August 2020 France, Italy, Sierra Leone, Conference, China, USA
We strongly recommend you download the
"Bible Companion" app, from where you can access Carelinks messages, daily Bible readings,
Bible Basics, commentary on every verse of the Bible and audio exhortations on every chapter of the Bible.
For Android / Google Play at
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.carelinks.bc and on the App Store for Apple / iOS at
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bible-companion/id1475914490 CONFERENCE Our virtual conference on Zoom went very well with good attendance from all over the world. You can see some of the video recordings at
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqHWDPHDmR_w43RASkgmxPZinGMmXF3HJ although currently most are not yet uploaded . There were testimonies to lives radically transformed by the true Gospel, baptism, and growing in the Truth through the
Bible Companion app and other efforts. High commendation to brother Amos for his efforts in talking about South Sudan, despite his audio breaking up all time; he later wrote: "It's my pleasure dear brother. However shame on me, I had to travel 20 miles to get a better reception but again it failed me". Our brother was however still audible most of the time. There were many outpourings of appreciation for the conference- e.g. brother David from Argentina: "I'm so thankfulls!! It was a new experience and so much edificant!!!".
FRANCE The French
"Bible Companion" app continues to get hundreds of downloads / day, including many from France itself. This week it was a pleasure to assist in the online baptism of ALEKSANDRE near Paris, in his own bath tub; yet another person disillusioned with abusive, manipulative churches who just wanted to follow the Bible alone. And so he searched for an appropriate Bible app- and found just what he wanted. With great joy.
SIERRA LEONE So pleased to report the baptism of DANIEL in Sierra Leone, after lots of online contact and his completing the
Bible Basics course on the app. Here's an earlier email: "I want to be great ful to the ALMIGHTY GOD for this app, and to you for God had used you so Greatly in our days. I been using the Bible app for more than six months, praise God that I am getting used to it; not only the Bible but also the entire app which I am studying and the website attached to the app . I wish to be baptized in the name of Jesus". And so began lots of contact. Our new brother was very worried about the fact he works in the rum distillery, as he feels this isn't Christian to do so. You can hear a wonderfully heart breakingly sincere message from him enquiring about this at
https://carelinks.net/audio/danielsierra.mp3 He is so determined to do the right thing in his personal life, having figured out the doctrinal truths. And so in the presence of several of us online, he got a work colleague to walk with him to the river [in the rain- it's rainy season in West Africa now] so as to carry his phone, so we could be in video contact as we prayed together and he immersed himself in the river. Brother Ed from Mountain Ash in Wales UK gave a lovely closing prayer and also shared the good news that his mum wants to be baptized, and he hopes to baptize her soon. And that their home group is expanding, with local folks attending to study the Bible.
Brother Daniel has a great appreciation of the Truth and great humility, which is well pleasing to God. You can see from his subsequent messages that he is growing spiritually already. And that is what our work is all about.
CHINA Carelink readers will surely be aware of the huge work done by brother Donald in China over so many years.
With the pandemic, other tragedies appear to get little coverage. There was major flooding in brother Donald's town in July. Although he lives in a work-provided apartment in the city, his own home is in a village next to the house of his parents. A dam "burst" and the entire village was flooded. The flood was so major that the homes were totally submerged in water and largely remain so. A neighbour has sailed in a boat and videoed the roof of the houses. You can see the video at
https://youtu.be/m16L0Mj5O8E 
We have told Donald we stand ready to help up to pretty much whatever including buying a new property if really needed. We also asked him some questions about insurance and compensation. His replies are of total integrity. And fit exactly how things would've been in the USSR / Communist system. There is no insurance for this kind of thing. Because there is no private ownership of property nor land.
Land in rural areas at most is given to families on a max 70 year lease. Which is coming up for his parents anyway. Every Chinese is registered as living in a specific place and that cannot be changed. You can go and rent somewhere elsewhere. But you cannot change your registered living place unless the Govt agree. This is just as it was in USSR. If you "buy" a flat in a city you are effectively just buying a short term lease. All property is state owned.
So we cannot "buy" them a property. There will be no cash compensation, but, the parents have been given somewhere else to live and will probably be registered there. As their home is literally underwater. The damage is going to be extensive and rebuilding is unlikely to be a great idea. Plus the area was flooded in 1969 in this way and who knows when it might happen again, especially as the dam wall has been breached now. And the authorities may just decide to leave the whole area flooded. To take pressure off the river system and thus protect the city from flooding.
We've discussed a lot with Donald and he says a sum of US $2000 would be ample for the situation. So although it looks pretty awful, and it is, it's not that they are homeless. And it was not their personal property anyway. We gave him the choice to ask for what he wanted, pretty well, and 2000 US$ was the sum he himself said. So we think we go with that.
We would like to provide our dear brother with this sum of $2000 . So we are open to your donations towards this. If this appeal raises more than that, the excess will go towards our general Carelinks work.
USA Brother Tim Anderson is changing his sign board it seems daily with various challenging statements, encouraging people to download the
Bible Companion app [total downloads are now over half a million worldwide]
ITALY We are planning another pastoral and baptismal visit to the migrants in Italy, and appreciate your prayers as again we seek to help those who are the poor of this world but rich in faith.
PRAYER POINTS - For those recently baptized
- For brother Donald and his parents in their loss
- For the upcoming trip to Italy
- For our brethren in Belarus
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks