On their return to Sierra Leone, Magnus felt compelled to write a thank you letter to all of those he and Rugie met during their UK trip, 23 June – 13 July 2026.
A Note of Gratitude Following Our Visit to the United Kingdom
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
As I write we have experienced very heavy rain since 4am and unto 9am now, yet with a temperature of 26 degrees. I wanted to rest and wait for tomorrow to say thank you but I just can’t wait.
Apologies for the length of my letter, but I just can’t help it!
On behalf of my wife, Rugie, and myself, I write to express our deepest gratitude to God and to each one of you for making our recent visit to the United Kingdom such a rich, joyful, and memorable experience. We returned safely to Sierra Leone with hearts full of thanksgiving, encouraged by the love, fellowship, generosity, and shared commitment to the work of God's Kingdom. We were deeply honoured to have been invited by Janet O’Shea, Chair of the SLM and President, to visit the churches of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion (UK) and our many friends and partners who faithfully support the ministry of the Connexion in Sierra Leone through the Sierra Leone Mission (SLM). The visit strengthened our faith, renewed our vision, and reminded us that although separated by distance, we are one family in Christ.
Our sincere thanks go first to Jonathan Redmayne, whose careful planning, coordination, hospitality, and friendship made the entire visit possible. From welcoming us at Heathrow Airport to hosting us in St Albans and accompanying us to various places in London including the National Gallery and other places of interest. Traveling by train and particularly the picadili underground tube were not forgettable moments at all. Thank you Jonathan for allowing us to pray with your wife Elizabeth in her sick bed and regardless of that for giving countless hours of service with great kindness and patience. We appreciate our time at the St. Albans vising many places of interest and shops and of course the Cathedral and for attending the Evensong in the second visit thereafter. During our time in St Albans, we also greatly appreciated the warm fellowship of Jane Chaplin, Harry Longman, and Peter and Dot Buckley, whose friendship made us feel immediately at home.
Our heartfelt thanks go to Tim and Alison Wells for opening their home to us in Ware and for their generous care during our stay. On the second day at Ware, we had a wonderful interaction with Ed and Yellena (Tim’s son and daughter-in-law) and their wonderful children during breakfast. Tim and Alison were a very lovely magnetic couple.
We also thank Ben Quant (A well-known man in Sierra Leone), who gave us a very passionate reception and took us to our first Tesco experience – the size of a supermarket we have never seen. We had a quality time with Ben, Keith and Rowan (Ben’s son) and a walk around Wormley. Thank you Ben for organising the wonderful bring-and-share evening at Wormley Free Church, where we had the privilege of meeting members of Wormley Free Church and Rosedale Community Church; and spoke to Sat, the Pastor of Ely, whose membership were absent because of their schedule to complete an ‘Alpha’ Course. The fellowship, thoughtful questions, and encouragement we received were truly uplifting.
I was truly privileged to have met and had a very strategic meeting with David Locket, the Chairman of the Trustees, Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion (UK) and whom I regard as a sage. In the meeting with David and Ben, we discussed a lot about the covenantal relationship between our two Connexions. Thank you so much David and Ben.
We are deeply grateful to Peter Riddle who was waiting at again another massive shop at Blue Water to take over from Tim. Peter took us safely to his beautiful home in the Isle of Sheppey, where we had a very refreshing lunch with Brenda Riddle and Ivann their son, an old friend . Peter then drove us safely to Janet and Norman Foord for their wonderful hospitality in Sheppey as our host. Our thanks also go to everyone at Sheppey Evangelical Church including Joe and Elizabeth Gregory, Steve, Sunnah, and my special Alice (93) and to all the wonderful people for the enjoyable barbecue (courtesy of Norman and Janet Foord) and the warm Christian fellowship we shared together.
Special thanks go to Jackie and Peter Lake for welcoming us into their home in Turner's Hill. With special gifts already waiting for us on our beds, we knew immediately that we were in for another treat with the Lakes whose passion to make us happy and to support the ministry in Sierra Leone was seen right in their faces. We also thank Pastor Peter James for his inspiring sermon on ‘Jesus the Servant King’; and to the congregation of Turner's Hill Free Church for the warm welcome during Sunday worship and the fellowship lunch afterwards.
We are sincerely grateful to Martin and Gudrun Brown for their kindness, hospitality, and careful arrangements during our time in East Sussex. Martin and Gudrun started their reception to us at Brussels where they arranged a special Lounge service which truly took care of fears about a long wait for connection flight both to and from the UK. Thank you so much.
We thank David and Phil Sweetman for opening their home to us in Hailsham. For me it was a reunion and of course a very welcoming reception for Rugie. Dave and Phil also hosted me in 2007, when I last visited as a young minister and they have never ceased to be warm and receptive. They were very king to take us to Eastbourne where we visited the famous Beecy Head. We also appreciate the opportunity arranged by Martin to visit Meditech, where we were honoured to meet its Chief Executive Officer, Bob Lewis. We are grateful to Hailsham Gospel Mission for hosting the afternoon ‘high’ tea, where we enjoyed meeting members of Hailsham Gospel Mission and South Street Free Church Eastbourne, together with Bob Clarke, Trustee of the Stuart Hine Trust. Your fellowship and encouragement were a great blessing.
