BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

MAY READ THROUGH THE BIBLE Wed 1 Jdgs. 3:12-5:23 John 20 Thu 2 Jdgs. 5:24-7:14 John 21 Fri 3 Jdgs. 7:15-9:21 Acts 1 Sat 4 Jdgs. 9:22-11:11 Sun 5 Ps. 56-59; Prov. 11:24-12:11 Mon 6 Jdgs. 11:12-13:25 Acts 2 Tue 7 Jdgs. 14:1-16:22 Acts 3 Wed 8 Jdgs. 16:23-18:31 Acts 4 Thu 9 Jdgs. 19:1-20:351 Acts 5 Fri 10 Jdgs. 20:36-Ruth 1 Acts 6 Sat 11 Ruth 2-4 Sun 12 Ps. 60-63; Prov. 12:12-28 Mon 13 1 Sam. 1-2 Acts 7 Tue 14 1 Sam. 3:1-6:9 Acts 8 Wed 15 1 Sam. 6:10-9:10 Acts 9 Thu 16 1 Sam. 9:11-11:15 Acts 10 Fri 17 1 Sam. 12:1-14:23 Acts 11 Sat 18 1 Sam. 14:24-15:35 Sun 19 Ps. 64-67; Prov. 13 Mon 20 1 Sam. 16:1-17:37 Acts 12 Tue 21 1 Sam. 17:38-19:18 Acts 13 Wed 22 1 Sam. 19:19-21:15 Acts 14 Thu 23 1 Sam. 22:1-24:7 Acts 15 Fri 24 1 Sam. 24:8-26:4 Acts 16 Sat 25 1 Sam. 26:5-29:11 Sun 26 Ps. 68; Prov. 14:1-14 Mon 27 1 Sam. 30:1- Acts 17 2 Sam. 1:16 Tue 28 2 Sam. 1:17-3:21 Acts 18 Wed 29 2 Sam. 3:22-6:11 Acts 19 Thu 30 2 Sam. 6:12-8:18 Acts 20 Fri 31 2 Sam. 9-11 Acts 21 Old Testament New Testament without medical help. "When it came to faith, Ben had an early start. He'd been raised in South Dakota in a Word of Faith church. I'd been raised in the Fort Worth area, but not in a Christian family. My parents were both born again at an older age. One of the members from a nearby Pentecostal church had gone door to door witnessing and inviting people to church. My parents attended, and we started going to church. I gave my life to the Lord at 9." Melinda had attended her first year of college at Southwestern Assemblies of God University in nearby Waxahachie. Home for the summer, she took a temporary job at KCM. "I knew nothing about KCM or what they taught," she recalls. "Back then, in the '90s, part of the hiring process was to give new employees a bag full of cassette teaching tapes. I still have those tapes today because they rocked my world. Even though I'd been born again at 9 years old, my entire belief system about God changed. "Growing up in a denominational church, I didn't know how to trust God's character. Through listening to those teaching tapes, I discovered that God was good—that He wasn't out to punish us but to bless us. That was the best news ever." Melinda also discovered something else about God. "Psalm 84:11 says, 'For the LORD God is a sun and shield: thešLORDš will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.' In the Amplified Bible, that verse says the Lord 'bestows present grace and favor and future glory.' That verse has always been a source of great peace and comfort for me, but little did I know just how much it would mean to Ben and me in the years to come." After working at KCM for several years, Melinda resigned in 2008 to become a realtor. But what she had learned at the ministry never left her. "By the time Ben and I realized that having children wasn't going to be quick and easy, I'd learned what Ben already knew growing up—that God would stand by His promises. My mind, and my faith, went straight to Psalm 84 and God's promise to 'bestow present grace and favor and future glory.' "So, we took our stand on scripture." In addition to Psalm 84:11, Ben and Melinda stood in faith on two other scriptures. One was Psalm 113:9, which says "God's grace provides for the barren ones a joyful home with children so that even childless couples find a family. He makes them happy parents surrounded by their pride and joy. That's the God we praise, so give it all to him!" (The Passion Translation). The other scripture was Psalm 68:5-6: "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families" (New International Version). "We shared our struggles with both sets of parents," says Melinda. "They encouraged us and took a stand with us." Medical Help After a while, Melinda's doctor suggested they try intrauterine insemination (IUI). To prepare her body for the procedure, she was given large doses of hormones to boost her fertility levels. The first IUI didn't result in pregnancy. Neither did a second, nor a third. Doctors suggested and tried other procedures, but none proved successful. "Those procedures took a lot out of Melinda physically, and they were very expensive," Ben recalled. "At that point, we decided that we wouldn't continue. We didn't close any doors. We just decided to take a medical break, trusting God to show us our next steps." "Trusting God throughout this process wasn't always easy. There were emotional ups and downs," Ben said. At a point when their world seemed to have gone silent, Melinda spoke up: "I don't know what's in our future, but I know God has a good one for us." Ben put his arms around his wife and the two prayed—determined to continue to stand and trust God. "We continued to pray over our children every day as though they were already here. We prayed over their spirits and their personalities. We prayed over their health and education. 1 6 : B V O V

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