March 2023 Australia, China, Iran, UK, App Statistics
AUSTRALIA UPCOMING
CARELINKS CONFERENCES:
SATURDAY 1st APRIL: CARELINKS CONFERENCE Gosnells Hotel, 2149 Albany Hwy, Gosnells WA 6110 Coffee from 12 noon
SATURDAY 15th APRIL: CARELINKS CONFERENCE The theatre at Riverbanks College, 1 Harvest Bvd, Angle Vale SA 5117 Coffee from 10:30 for an 11 AM start.
For more details please contact brother Mark Hawkins mark.ppah@gmail.com Tel. 0400 772 190
We'll also be holding a more informal get together at the home of brother John Mazlin in
Toowoomba QLD on the late afternoon of Sunday 9th April God willing, and looking forward to some baptisms that day at his home. Let us know if you'd like to come along. You can email John direct at johnpmazlin@hotmail.com
APP STATISTICS
A common question is how we follow up on those showing interest in the Gospel and those baptized in isolation. We rely heavily on the Bible Companion apps and they have now had nearly 2.5 million downloads worldwide. Usage is even more relevant in judging an app's usefulness. The app has recorded usage in every country on earth, including North Korea [that may have been an ISP mask but then who knows]. Including Antarctica. An Indian gentleman there called Deepak has studied Bible Basics on the app there [he says he's bored there!]. Most countries on earth currently have active app users. Around 7000 people / day use the app and they use it for an average of 7 minutes each. This latter figure is extremely high for apps. People typically use them for less than a minute. Conclusion is clearly that people like this app and use it regularly. The many positive comments on the App Store and Google Play Store reflect this is the case.
Our YouTube channels had 1.1 million views over the last year, 25,000 watching hours i.e. 68.5 hours / day, which means roughly that at any time of day or night, an average of 3 people are watching our material on YouTube, and 2000 new people subscribed to our channels in the last year.
The Lord can save by many or by few and so we don't sweat the stats, but all the same we give thanks for such major engagement with the priceless message of the Gospel we've been given. The Gospel is truly going into all the world, which the Lord says is of itself a sign of His soon return. We'd like to thank all of you who share the app with others and who have donated to enable this work to happen and continue. We pray the huge blessings continue.
CHINA
Despite some limitations, we continue our witness in China as we have done for nearly 35 years now. Brother Donald reports yet another baptism of LIU this week and sent a picture of Liu reading Chinese Bible Basics:
"I baptized brother Liu at his dormitory, below is his personal testimony.
"I knew God since I was about 17 years old. At that time, my father was ill and couldn't recover. My grandmother believed in Jesus . She prayed for him. As a result, my father's disease was cured. It is really a miracle. Thank the Lord for choosing our family. At that time, I was too young and didn't have a deep understanding of the Lord.
Life continued and occasionally I would pray to God for help in times of difficulty. After that, I went through the college entrance examination for two years, and finally I was admitted to a very ordinary school. So until now, my classmates in this class are generally at least 2 years younger than me. And this is also the point that I hate. I sometimes complain about this. Why did I encounter this dilemma? Later, I graduated and entered a company. For a long time after joining the group, I have been on the verge of collapse. The pressure of work sometimes makes me unable to sleep in the middle of the night. I wondered why I suffered all this? But everything will continue. I began to look at myself and try to search for a Jesus related group. So I met you online and got the Chinese Bible for myself. After our communications, my heart was calm. Even at a certain moment, my heart began to be filled with the words of God, "My grace is enough for you; don't be afraid, just believe; you should concentrate on the LORD, not rely on your own wisdom, and in everything you should identify with him, and he will guide your way." So every time I encounter a problem, I will first seek God in my heart, and then act according to the revelation given by God in the Bible. Unlike before, I will wholeheartedly entrust the difficulties to the Lord. I will no longer participate in it and do no more work. I will find that the difficulties can be solved. I just really know the Lord. Before, it was just the trust of my heart. Now that I have really received God's words and put them into action, I have decided to be baptized into the Lord Jesus.
Looking back, although I knew the Lord very early, I thank the Lord for everything he has brought me. I can accept it freely now, whether it is failure or pain, because I know it is a treasure given to me by God, and there is grace in it. I am more confident to entrust everything to him. Amen!"
When we parted at the train station ,we sung The Lost Lamb together:
I used to be a lost lamb? Leaving the long-lost hometown? Can't find the direction in the wilderness? I don't know where the way home is? The Lord Jesus looked for me? The Lord Jesus held me in his arms? Illuminated direction of cloud pillar and fire pillar? The Holy Spirit guides me on the path of life? Jesus, you are light, I will spread Jesus, do you love me? Only with you can I have the power of life? Only with you can I have the future and hope."
IRAN
The blocking of our websites in Iran and Afghanistan is certainly taking its toll. Online meetings are now limited to those willing or able to use VPN and many are unsure how to do this and nervous about it. Despite this, we were able this week to baptize KARIM online. Do pray for our brethren in these situations.
UK
Our lunchtime church meetings just carry on with great blessing. We go through a chapter of Genesis each day, this week we looked at Genesis 29, 30, 31. You can get a feel of our meetings from the videos
Genesis 29
https://youtu.be/BSw9hZmRfAo
Genesis 30
https://youtu.be/IlZGjtbB51Q
Genesis 31
https://youtu.be/o_FUtO-blZs
On Tuesday we had a happy afternoon at lunchtime church and then baptized JOSH. Video at
https://youtu.be/eOM7wYB2LQo
Again and again we marvel at the way the Lord is working in multiple lives and bringing them to Himself. Josh is a black British man with dreadlocks and we just love the unity of the Spirit in how our very blonde Latvian sister Dana greeted him after his baptism:
You can get the "flavour" of the soup kitchen work in Croydon from
https://youtu.be/qynsLIrgqH0
It's just a minute, do have a look. Do come and join us and help out, at least do pray for our work. Sisters Cindy and Evia did the food this week; there's really huge scope for service here:
Sometimes it's appropriate to look back with gratitude. Our church in Croydon temporarily lost our first baptized sister- Angela fell asleep in the Lord. All the work and effort and sacrifice seems worth it. From August 2022 Carelink: "And then about 25 of us gathered at the Heaster home to witness the baptisms of ANGELA, BEATRICE and TOM. There was joy all around. You can see the whole joyful service at https://youtu.be/C1pmJt7yk8Q . Brother Wacek translated things into Polish for three Polish speakers. Those baptized got warm hugs, a copy of Brother John Thatcher's booklet about the Bible- and huge sunflowers from the garden". You can see sister Angela's joy as she died and resurrected with her Lord, and now she sleeps in the priceless hope of this coming true when faith is turned to sight. And an encouragement to sister Evia who helped do the baptism... that all these things are marvelously true. We shall die and be resurrected, and we put our hand to that when we were baptized. Soli Deo gloria. Thanks to all who have donated in various ways to enable our work to go ahead. Come and join us on the ground if you can.
And that all began from coming to Church in a Pub in Croydon:
PRAYER POINTS
- For those recently baptized
- For our brethren and contacts in Iran and Afghanistan struggling with lack of access to Christian material online
- For more helpers on the ground in London UK
- Thanksgiving for the huge blessing the Lord has given to the Bible Companion app and prayers that the millions engaged will respond
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks