Last year, the Lord enabled two 20 foot containers to be bought, filled, shipped and delivered to our partners in Sierra Leone. The goods will be distributed to those who need them and the containers used at the Bethesda orphanage.

The containers

The purpose of purchasing and sending two containers is so that once emptied, the containers themselves can be transformed into living accommodation, or workshops or a kitchen - however our partners see fit to use them. We are seeking to extend the capacity of the Bethesda orphanage so that it can serve more people.

Delayed delivery

The containers actually arrived in Sierra Leone on the 7th November, but due to a recently installed new government it took two and a half months to get the relevant clearances to enable them to be delivered. The Lord has been very gracious in that we have not had to pay any delay costs for the time the containers were at the port. All our delivery partners worked tirelessly to get them through.

The goods

The containers carried a variety of goods including over 300 shoe bags filled with stationary, clothing, and personal hygiene items for distribution to children. There were also sleeping bags, sleeping mats, tents, clothes & water carriers. Sierra Leone is the one of the poorest countries in the world and so these goods will be much appreciated.

Schools

Many of the boxes in the containers were filled with school uniforms. A local shop in Truro (Trevails) has donated about £40k worth of new uniforms and sports kits, much of which was included in this shipment. The Sierra Leone Mission supports 23 schools and so this donation was very gratefully received.

Books

We were asked to ship out boxes of books to equip Pastors in their work. The Sierra Leone Mission supports 21 churches and the training of the Pastors, and so the sending of books was a very worthwhile compliment to the work, which we were grateful to be a part of.

Visit to Sierra Leone

Janet made her annual trip to Sierra Leone in November/December last year, with the goal of strengthening our partnership and to support our brothers and sisters there. This year she was joined by Bethany and Esther Green from Rosedale Church in Cheshunt.

The Hope

Our hope is that the goods with be of practical use to some of the poorest people in the world and be a demonstration of the love of Jesus for them. We also hope that these goods will equip teachers, pastors and the orphanage that we work with.

Plans for 2019

The SLM committee and ourselves in West Cornwall are currently thinking and praying about what to put our energy into this year. There are numerous important needs and we need wisdom from the Lord to decide. As we look back we are very grateful to the Lord for his miraculous provision and for the privilege of working with our brothers and sisters in West Africa.

With love,  Zion Community Church, St Ives