An Appeal for Help
from the Admin of
Bill's Bible Basics
from the Admin of
Bill's Bible Basics
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Dear friends, this message is an update to my previous message of October 22, 2023. As I explained in that message, the month of October has been a rather difficult month for the Bill’s Bible Basics online ministry. After enduring just under four months without home Internet service due to Typhoon Mawar striking our island in May of this year — which greatly hampered my ability to run the BBB ministry — my Internet service was finally restored on September 16, 2023.
While the island-wide power grid was restored a number of months ago, due to the age of our power grid system, and the constant need for repairs to it, we have continued to endure load shedding on a weekly — and sometimes daily — basis.
Load shedding occurs when the power grid is unable to generate enough electricity to meet island-wide demand. When this occurs, the power company will shut off power to certain parts of the island on a rotational basis, so that the entire power grid doesn’t experience a major collapse and go completely offline.
As you can imagine, power fluctuations and sudden, complete power outages can be very damaging to sensitive electronic equipment such as computers, modems, routers and backup drives. This is exactly the kind of equipment I use here to run the Bill’s Bible Basics ministry. In fact, to date, I have lost two expensive backup drives.
More recently, the very computer on which the Bill’s Bible Basics web server and website run finally crashed after seven years of constant 365/24/7 use. The hard drive damage may very well have been caused by one such power fluctuation or failure.
Despite my best efforts, and trying a variety of techniques, I have been unable to resurrect the machine. It has become clear to me that due to an unrepairable disk error, the machine is a lost cause. As a result of the failure of that machine, I was forced to move the Bill’s Bible Basics web server software, and the Bill’s Bible Basics website itself, over to my personal work machine.
My friends, this was not a good option, but it was the only option I had in order to keep the Bill’s Bible Basics ministry online. Ideally — and as it has always done — the Bill’s Bible Basics web server should be run on its own dedicated machine. That way, it can utilize all of the available computing resources for itself, and not have to share CPU time, memory, etc., with other activities which are occurring on my personal work machine. This allows the Bill’s Bible Basics website to run as smoothly and as efficiently as possible.
My friends, as I told you before, the bottom line is this: I need a new, powerful, fast computer to run my web server, and the Bill's Bible Basics website. I have been an Apple product user since 1990. The entire BBB online ministry has depended upon Apple computers and other Apple devices since 1993. Switching to another Operating System, or to another computer brand, is not an option.
FYI, over the past seven years, the BBB web server has been running on a Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017 iMac with a 3.6 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9 processor, and 32 GB 2667 MHz DDR4 of memory. It has a 3 TB hard drive. That is the kind of machine that is required to run my web server, and to be able to handle all of the visitors to the Bill's Bible Basics website on a daily basis. The machine needs to be fast, and have a lot of storage space.
As I explained before, being Apple products, these machines are not cheap. They cost several thousand dollars for the type of computer which I require. A long-time Christian friend and I have been looking into the matter. From the looks of it, the endeavor to purchase a new CPU — the computer itself — plus a 24” monitor, plus paying for the cost of shipping to Guam, will be in the range of $3000 minimum.
My friends, I am far from being a rich man. In fact, I am a poor, 70-year-old man who survives on a rather measly SS check each month, which serves as my only source of income. Let me inform you that over two thirds of my SS check goes directly into keeping the BBB ministry up and running every month.
As some of my long-time online friends already know, the Bill's Bible Basics ministry is my life and my passion. It has been my labor of love over the past thirty years. I have sacrificed a lot for it, and for you, God's precious sheep. There is nothing more important to me than this ministry. I have put my heart and soul into it, in obedience to God’s command to share His Word with the online world.
While most of you will not know this, I, and a personal friend and Christian brother of many years, have spent many thousands of dollars over the years in order to keep the Bill's Bible Basics ministry online. However, we can only do so much. This ministry really needs your help now, if it is to continue into the future, which is why I am making this rare appeal to you, my online friends and brethren in the Lord.
My friends, I know that it is financially difficult for a lot of us right now. Some of us are barely making ends meet each month. That is certainly true here on Guam where life is quite expensive. However, I told the Lord decades ago that I would continue to run the BBB ministry, just as long as He provides for it. To date, He has most certainly done so.
Those of you who have known me a long time, know that I never ask for money online, or in person for that matter. In fact, if you have read my work, then you will already know that I am strongly opposed to the commercialization of our Christian faith.
However, this is an urgent ministry need which I simply cannot meet on my own. Aside from the financial aspect of it, I just can't keep the web server running on my personal work machine for too long; for to do so will wear out that machine a lot quicker as well. For the record, my personal machine is already four years old as it is. As I said earlier, it is much preferable that the web server run on its own dedicated machine, as it has always done.
Having said all the above, if after reading this message, the Lord touches your heart and you feel compelled to help, please contact me by clicking or tapping on the "Contact Us" link you see in the links table below. I will provide you with details regarding how to send in your gift.
Please be advised that the machine I need cannot be purchased here on Guam, because Apple restricts local Apple product resellers, and only allows them to sell base models here, without any added features, such as extra memory or a larger hard drive. As a result, as we have done in the past, my Christian friend and brother in the US mainland will purchase the machine on his end, and will then ship it to me.
