Please continue to pray for two containers that are bound for Bethesda.

Back in November, the containers left St Ives to be shipped to Sierra Leone.

They arrived in Freetown Port on 5 December, and that is where they have remained. The hold-up is due to issues with bureaucracy - a situation that could likely run up additional costs for port rental.

The issue

This week, Magnus contacted St Ives with an update. The issue appears to relate to the categorisation of the contents. Officials are stating that Duty Free for organisations, such as Bethesda, is only applicable to ‘purely religious items’ for example, bibles.

To qualify for Duty Free, Bethesda would need to have NGO status, rather than community-based NGO, which is the Bethesda category. The bottom line seems to be that customs are requesting a duty payment in order to release the containers.

Magnus is understandably frustrated and asks for our continued prayer: that God will support his battle and bring about a fair decision to enable the containers to reach the children in Bethesda, without additional cost.

Inside the containers, is a whole range of eagerly awaiting items:

• Shoe bags from Zion Community Church, St.Ives, Cradley Chapel, Ebley Chapel and Woodmancote Church
• Sleeping bags, blankets, sheets, towels, curtains 
• Table cloths, crockery and cutlery
• Clothes and shoes for adults and children
• At least 60 boxes of new school uniforms
• 100s of school text books - children's story books, adult Christian books, and some new books that have been donated for the Evangelical library
• Assorted toys, as well as balls for football and netting for goals
• Furniture, bunk beds, cots, settees, and desks for Magnus and Daniel
• Sewing machines and manual typewriter for blind folk

The delivery cost for the containers to reach Bethesda has already been paid. 

This hold up is the last hurdle.

We would welcome your prayers for the issue to be resolved swiftly, and at minimum cost (or none!) and that the containers will safely reach Bethesda without further delay. 

We look forward to receiving photographs and celebrations from Magnus of the containers’ arrival!

Donate

If you would like to contribute towards the important work of The Connexion both in the UK and in Sierra Leone, please click on Donations. All contributions, no matter how small, are of huge value to enable us to continue the legacy of the Countess of Huntingdon.