####A low-tech call-service to reach some of the poorest and most marginalized people groups with the gospel.
While missionaries have done an astonishing job translating the Bible, literacy rates remain low in developing regions of the world (rendering a printed gospel inert). Moreover, these groups are often given Bibles in the nearest 'trade language', instead of the language they speak fluently. Using audio from Bible.is and the Digital Bible Platform, this service will allow these groups to listen to the Bible in their native language, for as long as they like, for free. The service does not require a smartphone, and can be controlled by SMS messaging.
Phone Numbers: Churches and missionaries can distribute phone numbers to families without Internet or smartphone access. Each phone number represents a single country and language.
Calling: When a user calls or texts the number, the service calls back and plays the audio (incoming calls are free). When a user hangs up, we 'bookmark' their spot for next time (based on their phone number).
Texting:
When a user texts a verse (Ex: Romans:8) the service immediately calls the user and plays that verse.
If a user texts a question mark the service returns a text-based menu of the user's recent play-history.
Regardless of your technical expertise, there are lots of opportunities to contribute!
Check the Help Wanted section of this project to provide feedback or get involved.
The project is a Ruby on Rails app. If you are new to Ruby or Rails, learn more at Code School.
The application is essentially a 'mashup' of other services. So while the application is relatively simple, the setup will require creating a few accounts.
-
Create a Twilio account and buy a phone number ($1 per month).
-
Use a service like Forward (30 day trial) to connect your localhost to the outside world.
-
Request a Digital Bible Platform account. This may take 24 hours, so use the included key until you recieve your key by email.
- Configure your local app for you Twilio account by creating
config/app_config.local.ymlbased on the example. (Add your Digital Bible Platform key when you receive it.)
config/app_config.local.yml.example == becomes ==> config/app_config.local.yml
- Configure your new Twilio number's Request URL with the domain you chose in Forward HQ. (See Screenshot for paths)
- Setup your database with the following command.
rake db:setup
[NOTE] We are using SQLite locally. Reset your data by simply deleting db/development.sqlite3 and re-running rake db:setup
- Start your server with the following command and visit localhost:3000.
rails server
[NOTE] There is no UI so you should just see 'ok'
- Call your Twilio number to test! You should see activity in you local Rails server/log, and hear the Bible!