“I want to serve God like an instrument,” says Jardel, looking down at the small, solar-powered device in his hand. The mini audio player is no doubt one of his most prized possessions. He carries it along with his Bible to spread the Gospel. “We have the habit of picking up the Bible with just one hand, right? I took it with both hands,” he smiles. Jardel says using the player provided by ICM to share the Word with his friends and family in his remote village is like having a pastor right in his home. It’s an instant way to bring the small community together, learning the Bible with the aid of ICM’s Foundations curriculum. “I want to preach. After hearing (Foundations) material from this player, I want to preach!” His passion is fueled by how life-changing the pocket-sized device has been.

That wasn’t always the case for the poor father of nine. Every day was a struggle. Living in the Amazon far from modern-day conveniences where hunting and farming are the only means of survival provided little hope for a life of joy for the middle-aged man. He would get a break from the monotony of hard labor every few weeks when he traveled 6 hours away upriver in a canoe into the city for supplies. As a stopping point during the long journey, he would stay at his brother Francisco’s village. A former alcoholic and drug abuser, Jardel used the respite as a time to drink and do drugs. Once his brother started working to build a church in his village, things changed. Jardel continued in his self-destructive ways, but he still stopped by the village on his way to the city, and Francisco and his church didn’t give up hope for Jardel.

Jardel reached a turning point when he met the pastor of his brother’s church and leaned into his teachings. “Now I walk with Jesus. I haven’t found anything better than this,” he says. One small device fueled the passion in one man’s heart. Won’t you invest a one-time gift of $25 to help spread the gospel in a village?

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