Our sincere thanks go to the well-known Gordon Hamilton and Sue his very caring wife, for their generous hospitality in Goring-by-Sea and for taking us to Shoreham Free Church, where we greatly appreciated meeting the church family and Christine Stone, a legendary name in Sierra Leone and her sister who came all the way from Waterloo, near Portsmouth. Thank you for your kindness and care. Gordon and Sue were very kind again to take us by road with a very posh electric car all the way to St. Ives. That was a pleasant company we will never forget.
We are especially thankful to Janet O'Shea, whose extraordinary generosity in welcoming us into her home in St Ives for several days made us feel like members of her own family. Janet’s daughters – Hannah and Ruth and grandchildren, Nina (who has also come to Sierra Leone), Morgan, Finley and Aiden and also Jawan, treated us as siblings. Thank you Andy and Melanie for also being so supportive and welcoming. Janet and family’s kindness, care, and faithful service to the ministry were deeply appreciated. We will also remember you accompanying us to the beautiful Truro Cathedral and the shops around.
We also thank everyone at Redruth Baptist Church whom we met for lunch, together with all the faithful supporters of Sierra Leone Mission. They were just like any other Connexion Church. We are equally grateful to members of Zion Community Church for the enjoyable evening fellowship, and to Pastor Tim Dennick for arranging the gathering with members of other churches in St Ives. Tim and Emily also warmly received us in their home and Tim and I exchange lots of ministry and family experiences that are life changing. While with Janet, we visited Irene and Edward Tanner in It. Ives. It was a privilege to meet and thank Irene and her husband who have been so generous to our ministry in schools.
Our sincere appreciation goes to everyone who made our time at Sheldon Retreat Centre so valuable. We thank Martin Brown for leading the evening of worship and prayer and Ben Quant for facilitating the SLM Committee discussions with wisdom and grace. We are grateful to Paul and Anna Martin, David and Claire Price, Clive and Sandra Dale, Jonathan Redmayne and Janet O'Shea for the thoughtful discussions, fellowship, and commitment shown towards the ministry in Sierra Leone. We particularly appreciate the careful recording of our discussions by Paul Martin.
We also thank Sandra and Clive Dale for organising the lunch at Ebley Chapel, where we enjoyed meeting members of Ebley, including Mike and his wife who was the eloquent moderator and also members from Woodmancote. Our thanks go to David and Claire Price for welcoming us into their home in Bishops Cleeve (Cheltenham) and for their generous hospitality. David and Claire were such an open, easy going and helpful couple. I must note that we will not forget the old 12th century church in Elkstone between Cirencester and Chaltenham introduced to us and David and Claire.
We are grateful to the fellowship at Mortimer West End Chapel for arranging the lunch where we were delighted to meet members of Mortimer West End Chapel including a long time friend, Brenda Baldwin and also the Connexion’s Website Manager, Christine Long. Thank you for your warm welcome and encouraging fellowship.
Our visit to Cambridge was another memorable highlight spear-headed by Jonathan Redmayne. We warmly thank Susannah and Ben Gardner (Jonathan’s daughter and son-in-law), for their generous hospitality. We also appreciate the opportunity to visit Tyndale House, where we were warmly welcomed by Dirk and Ben. We are grateful to Jonathan Soyars, Director of the Cheshunt Foundation, for hosting Jonathan and I for a business lunch at Westminster College. That was another strategic meeting relating to Cheshunt’s generally and sabbatical scholarship opportunities. Thanks to Paul and Anna Martin for giving Rugie another treat while we were with Mr. Soyars. I can’t forget our special time with Paul and, Jonathan, sharing with me the rich history of Cambridge, including Trinity Hall, the river Cam and the Senate House.
Our sincere thanks go to Ridgeway Church, St Albans, for welcoming us so warmly during Sunday worship. We are grateful to Pastor Simon Ogbourn for the opportunity to share about the ministry in Sierra Leone through the interview during the service. We also thank Jenny Dennick Tim’s mother for joining us, and extend our appreciation to Shingi and Tendai Musonza, Gift and Portia Mlalazi, and their family for the wonderful African fellowship lunch, which made us feel very much at home.
We also thank Tony Beames from Ridgeway Church, who took us safely to Terminal 2 at Heathrow Airport for our journey home through Brussels.
To every church, every family, every supporter, every volunteer, every organiser, and every individual we met along the way, please accept our heartfelt thanks. Your hospitality reflected the love of Christ. Your prayers encouraged us. Your generosity continues to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of many people in Sierra Leone through the ministry of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion and the work of Sierra Leone Mission.
We returned home spiritually refreshed, greatly encouraged, and inspired by your faithfulness. The friendships we have strengthened during this visit will remain precious to us, and we thank God for the privilege of serving together in His Kingdom.
Please continue to remember us, the churches of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion in Sierra Leone, our pastors, our schools, our communities, and all the ministries we serve in your prayers. We assure you of our continued prayers for each of you and look forward, by God's grace, to many more years of fellowship and partnership in the Gospel.
May the Lord richly bless every one of you, your families, your churches, and your ministries.
With sincere gratitude and Christian love
Magnus & Rugie
