Freedom from the Crushing Weight of Debt
Jason and Afi Ruel love to go on outdoor adventures most of all, they love gardening.
Afi shares, “I see a garden like that small seed, try God and see and He'll open up the garden and you'll have a huge yield.”
Afi was always a consistent tither and maintained a strict budget with minimal debt. However, Jason was the total opposite. In 2015, Jason relocated from Rhode Island to Virginia to work at a new tv station. When he got ready to sell his home it was only worth half of what he paid for it. So, Jason chose to rent to a friend.
Jason recalls, “That's a lot of stress, a lot of nights and trying to figure out how am I gonna do this? My prayers were mostly, Lord, get me through this.”
By 2018, Jason’s tenant stopped paying rent for a time, forcing him to carry two mortgages. With home repairs, and other bills, Jason’s debt grew to around $100,000!
Jason says, “I had built up this financial house of cards that it felt like if there was just a little bit of a wind, it was just gonna blow apart.”
To make extra money, Jason drove for rideshare companies, and did freelance wedding and commercial videographer gigs. After 7 ½ months the Rhode Island home sold at a loss. Then in 2019, Jason started going to church. At one of the men’s groups one of its members challenged him to tithe.
Jason shares, “I said to myself, I really believe this. I'm just going to do it.”
A few months later, Jason says God led him to put his Virgina house on the market. He made $50,000 and used the profit to pay off several loans while continuing to tithe. He also met and started dating Afi, a lieutenant in the US Navy. Afi was a tither. In August 2021, they married. Shortly after, Jason received a new job offer. It came with a 25% pay increase.
Jason recalls, “And I knew at that moment that my debt was gone. It was like breathing for the first time in years. That blessing came from God. That was no doubt.”
Today, Jason and Afi are happily married with zero debt. As a couple, they are currently giving 12% of their income annually. They want to encourage others that God is no respecter of persons, He simply honors obedience and principals.
Afi shares, “He's always looking for people He can trust. People who are going to consistently apply those principles so that He can say, ‘This is what I can do now, are you gonna follow Me?’”
Jason says, “If He is asking that of you. It's not because He wants to harm you. He wants to see you do better things. Just step out, even if it's just a little bit.”
Psalm 41:1 says, “Blessed is he who considers the poor; the LORD will deliver Him in time of trouble.” When you partner with CBN, you do more than just give to the poor. You provide hope and the love of Christ through life-giving surgeries, food and clothing programs, humanitarian aid, and so much more! Become a CBN partner, and help transform lives in the name of Jesus Christ! Join us now!
