June 2021 App Appeal, Italy, Ivory Coast, Ghana
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 You can break bread live online as follows:
Sunday mornings 08:00 a.m. GMT on the Facebook "Carelinks Ministries" page; and on Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6697401754?pwd=K0VWNDlScGwzaThPM2tiU0didmNyUT09
Meeting ID: 669 740 1754 Passcode: XPb9Sz
Sundays at 3:00 PM New Zealand time. That's 1 PM in Sydney Australia; 10 PM in New York, USA on Saturday evening [run by Br John Aldersley in New Zealand] on
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81015280780?pwd=LzAwNDRTTzhNcFpiRGlmaGx6YUpvZz09
Sundays at 10am North American Eastern Time [3 PM UK GMT time, 11 PM Sydney Australia time]. Run by Br Jim Barton in Canada. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9123758179
Meeting ID: 912 375 8179
Also, Bible class on Wednesdays at 7 PM North American Eastern Time
APP APPEAL
We have to appeal to you for 5000 Euros [6000 US$, 7,800 AU$, 4,300 GB Pounds] towards some expenses on the Bible Companion app. Last week we mentioned the crash on 28 and 29 May on the Android apps. This was due to some problems in the database management, which hits a problem when there is a one chapter book [e.g. Philemon] which must be read in one day; or when there's a book like Titus which has three chapters to be read the same day. Unless we fix this, the next such crash will be on June 18. We were very pleasantly surprised and also challenged by the huge flood of messages from disappointed regular users. We have around 15,000 who use the app at least once / day; and many of them use it several times / day. And at least 72,000 people are using the app once every 48 hours. The average time spent using the app is 10 minutes. These are very high rates of usage. You can see from the Carelinks messages that app users are being baptized all the time. This is probably one of the biggest ever truly international, multi lingual pushes for God's truth. He is clearly blessing it. We have been planning on improving the app in various ways, not least offering:
- The 3 minute devotional videos on every Bible chapter, rather than just on the New Testament as at present
- Offering brief commentary on every Bible chapter as in the print edition of the NEV Bible. This means that users will have the choice of
1) The brief devotional comment for the day on every chapter
2) This slightly deeper commentary on every chapter; as well as the existing
3) Verse by verse commentary on every verse in the Bible. This will then cater for every level of user, from beginner to those wanting now to go deeper, to those who are baptized who want to search the scriptures verse by verse in depth.
The developers will be at work for some time to enable all this as well as fixing the existing errors which crept in at the last update; hence we are appealing for the cost of 5000 Euros. Anything over from this appeal will be used in advertising the app.
Please do respond as generously as you can.
Here are some fairly random examples of the kind of response we are getting- please pray for these specific people as well as for the many thousands of others learning the Truth at this time:
From New Zealand:
I have thought long and hard about my beliefs and I realise I was wrong about so much.So many good people tried to help me understand but it is very hard to overturn 60 years of false indoctrination.I know I frustrated many people,it was never my intention,but I couldn't commit myself if I was unsure about so many things.Anyway, I'm getting there.Duncan, thank you for your kindness and patience.Regards Graham
From Canada:
I feel such a sense of peace as this goes forward. I have not felt close to God and really know in my heart that that is changing. My husband has been growing closer too as I have studied and shared. I hope he will come to the place where he will chose baptism as well... I'm going to plan time at the lake to baptize myself. The website was really helpful in this regard. Karen
From South Africa:
Thank you for the clearing up the doubts and confusion about the trinity . It feels so good now when I pray to God the Father to thank Him as the One and only God . My mind has come to rest and a new deepfelt appreciation of the life Jesus lived is now uppermost in my thoughts every day . Because of you a 84 year old lady has told me that she now believes that there is only one God and that Jesus was a man and the Holy Spirit was God's Spirit, and not a god itself. Everyone else I have spoken to has told me in no uncertain terms that they do not want to hear more . I am waiting for God to open the door again .
Without your insight I would not have had the courage to speak to anyone about this .
I am 71 and ashamed to have believed in the doctrine of the dutch reformed church for so long . But now I am just grateful to have come across you .
To God be the glory the honour and the praise. Andre
ITALY
As reported last week, there is a huge amount of pastoral and preaching work to be done in Italy. We are planning more visits over the coming weeks, God willing. The work is very fruitful and we would appreciate your donations towards it at this time. And in any case, your prayers for wisdom as we continue to deal with many very needy people amongst the African migants there.
IVORY COAST
The French version of the app continues to be widely used by the Lord in His work in Francophone Africa, where around 220,000 people are actively using it. These are large figures. This week we were able to rejoice in the online baptism of SERGE in Ivory Coast:
GHANA
Yet another app user was baptized with great joy, PETER, after lengthy correspondence. His wife assisted him in immersing himself in a specially arranged bath, but only with the light from their phones to illuminate the proceedings.
PRAYER POINTS
- For the ongoing work on the app
- For those recently baptized
- For the ongoing work in Italy
- For wisdom in trying to help people, both materially and towards the Kingdom
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks