Matthew Evans

I was born in Providence, Rhode Island to a middle-income family. I was the youngest of four children until tragedy struck one summer afternoon. When I was just eighteen months old my oldest sister drowned while swimming at a family outing. I believe that started a steady decline in morals and values within our family as my parents eventually turned to alcohol to help deal with their pain. Even the addition of my two younger brothers didn’t bring them out of the downward spiral. The pain and hurt would not go away. This environment accompanied with everyday peer pressure fostered the opportunities for my own self destructive lifestyle.

Hoping to escape, I entered the military at just under eighteen years of age and was trained in helicopter maintenance. This should have been a turning point for the better, but it wasn’t. While I did learn much about helicopters, there was one thing missing. I never really knew Jesus. So the abuses continued.

As a child, I remember going to church, to Sunday school and learning who Jesus was but I never fully understood my own personal responsibility until I was witnessed to some twenty four years ago. I would like to say that it was an on the road to Damascus-like conversion, but it wasn’t and the drug and alcohol abuse continued. I hadn’t completely surrendered. Although I never suffered a severe addiction, I did need God to deliver me from my own destructive lifestyle. It’s amazing how easy it becomes to look up once you think you’ve hit the bottom. It is only by God’s grace that I am totally drug and alcohol free.

Over the years God has allowed me to learn such skills as: helicopter maintenance, commercial, residential and automotive glass repair, and all phases of home building and remodeling. I thank God for the opportunity to put some of those skills to work here at Peniel in the vocation department. Along with my beautiful wife, Terri Ann and our wonderful daughter, Little Miss Hannah I am ever humbled to be a part of an awesome ministry such as Peniel. It gives us no greater joy than to see lives restored and hearts healed. Praise Him!