Today on MoneyLife with Chuck Bentley

I'll soon will be going back to Africa thanks to the support of you, our financial partners. I'll be visiting four countries and showing the short film series to the poor and illiterate people there to teach them God’s financial principles.

We're preparing to release the films across Africa. It's the culmination of a dream God gaveme seven years ago. The short films are dramatizations of God’s Word that teach His financial principles. The dialogue will be in the native tongue of the viewer, and this will allow people who can’t read to understand the stories and principles.

I'm going back to the original places where God put that burden on my heart and I'll be reporting back on what is learned from the trip. So I'll be in Africa the first couple weeks of June. You will be able to see the films when they are released in September.

Our guest today is Jose Delgado who's involved in Crown’s ministry to Latino people. It's important work in a growing segment of the population. The Hispanic segment is expected to triple in U.S. by 2050, to 29% of population.

There is a great opportunity to reach them. We're going to talk today about Hispanic culture and how to reach Hispanics with God’s financial principles.

Jose was born in Spain, but grew up in Puerto Rico. He was saved at age 22, and became a missionary, and is now a pastor. Jose was well educated, but wasn’t taught anything about finances.

Jose’s dad was a doctor and did well but his family still struggled with finances. Jose was able to help teach him later in life. Jose learned about God’s financial principles after being saved. His wife, Carmen, learned about them first and got him to practice the principles.

When Jose saw God’s Word in action, the blessings from God for obeying His principles, it opened his heart to being obedient to the Lord in other areas of his life.

Jose's parents couldn’t help them pay for a wedding. They were both working and financially independent of their parents.
Engaged for one year, Jose and Carmen spent half their time planning and saving for their wedding. They made many changes and sacrifices to have the wedding they wanted.

They also had enough for a honeymoon and a down payment on a house. Jose and Carmen have been married almost 11 years. They have 2 children, Carlos, 8, and Angelica, 5.

God’s financial principles have remained important to their family. They been part of the foundation of their marriage, and they've continued to practice them. It's made their marriage better, as they have no disagreements about money.

Jose is also a Crown Journey to True Financial Freedom seminar instructor. He's passionate about helping others avoid financial problems and for those already struggling, to guide them out of those problems.

Jose says many Latinos are brought to make decisions based on circumstances and not Biblical truth. An example is to bribe a police officer to avoid being given a ticket if pulled over for a traffic violation. When people hear God’s financial principles for the first time, you can see a change on their faces. God moves on their hearts to put His Word into practice.

Jose says that Latinos are also prone to get into debt because they often don’t read the fine print in business deals. Interest rates in other countries are very high, you it's easy to get into debt quickly, but difficult to get out without radical changes. The divorce rate is higher than in the U.S. Some couples stay together but in an abusive relationship.

In December, 2008, Jose’s wife, Carmen, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She’s been undergoing chemotherapy treatment with surgery scheduled this summer. Radiation will follow. God’s been working in their lives through this trial. Jose and Carmen see His hand in their lives. They have the peace of God even though they are facing some difficult days. Jose asks people to pray for his wife’s strength.

Please pray for Jose and his work as well as Carmen’s health. We often view life only through our own cultural lens. We may think everyone has the same problems, but some people can have it much worse.

In certain places in the world, God is using Crown to confront corruption. People are doing what’s right in their own eyes in many cultures, the attitude of doing whatever is necessary. This is even seen in American culture now.

God’s Word confronts corruption and teaches that what you do must be integrated with what you believe. That’s why God’s financial principles can save marriages. People are also being liberated from chronic, financial bondage. Loan sharks are enslaving people in many cultures. God’s financial principles can liberate them.

If you’re a regular listener to his program, please help us this summer. Summer is usually a slow time of the year for financial support. The average single gift to Crown is $75. If you’re a regular listener, please prayerfully consider making a gift this summer. You’ll not only be supporting ministry in the U.S. but Latin America and around the world.

You can become part of Crown's effort to teach biblical stewardship by making a gift online or by calling 800-722-1976. Thank you!

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Other Resources:

• ABCs of Money Package
• Career Direct
• God's Principles for Operating a Business
• Business By the Book
• Crown Mvelopes