FCBH engineer Mike Jayne tells how he came up with the new player that combines digital technology with special features appropriate to the developing world

During the summer of 2004, the Hosanna worker family participated in three days of prayer and fasting to seek God’s will for the ministry. At that time God revealed to us the need for an independent playback system that could house the Audio Scripture, and I was set on developing a prototype.

My goal was to design a tool that could easily provide the Scriptures to the poor and illiterate…

Based on what Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away,” I needed to design something rugged that would last a long time but still provide high-quality sound with the ability to reach up to 300 people in an outdoor setting.

God’s wisdom provided the answer to all our prayers. Approximately two weeks after the prayer and fasting time, I walked into our founder Jerry Jackson’s office with a working prototype of a digital Audio Bible. The tears that welled up in his eyes revealed what he was feeling in his heart. The Proclaimer turned out to be a virtual “forever” Audio Bible.

Missions leaders respond to The Proclaimer with such excitement that it overwhelms me. A Christian speaker on a television programme summed it up for me when he said, “This Proclaimer can play the Bible in any language! In the jungle, in the desert… virtually anywhere!” (WR 400/5 - 03.06)