Ernesto Castellen grew up in a tough neighborhood in Suriname. He lived with his mother and grandmother in a neighborhood full of crime and bad influences.

Ernesto struggled to survive not knowing the hope and love God’s Word can offer. And Ernesto was not alone … almost half the people in Suriname are affected by poverty.

Young people like Ernesto know little but crime and violence. Many grow up in desperate circumstances … and without God’s Word. “I had a bad temper,” Ernesto admits. “My bad temper has resulted many times in me getting into trouble.”

But then members of the Bible Society visited Ernesto’s class with Bibles. That visit changed his life!

“It was a special moment for me to receive my own first Bible,” he says. “I will be able to read my Bible every morning and night. This will help me to grow spiritually and to know more of God. I will also be able to share with others from the Word of God.”

When facing poverty and bad influences, Ernesto says he will “use [the Bible] as armor. It teaches me to better my life and to change my character.”

This is the impact the generosity of American Bible Society’s financial partners is making in Suriname and throughout the Caribbean — where poverty has a choke hold on so many. God’s Word gives hope and peace in the midst of trouble!