2 Fri 16 1 Kgs. 7:40-8:53 Rom. 3 Sat 17 1 Kgs. 8:54-10:23 Sun 18 Ps. 75-77; Prov. 16:1-17 Mon 19 1 Kgs. 10:24-12:15 Rom. 4 Tue 20 1 Kgs. 12:16-13:34 Rom. 5 Wed 21 1 Kgs. 14-15 Rom. 6 Thu 22 1 Kgs. 16:1-18:6 Rom. 7 Fri 23 1 Kgs. 18:7-19:21 Rom. 8 Sat 24 1 Kgs. 20:1-21:16 Sun 25 Ps. 78; Prov. 16:18-33 Mon 26 1 Kgs. 21:17-22:53 Rom. 9 Tue 27 2 Kgs. 1-3 Rom. 10 Wed 28 2 Kgs. 4:1-5:19 Rom. 11 Thu 29 2 Kgs. 5:20-7:20 Rom. 12 Fri 30 2 Kgs. 8-9 Rom. 13 Old Testament New Testament

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