In conclusion, if you are one who will choose to help, please know that I am extremely grateful for your assistance, whatever the amount. Thank you in advance, and may God bless you abundantly. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Bill Kochman
Published On :
October 28, 2023
Last Updated :
October 28, 2023
Dear friends, this message is an update to my previous message of October 22, 2023. As I explained in that message, the month of October has been a rather difficult month for the Bill’s Bible Basics online ministry. After enduring just under four months without home Internet service due to Typhoon Mawar striking our island in May of this year — which greatly hampered my ability to run the BBB ministry — my Internet service was finally restored on September 16, 2023.
While the island-wide power grid was restored a number of months ago, due to the age of our power grid system, and the constant need for repairs to it, we have continued to endure load shedding on a weekly — and sometimes daily — basis.
Load shedding occurs when the power grid is unable to generate enough electricity to meet island-wide demand. When this occurs, the power company will shut off power to certain parts of the island on a rotational basis, so that the entire power grid doesn’t experience a major collapse and go completely offline.
As you can imagine, power fluctuations and sudden, complete power outages can be very damaging to sensitive electronic equipment such as computers, modems, routers and backup drives. This is exactly the kind of equipment I use here to run the Bill’s Bible Basics ministry. In fact, to date, I have lost two expensive backup drives.
More recently, the very computer on which the Bill’s Bible Basics web server and website run finally crashed after seven years of constant 365/24/7 use. The hard drive damage may very well have been caused by one such power fluctuation or failure.
Despite my best efforts, and trying a variety of techniques, I have been unable to resurrect the machine. It has become clear to me that due to an unrepairable disk error, the machine is a lost cause. As a result of the failure of that machine, I was forced to move the Bill’s Bible Basics web server software, and the Bill’s Bible Basics website itself, over to my personal work machine.
My friends, this was not a good option, but it was the only option I had in order to keep the Bill’s Bible Basics ministry online. Ideally — and as it has always done — the Bill’s Bible Basics web server should be run on its own dedicated machine. That way, it can utilize all of the available computing resources for itself, and not have to share CPU time, memory, etc., with other activities which are occurring on my personal work machine. This allows the Bill’s Bible Basics website to run as smoothly and as efficiently as possible.
My friends, as I told you before, the bottom line is this: I need a new, powerful, fast computer to run my web server, and the Bill's Bible Basics website. I have been an Apple product user since 1990. The entire BBB online ministry has depended upon Apple computers and other Apple devices since 1993. Switching to another Operating System, or to another computer brand, is not an option.
FYI, over the past seven years, the BBB web server has been running on a Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017 iMac with a 3.6 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9 processor, and 32 GB 2667 MHz DDR4 of memory. It has a 3 TB hard drive. That is the kind of machine that is required to run my web server, and to be able to handle all of the visitors to the Bill's Bible Basics website on a daily basis. The machine needs to be fast, and have a lot of storage space.
As I explained before, being Apple products, these machines are not cheap. They cost several thousand dollars for the type of computer which I require. A long-time Christian friend and I have been looking into the matter. From the looks of it, the endeavor to purchase a new CPU — the computer itself — plus a 24” monitor, plus paying for the cost of shipping to Guam, will be in the range of $3000 minimum.
My friends, I am far from being a rich man. In fact, I am a poor, 70-year-old man who survives on a rather measly SS check each month, which serves as my only source of income. Let me inform you that over two thirds of my SS check goes directly into keeping the BBB ministry up and running every month.
As some of my long-time online friends already know, the Bill's Bible Basics ministry is my life and my passion. It has been my labor of love over the past thirty years. I have sacrificed a lot for it, and for you, God's precious sheep. There is nothing more important to me than this ministry. I have put my heart and soul into it, in obedience to God’s command to share His Word with the online world.
While most of you will not know this, I, and a personal friend and Christian brother of many years, have spent many thousands of dollars over the years in order to keep the Bill's Bible Basics ministry online. However, we can only do so much. This ministry really needs your help now, if it is to continue into the future, which is why I am making this rare appeal to you, my online friends and brethren in the Lord.
My friends, I know that it is financially difficult for a lot of us right now. Some of us are barely making ends meet each month. That is certainly true here on Guam where life is quite expensive. However, I told the Lord decades ago that I would continue to run the BBB ministry, just as long as He provides for it. To date, He has most certainly done so.
Those of you who have known me a long time, know that I never ask for money online, or in person for that matter. In fact, if you have read my work, then you will already know that I am strongly opposed to the commercialization of our Christian faith.
However, this is an urgent ministry need which I simply cannot meet on my own. Aside from the financial aspect of it, I just can't keep the web server running on my personal work machine for too long; for to do so will wear out that machine a lot quicker as well. For the record, my personal machine is already four years old as it is. As I said earlier, it is much preferable that the web server run on its own dedicated machine, as it has always done.
Having said all the above, if after reading this message, the Lord touches your heart and you feel compelled to help, please contact me by clicking or tapping on the "Contact Us" link you see in the links table below. I will provide you with details regarding how to send in your gift.
Please be advised that the machine I need cannot be purchased here on Guam, because Apple restricts local Apple product resellers, and only allows them to sell base models here, without any added features, such as extra memory or a larger hard drive. As a result, as we have done in the past, my Christian friend and brother in the US mainland will purchase the machine on his end, and will then ship it to me.
In conclusion, if you are one who will choose to help, please know that I am extremely grateful for your assistance, whatever the amount. Thank you in advance, and may God bless you abundantly. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!
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