Please will you continue to pray for the two containers that left St Ives for Bethesda last November, and have remained in Freetown Port since 5 December.

The delay is due to a request from the authorities for a payment of £15,000 in duty. This has resulted from a controversy regarding the NGO status of the goods. 

The authorities dispute that Duty Free for organisations, such as Bethesda, is only applicable to ‘purely religious items’ for example, bibles, and to qualify for Duty Free, Bethesda would need to have NGO status, rather than community-based NGO, which is the Bethesda category. 

The delivery cost for the containers to reach Bethesda has already been paid and the request for such a high, additional duty payment is both unprecedented and completely unaffordable.

Adding to the difficulties, is the current state of emergency due to Coronavirus, which hampers communication with the authorities to appeal for the necessary correction. 

Inside the containers is a whole range of  items, eagerly awaited by the Bethesda community:

• 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

Prayer is welcomed from the whole Connexion Community for the issue to be resolved swiftly, and at minimum cost (or none!) and that the containers will safely reach Bethesda as soon as they possibly can.

 

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