Favorite verse: Zephaniah 3:17  “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

Matthew Mast was born in Mountain View, Arkansas, and grew up on a six-acre patch of rocky soil populated by goats and broiler chickens. Several years after completing high school at Shady Lawn Christian School, he returned as a teacher for three years. Matthew completed the Teacher Apprenticing Program at Faith Builders in 2003, then spent a year in Poland teaching English. In 2006, Matthew joined the newly-formed Resource Group as administrative assistant.

Larisa (Zehr) Mast was born in Haiti where her parents were serving in mission work. She grew up near Gladys, Virginia, attending a Christian day school and home school. After her family moved to Guys Mills in 1999, she took classes part-time at Faith Builders. She also taught elementary music and art for two years at Faith Builders Christian School.

Matthew and Larisa were married in 2005. They have four children: Karlin, Adrian, Annaliese, and Caleb. As a family, they enjoy reading, singing, and taking walks.