Stephanie and Tiago Magro have been an integral part of VOUS Church since its launch. Leaders in our community, this beautiful couple has been an example of what it is to lay your life out for God’s dream to come to fruition. Stephanie shared their story and we learned how their relationship made it through a breaking point, all thanks to God’s intervention.[/lead]We met way back. Believe it or not, Tiago’s parents were guests at my parents’ wedding. Tiago traveled to the States from Brazil to study and stayed with my family. Then in ‘92 his family came to live here.We dated for 4 years before getting married. We’ve been married now for 15 years! Time flies. I remember asking God for a man that would stay when he said ‘stay’ and go when he said ‘go’, and that is what I got. But time changes things, situations change, and we found ourselves in a hard place in our marriage 10 years in. I mean, almost done for and heading towards divorce. Which we would have never thought would happen, but it did.I was falling apart emotionally, Tiago was dealing with alcohol addiction, and neither of us was really putting God first. The funny thing is, I think we both probably said it and thought it, but deep down we knew we weren’t! I remember 4 years ago at VOUS Conference, I said, ‘God, I don’t care how you do it, but I need and want you to fix this!’ And boy, did God answer! During Conference, God broke us and it really hurt at the moment. Between the word, the worship, and the time we spent together, the entire experience changed us. But if I had to choose one moment, singing “It is Well with My Soul” in worship, helped me voice my willingness to see God work. We readjusted our priorities, understanding that our greatest ministry was one another above all else. It took time, but we learned that for any relationship to work, the key is to keep God at its center. Thank God for restoration and forgiveness. After going through our troubles and having two boys, we are excited about our family’s growth. To know our family will be in a community surrounded by love and guidance is so important and makes us even more grateful that God brought us here. The friendships and accountability we’ve gained at VOUS Church have taught us that we don’t have to do life alone and that allowing others in on our journey can make a big difference.Marriage takes work, every day, all relationships do. Our test has really become a testimony of God's grace and mercy. Sure, we’ll still have difficult moments but standing on the rock, Jesus, and being obedient makes all the difference. We understand now that what God promises us is not a perfect life but a purposeful one.

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