As told to Morgan Jackson, International Director, Hosanna Ministries

BOLIVIA — My name is Carmelo Carlos Aguilera Aguilar. I am 70 years old and I earn my living by selling clothes. I’ve worked to support myself from a very early age, and this has always prevented me from obtaining a proper education.

Ever since I began attending church, I had a burning desire to read God’s Word. But all I could do was to sound out the words in the Bible letter by letter, without really understanding what I was reading. I didn’t know where to go for help, so I just kept silent.

Then, in one church service, the pastor asked us to listen to some cassettes he had received from the Bolivian Bible Society. Nobody thought that it would be the Bible! I immediately said to myself, “I must have those tapes, because they will teach me to read properly.” For some time I simply listened to the tapes as they were played in church, but then I asked the pastor for help to buy them. That is how I obtained them.

Now, while I am sitting at my stall in the market, I listen to the tapes and follow along in my Bible. It took a while, but now I can read quite well. Above all, thanks to Faith Comes By Hearing, my prayers to God are now full of confidence. People at the neighbouring stalls ask me where I got the tapes and, as they listen, they often ask me about the Bible. I’m glad to teach them and I’m pleased that God is using me in this way. At home, my wife and two sons also listen to the tapes, and I have seen how they have grown spiritually as a result. They were very surprised when they heard me read the Bible without making any mistakes! This has motivated my sons to commit their lives to the Lord, and they are now members of our church’s worship team.